Q&A: Kashrut
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Kashrut
Question
Two questions:
Is there any reason not to drink coffee in places that are very much non-kosher (they sell pork), whether in Israel or abroad?
Is there any reason not to eat a sandwich or various foods that, as a matter of fact—that is, I actually checked what they put in and how they prepare it and found that it is kosher—but the place does not have a kosher certificate? Is there a problem with eating there, and if so, why?
Answer
- I think there is no fundamental problem. Admittedly, the utensil may not have been immersed, and perhaps it is used for meat and milk when hot. And there is also an issue of appearances in eating in a non-kosher place.
- If the place is non-kosher, there is an issue of appearances in eating something kosher there. If it is kosher but simply has no certificate, I do not see a problem.
Discussion on Answer
Several halakhic decisors wrote that with coffee there is no issue of food cooked by a non-Jew (Chokhmat Adam 66:14, Arukh HaShulchan 113:22, Yechaveh Da'at vol. 4, no. 42).
What about food cooked by a non-Jew?