Huh. Star-K just put out a major revision to what constitutes acceptable Kosher beer, and it's far stricter than the guidance most of us have been living with.

Waiting to see what the repercussions are for kosher restaurants, caterers, and synagogue social halls.

I mean, can we just be honest here for a moment? *WHY* is something more strict than the CRC list needed? Is there a good reason, or is this just a naked money grab?

I'm open to hearing it.

#kashrut

If you haven't listened to today's new episode of the Judaism Unbound podcast, I highly recommend it. It is an interview with Jordan Rosenblum, the author of the book "Forbidden: A 3,000 year History of Jews and the Pig," which delves into the cultural issues behind pigs and Judaism, but especially why pigs are seen as super-treyf, in ways that other non-kosher foods (i.e. shellfish, squid, camels, eagles, etc.) are not.

Listening to this episode reminded me of the time my son and I went to Jewboy Burgers in Austin, which features food informed by Jewish and borderlands culture --- and that is unkosher.

Their burgers include the "Oy Vay Guey" (pepperjack cheese, hatch chiles, grilled onions), the "Goyim" (2 patties, pastrami, bacon and more), and the "A$$hole from El Paso" (2 kinds of cheese, crispy fried jalapeños strings, + a creamy and spicy serrano/chile de arbol salsa). And while they do have fries, burritos, flautas, and other stuff, probably their favorite sides are the latkes (original and green chile/cheddar).

Obviously, this menu is very unkosher by halachic standards (pork products and mixing meat and cheese are the obvious issues, there are other concerns for the more observant), but I would argue it is also still very Jewish, in part because of its Jewish cultural references but also for its contrariness.

To illustrate the contrariness, in the restaurant there is a F.A.Q. sign, which I'm going to quote some excerpts from:

"Q. Are you kosher?
A: Nope, we are a Reform Jewish Institution.

Q. Are you Jewish?
A: The owner is. Bar Mitzvah'd in March 1985

Q. What's with the unsettling theme? A: You got a problem with that?!"

I know some of my more traditionally observant Jewish friends will find this objectionable, but I do not. I see this kind of intentional knowing defiance of the kashrut rules to be actually a very Jewish thing... or maybe better to say a Hebrew thing (riffing on the idea of Hebrew, Ivri, as being boundary crossers).

Anyway those are my random thoughts this morning.

Tagging: @lexaphus

#Judaism #Mazeldon #Kosher #Kashrut #Austin #JewBoyBurgers

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Over the last week, I've spent some time digging in to "Nosh Kosh," the Jewish Pac-Man clone for the Apple II that's all about kashrut — Jewish dietary law.

Along the way, I've run into bugs, mapped out level designs, and calculated checksums to figure out how many versions there are.

https://breakintochat.com/blog/2025/02/13/digging-in-to-nosh-kosh-the-jewish-pac-man-clone/

#appleii #apple2 #kirschen #breakintochat #pacman #jewish #judaism #kosher #kashrut #gamedev #games #digipres #retrocomputing #vintagecomputing #videogames

Another unusual item I was hired to translate for the Posen Library: part of a guide for kosher butchers written around the year 1510 in Ladino, for Sephardic butchers who couldn't read the laws of kosher slaughter in Hebrew.

https://www.posenlibrary.com/entry/compendia-de-las-shehitot-compendium-laws-kosher-slaughtering

#Mazeldon, #Jews #Judaism #JewishHistory #kashrut

With the high holidays coming up, here's a link to a Jewish woman owned company that provides kosher organic and pasture raised meats, schmaltz, sausages, and other products.

"...KOL Foods ships to the entire continental United States and is proud to produce the only regenerative, 100% grass-fed, kosher beef and the only heritage kosher chicken in the United States...

KOL Foods also strives to keep social responsibility in mind in our business model. We are committed to fair wages and practices for our farmers and employees.

...KOL Foods supports a variety of institutions committed to environmental sustainability and food security, including Green Bronx Machine and Difference Makers. When making decisions about how we conduct our business, we strive to be conscientious participants in our communities."

- Devora Kimelman-Block, Founder and CIO

Visit the website: https://kolfoods.com/

#Mazeldon #Jewniverse #JewishWomen #Kashrut #Kosher #HighHolyDays #Judaism #Jewish