Rotkovitz - Kashering the Melting Pot

1. ---The Jews have observed Kashrunt in America. The availability of foods certified as Kosher has grown exponentially. So, the American Jews have been able to keep the Kosher dietary laws:
n More ease
n Stringency
---The observant American Jewish community included some multiple phenomena of culinary tourism. It related to the burgeoning Kashrut certification industry.
---There are now Kosher Japanese, Thai, Italian, Indian, and French restaurants.
---The “Kosher Creole cookbook”
n Recipe for Kosher food
n Some without transgressing the Koshers laws
---Many observant Jews seek out Kosher ways to eat like Americans.
---Whatever tourist imperative, the observant Jew feels confounded.
---Reform Jews are not mandated to keep Kosher.
---Some Jews who define Kashrut-observant abide by the biblical laws only.
Some eat only Kosher food on a single set of dishes.
Some keep Kosher homes but not outside eat.
---The observant Jews today may have less freedom in determine their own standards of Kashrut.

2. ---The Kosher food industry has severing countless consumers, both Jewish and non-Jewish.
---The Kosher-certified products is a welcome convenience from the perspective of observant American Jews.

3. ---The Oreo cookie as an American Icon
u has held the imagination in 1912
u cited by poll immediately and definitively
u is a firmly entrenched symbol of popular American culture
u have symbolic meaning that extends even beyond more obvious food associations
---“Oreo” has been used as a racial descriptor.
---Oreo’s value in the lunchbox trade
---Oreo cookie contained lard until 1993.
u Representative of the United States
u Land of freedom and equal opportunity
u Was off-limits to American Jews

4. ---Jews in America
American Jews struggle to remain a distinct people.


5. ---The meaning of Kashrut
u about food
u a logical association
u perhaps the most common application
u is a Hebrew word, means “fitness”
---Kosher is the root of the “Kashrut”.

6. ---The rise of “Techno-Kashrut”
---Fourth-generation animal by products would be considered non-kosher.
---The kashrut industry has become as technologically.
---Various intricacies regarding Kosher food manufacturing.
---Many people believe the Kosher food:
is cleaner
free from adulteration
contaminants
extra level of supervision
more stringently supervised
more stringently supervised
more wholesome
purer

7. ---The conversion
---“Spring Oreos” made by blue cream centers
---Oreo had selected the color in 1996.
---The cake with the red and green color combination resonates as symbolic of Christmas. It is an example for mom-Kosher food.
---“Conversion” is so often used regaining a company’s decision to begin manufacturing Kosher products.

8. ---Treif Chinese to Kosher Sushi
---Observant Jews want the opportunity to enjoy the foods of other cultures.
---“Eat out” has no longer required.
---Jews sought to shed the image of a ghettoized people, and want to fully experience the freedoms promised in America.
---Chinese food was perceived as exotic, while the Chinese restaurant owners welcomed all diners.
---Chinese as “safety treyf”, it is most important reason why Jess adoption of the cusine.
---Chinese cooking often use the pork an shellfish (overtly non-Kosher animals)
---Use the chopping and mining were hard to detect.
---Milk is absent in Chinese cuisine.
---Chinese food were tastes that both Jews and Chinese preferred, such as onions, garlic and sweet and sour flavors.
---Both Chinese and European Jews were tea drinkers.
---Both of them hold Chicken soup in high esteem for its purported healing powers.
---We also found sushi chefs at fashionable Kosher weddings.
---Kosher Persian in Baltimore
Kosher barbecue in Chicago\
Kosher Thai in New York
---Jews are becoming quite familiar with formerly exotic cuisines.

9. ---The gastronomic Jew means a person who may not attend synagogue or observe the Sabbath.

10. ---Nowadays, observant American Jews can shop with same convenience, for many of same foods as Americans.

Rotkovitz - Kashering the Melting Pot (2)

Main point is Kashrut observance which are dietary laws consisting of biblically mandated guidelines and prohibitions regarding permissible food and how its prepared, has been made both more complicated and simplified.

American jews can now shop for many of the same foods as other americans. They can travel the country or the world and find food from the oreo cookie M&M'S to the exotic chinese ,thai and Meixcan. This is due to the fact, that jews have opened up a market niche for kosher certified foods.

What does this mean to the individual jew and his spiritual connection to observe this biblical guidelines?. I think it will lessen it to some extent. In some ways each new food certified kashrut represents an invitation to tourism, the chance to experience their newly adopted American culture,but Americanising the process of instant kosher food without the traditonalobservances of not just including certain foods, but also preparing it mightovertime take away the inportance especially to the younger generation of jewswho won't have the history of practicing these dietary laws.

Look at the Catholic religion- most of the younger generation of catholics don't remember the stricter rules of observance regarding food during lentand Easter. The only thing most of my generation follows is you cant eatmeat on Good Friday.

Rotkovitz

Historically, there has been enormous fluidity and variety to the way in which Jews have observed Kasherved in America.

A touristic imperative on the part of kosher consumers is arguable responsible, at least in part for fueling the industry’s tremendous growth. Also noteworthy is the proliferation of kosher restaurants serving authentic cuisines. Jew and non-Jews harbor about the meaning of kosher are vital as well. In a sense, the preponderance of so many beliefs and practices may be a phenomenon distinct to, if not characteristic of, America. As far as who observes the laws of kashrut, some Jews who define themselves as kashrut-observant abide by the biblical laws only. A major distinguishing factor of America supermarkets is the sheer volume of products on their shelves. In fact, the kosher food industry has become, by some estimates, a multibillion-dollar one, serving countless consumers, both Jewish and non-Jewish. Since its market launch in 1912, the Oreo cookie has held the imagination and the taste buds of a nation in thrall. The Oreo seems to have aymbolic meaning that extends even beyond more obvious food associations. When most people think about Jew and the concept of kosher, they often think first bout food. Kosher is the root of the word kosher. Interestingly, the non-Jew’s perception of the meaning of kashrut is significant too in the mass marketing of kosher product. For some, he cooking styles of other Jews-no matter how foreign or familiar the cuisine-is not exotic enough. Of far more appeal would be finding out what distinctly nonkosher foods taste like, but being able to do it in a kosher fashion. Some commentators maintain that the value of kashrut is its elevation of mundane necessities to a spiritual level. It is arguable that food preparation and eating are rather direct link to apritual fulfillment. Jewish theology considers each person a partner with God. Torah is therefore dynamic and fluid. The emphasis placed on the importance of widespread certification, it is argued, suggests to the world that kashrut, indeed Jewish religious observance itself, is vital, adaptable, and relevant to today’s world.

Virtually any version of the American dream that the kosher diner harbors can now be conjured up with relative ease.