Jewish restrictions governing meat don’t significantly affect my diet because we rarely eat red meat. And we don’t particularly like the taste of most fish. So we eat a fair amount of chicken, fruits and vegetables. We have more than a few chicken recipes in our cookbook! While I respect the Jewish laws and traditions, I know that many were obviously established for very practical reasons to protect the physical health of the Jewish community and therefore and are just carry-overs from pre-USDA/FSIS inspections.

The PD article is good to know information. I just don’t worry that much about the food supply. I eat what I like.

Good grief. How many questions can you squeeze into one topic….

How long have you been a Kosher food consumer?
I don’t know. Are kosher dill pickles actually kosher, or is that just a style of pickle? I wouldn’t bother to go out of my way or spend extra to buy something Kosher unless I thought I would like it better. But I wouldn’t pass on something just because it was Kosher.

Are Kosher foods safer than U.S. government standards?
Probably sometimes, but the article itself states that some Kosher plants may have an inspector/rabbi come by once a week or twice a year. If it is twice year, that’s not a very strict standard. I’ve never had a problem with USDA meat.

After reading today’s Post-Dispatch article, will you consider Kosher foods?
Not any more or less than I do now. I buy food based on what I want to eat. So if I saw something I thought I would like, and it happened to be kosher, so be it. The article didn’t do anything to sway me one way or another.

Are you convinced to start buying Kosher foods now?
Sounds like different wording of question 3. See answer to question 3.

The front page article by Georgina Gustin and the photo by Erick M. Lunsford seem to be in conflict with the subject of safety in kosher meat. My wife noted with interest that one of the butchers in the photo is wearing only one protective glove and the other is not wearing any gloves while handling the meat.

This doesn’t assure me the meat is safe for human consumption. While it may be kosher, it isn’t necessarily safe from germs which might be transmitted from the human hand. This may in fact be in violation with local health safety rules of the St. Louis County Health Department.

The article is interesting and informative, but the corresponding photo doesn’t confirm what the article says about safety in meat.

We…we…we…Ryan…ya got fleas in your pocket today, or do you answer for your squeeze like that all the time???
Since most guys don’t wash their hands after using the bathroom, I’d hate to think pawed over meat and foods were safe. And considering what most “religious” men are doing nowadays with their short-eyed hands, I’d hate to think where those fingers have been. Isn’t it time to get rid of all the stupid dogma and worry about our many world problems? Jah, goddesses and gods are laughing!

MIKE: Well you decide: I cloned her so that she’d live-out the image and likeness of her creator. Actually–just the opposite it true: she introduced me to the red-meatless/limited-fish menues,and over the years I’ve grown to accept and even enjoy it. Some say I’m *****-whipped. I say: whatever it takes!

“While I respect the Jewish laws and traditions, I know that many were obviously established for very practical reasons to protect the physical health of the Jewish community and therefore and are just carry-overs from pre-USDA/FSIS inspections.”

Ryan, you’re obviously not Jewish. Otherwise you wouldn’t make that statement, which is 100% wrong.

I was going to try to explain it myself, but found that Wikipedia gives a much more clear, concise explanation than I could:

“Many of the basic laws of kashrut are derived from the Torah’s Books of Leviticus and Deuteronomy, with their details set down in the oral law (the Mishnah and the Talmud) and codified by the Shulchan Aruch and later rabbinical authorities. The Torah does not explicitly state the reason for most kashrut laws, and many varied reasons have been offered for these laws, ranging from philosophical and ritualistic, to practical and hygienic.”

So as you can see, there is no reason given for the kosher laws- Jews are supposed to follow them because it is God’s commandment. And yes, many people do point out that these laws sometimes make the food cleaner and healthier for our consumption, but that doesn’t mean that it IS the reason. In Judaism, there are a lot of laws to be followed for no apparent reason (Orthodox Jews will not wear clothing made of wool and linen mixed together, for example)- they’re followed on faith alone.

….and the most tasteless thing in the world is a kosher steak.

Slamfist,
Then that must be kosher steak they are serving over at O’Charleys. Twice I’ve ordered steak, including prime rib on one occassion. Never had such a flavorless cut of meat in my life!

Sharon: 100% wrong? Little harsh, aren’t you? You youself list “hygienic” as one of several possible reasons for observance of Kosher. How can I be 100% wrong? That’s as unlikely as being 100% Jewish,isn’t it, Sharon? Based on your own admission, the very worst I could be is 75% wrong! Read your post.

You’re right, I’m not Jewish, but I am no stranger to Judaism, and most of my Jewish friends offer hygiene as a more plausible explanation for following Jusish ritual for food preparation than faith-based or other philosophical explanations. In their words, “faith” often follows “function” in organized religions like Judaism and Catholicism, both of which tend to be tradition-based.