In “Crash Course,” an article in Tablet Magazine, Patrick Huguenin describes his efforts to become an expert in Passover dietary laws in time to prepare a dish for his Jewish friend’s Seder (ritual Passover meal). Huguenin, who describes himself as an “agnostic Christian,” throws himself head-first into researching the details and techniques of preparing kosher-for-Passover chopped liver, a classic Ashkenazi Jewish food.

After two “trial” batches of chopped liver, during which Hugenin stresses about everything from chicken fat ratios to finding the perfect snacks to “dunk” with, he discovers the biggest shock of all: Matt, his Jewish friend doesn’t really care about keeping kosher for Passover.

“You know,” said Matt as he noshed, “we’re not that strict, and it’s not even sundown yet. You could have served this pate on toast.”

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