'MaduroBU wrote: ↑Fri Dec 07, 2018 10:55 amI understand, it's just interesting to me to look at the highly practical aspects of faiths that were/are also deeply intertwined with cultures. Christianity didn't really ever develop that, or rather developed so many local customs that none can really be called Christian. The Acadians still eat Pouldeau (coot) on Fridays on the grounds that it doesn't violate the Catholic proscription because the fish eating coot tastes like fish. An Irish Catholic would have no idea why a Fellow Catholic would think it okay to eat a bird on a Friday. Then there's the subject of alcohol, which is hilarious in the breadth of interpretations.Bitter Clinger wrote: ↑Fri Dec 07, 2018 10:29 amTrue. True. Unrelated.MaduroBU wrote: ↑Fri Dec 07, 2018 10:24 amIt also made a huge difference in public health. Neurocysticercosis is still the LEADING cause of seizures in most of the world and is only really unknown in the West in modern times. Completely avoiding pigs was really the only way to avoid that disease in the ancient world, as the parasite's life cycle involves pigs and humans and actually only causes the awful form of disease in humans if you consume contaminated human feces (which is still prevalent in the age of hand santizer...people are filthy). You can't just cook your food well- you have to trust your entire city/village to do so as well.Bitter Clinger wrote: ↑Thu Dec 06, 2018 9:38 pmKashrut (practice of keeping Kosher) is not well understood. The animals that are considered Kosher in the Bible are by and large vegetarian and do not eat of dead flesh. The separation between life and death, good and evil is fundamental to the practice of Judiasm. I am certain that chocolate and bacon is awesome, and I am equally certain that I will not intentionally partake.
I am interested in Kosher wines, but I've never heard great things or really gotten much guidance. Do you have any recommendations (assuming that you partake)?
Israel actually produces some incredible wines, and most of them kosher. You don't hear more about them because for political reasons (boycott, divest, sanction), plus they do get pretty pricey.