no so i eat everything

I keep kosher. No pork, no shellfish, no fish without scales and fins, no meat from animals that don't have cloven hooves and chew their cud, no mixing meat with dairy, and no kosher animals whose meat is not certified kosher according to slaughter laws. (sigh) It can be annoying sometimes, but it's really important to me. And every time I think I might go out on a limb and go against kashrut, I just can't. I think I would vomit if I ate a cheeseburger or a piece of pork. I wasn't raised kosher, and I used to eat all that stuff (BLTs were my favorite, and I couldn't imagine a burger being complete without a slice of melted cheese), but it started being important to me a few years ago. Some people are kind of baffled by it, and admittedly, it might seem silly and nonsensical, but it's all tied up in my identity now, and I wouldn't want it any other way. For Passover, I don't eat any leavened bread or leavening agents according to Sephardic, Mizrachi and Ethiopian Jewish tradition (Jews of Spanish descent, Middle Eastern descent, and Ethiopian descent, respectively), meaning I'll eat beans and rice...In Ashkenazi tradition (Jews from most of Europe, my actual bloodline, barring some Native American blood) don't eat even that during Passover...which is miserable. I pretend to be Sephardic for Passover because I get so tired of matza and I need more variety to satisfy hunger. Plus, the reasons why Ashkenazi Jews become so strict about Passover kashrut (which didn't start until the Middle Ages), is kind of silly...but then one could argue, all of kashrut is silly. But if it means something to you, hey, it's not that ridiculous. It has made me a more conscious eater as a side effect though, which I think is a positive thing as well.

And that's your lesson for today.

It's complicated being a Jew.