Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with kosher

It wasn't kosher but does it matter?

QuantumMeruit — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 16:28:46 -0800

Should I apologize (or otherwise acknowledge our "oops") for cooking my Jewish co-worker's family a decidedly non-kosher dish following the birth of their first child? A close co-worker's wife had their first child last week. Mom and baby are home and doing fine. Last month, we also gave them a pretty large care package of baby/new mom stuff.

Because we are Experienced Parents, instead of sending flowers after they came home, my wife and I wanted to send over a home-cooked meal for the family. Without thinking things through, my wife took over a lasagna made with Italian (pork) sausage. The mother didn't say anything at the time. I think only my co-worker keeps kosher (I've seen his wife eat shellfish and pork). I certainly knew he kept kosher in a low-key, Reform kind of way, but my wife just didn't remember. (Their last name is VERY Anglo-Saxon.)

At first, I was all "OMG I need to call him right away to point out that the dish was made with pork", but then I realized that meat + cheese was a pretty clear non-kosher sign.

What's the appropriate thing to do tomorrow at work? Hive mind, where exactly do you think this this faux pas falls on the spectrum between "Eh, no big deal" versus "I can't believe how inconsiderate that was"?

Vegetarian seeks most humane and delicious steak.

a.steele — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 14:40:32 -0800

Help me pick the best option for humanely raised and slaughtered beef (Local? Kosher?) I'm having a hard time deciding between certain criteria. After some deliberation and 7 years of being vegetarian/pescetarian I've decided to jump off the wagon for one delicious steak (which may lead to more occasional meat-meals). Because of my ethical convictions I would like for this steak to have come from a cow that lived a happy life and did not die in fear or pain. Onto my options:

There are two local beef farms that sell at the local farmer's market. I plan on asking them this directly, but in the meantime, is there a "standard" way for smaller farms to slaughter cattle? I know in most cases they are transferred to a separate place, but do smaller farms usually send their cattle to "humane" slaughterhouses?

Despite living in the meat-loving, bbq capital, most obese city in the South, we do have a Whole Foods, which opens up a ton of other options for kosher and "humane" beef. Can anyone explain what the distinctions mean? Does something being slaughtered humanely mean it was treated well it's whole life?

I like the idea of buying from a local farmer for reasons of freshness and legitimacy, but I would really rather not be thinking of all the horrors that occurred after it left the quiet little farm. I'm having trouble finding resources to help me make the most informed decision. And if anyone out there has first-hand experience, spare no details. I want my experience to be as delicious and guilt-free as possible. Thanks!

Oy, am I in a pickle?

Smalltown Girl — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 19:59:09 -0800

Rosh Hashanah at a friend's home and I've promised to bring food or beverage, but there's a problem. Friends have invited me to services at their home on the first day of Rosh Hashanah, and I've promised to bring food or beverage. But there's a problem. I'm a recent convert and have attended services only in the synagogue, so I'm not sure what to expect. I volunteered to bring some food or wine, which may have been an error since some other invitees might be Orthodox. We have no kosher grocers or synagogue within 200 miles. Oy, am I in a pickle? What shall I bring?

Need to find specific kind of turkey in Brooklyn

josher71 — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 06:54:46 -0800

I'm a little late to the party on this one, but I need recommendations on where I can buy a heritage turkey tomorrow in NYC, hopefully Brooklyn. I would prefer it be kosher, and thus, brined and hopefully raised humanely, but it is not a requirement. Will Wednesday be too late to find this specific thing?

Help Me Bring the Right Thing to a Shiva.

foxy_hedgehog — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 14:32:16 -0800

Heading to a shiva this weekend. Need to bring something that is a) edible and b) has a big sign that says "kosher." As anyone who clicked on this probably knows, shiva is a Jewish mourning ritual for the dead. Mourners sit and receive visitors, and its traditional to bring some food for the mourners and guests to eat.

I'd like to bring a full-on dish or sandwiches, since the mourners are going to be too overwhelmed to cook. But the mourners are very religious and whatever I bring can't just be kosher in the sense of not mixing milk and meat- it needs to have an actual kosher certification.

So in other words, help. Do you know of anywhere in Manhattan I can order some dishes or a sandwich platter that's not totally bland and disgusting (which describes most kosher catered food) but that the mourners can feel comfortable eating?

Thank you so much.

kosher picnic

lockestockbarrel — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 20:49:50 -0800

What snacks can I bring to an outdoor picnic that are easy and kosher? Friday night we're going out with two other couples to an outdoor music venue -- BYO drinks and snacks. One of the couples keeps kosher. Not super-kosher (so I don't think the fact that my knife isn't kosher will be a problem) but kosher enough.

We're responsible to bring snacks to go with the drinks. What should we bring that won't offend the kosher people? Refrigeration isn't a problem, but I'll only have an hour or two to put some things together.

What should we bring?

Biyalstok Fix

mhz — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 14:12:28 -0800

Where can I get a good old-fashioned bialy in Brooklyn? I need a bialy. Badly. In Brooklyn. Oh, and it has to be Kosher, as in with a hechsher, not just by ingredients. Any suggestions?

A salad that enu would die for

Dasein — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 19:23:08 -0800

I have to make a salad for a Passover seder with a lot of people. Can anyone think of a good recipe for a salad that is kosher, filling (I'm thinking maybe nuts or beans), easy to make in large quantities, and delicious? Thanks for your help!

Can my Ethiopian food be kosher?

geekhorde — Sat, 24 Mar 2007 17:07:12 -0800

Kosher Ethiopian food? Niter kebbeh in particular? So, tomorrow night a rabbi friend of a friend may be coming to dinner and I was wanting to make Ethiopian food. I suspect just from what I know (which is not that much) of kosher restrictions that using the niter kebbeh (spiced butter) to cook the Doro Wat (chicken stew) would not be considered kosher. Am I right? I don't want to offend the rabbi. My wife sent the rabbi an email, but she hasn't answered yet.

I thought about using olive oil, but it wouldn't have the same taste.

how can i advise a youth-mentorship organization to be sensitive to the cultural and religious needs of its young participants and their parents?

twistofrhyme — Sun, 14 Jan 2007 16:09:16 -0800

how can i advise a youth-mentorship organization to be sensitive to the cultural and religious needs of its young participants and their parents? this Q applies to a very diverse group of kids. the issues i've noticed so far have specifically affected the muslim kids. i work with a wonderful program that involves kids of varying faiths- definitely muslim and hindi, and i don't know what else- it's hard to say by guessing, and i don't want to ask the kids. i know there are kids from various african countries, including somalia and ethiopia, the west indies, the middle east, asia, southeast asia.... etc. this is in toronto, if that gives any clue as to how mixed this bunch is. there are relatively few white kids, and lots of first-generation kids and immigrants. the kids range from 8-14 years old.

the program is non-denominational, and organized by pretty secular people. i've observed some practices i suspect are inconsiderate to the religious kids- scheduling events on, or the morning after Eid, for instance, or serving pepperoni pizza for lunch. many of the kids and their parents are clearly uncomfortable making demands, and instead try to be accomodating (for instance, i saw a kid ask if the cheese contained rennet, and, getting no good answer, she only ate broccoli and fruit instead).

i would like the organization to be more sensitive to any relevant concerns, and i have no qualms about tactfully pointing out some of these issues- but i'd like to provide constructive suggestions when i do so. i'm specifically thinking about food and scheduling, but am very curious about other concerns i may not have thought of.

here's a quick rundown of the program:

lasts the duration of the school year. involves some saturday full-day activities (which are scheduled months in advance) and some phone activities (once a week for about 25 mins., flixible scheduling).
the kids all attend co-ed toronto-area public schools.
they wear their own clothes, with large program t-shirts overtop.
they are served bottled water, juice and milk in cartons, pizza (veggie, pepperoni, chicken, hawaiian) from a sponsor (pizza pizza, i think), fruit salad, veggies and dip, packaged granola bars and fruit snacks, and grocery store cookies (caramel, chocolate chip, oatmeal raisin, M&M). the pizza is served by the latex-gloved hands of volunteer servers- so their gloves touch all varieties of pizza.
the authority figures are all adults, and all clearly jewish or christian-ish. although they are kind, i can see how a kid would be intimidated to make a religious request.

my question:
what can i suggest that will benefit these kids from now til may, and then to benefit all the kids forever after?
specifically, when are the religious holidays we'll need to schedule around?
how will we know when these fall in subsequent years?
any foods to try, or avoid?
things to find out about the foods we serve, so as to be able to answer questions?
is there anything i'm not thinking of?

my caveat:
please, no wrist-slapping here- i genuinely want to help, and am being reductive only so i can ask an answerable Q that doesn't drown in specifics (although, it's a pretty long Q, so i guess i failed there). also, please go easy on the program itself- they are *great*, and are doing incredible work with these kids. i'm 100% sure that the kids net way more benefit out of it than any non-denominational gaffe might cost them. besides, all mis-steps are due to ignorance, not insensitivity, and i know that if i suggest concrete changes, that they'll really try to implement them.

thanks in advance for your advice!

Jewish Funeral Customs

dogsbody — Sun, 29 Oct 2006 17:11:10 -0800

Questions about Jewish funeral customs. My husband's grandmother sadly passed away this weekend and I was hoping for some advice. She was Jewish, I'm not. I have a load of questions inside... First of all, I'm going to be charged with looking after my mother-in-law during the service, who is clearly devastated at the loss of her mother. Could somebody talk me through the ins and outs of the service - where to go, what to say, when to stand/sit/kneel - so that I can try to be a help rather than a hinderance to her?

Secondly, I'll be doing the catering for a gathering afterwards. Whilst the in-laws don't keep kosher, I imagine a fair number of the other guests will. I need to lay on a buffet for around 50 people - what can I (or, more importantly, what can't I) provide?

Thirdly, is there anything else I need to know so I don't put my foot in it or accidentally offend anyone?

Kosher gift

Hogshead — Tue, 17 Oct 2006 09:22:02 -0800

Friends are moving from London to San Francisco today. I want to send something to their hotel room for when they arrive. They're kosher. Can anyone recommend somewhere that'll deliver something (a) delicious (b) kosher (c) suitable for two jetlagged people with a baby to an address in central SF, ideally with a website? I'm not looking for restaurant food -- I don't know that they're going to be at the hotel when the delivery arrives -- or anything that needs cooking. Normally I'd send a bottle of champagne, but that's not kosher, and I know nothing about kosher wine. All advice, suggestions gratefully received.

Kosher/halal meats on a huge scale?

xmutex — Sat, 29 Jul 2006 00:12:47 -0800

How is it that animals are slaughtered in manners either kosher or halal on an industrial scale to feed the billions of adherents? It seems to me that these practices which define the particular and careful ways in which an animal must be killed, and in some cases that the animal must be blessed prior to the killing (halal) might fly in the face of the massive concern of scale when you're talking about billions of people worldwide that are compelled to live accordingly. What sort of considerations - e.g. religious figures blessing factories, etc, something that nature - go into making this happen?

Looking for Kosher Butcher around Silver Spring, MD

seinfeld — Thu, 06 Apr 2006 05:36:19 -0800

Having recently moved to downtown Silver Spring, I am looking for a kosher butcher in the area. I rely mostly on public transportation to get around, but I do have access to a car. +1 for any suggestions relating to kosher restaurants and kosher food markets, as well. Thanks!

Did ancient Samaritans eat pork?

Biblio — Wed, 29 Mar 2006 21:26:25 -0800

Did ancient Samaritans eat pork? What I am getting from Google is that modern Samaritans are similar to Orthodox Jews in their adherence to dietary laws, but there seems to be some indication that Samaritans in the time of Christ were more Greek than Jewish and didn't necessarily keep kosher. Any scholars out there know definitively?

Honey, this clam dip is to die for!

tula — Sat, 25 Mar 2006 12:55:58 -0800

Were the food laws in the old testament rational for the time or somewhat superstitious? I've always assumed that, in general, biblical food laws were written to keep ancient jews from killing themselves, just like the sex laws were written to keep them having lots of healthy babies. Sure pork could carry trichinosis, but was lobster really more dangerous to the old testament Jews than trout? Does cud chewing make animals less likely to carry disease? I'm not asking for clarification of Jewish law, I want to know which laws were medically sound for the time and which may have been based on a bad wedding banquet or a mistrust of bunnies.

Creative ideas for a Lost-themed party

FritoKAL — Mon, 24 Oct 2005 09:11:19 -0800

PartyFilter: My roommate has requested that for her birthday upcoming, this spring (Yes, we plan ahead), that we throw a Lost Party. As in "Purchase the first and/or second season of, and theme the party accordingly." - I need help! The rest, inside. I've never thrown a themed party. I've barely ever thrown a party in the first place. That being said - I know how to cook, I know how to make our DVD player work, I have room, I am competant with decorations. So I have the basics.

I'm just Lost (Haha. I think I'm funny) for unique and creative ideas for food and decorations outside of Inflatble Palm Trees and A Stuffed Polar Bear.

Here's the kicker.

At least one of the people attending is vegetarian, at least one keeps semi-kosher, and one has more food allergies than I can shake a stick at*. Not -everything- has to be edible by everyone, but some vegetarian -and- themed finger foods, or party foods would help a ton.

So fun, creative ideas would help a ton. Espically for food, but decoration-ideas are also welcome.

* Dairy, shellfish, pork, carrots, squash, pumpkins, strawberries, cinnamon, apples. Hell, I am probably missing a few, which gives you some indication of how many things he's allergic to. I'm -dating- this guy and I can't list all of them easily.

Why don't Christians keep kosher?

i love cheese — Sun, 25 Sep 2005 10:10:22 -0800

Why don't Christians keep kosher? I'm not very familiar with the new testament or Christian doctrine, and I've been wondering why the church does not promote a kosher diet. Jews can point to Leviticus as a source for the rules of keeping kosher. Christianity recognizes the old testament, and Leviticus is used as a source for a variety of church teachings (e.g., opposition to homosexuality, divorce, etc), but not this. Judiasm and Islam both have similar dietary restrictions, yet Christians do not. Why? I'm looking for pointers to church doctrine, biblical verses or similar.

Please don't turn this thread into an argument about the merits of a kosher diet or an argument about religion in general.

Kosher Fast Food?

FritoKAL — Wed, 24 Aug 2005 08:30:54 -0800

Do any of the large (or semi-large) fast food chains in the United States serve kosher food that is not fish / vegetarian? I know that McDonalds and Burger King offer a fish sandwich, but do any places (including places like Pizza Hut and Quiznos) serve kosher -meat-? I'm not actually Jewish, but I've got enough friends who keep Kosher that it's come up every once in a while. I have a functioning idea of how the kosher laws work, though some of the more complex parts elude me. (I'm told they elude some people who keep Kosher too.)

Almond Flour

jearbear — Mon, 05 Apr 2004 14:32:09 -0800

So, it's Pesach, and time for me and other jews to engage in a culinary tango dictated by what can often seem like an ever shifting sheaf of talmudic law. I've recently started playing around with almond flour - specifically a wonderful lemon pound cake (I use sugar - I'm a natural man!), and was pondering making it this week. But then it occurred to me - is using almond flour in this way - or almond flour at all - kosher for Pesach? And does anyone know of a good one-stop list of the rules and, to my mind more importantly, the reasons behind each?