Non-kosher Food – Teeming with Prohibitions
I heard an awful story from a fellow Jew. He was once traveling by plane and was ravenously hungry. Of course, he would not eat from the standard plane meals. But kosher food was not on the itinerary, and he had not brought along anything from home. When his hunger reached epic proportions, he entered the kitchenette and asked for a regular portion. His plan was to eat only the vegetables, which ostensibly do not pose a problem of kashrut. This is actually a fallacy, as we will see as his story unfolds.
The salad was under seasoned, so the man added some pre-packaged vinegar, which came along with the meal. But this vinegar was made with wine prohibited by the Torah. Although the man made sure not to eat the unkosher sea foods that were part of the salad, they lent flavor to it, therefore rendering the whole thing unkosher. The man ate only vegetables, but stumbled in eating treif food.
At times, one might think he can find the kosher food amidst the unkosher. But this is a very complex issue. It is best not to get involved at all with non-kosher food. One should take care to ingest only food with a kashrut symbol certified by a trusted kashrut supervisor.
