We hold mixed-faith Hanukkah/Christmas dinners over the holidays and the gatherings provide a rare opportunity for my family to enjoy a HoneyBaked ham. No one pays any particular attention to our indescretions because it is not that big a deal.

Orthodox and Conservative members of the Jewish faith do not consume pork, shellfish, and dishes made with beef and milk but Reformed Jews frequently partake in food offerings such as bacon/ham/pork roast, combo pizzas (with cheese/sausage), cheeseburgers, and lobster/crab/oysters/clams etc.

My sister-in-law is Jewish and enjoys all of the above restricted foods. As Ms. Fleischman noted, it is not that big a deal.

Thank you for the list! Helpful.

Religious food guidelines are irrelevant in our agnostic household.

The once traditional Catholic practice of not eating meat on Fridays and having fish instead had absolutely nothing to do with God but was measure initiated by the Pope to assist the livelihoods of fishermen.

My daughter-in-law is Jewish and I have never seen her turn down a serving of lobster or ham.

Many of the kosher guidelines pertaining to food were established thousands of years ago before The Food and Drug Administration was established.

Pork is now being raised under more sanitary conditions and in my book, FDA
inspections & approval trump religious restrictions based purely on tradition & dogma. As for shellfish, oysters are now grown on oyster farms & are not subject to ocean pollutants though other shellfish still are.

Kosher guidelines were initially created to ensure food safety and they are now irrelevant as Reformed Jews outnumber Orthodox Jews in America & are free to consume whatever they want.

This is an example of religious freedom.

Shellfish are considered non-kosher because they do not have any bones and lack a central nervous system. It has nothing to do with ocean pollutants because back in the day the oceans and seas were relatively clean.

I am not sure whether this restriction also applies to non-shellfish like octopus and squid because I too have abandoned all of these food-related kosher restrictions.

The kosher guidelines were implemented to improve health and extend one's life but all things considered, Orthodox Jews on the whole do not live any longer and are in no better health than most non-kosher Jews.

So enjoy eating whatever you want as long as it suits your palate.

Life is to short to turn down a combo pizza or a lobster.