[Sca-cooks] Why *X* and not *Y*?

[Laureen Hart]

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From: sca-cooks-bounces at lists.ansteorra.org
[mailto:sca-cooks-bounces at lists.ansteorra.org] On Behalf Of
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Sent: Friday, August 01, 2008 7:41 AM
To: sca-cooks at lists.ansteorra.org
Subject: Sca-cooks Digest, Vol 28, Issue 1

I had an interesting experience last summer, when my sister, who is a  
convert to Judaism within a relatively conservative congregation, came  
to New York to visit my mother and various other family members in the  
area. I found myself faced with the prospect of finding restaurants  
they could comfortably visit. By definition, they'd need to be Kosher,  
but they also needed to be Glatt Kosher. And while their specific  
requirements were such that it was possible for them to surf a menu at  
a Glatt kosher restaurant, order carefully and avoiding whatever  
obvious pitfalls might exist for the unwary but otherwise observant  
person, what it turned out was needed for a best-case scenario was a  
Glatt Kosher restaurant that had been approved by the particular  
rabbinical association, or maybe it's more a confederation of  
congregations, to which her own congregation belongs.

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I can understand not being comfortable crossing food boundaries learned in
childhood.
We have a friend who doesn't eat pork because her mom never cooked it. Her
dad had been brought up Jewish so her mom respected that. Her mom is
Lutheran and the kids were brought up Lutheran but they maintained the pork
prohibition. Our friend has never tried pork, even though her logical brain
knows there is no "real" reason not to. She is not particularly food
curious.

I can't identify with choosing to adopt a food path that doesn't offer
concrete rationale for its proscriptions.
But if people choose to do that it is groovy, as long as they don't get
pushy with me. (ala the recent vegetarian/vegan discussions).  

I am very food curious, I was brought up that way. I have not yet been faced
with anything I don't think I could try. I pretty much know I would have
emotional issues eating cat, I would try dog I think, if it was dog raised
to eat like they do in Korea and other countries. I am pretty sure if I was
faced with starvation I would try a lot of things that sound really gross
right now - bugs and such. My ex husband was food xenophobic. When we
traveled he only wanted to eat at "safe" places...my current husband is way
more adventurous. We always figure that the freaky little place may be the
worst greasy spoon ever, or possibly the best food ever. We have gotten bit
with food borne illness once, but it won't curb our enthusiasm for trying
new stuff.

Randell Raye 
Madrone