# I just do not believe this \[Interview at Non-Kosher Place\] **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [February 25, 2009, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-do-not-believe-this-interview-at-non-kosher-place/487409 "2009-02-25T19:46:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![zagloba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/977dab/32.png) [@zagloba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zagloba)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2009, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-do-not-believe-this-interview-at-non-kosher-place/487409/61 "2009-02-26T18:40:59Z")
I can’t answer your questions, but you may be interested in a recent article in the New Yorker about mashgihim (kosher inspectors) working in China, which is the fastest growing producer of kosher products. Here is an [abstract](http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2009/01/05/090105fa_fact_marx); the full article requires registration. ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2009, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-do-not-believe-this-interview-at-non-kosher-place/487409/62 "2009-02-26T18:52:46Z")
Well put **AF**. I tend to be pretty critical of folk who feel that just because they have a preference or a belief, no one else should be allowed to think or feel any differently. And what everyone else said about asking if the interview could be at a kosher location or some time other than lunch. Was just reading about the contorted logic some kosher folk have to go through to eat aged cheeses. And just recently realized that you not only have to keep milk and meat apart in your kitchen, but in your digestive system as well. Quite the high maintenance - and IMO silly - lifestyle. But heck, I’ve got no objection to anyone being as silly as they wish. ---
**Author:** ![Thing\_Fish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecb155/32.png) [@Thing\_Fish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thing_Fish)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2009, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-do-not-believe-this-interview-at-non-kosher-place/487409/63 "2009-02-26T19:13:39Z")
One very easy, increasingly popular way to keep kosher in a low-maintenance way is simply to go vegetarian! Of course, if you want to do it in the most strictly Orthodox way, you still can’t eat in non-kosher restaurants, but at least you don’t have to reorganize your home kitchen. ---
**Author:** ![Anne\_Neville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Anne\_Neville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anne_Neville)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2009, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-do-not-believe-this-interview-at-non-kosher-place/487409/64 "2009-02-26T20:05:12Z")
> [@Thing\_Fish](#): > > One very easy, increasingly popular way to keep kosher in a low-maintenance way is simply to go vegetarian! This is how it’s often done by people who live in areas where it’s hard to get kosher meat. Some of them go pescatarian, because fish with fins and scales don’t need to be kosher certified to be kosher. Mr. Neville and I eat a lot of vegetarian meals, probably at least 80% of all meals we eat if you count breakfast and lunch. We have poultry maybe a couple of times a week, max, and beef or lamb a few times a month. ---
**Author:** ![Noone\_Special](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/noone_special/32/2863_2.png) [@Noone\_Special](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Noone_Special)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2009, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-do-not-believe-this-interview-at-non-kosher-place/487409/65 "2009-02-26T20:14:20Z")
> [@Agent\_Foxtrot](#): > > I’m sorry, I have a big issue with this. It’s not up to you what other people can and can’t eat, nor is it up to you to decide how available certain things should be. If certain foods are out there, you get to decide what you want to eat, not anyone else. > > Israel is not a strictly Jewish state. It contains many Christians, Muslims, Hindus, and people of other faiths as well. Jews spent thousands of years being ruled and enslaved by others; you should be the last person to tell others how to live. > > And yes, I’m Jewish. FWIW, I read him as saying he **wished** the country were more “Jewish” – not that he feels like something should actively be **done** about it (such as restricting non-kosher food sales.) I have no quarrel with the former – Hey, I wish I had a pony, too! – and a huge bone to pick with the latter. So while I fully agree with you on the general point, until proven otherwise (and since he sounds like a generally liberal-minded person, here and in other threads,) I’m giving him the benefit of doubt on this one. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Shinna\_Minna\_Ma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f08c70/32.png) [@Shinna\_Minna\_Ma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shinna_Minna_Ma)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2009, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-do-not-believe-this-interview-at-non-kosher-place/487409/66 "2009-02-26T21:23:38Z")
> [@Tenar](#): > > I’m surprised that no one else has mentioned this yet (unless they have, and I’ve missed it), but is it possible that the job interviewer is _trying_ to avoid hiring observant Jews, and is using his choice of meeting places as a way of weeding out people who keep kosher without having to ask them up front about it? Yes, that could be a possibility. That’s why people who live in Yehuda or the Shomron (a/k/a "the terrotories) are advised not to have their home addresses on their CV, and to use their cell numbers instead of a home phone number. There are certainly people who will discriminate, based on where a person lives. Incidentally, there are laws here about making people work on Shabbat. ---
**Author:** ![Anne\_Neville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Anne\_Neville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anne_Neville)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2009, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-do-not-believe-this-interview-at-non-kosher-place/487409/67 "2009-02-26T21:31:03Z")
> [@Shinna\_Minna\_Ma](#): > > Yes, that could be a possibility. That’s why people who live in Yehuda or the Shomron (a/k/a "the terrotories) are advised not to have their home addresses on their CV, and to use their cell numbers instead of a home phone number. There are certainly people who will discriminate, based on where a person lives. That’s really too bad. That’s the one place on Earth where you’d think you might not be discriminated against for being a religious Jew. Ah well. > [@](#): > > Incidentally, there are laws here about making people work on Shabbat. What kind of laws? Do they apply only to Jews? Are there similar laws about making a Muslim work on Friday or a Christian on Sunday? ---
**Author:** ![FallenAngel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@FallenAngel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FallenAngel)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2009, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-do-not-believe-this-interview-at-non-kosher-place/487409/68 "2009-02-26T21:57:27Z")
> [@Kolga](#): > > My boyfriend is vegetarian, and knows LOTS of people who are vegetarian…except for bacon. > > Bacon, it seems, is the downfall of all philosophical attempts. > > mmmmmm bacon… There’s a reason, concerning vegetarians, that Anthony Bourdain refers to bacon as, “The gateway protein.” ---
**Author:** ![Shinna\_Minna\_Ma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f08c70/32.png) [@Shinna\_Minna\_Ma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shinna_Minna_Ma)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2009, 6:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-do-not-believe-this-interview-at-non-kosher-place/487409/69 "2009-02-27T06:22:17Z")
> [@Anne\_Neville](#): > > What kind of laws? Do they apply only to Jews? Are there similar laws about making a Muslim work on Friday or a Christian on Sunday? I’m not a lawyer, and I’m not well versed on the subject. I do remember reading in the Jerusalem Post that some companies were fined for forcing people to work on Shabbat. If I have time, I’ll see if I can find a link. Perhaps I’ll post it after Shabbat. ---
**Author:** ![billfish678](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2009, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-do-not-believe-this-interview-at-non-kosher-place/487409/70 "2009-02-27T13:38:07Z")
> [@Cluricaun](#): > > Have a muffin or something. Or is this more about the not eating food that may have been prepared by idolaters? I’ll tell you one thing. Fornicators make the best BBQ ! ---
**Author:** ![NinjaChick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/71c47a/32.png) [@NinjaChick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NinjaChick)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2009, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-do-not-believe-this-interview-at-non-kosher-place/487409/71 "2009-02-27T15:10:14Z")
> [@FallenAngel](#): > > There’s a reason, concerning vegetarians, that Anthony Bourdain refers to bacon as, “The gateway protein.” I really don’t get it. Part of why I’m a vegetarian is I just don’t like meat, both flavor and texture. Bacon is probably one of the most vile food products out there - it’s like, crunchy but chewy and 99% fat, and it kind of smells like vomit. And don’t get me started on how the smell lingers. ---
**Author:** ![Litoris](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/9f8e36/32.png) [@Litoris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Litoris)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2009, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-do-not-believe-this-interview-at-non-kosher-place/487409/72 "2009-02-27T15:25:00Z")
> [@NinjaChick](#): > > I really don’t get it. Part of why I’m a vegetarian is I just don’t like meat, both flavor and texture. Bacon is probably one of the most vile food products out there - it’s like, crunchy but chewy and 99% fat, and it kind of smells like vomit. And don’t get me started on how the smell lingers. mmmmmm, the best part about bacon is the smell. And how it lingers. Even though I would rather eat veggies than meat any day, there’s just something about crunchy bacon that – well, it’s heavenly. ---
**Author:** ![Baracus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/2bfe46/32.png) [@Baracus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baracus)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2009, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-do-not-believe-this-interview-at-non-kosher-place/487409/73 "2009-02-27T15:45:51Z")
> [@NinjaChick](#): > > I really don’t get it. Part of why I’m a vegetarian is I just don’t like meat, both flavor and texture. Bacon is probably one of the most vile food products out there - it’s like, crunchy but chewy and 99% fat, and it kind of smells like vomit. And don’t get me started on how the smell lingers. Mmmm…if vomit smelled like bacon, being up all last night with my daughter would have been much more pleasant. ---
**Author:** ![Caricci](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/85f322/32.png) [@Caricci](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Caricci)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2009, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-do-not-believe-this-interview-at-non-kosher-place/487409/74 "2009-02-27T15:58:51Z")
It seems to me that it’s a lose-lose situation if you let it be one. If you refuse food that’s going to look weird. In the context, it’s going to look far weirder than saying something about. You don’t even say how you know this place isn’t kosher. My mind immediately went to you looking it up online. Obviously, I could be wrong. But, anyway, speak up or stew and worry - your choice. There’s a chance you’ll mess things up by speaking up, but it’s not as much of a given, IMO, than refusing food and insulting the interviewer one way or another during then interview. ---
**Author:** ![MickNickMaggies](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/59ef9b/32.png) [@MickNickMaggies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MickNickMaggies)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2009, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-do-not-believe-this-interview-at-non-kosher-place/487409/75 "2009-02-27T16:35:32Z")
Caricci- in the US, if one keeps kosher one often encounters some chains that have kosher and non-kosher branches. Take, for example, a Dunkin’ Donuts. Some serve ham and bacon breakfast sandwiches and others don’t and could under supervision by a rabbi. So when people say ‘pick up some donuts’ it isn’t uncommon to say something like ‘but make sure you go to the one on Pine, not Main, because Main isn’t kosher and Babs couldn’t eat them if we got them there.’ I’d assume that if something like that would occur in a place with a large Jewish poulation in the US, it would be very similar is Israel: ‘Let’s go to Aroma, but not the one on Ben Gurion, because Babs won’t be able to get a donut there’ A large enough Jewish population and a fact like that becomes common knowledge. ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Carrot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f0a364/32.png) [@Captain\_Carrot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Carrot)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2009, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-do-not-believe-this-interview-at-non-kosher-place/487409/76 "2009-02-27T16:41:21Z")
> [@Rand\_Rover](#): > > Dude, why are you so surprised? You have chosen to obey strange rules about your diet. Not everyone obeys those rules. You will therefore on occasion be invited to places where people who don’t obey those rules eat. Granted you live in a place where this is less common, but come on. If I choose to eat only horseradish and beets I’d have problems dining out with friends, too. Do you enjoy being a dick? Keeping kosher is not remotely strange in _Israel_. ---
**Author:** ![accidentalyuppie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@accidentalyuppie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/accidentalyuppie)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2009, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-do-not-believe-this-interview-at-non-kosher-place/487409/77 "2009-02-27T16:51:05Z")
> [@Anne\_Neville](#): > > This is how it’s often done by people who live in areas where it’s hard to get kosher meat. Some of them go pescatarian, because fish with fins and scales don’t need to be kosher certified to be kosher. > > Mr. Neville and I eat a lot of vegetarian meals, probably at least 80% of all meals we eat if you count breakfast and lunch. We have poultry maybe a couple of times a week, max, and beef or lamb a few times a month. I attend lots of holiday dinners with a “mixed bag” of kosher and non-Kosher guests. It’s really not that hard. All the food on the table is meat-free except the turkey or roast or whatever. The turkey or roast or whatever is cooked in someone else’s kitchen and one of the guests brings it to the dinner. In addition to the typical side dishes the host will prepare a vegetable lasagna or some sort of substantial meat-free dish. All kosher types need to do is abstain from the meat dish. This works for kosher folks and vegetarians alike with little effect on pagan omnivores like myself. We have a friend that recently adopted a diet consisting of only salmon, fat-free dairy products and vegetables…he whines about everything he can’t eat but you can only go so far. ---
**Author:** ![Moirai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/96bed5/32.png) [@Moirai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moirai)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2009, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-do-not-believe-this-interview-at-non-kosher-place/487409/78 "2009-02-27T22:30:27Z")
> [@billfish678](#): > > I’ll tell you one thing. > > Fornicators make the best BBQ ! No, **Fenris** makes the best BBQ! Did we lose the old “this BBQ sandwich will get you lots of sex” thread, or is it still searchable, I wonder… 😃 ---
**Author:** ![MissGypsy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8491ac/32.png) [@MissGypsy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MissGypsy)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2009, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-do-not-believe-this-interview-at-non-kosher-place/487409/79 "2009-02-28T01:20:20Z")
I just had to say, I’ve learned quite a bit from this thread! And I have a couple of pretty stupid questions: Is there a way to make a cheeseburger kosher, maybe by using some sort of non-dairy cheese product, if there is such a thing? Maybe a Boca burger with cheese? Along the same lines, would eating turkey bacon be “cheating”? And while I cook meatless meals frequently, I’m having a hard time thinking up a full meal involving meat but no dairy at all – no milk, butter, cheese, sour cream, etc. (does margarine count?) Just for my enlightenment, what might be a couple of fairly typical meat/no-dairy meals? ---
**Author:** ![Moirai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/96bed5/32.png) [@Moirai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moirai)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2009, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-do-not-believe-this-interview-at-non-kosher-place/487409/80 "2009-02-28T01:50:56Z")
I often do steak, steamed veggies and rice- no dairy at all unless the kids are drinking milk. Or pasta with meatballs, no cheese on top (kids are picky bastards). And really- would it really be a cheeseburger without cheese? 😉 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-do-not-believe-this-interview-at-non-kosher-place/487409.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-do-not-believe-this-interview-at-non-kosher-place/487409.md?page=5)