On Sat, 18 Oct 2003 21:46:34 GMT, "Peter Aitken"
> wrote:


>You cannot eat milk and meat at the same time even on separate dishes. In
>fact there is some delay that must pass between eating one and eating the
>other - I think it is on the order of 10 hours but am not sure. The separate
>dishes rule is to ensure that one does not contaminate the other.
>
>I think it is a mistake to look for logical reasons behind the kosher
>dietary laws. When the laws were first created it may be that this was part
>of the motivation, but you can be sure that the people 3000 (or whatever)
>years ago did not have anything remotely like our modern, scientifically
>based ideas of food health. For example, it has been suggested that pigs
>were forbidden because of the danger of trichinosis - but other mammals that
>do not carry trichinosis were also forbidden. It's an interesting subject
>but, like many aspects of religion, one that does not lend itself to logic.

There *must* be some ancient logic, 'though not bacteriological
investigation behind this. I mean, these laws/customs/traditions came
from *somewhere*. Looks like God spoke to Moses and Aaron (Leviticus
11) and gave them the whole menu. Well, can't argue with God. But to
what purpose, other than making life more difficult than it has to be?
Why is pork forbidden to both Muslims and Jews? The pig is a pretty
efficient protein-making machine, yet not on the menu for both these
semitic groups. Trichinosis? Whim?

Are there any other religions that have odd food prohibitions?
Vegetarianism seems more logical as a religious directive. Strictly A
and not B, rather than selective 'this B but not that one.' Catholic
'fasting' on Friday and during Lent represents sacrifice, not a whole
class of permanently forbidden foods.