Things you wish were kosher

Ema of 5

Fri, Sep 30 2022, 10:33 am

amother Coral wrote:

I think some posters are missing the underlying issue which is how much keeping kosher restricts one's life.

Outside of Israel in which the default would be kosher restaurants and foods and small areas in New York City, traveling is an ordeal because there is no kosher food. You can't go out with colleagues at work or partake of normal office functions.

All of the really good restaurants aren't kosher nor are any of the interesting ethnic restaurants.

Kosher food is available, what you’re talking about is going out to eat. That is a luxury, and very different than saying kosher food is not available. Even in random places, you will likely find many kosher products in the grocery stores, at least in the US. Obviously not everywhere, but in many many places.

Last edited by Ema of 5 on Fri, Sep 30 2022, 10:38 am; edited 1 time in total

amother

Coral

Fri, Sep 30 2022, 10:39 am

amother Pewter wrote:

Most restaurants outside of specific neighborhoods in New York City are NOT kosher - what in the world are you describing.

There is a universe of restaurants that are off limits because they aren't kosher and the quality of kosher Chinese food is disgusting. There are numerous cuisines that aren't available kosher - or interesting restaurants. Big deal there is one food truck that serves hamburgers when part of the joy of food trucks is that very creative chefs make very interesting food because they don't have the huge costs of a restaurant.

There are numerous posts on imamother in which people are seeking advice on how to travel because of the limited kosher food options.

If you don't think that life is much simpler if you can simply pull into any restaurant that is well reviewed - or even just convenient because the kids are cranky and hungry and want their Chicken Nuggets from one of the 100 fast food places off the highway you don't have a clue as to how circumscribed your life is.

zaq

Fri, Sep 30 2022, 10:54 am

The people to ask are converts or BTs who ate real tref before and know what they're missing or aren't missing. For people who were kosher from birth, this "wishing" is sheer guesswork, as they have no clue whether they would really like whatever it is. And many foods aren't the same when kosherized. A friend of mine told me Oreo cookies lost half their taste when the company switched to vegetable shortening from animal fat, and that was long before they became kosher. Kosher-from-birth will never know what the cookies tasted like before.

shabbatiscoming

Fri, Sep 30 2022, 10:56 am

amother Midnight wrote:

It seems like most people are interpreting kosher as things their rav allows them to eat.
Chasidish here. My family never ate chalav stam, oud was only on vacation.
I got married, and my husband wants to me to stop using all OU products...

Can you explain this? Either something is ok or its not. Keeping halacha doesnt stop on vacation.

Malkqueen

Fri, Sep 30 2022, 11:02 am

shabbatiscoming wrote:

Can you explain this? Either something is ok or its not. Keeping halacha doesnt stop on vacation.

Many only eat chalav stam based on R' Moshe's heter. His heter did stipulate that in places where CY is readily available, it is ideal/preferable to only eat CY. As such, people will eat OUD on vacation, in presumably more OOT/exotic locales, but not at home where they can readily and easily get CY.

Shabbosiscoming

Fri, Sep 30 2022, 11:04 am

shabbatiscoming wrote:

Can you explain this? Either something is ok or its not. Keeping halacha doesnt stop on vacation.

Because the reality is that cholov stam is kosher. If you live in certain neighborhoods in NY/NJ, it's so easy to get everything cholov Yisroel that many people feel there is no reason to rely on Rav Moshe's heter. However, when traveling, they rely on his heter as there isn't cholov Yisroel milk, yogurt, etc. available.

singleagain

Fri, Sep 30 2022, 11:13 am

Ema of 4 wrote:

I remember once being in a Walmart in Tennessee with an internet friend and walking around and showing her all of the products that had an OU on them. And anytime I tell any of my friends about kosher, they're suddenly texting me. Pictures of all these items are like look it's kosher. It's kosher and it's usually like the OU or the chof k you know very well regarded hechsherim.

And on the rare occasion they show me something that I've never seen before, I refer them to the CRC's list.

In fact, I actually remember being in a Hy-Vee out in Kansas and it was my first shabbos at my friend when I had to do shabbos all by myself in and not kosher kitchen (But that's a different story) And I suddenly remembered I forgot to get Challa. And I found a challah with a hechsher that I never seen before and I looked it up quickly on the CRC's list and I very excitedly told my friend. Yes, it's good!

I think someone actually came up to me in the grocery store and asked me where I was from that I was so excited about. Oh no that was the empire Chicken when I got so excited to see the empire Chicken and someone came up to me and asked to where I was from, but I was excited to see empire Chicken

LovesHashem

Fri, Sep 30 2022, 11:16 am

Malkqueen wrote:

Yes. We eat cholov Yisroel only but was at relative where cholov Yisroel is hard to get and more exepsnvie and they had bought us items before we landed from the airport that were cholov Stam as they were not frum and didn't know any better. We were told to eat it while we were by them.

amother

Maple

Fri, Sep 30 2022, 11:35 am

heidi wrote:

Wrong!!!
Rav Moshe held that all milk in America qualifies as chalav yisrael bcz. USDA standards were impecable and thus ידיעה כראיה, hence all milk in America is chalav yisrael and ok to eat.
It is not a leniency.
But I know it's way more fun to pile on the chumras and feel pious

The question here is what qualifies as chalav Yisroel. Even with “real” chalav Yisroel, it’s not like the mashgiach sits there all day and watches the entire milk production. But he’s allowed to rely on the fact that he might stop in, so they’ll be scared to put anything else in. The question is how far can you take this? R’Moshe held that the USDA standards were enough, and that qualifies as Chalav Yisroel, since you know the milk is kosher. Chalav Stam and Chalav Yisroel are really misnomers. He does say a baal nefesh can be machmir in what level of knowing qualifies as Chalav Yisroel.

So I think if you hold according to R’Moshe keeping “CY” is a chumrah, but if you hold according to other people, who don’t allow relying on the USDA, then it’s just halacha.

Like, some MO rabbanim hold that you can wear skirts just above your knee. It’s a heter.
But my rav does not hold of that heter, and I don’t think me wearing skirts that cover my knee is a chumrah, just the halacha.

amother

Maple

Fri, Sep 30 2022, 11:37 am

Also, I posted about Chalav Yisroel things I miss, because I thought the spirit of this thread was mostly for fun, listing things that we wish we could eat. Thought that was obvious. Did not mean to imply that Chalav Stam is not kosher, sorry if I offended anyone. But I don’t get what the big deal is.

amother

Puce

Fri, Sep 30 2022, 11:39 am

amother Coral wrote:

Yes! This is what I mean!
Yeah we know McDonald's isn't quality and is really unhealthy. But sometimes I wonder what life would be like if I could just drive thru some dinner because I have no head space for cooking and I wouldn't break the bank.

Ema of 5

Fri, Sep 30 2022, 11:43 am

amother Coral wrote:

I said clearly that was being described in the comment I quoted was going out to eat. I don’t feel limited by the fact that I can’t pull into any restaurant parking lot on a whim and order food. I don’t need to be able to do that. Going out to eat is a way of life. It’s not my way of life. That doesn’t mean I’m limited, it means it’s not something I need.
What I described was the availability of food, which commenters here seem to think is limited. I’m saying that, at least in the US, you can walk into many many many grocery stores and find plenty of kosher food.

PeanutMama

Fri, Sep 30 2022, 11:49 am

amother Blush wrote:

Some people consider cholov stam as not kosher. It is a very big debate why and when it’s allowed to be eaten.

And to the other poster cholov yisrael is not a chumrah.

Yup. Exactly.
My rov and mashpia both confirmed it says so in the shulchan aruch which chasidim (which I am) follow.
Anything that’s not cholov yisroel is considered treif.

amother

Iris

Fri, Sep 30 2022, 11:56 am

PeanutMama wrote:

Yup. Exactly.
My rov and mashpia both confirmed it says so in the shulchan aruch which chasidim (which I am) follow.
Anything that’s not cholov yisroel is considered treif.

Not exactly. My sister and BIL are chabad. They eat at my parents (non CY) home. They don’t use separate dishes. They’ll use the coffee mugs. They wouldn’t do this if we were considered to be eating treif.

Raisin

Fri, Sep 30 2022, 12:08 pm

amother Iris wrote:

because probably they were advised (or possibly, decided on their own) in this case the mitzva of kibud av v'eim supersedes that of being very makpid on CY.

Also, I don't think it is correct that chabad considers it treif. We are very careful not to eat CS, but OK (which allows CS items afaik) is run by chabad people, many chabad people run non chabad shuls where CS is served at the kiddush or events, especially oot

amother

Puce

Fri, Sep 30 2022, 12:17 pm

amother Iris wrote:

Many Chabad Rabbonim hold that dishes that cooked CS need to be kashered. I'm sure they asked a Shaalah and they are doing what they were told