Category Archives: Middle Eastern

Kosher Grocery with Israeli Wine

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After work, I stopped by KosherMart, a grocery store dedicated to serving the Jewish community. This store sells typical goods found in markets like Giant or Whole Foods, as well as imported Israeli products and kosher wines, meats, cheese and sushi. According to the Orthodox Jewish culture, kosher food must be prepared in accordance with Jewish law, which entails a set of biblical rules regarding food and food preparation. The store hours are 7:30A-8:00P/9:00P on all days except Fridays when it closes at 4:00P to observe Shabbat, the Jewish Sabbath.

As I wandered through the store, I noticed popular foods found in Middle Eastern culture, such as olives, baklava, dried fruit and tehina. I also discovered a small Israeli restaurant connected to the grocery store that serves a variety of dishes from schwarma (a spiced meat sandwich) and falafel (fried chickpea balls) to Moroccan meat cigars (pastry stuffed with lamb or beef). For customers who want to cook these foods at home, the store has a small reading section that includes Israeli cookbooks and kosher lifestyle magazines.

Before I left, I decided to go to the wine section, which has a large variety of Israeli wines. Most of the foreign wines I drink are from South America, Europe and Australia so I had no idea which Israeli wine to pick. As a result, I just grabbed a Cabernet Sauvignon that was reasonably priced and had a nice label. Luckily, when I had a glass this evening, I was pleased that it tasted pretty ok, especially since I didn’t know what grape or vineyard is well known in Israel.

If you read my posting on the Kosher Chinese restaurant, you know that part of my childhood I lived in a predominately Orthodox Jewish neighborhood in Baltimore. While these days I don’t experience the Jewish culture on a regular basis, it’s always nice to stay connected through establishments like KosherMart.

Kosher Chinese Restaurant

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I grew up Episcopalian; however, part of my childhood I lived in a predominately Orthodox Jewish neighborhood in Baltimore. Furthermore, my parents’ best friends from my dad’s graduate school are Orthodox, and my Jewish friends are mostly Reform, which is less observant of Judaism. Therefore, my family is accustomed to Jewish cultural influences such as food and religious holidays. Growing up, it was normal to have breakfasts that included lox and bagels and white fish and to not question why my neighbors did not drive on Saturdays.

As part of the Orthodox Jewish culture, I understand that “keeping kosher” means their food must be prepared in accordance with Jewish law. However, I never knew Chinese food restaurants could be designated as kosher. My mom took me out for lunch at David Chu’s China Bistro, a kosher establishment in Baltimore. The restaurant’s sign had a “K” which identified itself as kosher, and many patrons were dressed in Orthodox Jewish attire, which led me to believe that this restaurant was in fact kosher.

The service was great, and the menu was no different than most Americanized Chinese food restaurants. Before we ordered, we were served hot tea and fried wonton type crackers. For our main entrees, we shared platters of Hunan chicken and chicken egg foo young. At the end, the bill came with a couple of fortune cookies. Now I would not say this was the best Chinese food ever, but I would say this was one of the most interesting and educational Chinese food experiences.