Food (what I am doing my cultural project on) in Israel is very important for several reasons, but what I want to talk about today is the way it divides the orthodox from the secular. In Orthodox Judaism, there are very strict codes about what can be eaten. No milk and meat together, no shellfish, no pork, etc. In Israel, much of the country adheres to these standards: some because they want to (the Orthodox) and some because they have to (the secular). What I mean by that is that it is difficult to find food that isn't Kosher. Because the small minority of Orthodox Jews have so much control and power in the country, one of the things they have managed to influence is the food available.
During my time in Israel, I don't think I ever saw "traif" (pork or shellfish) available to eat. At McDonald's, the recipe for chicken nuggets is different than in the US because the coating for the nuggets has to be made without dairy. Fast food restaurants have two entrances - one that goes for a kitchen that cooks meat, and one that goes with a kitchen that cooks dairy. It is so fascinating to me that this small percentage of the population that is Orthodox has managed to control the entire food culture of Israel. It's impressive really!
The secular portion of the population says that it is possible to find traif foods, just difficult. I never saw it when I was there but I'm sure it exists! Israel has some very delicious foods. But it is just fascinating to me that the religious culture of a country can so dramatically impact other important aspects of culture such as food. In Israel, there is often political tension between the ultra-Orthodox and the secular majority of the country. I think that a lot of this has to do with issues such as food, where the small orthodox minority has managed to make changes that affect everyone.
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