I know very little about kosher foods, but are they an easily found item in most grocery stores? Is it a matter of looking for symbols, similar to looking for an American Heart Assoc. symbol, or something like that?  It sounds interesting. E

I hit post too quick before I finished. I would like to find a good local butcher, but don't know even how to start looking or what to look for to judge. I wonder if looking for a kosher butcher would be a better way to be assured to quality meat. E

Dear Elovestea, It is very hard to find a Kosher butcher outside cities where many Jews live.  Kosher Jews who live outside such cities have to drive, in some places for several hours, to get their meat ....

I am posting the most common Kosher symbols in a new thread.

Dear Lamuneca 0325, Jews don't keep Kosher for health reasons; we do it because G-d commanded & still commands us to do so ....

Deborahmichelle - Thanks for your information. I'm opened to learning anything I can about food practices and sources. I've always been interested in history and science as much as different philosophies, and have always wondered if the rules behind spiritual food laws were begun to ensure the preservation of life, health and longevity at a time when many in history were uneducated about safely preparing and preserving food. I'm not a religious person in that I don't follow any organized religion, but I have spent many hours in the last 10 years or so, learning as much as I can about all religions, and trying to understand why they think and believe they way they do. I was raised in a rigid religious household, as an adult I questioned it all, which is why, once I got a computer and found all the information available on the internet and thru books that I started learning as much as I could. I realized that my childhood religion is not the only way to believe and have faith.  

Again I want to say thank you for sharing any information that you want to give.E

Dear Elovestea, Welcome to the world of spiritual questing!  You may be interested in knowing that Judaism, even Orthodox Judaism, does not demand any particular beliefs from its adherents.  Personally, I believe in life in the hearafter, the precence of Satan on earth, & so forth, but I am in the minority.  Indeed, some adherent Jews do not even believe in a personal G-d.  What DOES count is adherence to the Laws.  In words familiar to Protestants (I think), Jews believe in Works & not Faith.

Hi Everyone,

 While all that Deb has said is true, here's my 2 cents.  Kosher meat and poultry is not healthier if you have high blood pressure, heart disease or are worried about your sodium in any way.  As part of the kashering process, all meat is soaked and salted, therefore it contains much more sodium.  Even if it is thoroughly rinsed again after purchase, its sodium content is usually much higher.  Too me, kosher vegetarians are the healthiest of all.

Sue

Salty meat: My dad always loved salt pork, wanted it cooked like bacon. I remember my mother would boil it in water first to boil out the salt, then drain and pat dry before frying. I wonder if this is a practice done with any other form of meat? On Food channel Alton Brown talks of putting chicken in salt water before cooking, it helps to cut bacteria; supposedly it doesn't add salt to the meat but equalizes the salt content from within. I understood it a little.  I have also heard about the soaking from an elderly lady, that it was common practice to do this with any meat that oozed blood. It has something to do with blood and bacteria. In light of salmonella bacteria, maybe this is a necessary practice that has been forgotten. E 

Yes, I guess you could say I have been on a spiritual quest. I get torn between thinking that it is all nonsense on one hand,  and needing to feel something spiritual on the other.  Recently someone did an article about Mother Teresa having doubts her whole life.  Now if she can have doubts I don't feel so bad about mine. I feel to each his own way, I don't have the right to tell anyone how to believe, nor do they have the right to tell me how. CNN recently had a show with a Muslim lady, a evangelical minister and a rabbi. It was an interesting discussion to say the least.  Thanks to all and have a good evening. E

Kosher is heathier so to speak I have been using a cook book from the temple the meat are bleed out and they do check for dieases which I like but its hard to get koshier food here unless I order it threw the temple when cooking for passover dinner  now I was told to get some of the meat at QFC. super market they have few koshier food and yeahhh cost a few pennies more but at least set a budget for anyfood and cook it ourselves at least we know what in it...:)