YT does not have to cost this much

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Forum -> Yom Tov / Holidays -> Succos

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amother

OP ↓

Mon, Oct 14 2024, 12:56 pm

I was reading the freezer thread (https://www.imamother.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=580950) and I'm astounded. I almost wanted to suggest the thread get moved into the High End Purchases forum. I am SO THRILLED for those who have this kind of money to spend on making yomtov. I really am! This is not what it looks like at my house or anywhere I've ever been. And I can't help but wonder, is this the kind of thing people think about when they say they can't afford to make yomtov? Could people who are really struggling manage if they'd stop trying to make this kind of meal? Does buying 4 kinds of red meat come before or after paying tuition and rent?

People listed at least four kinds of red meat in addition to chicken, and of course I know this is for 8 days and shabbos is part of that. But this is VERY expensive. Were having a lot of chicken on the bone for 8 days because thats what costco sells. Yeah we'll be really sick of chicken by day 3. I think we'll have one kind of red meat aside from meatballs over chag.

So I guess this thread is to tell people who feel badly reading a thread like that, it's also VERY normal to make very simple and affordable yomtov meals. While variety is great, it's also nice to have super simple.

My menus are like this:
Challah
fish (gfish)
soup at night
chicken of some sort
carb side
veg side
dessert (day meals)

I've just listed a three/four course meal with 7 dishes. That in and of itself is a feast!

So please enjoy a 7 dish meal just as someone else is enjoying a 15 dish meal.

amother

Molasses

Mon, Oct 14 2024, 12:58 pm

I didn't read that thread but I did freeze a lot of food for Y"T and what I froze was mostly chicken (1 meat and some desserts and challah). Besides for money Red meat is really not good for you.

amother

Opal

Mon, Oct 14 2024, 1:00 pm

I don't disagree with you.

Do you make regular chicken, or do you do something different to make it more 'yom tov dik'?

amother

Silver ↓

Mon, Oct 14 2024, 1:02 pm

We literally have no red meat the whole year (mostly for health reasons) the only time I make red meat is yt. So yeah we go all out.

amother

↑ OP ↓

Mon, Oct 14 2024, 1:02 pm

amother Opal wrote:

I don't disagree with you.

Do you make regular chicken, or do you do something different to make it more 'yom tov dik'?

I dont know what you mean. What is regular chicken and what is yom tov dik chicken?

amother

↑ OP ↓

Mon, Oct 14 2024, 1:03 pm

amother Silver wrote:

We literally have no red meat the whole year (mostly for health reasons) the only time I make red meat is yt. So yeah we go all out.

Then for you this is not a financial issue. This is a financial thread.

BaltoMom65 ↓

Mon, Oct 14 2024, 1:03 pm

I completely agree OP

↑ BaltoMom65

Mon, Oct 14 2024, 1:04 pm

amother OP wrote:

I dont know what you mean. What is regular chicken and what is yom tov dik chicken?

Maybe this is a recipe the family normally doesn't have if they have chicken during the week or even Shabbos.

amother

Rose ↓

Mon, Oct 14 2024, 1:06 pm

I completely agree people go so over the top. The gluttony is insane.

mha3484 ↓

Mon, Oct 14 2024, 1:07 pm

I agree. The only reason we have red meat for yomtov is because I get some food from an organization my rebbetzin runs and its very very appreciated. But when my life was easier and I cooked more we had mostly chicken and ground beef with one roast from maot chitim. Some times I would splurge on pargiot or boneless chicken breast.

amother

Waterlily ↓

Mon, Oct 14 2024, 1:08 pm

I totally hear you! I personally love to cook it’s my therapy. I buy everything in bulk. I travel 40 minutes to a different town where they have cheaper meats and buy that in bulk. Same with my fish. I do lots of shopping at the farmers market.
I try my best with my budget but it’s def hard because everything is so expensive!

amother

↑ Waterlily

Mon, Oct 14 2024, 1:10 pm

I only have one or two meat dishes the whole yuntif which I use sparingly. When it comes to my mains I get creative with chicken thighs and ground beef. I always make lots of salads which fills people up!
A super easy one that I love are orayas I stuff my ground beef in pita bread and fry it. I serve with Hummus/tehina. It’s so filling and not so expensive to make!

amother

Seagreen

Mon, Oct 14 2024, 1:12 pm

I've had years where we went heavy on the bone-in chicken. But I see nothing wrong with being creative and trying different recipes and preparations so that yom tov feels festive and different. I would be sad if my kids were sick of yomtov meals by the end of yomtov. It's not gluttony to me if I make different foods for each meal as a way to honor the day. My kids loved yomtov when it was chicken on the bone and they love it now when there is a roast at 1 of the meals.

keym

Mon, Oct 14 2024, 1:15 pm

I actually like having some meat at every meal- lkovid Yom Tov.
I buy 1 large low quality roast, and use the meat in many different recipes. Yapchik, meaty vegetable soup, knishes, etc.

Sometimes I'll also serve one or two mains of a corned beef or something, but not always.

amother

Darkblue ↓

Mon, Oct 14 2024, 1:16 pm

For a family who never eats meat during the week and only on an occasional shabbos, meat on YT is an extra special treat, totally not gluttony.
This thread is one of the times I think you do you and stop looking into anyone else's pans. I trust that people are nor going into debt just to have some fancy cut of meat on YT. You just need to feel comfortable with whatever you choose to cook and serve, everyone else be damned.

amother

Melon ↓

Mon, Oct 14 2024, 1:21 pm

amother Rose wrote:

I completely agree people go so over the top. The gluttony is insane.

Wanting to honor hiddur mitzvah is gluttony? It's literally a mitzvah to have a feast that includes meat and wine.

amother

↑ Melon ↓

Mon, Oct 14 2024, 1:23 pm

Do you really think those saying they can’t afford things are the same people buying expensive meats? Because they aren’t.

amother

Forsythia

Mon, Oct 14 2024, 1:23 pm

I was assuming that they were having 1 meat per yomtov meal and hosting++++ and had the money to do this.

I'm a simple cook and we are having slow braised meat which was left over from RH and chicken. I also really don't like long meals so don't do a lot of courses but different people do like that.

I hear the increased consumerism which plays into everything. The tablescape is what bothers me most bec of the waste

giftedmom ↓

Mon, Oct 14 2024, 1:25 pm

Meat on YT is a mitzvah in the Torah. It’s not gluttony.

amother

Slateblue

Mon, Oct 14 2024, 1:25 pm

We don't use meat often. A little bit on shabbat and rarely on special occasions. On Yom tov we spend on good meat. We don't serve fish at every meal so the total spent per meal isn't that much more than a regular shabbat when we serve fish and chicken

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