Cookaholics Bulletin Board

Actually, it was. I have encountered so many permutations on 'being and not being' vegan and all of the justifications that accompany them that I just had to ask. These various rationalizations came to an interesting head when I was tutoring Jews immigrating (escaping) from Russia to Canada just before the Afghanistan invasion by Russia - times were very tough. One of the foods they subsisted on was garlic-infused pork fat on bread as a treat!!
So, my question was genuine because I don't know how different sources of oils are deemed 'acceptable'.
Also, I trust your answers more than most and wanted clarification.

Wino - I can't remember if it was duck or goose fat that I bought at Loblaws last year. Black label product.

Ah, goose fat. http://www.loblaws.ca/en_CA/products/pr ... e-fat.html

Wino,

If one is vegan, then no animal products are permissable. Most vegans won't even use honey (because the bees are exploited), and won't wear leather. Certainly animal fats which require killing an animal would be out.

For that matter, I don't use rendered animal fats either (but I do use butter). I'm not a vegan -- I'm not even a vegetarian, since I eat seafood. I'm a "don't like meat"-itarian.

Now, there are currently bunches of people in the States who are calling themselves vegan because it's trendy, but eating duck fat fries. That's called "hypocrisy", just as it is with "gluten-free" folks who eat pizza every Friday, or with Mormons who have a scotch collection.

And as for what people will do when they are starving refugees ... well, at that point anything nontoxic becomes potential food, doesn't it?

Many thanks for that

Doesn't judaism have specific exemptions for survival in any case? Also non-martyrdom guidelines, where it is better to live and violate a rule then die for the rule?

I know Catholic doctrine (of yore) would allow meat on Fridays in Lent for travellers. So when we were at my cousin's wedding in NY my mom said we could order the steak. I tried to explain to here that that was likely for either protein for the journey or for (like in Wino's example) starvation purposes, but that didn't seem to alter the viewpoint.

Paul,

Yes. The only exception to that is renouncing God and/or worshipping other gods. That you're supposed to die before you do.

Violating kashrut is just an "haverah". Jewish concepts of religious transgression are much more pragmatic than Christian ones; the best translation of haverah is "violation", not "sin". Eating non-kosher food is like running a stop sign. So even if the Tanach didn't have a specific provision for survival (which it does), it's still not like you're dammed eternally for breaking kashrut. You just broke the law and will be assessed a metaphysical fine.

OMG. I was out to dinner tonight at a local restaurant where I had Roasted Chicken Risotto with with confit carrots. The carrots were amazing. Yep, they were made with duck fat. Delicious. No grease or fat in sight. Not sure how they did that. Yum.

I wonder if there is some similar 'starvation' clause for husbands who forget and eat leftover hamburgers for breakfast on Good Friday? It's happened a few times at our house!