[ Erik nods, and is not at all surprised. ]

Your mother is not alone. It's good your friend has somebody like you on his side. Sometimes that can make all the difference.

[ Afterward, he had heard stories from other survivors of Gentiles who had helped. It always surprised him. And at times made him angry that those people weren't able to be the dominant voices. But that was a conversation for a different time. ]

Kosher has to do with food. When we keep kosher, we are following a series of rules from the Torah about what is clean and suitable for eating, and what is not. It can be quite involved, especially during Passover, but some of the basics for the rest of the time include that we are to avoid pork, shellfish, and mixing meat with dairy. And so no cheeseburgers.

[ As scintillating as that explanation surely is, Eddie is much more interested in the possibility of cooking alongside him. ]

Of course. I wouldn't have offered otherwise. Bring the stool closer, you'll need it to reach everything.

[ He arranges the ingredients so Eddie can reach them. ]

Now, what do you think you need to do first?