Kosher means that it fulfills specific requirements made by Jewish law. They apply to animal products, but since animal products are used in pretty much all food nowadays, it extends to all foods.
The requirements for animal products are very, very complicated, and I don't pretend to know all the details. The most prominent ones are which animal the meat was taken from, what part of the animal the meat is from, how healthy the animal was before it was killed, and how it was slaughtered. Dairy products are infiniely simpler and mostly rely on what animal the milk comes from and where the enzymes to make the cheese comes from.
To make life simpler, there are rabbis (or other Jewish people, but they're usually rabbis) who remain on-site during the production of the food and certify that the food is actually kosher. Because the laws are so complicated and the average person can't begin to comprehend which additives may or may not be kosher and why, we don't eat anything unless it's been certified, to avoid mistakes.
Thanks, guitarnut, I appreciate the details; I thought it was just animal products. So I think a salad or other strictly vegetarian meal would work? But I remember that people who kept kosher also keep separate plates and pots. So that would eliminate cooking in a restaurant (assuming of course there are no kosher restaurants on your route)? That makes it harder. But I would still go with a meal before a meal after and then just pack what you would normally eat for lunch. When I travel I don't like hunting around for a place I like to eat and most near the highway are fast food which I don't eat. So I pack a lunch and stop at a rest area which gives me a chance to relax over my picnic and walk around a bit to stretch my legs. I find that much more satisfying than trying to snack in a car.
I like the meal before and meal after idea. I think that's my best bet.
Vegetarian places are still a problem because of the cheese. I've never seen a run-of-the-mill brand of cheese that's kosher--all the kosher cheese I've ever seen has come from companies that are strictly kosher. Strictly vegan would be less of an issue, but it would still make me uncomfortable to eat something that doesn't have a kosher certification.
Okay, I was brought up in Reform Judaism, so we didn't keep kosher either, but doesn't Judaism provide for exceptions to things if there are health concerns involved? For example, on certain types of insulin (the older ones), diabetics couldn't fast on Yom Kippur, nor were they expected to.
So my question, guitarnut, is...wouldn't it be possible for you to eat at a restaurant, obviously avoiding things like beef, pork and chicken, but perhaps eating a fish meal, even though there might be some small amount of non-kosher material in the dish? After all, you've got multiple medical reasons for perhaps bending the rules just for this one time period where your choices are going to be so limited.
And you could eat potatoes or rice, yes?
My former sister-in-law's family is very orthodox, yet they will eat a fish meal in a restaurant, along with perhaps potatoes, bread, etc.
I understand. Definitely sounds like packing lunch is the way to go. Getting out of the car for a meal should also help with the carsickness. I drive a five hour distance a couple times a year and I find myself tired and looking forward to the rest stop lunch I pack.
There are exceptions, yes. And I spent many Yom Kippurs drinking small portions of a protein shake because my BG wouldn't stay up. This is a little different.
Bending the rules for an emergency (or a potential emergency, such as with fasting) is different than bending the rules for the sake of not feeling well. My BG might get high, but I am in no danger of ketones as a result. I've never been over 230, so the chances of getting dangerously high are slim to none. Therefore, this is not an emergency and not a situation where rules should be bent.
My BG hates potatoes and rice. And though I know some people who will eat a fish meal in a non-kosher restaurant, my family does not, for the reasons listed above.
I think I'll stick with the meals before and after, and maybe snack on small portions of raisins if I get hungry.
