# No, she may never know, but it's still not right! **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [April 15, 2005, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-she-may-never-know-but-its-still-not-right/299471 "2005-04-15T13:42:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2005, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-she-may-never-know-but-its-still-not-right/299471/21 "2005-04-15T14:49:20Z")
Why is the life in the blood of mammals and birds but not fish? Where’s the fish life? ---
**Author:** ![TommyTutone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c4cdca/32.png) [@TommyTutone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TommyTutone)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2005, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-she-may-never-know-but-its-still-not-right/299471/22 "2005-04-15T14:51:55Z")
Just curious, do they slash the turkey’s neck and hang it for the blood to drain like they do with cattle? (because I always want my meat to suffer in its death throes before I consume it, makes me enjoy it just a little bit more) ---
**Author:** ![DaphneBlack](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/daphneblack/32/5389_2.png) [@DaphneBlack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DaphneBlack)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2005, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-she-may-never-know-but-its-still-not-right/299471/23 "2005-04-15T14:52:29Z")
> [@gobear](#): > > So you can tell _treyf_ from _kosher_ by taste? Well, I’ve had fairly significant experience eating both kinds, and I would hardly trust myself to be 100%, but I think I could make a pretty accurate educated guess. Personally, when it comes to poultry, I definitely prefer the kosher meat. Red meat, it is hard to say, I guess it depends on the cook. > [@wonderwench](#): > > There is a comparison for those whose religious/spiritual health is just as important as their physical one. This is true, to a point, but I would like to point out that if someone consumes unkosher meat after being told by a reliable source (like a friend!) that it’s kosher, the ‘spiritual health’ of the deceived is not in danger or anything. It’s just a plain mean thing to do. - Daphne ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2005, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-she-may-never-know-but-its-still-not-right/299471/24 "2005-04-15T15:01:00Z")
Man, that’s pretty stupid. Not a friendly thing to do at all. However - this is just a question - didn’t I read somewhere on this board that if a Jewish person unwittingly consumes non-kosher food, and he believes it to be kosher, the “rules” say it’s a passable offense since he had no control over it? Still not nice, but what’s the word on that, Zev? ---
**Author:** ![Futile\_Gesture](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f05b48/32.png) [@Futile\_Gesture](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Futile_Gesture)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2005, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-she-may-never-know-but-its-still-not-right/299471/25 "2005-04-15T15:01:57Z")
> [@wonderwench](#): > > There is a comparison for those whose religious/spiritual health is just as important as their physical one. But if you _don’t know_ your body certainly isn’t going to bsuffer any ill-effects or give the game away. You’re not going to throw up because your stomach goes “hang on, _this_ isn’t kosher!” ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2005, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-she-may-never-know-but-its-still-not-right/299471/26 "2005-04-15T15:02:52Z")
Yeah ok thanks Daphne 🙂 I SWEAR your post wan’t there when I was typing mine! ---
**Author:** ![wonderwench](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/35a633/32.png) [@wonderwench](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonderwench)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2005, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-she-may-never-know-but-its-still-not-right/299471/27 "2005-04-15T15:03:15Z")
> [@DaphneBlack](#): > > Well, I’ve had fairly significant experience eating both kinds, and I would hardly trust myself to be 100%, but I think I could make a pretty accurate educated guess. > > Personally, when it comes to poultry, I definitely prefer the kosher meat. Red meat, it is hard to say, I guess it depends on the cook. > > This is true, to a point, but I would like to point out that if someone consumes unkosher meat after being told by a reliable source (like a friend!) that it’s kosher, the ‘spiritual health’ of the deceived is not in danger or anything. > > It’s just a plain mean thing to do. > > - Daphne Then why do Hindus get so up set of the the beef tallow in McDonalds’ french fries? It is a violation of one’s spiritual health to be tricked into consuming unclean things. ---
**Author:** ![Dangerosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Dangerosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dangerosa)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2005, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-she-may-never-know-but-its-still-not-right/299471/28 "2005-04-15T15:07:52Z")
Boy, I still feel guilt because 15 years ago my ex husband had a friend over who was keeping kosher and treated them to some pie I had made… I used a frozen pie crust that contained lard. Had I been there I would have said “I didn’t make the crust, its frozen and has lard in in.” I wasn’t, yet I still feel guilt. I also feel incredible guilt because no matter how many times I’m told, I forget the the average geletin isn’t vegetarian and cook with it, then feed it to vegetarian friends. ---
**Author:** ![DaphneBlack](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/daphneblack/32/5389_2.png) [@DaphneBlack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DaphneBlack)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2005, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-she-may-never-know-but-its-still-not-right/299471/29 "2005-04-15T15:10:22Z")
> [@wonderwench](#): > > Then why do Hindus get so up set of the the beef tallow in McDonalds’ french fries? > > It is a violation of one’s spiritual health to be tricked into consuming unclean things. It is a violation of one’s trust; but as Zev and **Zipper JJ** have also said, the rule in Judaism says that the state of one’s ‘spiritual health’ (I’m not sure what you mean by that, but I’m interpreting it as a vague ‘freedom from sin’ idea, not entirely applicable here) is not affected if they are deceived in this way. The laws of Hinduism may be different; I seem to recall they are in Islam as well. ---
**Author:** ![av8rmike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/edb3f5/32.png) [@av8rmike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/av8rmike)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2005, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-she-may-never-know-but-its-still-not-right/299471/30 "2005-04-15T15:10:37Z")
> [@Neurotik](#): > > Yeah, I know that. I use kosher salt in most of my cooking (thanks, AB) and find it easier to season with. But if a Jewish person eats normal table salt, is that a bad thing? Oh, good, a fellow “Good Eats”-phile (Brown-ie?) 🙂 As long as the table salt is kosher, I don’t think there would be a problem. I don’t have a Morton’s can handy, so I can’t check if it carries a certification, but if their factory is certified to produce kosher salt, I can’t imagine that the table salt would be _treyf_, unless the iodization has something to do with it. ---
**Author:** ![wonderwench](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/35a633/32.png) [@wonderwench](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonderwench)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2005, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-she-may-never-know-but-its-still-not-right/299471/31 "2005-04-15T15:14:18Z")
> [@DaphneBlack](#): > > It is a violation of one’s trust; but as Zev and **Zipper JJ** have also said, the rule in Judaism says that the state of one’s ‘spiritual health’ (I’m not sure what you mean by that, but I’m interpreting it as a vague ‘freedom from sin’ idea, not entirely applicable here) is not affected if they are deceived in this way. > > The laws of Hinduism may be different; I seem to recall they are in Islam as well. Acknowledged. I am not an expert on Judaism - but do think that the importance of one’s religious beliefs may create a feeling of violation beyond what the literal dogma would indicate. In any event, deceiving a friend is a lousy thing to do. ---
**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:** [April 15, 2005, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-she-may-never-know-but-its-still-not-right/299471/32 "2005-04-15T15:23:15Z")
> [@Neurotik](#): > > But if a Jewish person eats normal table salt, is that a bad thing? No. ---
**Author:** ![Neurotik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/91b2a8/32.png) [@Neurotik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Neurotik)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2005, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-she-may-never-know-but-its-still-not-right/299471/33 "2005-04-15T15:24:26Z")
> [@av8rmike](#): > > Oh, good, a fellow “Good Eats”-phile (Brown-ie?) 🙂 As long as the table salt is kosher, I don’t think there would be a problem. I don’t have a Morton’s can handy, so I can’t check if it carries a certification, but if their factory is certified to produce kosher salt, I can’t imagine that the table salt would be _treyf_, unless the iodization has something to do with it. I don’t think it is because there’s normal Morton’s table salt (which I use for, um, normal table salt) and they also have a seperate kosher salt product. ---
**Author:** ![Yllaria](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yllaria/32/3452_2.png) [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2005, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-she-may-never-know-but-its-still-not-right/299471/34 "2005-04-15T15:47:17Z")
Correct me if I’m wrong. Kosher salt is salt that can be used to kosher meat. It clings to the meat and processes it better than granulated salt does. It’s not that eating non-kosher salt it bad. If you’re using it as a seasoning, granulated salt is ok. ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Ashtar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ea924/32.png) [@Lord\_Ashtar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Ashtar)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2005, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-she-may-never-know-but-its-still-not-right/299471/35 "2005-04-15T15:51:14Z")
Anyone else remembering the _Seinfeld_ episode where George put lobster in the eggs? ---
**Author:** ![The\_Devil\_s\_Grandmother](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/74df32/32.png) [@The\_Devil\_s\_Grandmother](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Devil_s_Grandmother)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2005, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-she-may-never-know-but-its-still-not-right/299471/36 "2005-04-15T16:03:00Z")
> [@Otto](#): > > Why is the life in the blood of mammals and birds but not fish? Where’s the fish life? I’m not sure about Jewish thought on this, but I’ve heard Catholics argue that fish are ok because G-d cursed the land creatures but not the sea creatures. It might also be from G-d breathing life into things, and fish don’t breathe like mammals. On the salt question, of the three brands of salt I could lay hands on this minute, two are marked kosher (Hain Pure Foods Iodized Sea Salt and Trader Joe’s Coarse Sea Salt) and one is not (some fancy-pants gray salt from France). Feeding anyone food they ought not to eat, whether it’s a _can not_ or a _should not_ is an incredibly crappy thing to do. ---
**Author:** ![lee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lee/32/7455_2.png) [@lee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lee)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2005, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-she-may-never-know-but-its-still-not-right/299471/37 "2005-04-15T16:09:19Z")
[This letter](http://www.ukar.org/tax06.html) seems to indicate that salt itself does not need to be certified kosher. ---
**Author:** ![Steve\_MB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steve_mb/32/5339_2.png) [@Steve\_MB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve_MB)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2005, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-she-may-never-know-but-its-still-not-right/299471/38 "2005-04-15T16:09:50Z")
> [@Futile Gesture](#): > > But if you _don’t know_ your body certainly isn’t going to bsuffer any ill-effects or give the game away. You’re not going to throw up because your stomach goes “hang on, _this_ isn’t kosher!” The same is true if you give a vegetarian a dish with meat broth (in the 99.9% of cases where it’s not motivated by an actual physical allergy to meat). So? ---
**Author:** ![lee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lee/32/7455_2.png) [@lee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lee)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2005, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-she-may-never-know-but-its-still-not-right/299471/39 "2005-04-15T16:11:45Z")
[Yet this site](http://tropicalsalt.com/index.html) proudly displays its kosher certification for its salt. ---
**Author:** ![Steve\_MB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steve_mb/32/5339_2.png) [@Steve\_MB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve_MB)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2005, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-she-may-never-know-but-its-still-not-right/299471/40 "2005-04-15T16:13:41Z")
> [@Neurotik](#): > > I mean, kosher salt? Salt is pretty much salt [The Master speaks](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a1_350.html): > [@Cecil Adams](#): > > The most innocent-looking ingredient–an emulsifier, an oil, a dab of gelatin–can mean the difference between kosher and nonkosher, even if it merely comes in contact with something that will eventually be eaten (which is where things like oven cleaners and plastic bags come into play). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-she-may-never-know-but-its-still-not-right/299471.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-she-may-never-know-but-its-still-not-right/299471.md?page=3)