The Nine Days Save the Day!

Tomorrow is my shul's Men's Club's annual baseball outing, which is usually preceded by a hot-dog buffet. (To their credit, they have included veggie dogs in past years.) But this year's menu was changed from hot dogs to a pareve spaghetti meal. During the announcements at Shabbat services this morning, a shul board member joked that the switch is an attempt to attract more vegans. (I'm pretty sure I was the only vegan in attendance this morning, and he confirmed that the comment was just for me.)

I hate to admit it, but I wasn't sure what the real reason was for the switch. When I asked, I was told that at the last minute, someone realized that the event would fall during the Nine Days preceding Tisha B'av, when, except on Shabbat, meat is prohibited. Now, I knew that Tisha B'av begins a week from tonight. I knew that the Nine Days had begun. And I knew that meat is off limits during the Nine Days (I even indirectly blogged about it last year). But seeing as how I avoid meat year-round, I failed to put it all together in my mind.

I won't be able to attend tomorrow, but here's hoping the vegetarian version of the annual event goes well!