If you missed Day 1, click here. If you haven’t voted for the Day 1 match-ups, you still have time! Voting for all Round 1 match-ups will remain open through tomorrow afternoon. Go to the TC Jewfolk Facebook page and cast your vote for the winners.
Round of 32 – Voting ends on Thursday, March 28th
Round of 16 – Voting ends on Friday, March 29th
Round of 8 – Voting ends on Saturday, March 30th
Final 4 – Voting ends on Sunday, March 31st
Championship – Voting ends on Monday, April 1
Today’s matchups are all about food. Food, as we all know, is one of the most important aspects of Jewish holidays. “They tried to kill us, we won, so let’s eat.” And no Jewish holiday emphasizes food quite like Passover. Certain foods we can’t eat, certain foods we must eat, certain foods that people love (looking at you charoset), and certain foods that only a mother could love (Oy gefilte!). All in all, food is front and center on Passover, and this tournament devotes two whole categories to all the wonderful and unique treats we get to enjoy.
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Match-ups in the Food Region:
(1) Matzah ball soup vs. (8) Popovers. Popovers are one of the few Passover foods that can be enjoyed year-round by both Jews and Gentiles. In fact, Popovers have a great American tradition all their own, completely separate from any Jewish tradition. They look like bread, and act like bread, but they don’t require any yeast to rise, so they can be a part of any Passover meal. It’s too bad they’re going against the heavyweight of Jewish cooking, matzah ball soup. In another bracket, we could see popovers making a run, but their tournament likely ends here.
(2) Matzah Brei vs. (7) Chopped liver. There are two ways to make matzah brei: mix matzah into an egg dish almost like a soufflé, or fry matzah coated in eggs for a french toast-style breakfast. Which way you choose may determine the winner of this match-up. Chopped liver, on the other hand, is the ultimate “I get no respect” food. It’s not as bad as its reputation, but may go down because of it all the same. It’s also not strictly a Passover food. Will that hurt its chances?
(3) Brisket vs. (6) Four cups of wine. Brisket, the hallmark of any good Jewish meal, takes on the hallmark of any tolerable family dinner: alcohol. Yes, the four cups are sacramental (meaning your 14-year-old cousin can legally get drunk if he wants), but they stil go down easy when your Great Uncle Morty insists on stumbling through the Hebrew on his turn to read.
(4) Gefilte fish vs. (5) Charoset. Charoset took care of Horseradish in a nail-biting play-in game, and its reward is the other food that maror improves. Certainly there are people that love gefilte fish, but we can barely handle the smell, so let’s move on before we lose our appetite.
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Match-ups in the Desserts Region:
(1) Macaroons vs. (8) Chocolate-raspberry jellies. Macaroons, like popovers, are not a Jewish invention. But ever since Italian Jews realized their utility for Passover, they’ve become synonymous with after-seder goodies. They’re one of the few baked goods you can eat on Passover, and they should easily get by their jelly opponent in Round 1.
(2) Fruit jellies vs. (7) Chocolate-covered matzah. Potential upset here! Chocolate-covered matzah isn’t all that creative—just melt some chocolate onto matzah, but it’s going up against a relatively weak 2-seed in the fruit jellies. Yes, fruit jellies are nice and chametz-free, but how much fruit do they actually contain? The red flags are going off at headquarters that these guys may be using some PES’s, performance enhancing sugars, to boost their performance.
(3) Seder mints vs. (6) Milk chocolate lolly cones. This is a matchup of the ultimate Kosher for Passover desserts. Bust out your Bartons catalogue (or grab one at your local religious school) and pick the one that appeals to you more: Kosher chocolate mints, or Kosher chocolate lollipops. You can’t go wrong, but you can’t really go right either.
(4) Flourless chocolate torte vs. (5) Chocolate-covered marshmallows. Heavyweights (in more ways than one) square off in this star-studded 4 vs. 5 match-up. It’s Old School versus New School. Gourmet chefs include flourless chocolate tortes on their menu. Kids at campfires worldwide have been melting chocolate over marshmallows for generations. The torte is more classy, the marshmallow is more homey; which one wins?
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People:
(1) Moses vs. (8) Puah & Shiphrah/Jochebed
(2) Aaron vs. (7) Burning Bush
(3) Miriam vs. (6) Elijah
(4) God vs. (5) Rameses
Foods:
(1) Matzah ball soup vs. (8) Chametz/Popovers
(2) Matzah Brei vs. (7) Chopped liver
(3) Brisket vs. (6) Four cups of wine
(4) Gefilte fish vs. (5) Charoset/Horseradish
Desserts:
(1) Macaroons vs. (8) Toasted coconut-covered marshmallows/Chocolate-raspberry jellies
(2) Fruit jellies vs. (7) Chocolate-covered matzah
(3) Seder mints vs. (6) Milk chocolate lolly cones
(4) Flourless chocolate torte vs. (5) Chocolate-covered marshmallows
Plagues:
(1) Death of Firstborn vs. (8) Frogs
(2) Blood vs. (7) Darkness
(3) Lice vs. (6) Boils
(4) Swarm of Flies/Locusts vs. (5) Pestilence
