Kashrut

Judaism and food have a long and complex relationship — we have entire holidays dedicated to abstaining from eating. We have certain foods we can’t eat, and certain foods we must eat. And finally, let's not forget, gefilte fish. Jewish culinary culture is formed by these very laws, making Kashrut (kosher laws) an important facet of our food and our culture.

Growing up, I kept no form of kosher, and up to going to school here, I continued this trend. If you were to ask me what my all time favorite food was, I would have enthusiastically said “shrimp!” Having come to college, I formed a deep connection with my Judaism, and in turn, with Kashrut. While I might not be fully orthodox kosher (I will still eat at non-kosher restaurants as a “pescatarian” with a “shellfish allergy”), I do keep a somewhat strict degree of Kashrut. I may be a Jew in IV who keeps kosher, but I am not the only Jew in IV that does, so I wanted to see what others’ experiences with Kashrut in IV and at UCSB were.

The first person to whom I posed the question of Kashrut in IV was Nicole Zar. She told me that she grew up keeping kosher, and that this was important to her, so she kept keeping kosher in college. To her, it is totally doable to keep kosher here, despite the many obstacles. She said that she often relies on Chabad for meals (especially on Shabbat). “Although it is not simple,” she told me, “it is a very rewarding part of Judaism that [she] takes pride in and a mitzvah that [she] enjoys keeping!”

As Nicole said, UCSB Chabad besides being a keystone to the Jewish community is also one of the best sources of Kosher food in Isla Vista. Miri Klein, the Rebbetzin at UCSB Chabad, is the mastermind behind all that is food at UCSB Chabad and works tirelessly to ensure that Jewish mouths in IV are fed. She told me that the biggest challenge for providing so many people food is that there are many difficulties getting large quantities of food — either the foods need to be bought from a kosher market, or comes in very small quantities. She suggests that anyone who wants to start keeping kosher contact her with any questions, and go to Trader Joes.

I was able to get another perspective from Jake Nguyen, another student who keeps Kosher. He said that personally, he has not had to make any concessions with Kashrut when coming here, and that the only downside to a kosher diet is that it is more expensive. All of his friends are also supportive of his diet, making the social aspect of living in IV easy. He also recommends Trader Joes to anybody who wants to keep kosher, as it is the only place nearby with kosher meat.

Like for Jake, Trader Joes is also an important part of keeping kosher in IV. Most of the groceries I buy are produce (which don’t require kosher certification), meat, fish, bread (which is more expensive), rice, and pasta. Thankfully (besides produce), Trader Joes has all of this, so if anybody reading this wants to keep kosher, Trader Joes is a great place to start!

Another student, Idan Fierstein, shared his experiences with me. He grew up in New York City, where there were many kosher restaurants, and now living here is very difficult in that regard (the closest kosher restaurant is over 70 miles away). As such, he eats out in restaurants (similarly to how I do), but he says that he appreciates kosher meals more than he used to due to the complexities involved with eating kosher in IV. He hopes that we can get a kosher food cart in IV like they have in SLO.

Eating out “kosher style” in non-kosher restaurants is something I understand — even if there were kosher restaurants in IV, it would be very hard to stay social especially with how often social plans revolve around a restaurant. A way I have found to bridge the gap between keeping kosher and staying social is having plans revolve around cooking in my apartment — even though my apartment isn’t kashered, everything I use for cooking is kosher (including hard-to-come-by kosher items like meat and balsamic vinegar), and as of right now, that’s kosher enough for me!

I do try my best to keep kosher, even if I am not following the laws to the dot of how they are in the book. Others, however, take a more liberal approach to Kashrut. When asked about his favorite kosher dish to cook, one Max Bloom responded: “I’ve gotta go with the cheeseburger.” For those not in the know, cheeseburgers have not been, are not, and will never be kosher, unless you are Max Bloom. More power to him!

As you can see, keeping Kosher in Isla Vista is no easy feat — the odds are stacked against you, and unless you live exclusively with others that keep kosher, there will be some difficulties. While not every Jew keeps kosher, those who do feel a strong connection to the food they eat, and are willing to make sacrifices to keep their diet how they wish. Overall, Kashrut in Isla Vista comes in many colors, shapes, and forms, and is an important part to the Jewish community in IV.