Is non kosher really better than kosher?

Carmen Luna

Wed, Jul 20 2016, 2:09 am

For all you amother's who started keeping kosher later on, I'm always curious to know, does non kosher food really taste so much better then kosher? For example is Pizza Hut better than amnons? Mc sandwich better then shnitzy? And if yes, please explain why.

amother

Indigo

Wed, Jul 20 2016, 2:40 am

I've never knowingly eaten traif but years ago we lived near an amazing pizza place. Just after we moved away, they lost their hechsher. Turns out they were using nonkosher cheese. It really was better. Oh well.

little_mage

Wed, Jul 20 2016, 7:08 am

It depends on what you're talking about. I find most of the hemishe brands are more expensive and poorer quality then the equivalent mainstream brand. What I find I miss is the combinations (meat and cheese) and the foods you just can't eat. I was never a big fish person-except for shellfish. That may be just me though.

amother

Red

Wed, Jul 20 2016, 7:13 am

I can't speak for non kosher animals (I grew up not keeping fully kosher but we didn't eat shellfish or pig and we didn't eat meat and dairy together) but I can say some things yes and some things no. Non kosher cheese does tend to melt better, but these days there are some kosher companies that make cheeses that rival the non kosher kinds. Kosher meat and chicken isn't really different, but since they're salted, you don't need as much salt when cooking, if you go according to recipes, you may end up overstating, but if you get the seasoning right, it's not different. Other than that, I don't think there's much difference. One thing that's sad though is that hands down, kosher restaurants do not compare to non kosher in terms of good service. I'm embarrassed when I eat out with relatives, they notice the difference and always complain about it, no matter how amazing the food was.

heidi

Wed, Jul 20 2016, 8:58 am

amother wrote:

Yes, non kosher food really is better. It's for the best though because when I didn't eat kosher (I'm a convert) I weighed more and ate more unhealthy fast foods. Kosher keeps me healthier.

Been kosher (and fat) all my life. I shudder to think what I would look like if I could eat Philly cheese steaks.

amother

Burgundy

Wed, Jul 20 2016, 9:03 am

I don't know if I'd say non-kosher is BETTER, but there is definitely food that is non-kosher that is very yummy, that I find myself missing (especially during pregnancy).

For instance, I miss when I went on vacations with my family (when I was a kid), and you could just pull off on the side of the road to a cozy, family owned restaraunt, where they served things like broasted chicken (chicken that is fried and roasted, so it's really moist with a fried exterior), or pies made by someone's Grandma. BH, we are very blessed to have many delicious kosher options, but even so, there are some niches which may not be filled in the kosher food world. I miss going to get pancakes with a side of bacon. It's tasty. I enjoyed pork, and I think dairy and meat can compliment each other very well. That being said, I also miss the convenience of walking into any restaraunt, as well as the lower prices.

(BH, I do not struggle with keeping kosher, my desires for non-kosher food do not plague me every day LOL

)

DrMom

Wed, Jul 20 2016, 9:07 am

I never ate inherently trief food (shrimp, for example), but I grew up essentially secular and ate non-kosher foods.

- Cheeses are generally better, at least hard cheeses.

- There is a more variety of non-kosher foods. I would go into a non-kosher Vietnamese restaurant and just stick to something from the vegetarian or chicken portion of the menu. Could these foods be made kosher? Maybe, if you can find someone willing to give a hecsher to all the sauces and other ingredients, or if someone was willing to manufacture them on a kosher production line. But there is no meaningful demand for such products, so the variety of kosher foods is far below its potential.

- BTW, there are kosher Pizza Huts in Israel.

ssue

Wed, Jul 20 2016, 9:24 am

Like most everyone else says, it depends. Pizza with non-kosher cheese and pepperoni is fantastic. Steak and cheese sandwiches are good. Crab, lobster and shrimp are wonderful. Anything, including meat, cooked in butter is great. Most other things are comparable. There are plenty of yummy things to eat that are kosher, so I don't miss treif much. I'm a convert, so I ate treif for most of my life. It was hard to give it up, but worth it.

watergirl

Wed, Jul 20 2016, 9:38 am

There is no comparison with non kosher restaurants. As far as customer service goes - non kosher ones know that you have a choice and you vote with your feet and wallet. You dont like what you ordered? No problem. They usually take the food back and bring you something else. When you live where there are few options, and even in NY, the attitude at a kosher place is that were lucky that we have such a place and we have to deal with mediocre service and food. Long wait times, bad food, rude staff. Like they are doing us a favor by allowing us through their doors. Of course there are exceptions to this. But my experience has been mostly what I describe. Last night I was at the best chinese place in town (there are 2 where I live). We ordered something and the smell made me ill. DH took 1 bite and said we have to send it back - something he NEVER does. The waiter looked into it and said that because we had 1 bite, they can offer us a 40% discount - because they claim they sold 5 other dishes of that same item that night with no other complaints. After a bit of pushing, they let us choose something else. Something was clearly off with that dish, as the food is normally good there. Thats just an example though of a difference between kosher and non kosher, as far as service goes.

madys

Wed, Jul 20 2016, 10:45 am

I went out with my co-workers to a kosher chinese restaurant just the other day.

We were a table of 9 and 2 of us were frum. Everyone kept saying how good it was. "The chicken was so much better. The egg roll was so good. The sushi was amazing."

Apparently the real chinese places use really cheap meat and a lot of pork. They were really impressed and would go back

little_mage

Wed, Jul 20 2016, 10:54 am

Exactly Burgandy!

Dr. Mom, when we were in Paris several years ago, there was a kosher Vietnamese restaurant. DH and I went, because how many chances do we have to try it?

And oh yes, the restaurant service. A couple of years ago, my family threw a party for my grandmother. It was going to be in NY, so to accommodate DH and I, we had it at a kosher restaurant. My mother commented when we left how pleasantly surprised she was by the quality of both the food and the service. That's kind of embarrassing, that average, decent service is enough to remark upon. I'm not trying to say the service was bad, it wasn't, but it wasn't exceptional either.

amother

Blush

Wed, Jul 20 2016, 11:24 am

Unequivocally. I grew up eating everything. Crummy fast food is still crummy fast food, kosher or non-kosher, but for real restaurants non-kosher is better, cheaper, and MUCH better customer service. I'm someone who regrets becoming religious now because of the cost of everything, but I will say this: when I stopped eating treyf food I lost 10 pounds that have never come back because I couldn't afford to eat out all the time Smile

DrMom

Wed, Jul 20 2016, 11:37 am

Oh and the inability to mix meat and dairy is indeed a limitation. I did eat meat and dairy foods together growing up. Chicken Parmesan is a wonderful dish. So are chicken enchiladas with good Monterrey Jack cheese, etc.

I appreciate inventive kosher cooking, but there are some things you just can't replicate. Unless we eventually can use emerging technologies such as lab-grown meats with cheeses.