YBK featured on Punktorah.org!

Hey everyone!

Product of the Week will be back next week, but this week we will be featuring Punktorah.org, where I have written a d'var of my favorite Torah portion. Enjoy!

http://punktorah.org/dvar-torah/lech-lecha-by-young-broke-kosher.htm

It Gets Better... Right?

This week, the Internet has been abuzz about the “It Gets Better” project launched by Dan Savage. Mind you, I think this project is important. Letting teenagers know that suicide is not the answer, that there is help out there and that things will get better for them is crucial for their survival. I really recommend looking at it.

Many celebrities are rallying for the cause, including some of my favorites (hello, Tim Gunn, whose picture needed to be in this blog!). But in the light of my own darkness, there is the question that I have to pose for celebrities as they are driving around in their nice cars to their big homes – well, except for the sacred Tim, who has admitted he still takes the subway in New York.

Depression is a huge problem not only for teens. For the millions of out-of-work people in the United States, it is an even bigger problem. Many of them, myself included, have lost a lot of hope, and seem to be unable to function and do what they normally do. Some have gone off the rails. I remember that, for a while, there were stories every day about how unemployed people were so desperate, they killed their families and then themselves to get rid of the misery of it all.

The August unemployment rate in the United States was 9.5 percent – almost one in ten Americans is unemployed. In California, it’s 12.8 percent. And there are more people telling me that I need to get off my ass and do X, Y and Z rather than, “Hold on. It will get better, and you will look back on this as simply a memory.”

I will admit, save for a few episodes of pure bliss, I have been incredibly depressed over the past few months. I have been unmotivated to do anything, including taking care of this blog or cooking. My reduction to crying fits poisoned me, and when it seemed like my friends disappeared from off the face of the earth, it became even worse.

I have been fortunate that my parents have been incredibly supportive and understanding, and that several friends have offered whatever they could to help us. However, it seems like many people want to retreat. It’s too close, to personal, especially because its from someone they know, and besides, what do they get out of it? It’s easier to back up then to reach out. It’s like elementary school: Everyone wants to be your friend if you’re giving out candy, but if you’re not, watch out.

My concern has been whether it gets better or not. A friend on Facebook has been posting quotes from Rabbi Nachman of Breslov, and while they have been comforting, they are not enough to wake me from the haze of depression and make me believe that things will change from this desperation.

I am not dumping on Dan Savage’s parade – his cause is important. But as a person who is unemployed and slumping, I think it would help if we had a YouTube campaign about current successes who were once down-and-out. Jewel, for example, was living in her car before she became successful. Eminem came from a trailer park. And, of course, J.K. Rowling was living off of welfare as a single mom with a baby, writing a fabulous tale of a boy wizard in coffee shops.

For the millions of Americans out there who are depressed from the economy and the state of the workplace, we need some reassurance. Sadly, since I am in the same state, I can’t give it to you. But I encourage those who have been through it to reassure us and care for us.

And as for those who have their jobs and think they know better than us? Shut your mouths, because you’re not helping. We have to get out of our funk to find jobs, and one of the main reasons you have a job is that you are fortunate enough to not have lost it in the downturn.

May G-d bless us with health, happiness and, of course, jobs!

Love, Rein

To Chalav or Not to Chalav? Milking the Debate

Being of Sephardi descent from the Mediterranean, dairy is an important part of my diet. I love good cheese, and since the Sephardi diet is mainly fish, we can eat cheese almost whenever we want.

But the subject of cheese and dairy often brings up a specific kashrut questions: chalav yisrael or no?

It’s not one of the more common kosher laws, and there are quite a few people who are kosher but don’t observe it. But what is chalav yisrael, you may ask?

It’s actually quite simple: Although milk that comes from a kosher animal is inherently kosher, the Shulchan Aruch ruled that Jews could only drink milk that was handled by Torah-observant Jews. That way, people wouldn’t be tricked into possibly drinking non-kosher milk. Unlike with kosher wine, where it undergoes a specific process due to its use in religious rituals, milk has no religious purposes in Judaism.

According to the site OK.org (the site for the O-K certification), the majority of farms do not produce milk from unkosher animals. While cow and goat milk are available on the market, you won’t find a lot of varieties In addition, the USDA prohibits production of these types of milk for commercial sale, and there are major consequences if you do try to sell it. So even though chefs are obsessed with pork, I doubt any of them are reaching for pig milk.

In addition, there are plenty of ways that we already observe that milk is kosher. If you have a product that is certified kosher, you have to have rabbinical supervision. If there is a milk product in it, it is usually identified as such with a D (the most famous, the Orthodox Union’s, or OU’s, D symbol can be found on a lot of common food products).

So, with the kashrut observation of many different rabbis and the fact that the USDA prohibits the sale of many unkosher milk products, should we really be concerned about chalav yisrael in America?

Personally, I am not chalav yisrael. It is a very difficult lifestyle to maintain, and as far as I’m concerned, if it’s good enough for OU-D, it’s good enough for me. I feel that, with the regulations our government has on food, that the law is antiquated. It comes from a time where you couldn’t trust your neighbors and there were no regulations like this.

My whole philosophy towards my religion (and my kashrut) is thinking of modern times: If it doesn’t have a part of the modern world, there is no reason for me to partake. I feel that being kosher has a place in the modern world, as being humane is a timeless value. But distrust of others is not, and I feel that that USDA is keeping my cheese unkosher-animal-free. So, bring on the cheese, people!

What is your take? Are you chalav or not?

Product of the Week: Takosher

This weekend, I headed out to Malibu to the Shalom Institute, where they were holding the Jewish County Fair. Although the event itself wasn’t as great as I thought it would be (although it provided some much-needed memory jogging of being at camp there), I finally got to the bottom of a mystery.

You see, I had been hearing rumors of a kosher taco truck by the name of Takosher that has been prowling the Los Angeles area. Food trucks have really become a trend in LA, so it was nice to be able to get a kosher one as well.

I had been reading about them, so I have wanted to find them. But where? Where? I don’t get up to LA as much as I used to, and it seems like these guys don’t get down to Long Beach or Orange County. Luckily, they visited the fair, and our paths finally crossed.

I told my friends that we had to get to the taco truck. There, I was able to purchase two very unique tacos: the Brisketaco and the Latketaco. The Brisketaco reminds me of a pulled pork variety taco that you would get from an unkosher truck, while the Latketaco was like nothing I had never seen – two spicy little potato fritters with an apple chutney on top. For $7, I got them with some chips and a Dr. Brown’s Black Cherry – a drink which, in itself, is heaven.

I first dug into the Latketaco, and I was amazed. It was like the best latke that you have ever had, but made better. The warm fritters we complemented by the chutney perfectly. I was brought back to Hanukah, eating latkes with apple sauce. But the thing that made it special was the kick – not overpowering, but enough to make my mouth tingle and crave some more.

Then it was time for the Brisketaco. The guys at the truck told us that this was the best taco that they had, and their most popular. I decided to take their word. When I bit into it, it was something quite special. The flavor was pure dynamite in my mouth. I did something I rarely do when I’m eating food that isn't mine – I rolled my eyes into the back of my head and savored the flavor. It was that good. The sweetness, the tang and then that hit of spice. It was my mother-in-law’s brisket, delicious as that may be, made better. Don’t tell Ima that. Although she may be reading this… hi Ima.

Mind you, there were some small flaws – I think the Brisketaco may have needed a little more sauce to make it moister, and I would love an extended menu incorporating some Sephardi flavors in tacos in addition to the traditional Ashkenazi fare. May I suggest a spicy Moroccan lamb taco with a sour cherry sauce? I’d get into that. Hell, if you’re reading this, Takosher, I’d help you make it.

Either way, if you’re walking along and you see the Takosher truck coming by, I suggest you take a look. They definitely are on the track to something delicious, and they need the love and support.

If you’re interested, follow them on Twitter @Takosher, find them on Facebook or visit their site, www.takosher.com.