Man's Best Friends (Food and Dogs)

Competition in the Super Market for Kosher groceries has advanced to the next level. Full page glossy ads now adorn all the Jewish owned publications. Pesach time especially is a time for huge food purchases, especially nowadays when we can't go for eight days without our favorite foods.

Today's generation is not satisfied with borscht and potatoes, they must have imitation cereal and bagels to go with their Matzoh. And so I was Oleh LeRegel to one such store. Aside from the huge assortment of exotic Pesach foods, I was puzzled by their tasting tables that were available for their patrons. There was a cheese sampling table set up in one area, and a chulent tasting area in another.

I wondered whether there should have been a warning posted that one should not eat meat shortly after eating hard cheese, and certainly vice versa. Another thing that puzzled me was how eating in the store was altogether permissible. The Talmud in Kiddushin 40B states: ת"ר האוכל בשוק הרי זה דומה לכלב ויש אומרים פסול לעדות אמר רב אידי בר אבין הלכה כיש אומרים. It seems that after looking up the halachik sources, it does not seem to be such an issue...yet it is something to ask your LOR.

This reminded me of a famous story regarding a Mashgiach of yesteryear who encountered one of his students eating in the street. When the above saying was quoted verbatim to the student he countered that he was merely eating something small. The Mashgiach responded: Nu, so you are only a puppy!