mamaJAM - please educate me.

PrairieMom wrote: I was just wondering, where do you get all your Kosher food? the only things I know of are salt and pickles. Do you shop at a regular store?
Please don't be offended, I was honestly curious. I am from a larger city, (about 130,000 ) but I am in the midwest, and honestly, we aren't very culturally diverse.

MamaJAM replied: Actually - this will shock you....some "kosher" pickles aren't really kosher -- they use the word because they use kosher salt in their pickling process.

Anyway -

You'd be surprised (probably) how many foods you have in your house are kosher. For example - if you see a cirlce with a "U" in the middle....or a star with the letter "K" in the middle (or just the letter "K" - no star) - on an item - it's kosher. There are hundreds of kosher symbols out there. (ftr - the circle with an "R" in it on items is not a kosher symbol)
I shop for most of my food at a regular grocery store. Stores in "Jewish areas" make an effort to carry more kosher items (we can find more stuff across town near our girls' school then down the street from our home). Some items are hard to find (like kosher marshmallows) and we have to order them (we use an online kosher market based out of New York when needed). Thankfully - due to a growing Jewish population in our city -- we now have 2 kosher bakeries and there are a few places we can get kosher meats (though most kosher meats have to be ordered).

If you have any other questions - I'd be happy to answer them (or find the answers if I don't know them).

I'll be off-line probably until tomorrow now....but I'll be back.

Kaitlin'smom replied: what exactually does kosher mean?

PrairieMom replied: I'm gonna have to look at all my food now!

kit_kats_mom replied: I learned something new today
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kosher

My3LilMonkeys replied: Thanks for the info! It was really interesting. I would also like to know what exactly kosher means, and also why can't you eat non-kosher food?

PrairieMom replied: well, i learned something new today too!
When DH came home from work today he found me in the fridge looking at all the lables on my food. I was amazed. i never noticed the little U before. DH said he always just figured it was a printers mark or something like that. HE actually ended up looking at some lables too!
Thanks for the info! I feel a lot smarter today!

MamaJAM replied: Sorry I wasn't back before now......

The link to the definition that kit_kats_mom posted is a good one. Thanks.

As far as 'what does kosher mean' -- basically it's foods and drinks that fit into the laws given to us in the Torah (Jewish 'bible'). The laws cover all topics - types of food that are and are not acceptable -- as well as certain laws on how to prepare and eat foods.
Example -- there is a kosher-way to slaughter an animal - this way actually causes the least possible pain to the animal (cuts the main artery causing instant death instead of any slower method). Only animals slaughtered in this way - and drained of all blood - are acceptable to eat. An animal that dies of nautral causes - or is killed in any other way (hunting/etc) are not acceptable.
Example -- there are certain things we are told to never eat....anything from a pig (ham, pork chop, most hotdogs, many items with gelatin, etc) - shell fish - birds of prey. But....if a mammal has cleft hooves AND chews its cud - it's acceptable -- if a fish has fins AND scales it's acceptable (aka - no shark or swordfish). Even foods that are acceptable are often regulated -- the Torah states that to never cook a "calf in it's mother's milk" - therefore meat and milk are not mixed in the same meal (some people will mix poultry with milk since birds don't nurse their young).

Anyway - I could go on but it gets confusing (like it isn't already ).


As far as why we do it...well - in our family - we take Torah and everything about Judaism very seriously. Keeping kosher is just one way that we show are personal devotion to G-d in our actions. Judaism isn't just a faith - it really is a way of life...following Torah involves not only how your worship and pray - but how you eat, dress, speak, handle yourself, etc. Not every Jew follows all of Torah....there are different levels of "observance"....everyone as at their own point - and no one is 'better' than another just because they do or don't do something.
We don't _have_ to keep a kosher diet....it's not like I'd be a bad person if I ate a pork-chop or cheeseburger....it's not like I'd be going to he** if I ate an unkosher food. Keeping kosher is something my family chooses to do, for G-d and where we are.
(Does that make sense?)


Oh....and PrairieMom....glad you had fun on your label-hunt. I remember when we did our first label-hunt when we decided to keep kosher....I was happily surprised by how much kosher food we already had (and a little sad over some of the stuff we did end up getting rid of).

MamaJAM replied: Wanted to add --

I probably won't be on much today -- I'm fighting a migraine and shouldn't stare at a computer screen for too long.

If I don't answer questions here today...please know that I will answer anything asked the next time I'm here.

PrairieMom replied: Thanks for the info! Hope your head feels better!

luvmykids replied: Hope your migraine goes away!

punkeemunkee'smom replied: Thank you for sharing the info! DH and I were talking about this the other night. We knew the restriction on pork but the rest is very interesting! We were wondering what you had to do to keep kosher-now I know a little more! I was acually going to google it-I think i still will


Hope your head feels better soon!

My3LilMonkeys replied: Hope your migraine is gone.

Thank you for all the wonderful information!!! It's always nice to learn about another culture that I don't know much about. So if anyone else out there wants to share information on their religion and/or culture, please do!

Maddie&EthansMom replied: That is awesome! Thanks for all the information.