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Chosen Bites
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'Eco-kosher' Jews Have an Appetite for Ethical Eating As is the custom, the guests observed Shabbat with a meal, but with a twist: They were sharing a "sustainable" dinner on this Friday evening, with food that was locally grown, mostly organic and intended to elevate their practice of Judaism
Community Access To Good Food Can Help Curtail Obesity More people are seeking out local and organic foods at farmers' markets, through community-supported agriculture subscription programs, and at restaurants. Not all of the food news, however, is good...
When 'Local' Makes It Big On Tuesday, five potato farmers rang the bell of the New York Stock Exchange, kicking off a marketing campaign that is trying to position the nation’s best-selling brand of potato chips as local food.
Ben Murane is formerly the Communications Coordinator at Hazon. He is new to the intersection of Jews, food and contemporary life and in particular he is new to vegetables which are not microwaved.
Ben Murane was also the Executive Director of Jewish Student Press Service/New Voices Magazine in 2005-2006. He serves on the organizing committees for Brit Tzedek v'Shalom, the National Havurah Committee's Summer Institute and Matzat; and is a proud resident of Crown Heights. He is also a senior editor of Jewschool.com.
He would like you to sign the pledge to support President Obama's drive for Middle East Peace at www.obamapledge.org.
Here’s an uncomfortable intersection between Jews and food ethics — the Jewish spokesman for food lobby American Council on Science and Health, Jeff Steir, appeared on the Daily Show last week to receive a royal roasting.
I presume the days when people don’t know they’re on a parody show are past, surely Steir knew what he was getting into. Presumably he thought this was the only way to get a hearing out there. But the entire segment me cringe. How embarrassing:
But more interesting to me than the content of the petition are the comments of the signatories. Ranging from the persecuted panic to the phenominally ignorant to the poetically philosophical, the thousands of pages contain jewels of understanding of a world almost totally un-JCarrot. Enter the dramatis personae:
The conspiracy theorists:
Name not displayed, New York
What started out as a PETA tactic to stop the slaughtering of as many animals as they could, became a government witch-hunt far disproportionate to any alleged crimes committed.
The clever:
Raphael Chudaitov, New York
DONT HATE THE PLAYER, HATE THE GAME.
I’ve posted on this already in a couple other forums, but this is of special relevance to readers of JCarrot:Birthright’s post-trip program, Birthright NEXT, is not only reimbursing trip alumni $25 per head to hold a Shabbat dinner, but now they’re offering alumni organizers $20 Amazon.com gift certificates for each Shabbat dinner they recruit. Including up to $1,000, the email boasts.
What? Since when was Shabbat a pyramid scheme? When was multi-level marketing a way to excite people about cooking a meal with friends? Must we harness self-interest in consumerism in order to get kids to be Jewish? Have we fallen to a new level of desperation? There is something deeply smelly about this tactic. Once again, the organized Jewish community has decided to answer the droopy quality of Jewish life offerings with a marketing campaign and financial largess. Read more »
Al-Jazeerah’s English channel explores via YouTube the cuisine of Jerusalem (part 1 and part 2) and according to an excellent article by the Jerusalem Metro Blog (JMB), “…You know what? They did a great job.”
JMB explains the revealing twists of this video piece, because this isn’t just about mashed chickpeas, but (as with all things Middle East) also identity and politics. Jewish viewers might be surprised at Al-Quds University’s Dr. Ali Qleibo’s passionate rant about the appropriation of hummus by the Jewish State.
People often are confused by my explanation of my Jewish practice. They ask, “How kosher are you?” or “What’s your Shabbat practice?” and my answer is always something along these lines:
For whatever reason, that’s always chuckle-worthy to them. Which is unusual, because in Christian circles, talk of personal relationships and conversations with God is very common. Whereas as close as Judaism seems to get, the Bratslav tradition of hitbodedut, is extremely radical, even now: “To talk to God in your own tongue, without pre-prepared words, like you would a friend? How weeeeird.”
The JTA reported that one of the kosher restaurants in Beijing shechted (kosher slaughtered) 7 1/2 tons of beef and 9 tons of chicken in preparation for the kosher Olympics. They also plan to fly in five rabbinical supervisors specifically for the event.
Jokes about Jewish grandmothers being over-prepared aside, just how many Jews can possibly be going to the Olympics?
Apparently Beijing has ordered the 112 approved restaurants for the Olympics to stop serving dog with “the sensitivity of foreign visitors in mind.”
Vegetarian satire aside, I extremely disagree with this decision. Dog, as unappetizing it might be to us sheltered Americans, is a part of the cuisine of a large part of the world (the extent of which I can’t say).
But what if Israel hosted the Olympics — would we put aside gefilte fish? (Hell, even lots of Jews think that one’s nasty.) Or ban schnitzel? Hummus? Olives? No way. That’s what we eat. We don’t have to apologize to anyone for kashrut, nor latkes.
No, not for real, but some food-based humor from t-shirt jokesters KosherHam.com, which is (yet another) clever culture jokes apparel site. But as a testament to our people’s connection to food, here are my favorite food jokes/designs:
Quick! Someone revoke Adam Sandler’s Jew-creds — the man doesn’t even like hummus! Check out his interview with Jon Stewart on The Daily Show web site. (Hat tip to Dan Treiman at Forward.com)
A new kosher cooking school is open in Flatbush, Brooklyn: The Center for Kosher Culinary Art. It’s a shame it’s right next door to De Fara’s Pizza, the best Slow Food pizzeria in the city! (JTA)
Over 160,000 2-liter bottles of kosher-for-Passover Coca-Cola is made in Texas. The Texas mashgiach reports. (Jewish Herald-Voice)
Israeli punk band YIDcore has finally given up rolling in hummus as its signature stage gig. (Australian Jewish News)
As if fundamentalist kashrut could go no further, the waters of the Kinneret were disconnected from Jerusalem so that ultra-Orthodox Jews wouldn’t have to risk eating crumbs that washed downriver, despite several levels of filtering. Give me a frickin’ break. (London’s Jewish Chronicle)
After months of the largest religious party’s membership waffling on participation in Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert’s coaltion – on issues as divisive as partitioning Jerusalem and a ceasefire with Hamas – Olmert might find his coalition collapsing over an unexpected blindside: matzah.
As the Forward reports, a landmark ruling by the Israeli court system abrogated a law illegalizing the sale of leavened bread during Pesach (NY Times article from 2001 on the chametz police here). The ruling cited that restuarants and stores are private property and thus not violating any “public display” of bread.
But further, the judge ruled that “Hametz prohibitions as they are outlined in the Halacha,” are not relevant. The secular law only prevents the display of goods that look like bread, such as “bread, rolls and pitas.”
Needless to say, the ultra-Orthodox are pissed. Read more »
This month is New Voices magazine’s Radio Issue. (Check below for free subscription info.) In the “Best Jewish Podcasts” article is an amazing little bubbe who’s grandson podcasts her cooking to the world…just adorable…
Bubbe, of Feed Me Bubbe
In a shining example of nerddom gone right, sweet grandson Avram hosts a brilliant and wholesome series on his bubbe’s cooking. An irregularly published video podcast, the show features the charming and hilarious Bubbe making classic Ashkenazi comfort food: kasha varnishkes, borsht, tzimmes, kugel, and the rest. The recipes are simple to follow. There is also a Yiddish word of the day, spoken in Bubbe’s Boston accent.
“If I can be everybody’s bubbe, that’s wonderful,” says Bubbe.
Whether you grew up eating handmade matzoh balls at your own bubbe’s table or you’ve only heard tales from your Ashkenazi friends, Feed Me Bubbe is a funny, charming, and surprisingly well-made video podcast that might just inspire you to cook your own shabbes meal. Or to at least call your grandma.
New Voices magazine is the only independent Jewish student magazine written by and for Jewish college students. Subscribe yourself or your college-aged kinderlach for free by emailing here with as many full names and addresses as you want. And like I said, it’s free.
Sorry for the last minute notice, RSVP at the Facebook page.
We’re proud to announce this week’s super special event: on Wednesday, 4/9 EATING LIBERALLY welcomes SCOTT STRINGER, the Manhattan Borough President, to discuss “Go Green East Harlem,” a grassroots guide to wholesome home cooking.
To improve public health in East Harlem, Stringer’s office has created a cookbook with recipes contributed by community groups & local restaurants that offer ideas for affordable, accessible, healthy eats.
This FREE event hosted by Eating Liberally will feature snacks, Q&A, guest speakers & a live–and lively–cooking demonstration featuring the Borough President himself.
Lynn Fredericks from Family Cook Productions.
& Author of Cooking Time Is Family Time
will join the conversation.
EATING LIBERALLY with SCOTT STRINGER
& “Go Green East Harlem”
Wed, April 9th – 6-8pm
The Tank @ C:U – 279 Church St www.eatingliberally.org
Over at Jewschool, Borough Park-born blogger “chillul Who?” 
I’ve posted on this already in a couple other forums, but this is of special relevance to readers of JCarrot:Birthright’s post-trip program, Birthright NEXT, is not only reimbursing trip alumni $25 per head to hold a Shabbat dinner, but 
People often are confused by my explanation of my Jewish practice. They ask, “How kosher are you?” or “What’s your Shabbat practice?” and my answer is always something along these lines:
Bubbe, of Feed Me Bubbe
We’re proud to announce this week’s super special event: on Wednesday, 4/9 EATING LIBERALLY welcomes SCOTT STRINGER, the Manhattan Borough President, to discuss “Go Green East Harlem,” a grassroots guide to wholesome home cooking.
