Kosher meals on airlines

[Guest]

On my last recent flight, I chose the Kosher meal, because I wasn't thrilled about the choice for lunch: chicken salad or cheese tortellini. When I order Kosher meals, they're wrapped in layers upon layers of plastic wrap and tin foil. Is this because Orthodox Jews can't eat food which has been touched by gentiles? Do only Orthodox Jews limit themselves to Kosher meals, or do conservative Jews do this also (outside of Passover)? The food itself, a chicken couscous, was quite tasty. The friend I was traveling with also ordered the Kosher meal, but for another reason: he's lactose-intolerant and finds the Kosher meals more tasty than the lactose-free meals, although there can't be dairy in either. I've never ordered the Halal meal. Are these as good as the Kosher meals? Less wrapping? I'm sure the flight attendants can figure out by my alcohol intake that I'm certainly not an observant Muslim....

[+ bigjoey]

Kosher food can be touched by gentiles. Not sure why all the wrapping.

[+ tassojunior]

Is there a big difference between Kosher and Halal ?

 

I'm always disappointed at the vegetarian meals. They need to kick their game up on that a lot.

[samhexum]

Kosher meals on airlines

 

 

 

Ask this lady... she seems knowledgeable about aviation

 

A flyer tried to travel to new heights as a hilarious video showed her climbing onto a luggage conveyor belt at a Turkish airport, reportedly thinking it would take her to the plane.

 

The first-time flyer checked in her bags at Istanbul Airport, but instead of heading to her terminal, she proceeded to climb onto the conveyor belt as terminal attendants and other passengers looked on.

 

The woman stepped onto the belt and promptly fell on her backside as it rolled forward.

 

Confused airport staff jumped up to help her before she ended up in a pile of checked luggage aboard the cargo carrier, but the woman said she thought the conveyor belt would conveniently transport her to the aircraft, according to reports by The Sun.

 

The viral video garnered lots of jokes from viewers. One person asked, “Is this a shortcut to the plane?”

 

“I think traveling with the cargo is cheaper,” another quipped.

 

 

[mike carey]

Kosher food can be touched by gentiles. Not sure why all the wrapping.

Not an expert (on halal, either), but my understanding is that kosher and non-kosher food cannot be in contact or use the same implements, so that may be the reason for the seemingly obsessive wrapping. (By way of anecdote that may be instructive—albeit within kosher not between it and non-kosher—an air force friend of mine flying on El Al had the meat-based meal and was then refused milk in her coffee, had to have soy.)

[Youngmilkman]

Many Jewish families have entirely separate utensils - sometimes even sinks if they can afford - for dairy and meat. So perhaps it is indeed a question of contamination. As far as I know, halal is a lot less strict about this, hence why Muslims will eat kosher food but observant Jews will not want to eat halal.

[+ bigjoey]

Is there a big difference between Kosher and Halal ?

 

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_Islamic_and_Jewish_dietary_laws

[gallahadesquire]

I was an inpatient in a Jewish rehabilitation center. They kept Kosher. There were two sets of dishes, burgundy and blue. They alternated meals, so Blue breakfast was followed by Burgundy the next day.

 

The day I got there, I heard quite a bit of Yiddish from down the hall ... I realized I was in a shtetl. Imagine my surprise when I was awakened the next morning, by Gregorian Chant coming from the room across the hall.

[samhexum]

I was an inpatient in a Jewish rehabilitation center... The day I got there, I heard quite a bit of Yiddish from down the hall ... I realized I was in a shtetl. Imagine my surprise when I was awakened the next morning, by Gregorian Chant coming from the room across the hall.

 

Oy!

[+ BenjaminNicholas]

Pre-ordering a 'special' meal with an airline has always been the coach secret to getting much better catering

[+ pdxleo]

What is this "meal on a plane" thing of which you speak?!?

[LaffingBear]

Is this because Orthodox Jews can't eat food which has been touched by gentiles?

Goyim can touch Orthodox Jews' food. Just not their children.

[+ Gar1eth]

On my last recent flight, I chose the Kosher meal, because I wasn't thrilled about the choice for lunch: chicken salad or cheese tortellini. When I order Kosher meals, they're wrapped in layers upon layers of plastic wrap and tin foil. Is this because Orthodox Jews can't eat food which has been touched by gentiles? Do only Orthodox Jews limit themselves to Kosher meals, or do conservative Jews do this also (outside of Passover)? The food itself, a chicken couscous, was quite tasty. The friend I was traveling with also ordered the Kosher meal, but for another reason: he's lactose-intolerant and finds the Kosher meals more tasty than the lactose-free meals, although there can't be dairy in either. I've never ordered the Halal meal. Are these as good as the Kosher meals? Less wrapping? I'm sure the flight attendants can figure out by my alcohol intake that I'm certainly not an observant Muslim....

 

I'm sure it's too prevent the food from contamination.

 

Gman

[+ nycman]

Pre-ordering a 'special' meal with an airline has always been the coach secret to getting much better catering

What is this “coach” thing of which you speak?

 

Grin

 

I’ve never felt need to order a special meal.....

 

The Krug and caviar has always been good enough for me!

[woodworker]

Kosher airline meals have extra packaging so they can be reheated together with non-kosher meals in the same oven.

[+ deej]

What is this "meal on a plane" thing of which you speak?!?

 

+1

[Epigonos]

Frankly when flying, any distance, I carry my own food and have even been known to share it with cabin attendants who have always seemed quite appreciative.

[Moe]

Difference between Kosher and Halal is that Kosher doesn’t allow the mixing of dairy and meat while halal does. Halal forbids alcohol while Kosher does not.

[bigvalboy]

What is this “coach” thing of which you speak?

 

Grin

 

I’ve never felt need to order a special meal.....

 

The Krug and caviar has always been good enough for me!

 

Hilarious...

[Rudynate]

Many Jewish families have entirely separate utensils - sometimes even sinks if they can afford - for dairy and meat. So perhaps it is indeed a question of contamination. As far as I know, halal is a lot less strict about this, hence why Muslims will eat kosher food but observant Jews will not want to eat halal.

 

 

I've worked in the hospitality business-it gets very complcated. I worked in a major hotel and there was going to be a big splashy orthodox Jewish wedding-all kosher. The night before the event, the kitchen and other food prep areas had to be koshered. A team of several Rabbis showed up with acetylene torches and blasted all of the surfaces with the flame. Even the dishwasher had to be koshered because washing the glassware, silver and dishes in the koshered dishwasher would render them kosher. Everything that had been koshered had to be wrapped in yards and yards of plastic. The entire area then had to be sealed. The Rabbis were there for hours doing all of this.

[Guest]

I've worked in the hospitality business-it gets very complcated. I worked in a major hotel and there was going to be a big splashy orthodox Jewish wedding-all kosher. The night before the event, the kitchen and other food prep areas had to be koshered. A team of several Rabbis showed up with acetylene torches and blasted all of the surfaces with the flame. Even the dishwasher had to be koshered because washing the glassware, silver and dishes in the koshered dishwasher would render them kosher. Everything that had been koshered had to be wrapped in yards and yards of plastic. The entire area then had to be sealed. The Rabbis were there for hours doing all of this.

Geesh. That's so preposterous. Acetylene torches? Anyways, I'm with my friend (we met here in North Dakota, although he now lives in another city and therefore took different flights. Apparently, the person sitting next to him was quite frazzled about all of the wrapping, afraid he was going to spill something. I guess that for the flight from Fargo to DFW, there's no lactose-free choice. So he has to pick either Asian Vegetarian (no dairy) or Kosher. But from Fargo to DFW, we'll be on an Embraer so he'll have no neighbor to complain. And I told him I'd help him unwrap stuff if he needed help. Religion can be quite ridiculous.

Edited July 16, 2019 by Unicorn

[Bucky]

All this because some dude named Moses said so?

[gallahadesquire]

I tried ordering kosher once. It came frozen and I was too embarrassed to ask them to reheat it.

[BgMstr4u]

Are pretzels and ginger ale kosher? That all I get unless I pay extra.

[RealAvalon]

Special meal orders are usually served first. One of the few perks of not eating red meat