By Chaplain Gary Friedman, , Seattle
The last issue of the JTNews carried an ad from a pair of restaurants highlighting their “Kosher Deli Meats (Plus Regular Kosher Style Deli Items).” By “kosher deli meats,” are they referring to their non-recommended brands that anybody keeping kosher for religious reasons wouldn’t get near, or do they mean the chazir on the “Bacon Bagel” poster that was prominently displayed at the opening of their new location? By “regular kosher style deli items,” are they touting their “Ham and Swiss” sandwich and “Manhattan Clam Chowder” and “Denver Omelet With Cheese” and/or their other blatantly treif fare? Puleeze! This is the height of chutzpah and a prime example of why Washington State has a kosher food law.
If the owners of these establishments were to offer actually kosher places to eat, I and other kashrus-observant people would gladly patronize them. Absent that, they should cease targeting unwary consumers with their deceptive practices.
As for the term “kosher style,” it is offensive mockery of our religious standards and its use should be prohibited in a Jewish community publication.