Ideal Bite

And avoiding the whole kosher meat issue . . . I'm a non-Jewish girl who lives for Passover, because you can by Kosher Coca-Cola in the stores! It's one of my few remaining soda thrills. Kosher Coke is made with sugar, instead of high-fructose corn syrup, and it tastes WONDERFUL! Look for the 2 liter bottles with the yellow caps, and check the labels. SOOOOO yummy!

Toshio, Yes, Judaism is concerned about humane treatment of animals. When kosher laws were created, a quick slit of the throat *was* the most human method of killing. In 2008, though, there are far more humane methods, all involving stunning the animal before its death -- something forbidden for kosher meat. Some Jews stick with the letter of the law (continuing to eat meat produced by cutting a conscious animal's throat), some follow the spirit (going vegetarian or eating only free-range/pasture-raised, organic, humanely killed meat), and some do both by patronizing the few, small, humane kosher meat companies. The point, though, is the total inappropriateness of encouraging people who aren't familiar with these distinctions to eat regular kosher meat because it employs what was the most humane practice thousands of years ago. I was also disappointed that your brief message did not address the "kosher pareve" issue. Do you really argue that it wasn't inaccurate to present foods that can contain fish, eggs, and meat-derived gelatin as "a blessing for vegetarians" that "contain no meat derivatives"?

Well said Jessica!!

In general, the term vegetarians refers to people who do not eat meat, chicken or fish. If food is labeled "OU Pareve" or with a similar strictly kosher label saying "Pareve" this means that the food does not contain meat, chicken, dairy or fish, and is therefore suitable for vegetarians. I know that when there is a food that is meat- and chicken-free, but does contain fish, OU lables it "OU Fish" (unless it is very obvious that it is a fish product, like tuna or fishsticks for example). When people do not eat meat, chicken, fish, and also do not eat eggs, or dairy, they are generally called "Vegans." Ideal Bite did not say that Pareve is suitable for Vegans. According to Jewish dietary laws, eggs are considered Pareve.

Rivka, Semantics about "vegetarians," "vegans," and the tip's claim that "kosher pareve" foods are a "blessing for vegetarians" because they "contain no dairy" aside, kosher pareve gelatin is often derived from animals. You seem knowledgeable enough to know this; for others, see http://www.vrg.org/nutshell/faq.htm#kosher, among many other sources.

I practiced vegetarianism for 4 months consecutively, several years ago. As I enjoy eating meat, chicken and fish, this was very difficult for me. I did it for health reasons, and I definitely enjoyed the results. I researched as much as possible and it is not "semantics." It's called "definitions." No one accuses Merriam Webster of dealing with "semantics." The generally accepted definition of vegetarian is someone who does not eat meat, chicken and fish. I know vegetarians who will not eat meat, chicken and fish because of idealistic reasons (they are veterinarians or other animal fans). However, they do eat dairy and eggs. The generally accepted definition of vegan is someone who does not eat anything derived of animals at all. They only eat plant based food. I know people who are vegans, mostly for health reasons. The do not eat meat, chicken, fish, dairy, eggs, or anything derived from any animal. They eat grains, fruits, vegetables, legumes -- anything plant derived. Jessica, please research the definitions of words and not accuse me of semantics. I am very specific and detailed in my explanations, I do not base my arguments on semantics. Any food that is labeled Pareve is guaranteed not to contain meat, chicken, or dairy. It may contain eggs. Fish is really semi-pareve. According to kosher laws, fish may be eaten with dairy, but it may not be eaten with meat. Therefore it is not strictly Pareve. (Pareve means food that may be eaten together with either dairy or meat. Meat and dairy are forbidden to be eaten together.) Certain observant Jews actually hold that fish is forbidden to be eaten together with dairy, and is therefore not pareve at all. According to the strictest kosher laws, gelatin that is derived from any animal besides fish is not considered Pareve.

All of my concerns and arguments are listed above (and I see Jessica's response as the best against Toshio's post), but I just wanted to let you know that I am yet another disgruntled reader.

I was surprised to see the Ideal Bite this morning along with many others. I agree with much of the arguments that have been made against the idea of kosher slaughter equating with humane all of the time. Kosher slaughter houses have turned into factories just like the rest of most slaughter houses across our country and other parts of the world. With that being said, there is a movement in the Jewish community to connect small family farms with the kosher slaughterer to provide kosher organic, free range, grass fed meat and poultry products. You can check out jcarrot.org for a healthy blog on the subject as well as kolfoods.com for more information.

Rivka. Sigh. Knowing that most Ideal Bite readers don't know the difference between "the strictest kosher laws" and any other kind, and that even the laws you reference include (non-vegetarian) pareve gelatin derived from fish, do you really see no problems with today's tip?

There are serious efforts within the Jewish community to ensure that Kosher certification actually also means humane treatment -- it's a real pity that today's email overlooked this good work and made it sound as if kosher-certified foods are somehow greener -- and that eating meat at all is perfectly green -- both misleading! The Jewish community's most hopeful activists in the food world are: Hazon (http://jcarrot.org/) KOL Foods (www.kolfoods.com) Kosher Conscience (www.kosherconscience.com) PETA has a website devoted to exposing inhumane treatment of animals in kosher slaughterhouses: www.humanekosher.com Please, Jennifer & Heather, in the future, if you're planning to write an Ideal Bite about a cultural or religious or ethnic community, check with the green activists within that community so you can stand in solidarity with them instead of making their work more difficult!