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Kosher food for event?

My boyfriend is planning an event for his engineering club and one of the members is Jewish.  He wants to figure out what to get that everyone can eat, so he needs to find something that follows Kosher rules and likely is also Halal (there is a Muslim member as well).  Halal is easier because he can eat something that is vegetarian if the meat is questionable, but Kosher rules are more complex.  Are there any chain restaurants (like sandwich places, tex-mex sort of places, pizza places, etc.) that are certified Kosher that they could get food from?

Sorry for my Kosher ignorance.  All I know is that pork is not allowed, non-Kosher meat is not allowed, fish is not considered meat, and meat and dairy are not allowed to mix.  I don't have any Jewish friends, so I've never had to figure out the rules or provide Kosher food.  Any advice would be great!

Hala accepts Kosher prepared food, because it is created in a 'holy' way. To my knowledge though, there are no restaurant chains that are kosher. BTW vegan is kosher.

Kosher food is food that meets Jewish dietary laws, or kashrut, which comes from the Hebrew word for "fit" or "proper." Any food can be called kosher food if it adheres to Jewish law, or halacha. Conversely, foods typically labeled as "Jewish" aren't necessarily kosher. Jewish foods are generally those dishes that are traditionally Jewish. Kreplach, cholent, kugel, latke, and kishka are all traditionally Jewish foods, but if they are not prepared in accordance with kashrut, they will not be kosher food.

The word "kosher" is not only used for food, however. Kosher basically means that something follows all the Jewish legal guidelines. The word has even gained a place in American slang to mean appropriate, legitimate, or proper. Instead of saying "that's not right," one might say "that's not kosher."

Kosher food laws are rather extensive. Some are derived directly from the bible and others through rabbinic interpretations over the years. What are some of the laws governing kosher food?

    * According to the Torah (also known as the five books of Moses, the Old Testament, or the Pentateuch) cloven hoofed, cud-chewing mammals are kosher. Deer, sheep and goats, for example are all kosher, while pig and rabbit, for example, are not.
    * Only certain birds are considered kosher in the United States. This includes chicken, duck, goose, and turkey.
    * Lobster lovers might be dismayed to find that for seafood or fish to be kosher, it must have fins and easily removable scales. Shellfish generally, and lobsters, shrimp, and clams, specifically are not kosher. Fish, on the other hand, such as tuna, carp, and herring, are kosher, but only if they are prepared by a kosher fish monger with kosher cutting implements and machines. There's more. In most cases, scales must be present on the fish in order to be purchased by the consumer.
    * Fish and meat cannot be served together.
    * Milk and meat cannot be served together. Rabbinic law includes poultry in this prohibition, however fish is excluded. This gives rise to the popular, and kosher, bagel, lox, and cream cheese combination.
    * Processed food must be prepared in the presence of a rabbi.
    * Poultry and meat must be slaughtered under strict guidelines called "shechita." This means the animals are slaughtered without pain. Only those who are trained and qualified are allowed to slaughter kosher animals. Once the animal is no longer alive, another team of experts will examine the animal to be sure the animal is without illness, abnormalities or anything else that can be considered unsanitary. The lungs in particular must be pure. In addition, all blood, nerves, and most fat must be removed.
    * Kosher kitchens must maintain separate sets of utensils, pots, pans, dishes, and anything else that comes in contact with food. In addition, dishes and utensils in a kosher kitchen can't be washed together. If a kitchen has two sinks, it is an ideal setup for a kosher family. If not, separate wash buckets are often used. Dishes and utensils must be dried using separate racks or dishtowels as well.

There are many other rules to be followed for anything to be considered kosher food. To make identification easier on the consumer, kosher food is often identified as such by its kashrut certification on the food's package. Kashrut certification is generally indicated by an identifiable symbol that includes the letter K, or by the word pareve, which means the food is neither dairy nor meat, but rather neutral.

http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-kosher-food.htm

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Thanks!  I think he might go with Chipotle and have some vegan burritos reserved for these guys.  As far as processed food goes, what classifies as processed?  Like the tortillas used by Chipotle--are those considered processed?

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In my experience, it varies from person/family to person/family. My mom once cleaned house for a kosher household who had two of everything in their kitchen, including stoves and dishwashers.

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Hmm...Josh thinks he's pretty strict, so he'd like to err on the side of caution.

We might have to do some research to see if there are any decent Kosher restaurants around here that could cater.

Thanks for your help!

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Kosher has a lot to do with HOW the food is prepared. Like the lady who had two stoves. Even using your dishes that have ever touched non-kosher veggies makes them not kosher dishes and everything that comes from them is automatically non-kosher.

I worked in a kosher kitchen. We had a kosher veggie wash that we had to wash all the fruit and veggies in. Some vegetables (such as lettuce) can never really be considered kosher because you cannot assure you have thouroughly washed it. If it has ever been in contact with a bug and is not washed in the kosher wash, it is not kosher. I really think you might be better off finding someplace that sells food that is certified kosher. It can really be hit and miss because not all the restaurants of one chain are usually kosher (because it takes so much extra work and they have to hire a rabbi to come in and certify it every few months)

I know the city I lived in had a Jewish community center and a newspaper. If you have a newspaper in your town then you can probally guess that eh businesses that advertise in them are also kosher, but call to be sure. We even had a few Jewish markets in Tucson...maybe you have one around and the people there might be able to answer some more of your questions.

Good luck, let us know how it goes.

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Not that they'd be vegan....but more often than not, if you have a butcher shop/deli, there's a good chance they'll have kosher foods.

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Thanks, folks!  I'll pass the info along to him and see what he can come up with!  As hard as it is to be vegan sometimes, usually something can be arranged.  It's too bad that more places don't have certified Kosher options.  Hopefully Josh can find something that will work--I'm sure this guy is used to not being able to eat at these events  :-\

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If a Jewish person is very strict, you have two options that will work: 1) fresh, unprocessed vegan fruits and veggies and/or 2) anything from the grocery store that has a U with a circle around it on the package (a lot of non-Jews mistake this for a symbol like a registered trademark). The O-U is the symbol for the strictest organization that certifies kosher food. (the Orthodox Union). If you buy other food off the shelf that does not have this symbol, it may not be kosher enough. There are a lot of good options at almost any grocery store - you just have to look for the little symbol. For instance, if the cookies are made in a factory that is all vegan one day, and the next day makes another kind of cookies with lard - this is not a kosher factory.

If you stick to vegan food, you won't have to worry about mixing meat and milk. If the package says Pareve - it is neither meat nor milk, but can be fish or egg (kosher, but not vegan).

It's not a bad idea to save any food packages, so he won't have to worry about whether everything is okay

For serving, you need to be sure the food does not touch any non-kosher surface, including dishes or counters that have ever touched non-kosher food. Disposables are the best option.

It is probably  best just to discuss it with your guest - then you know what to serve him, and he will know that there will be something there he can eat in good conscience.

We all know how it is to go to an event feeling like nothing will be served that we can eat - he will probably love to discuss it with you.

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