I totally get that! Everyone’s experience(s) with their faith (or maybe their life without) is individual to each person! I guess I was curious if there were certain things (like foods) that were reserved for certain days or... okay, I can’t think of what the term would be, but Catholics don’t eat meat on Friday’s during Lent in fasting, or how it’s haram to eat pork in the Muslim faith. (If you don’t feel comfortable answering, I completely understand, and I’m so sorry if that’s the case!)
Oh yes we have that, it’s called keeping Kosher! There’s a whole long list of rules and regulations on what we’re allowed to eat and more importantly the foods we’re allowed to eat together.
The word “kosher” itself is derived from the Hebrew word “kashér,” which means to be pure or good for consumption. The long list of rules is also referred to as kashrut, and are found in the Torah, which is our Big Book Of Sacred texts lol.
Among these rules are things like no pork and no shellfish any day of week, and no combining meat and dairy ever.
Kosher breaks foods down into three categories: meat (fleishig) which are mammals and birds INCLUDING the things you can get from them, like bones and broth; dairy (milchig) which are things like milk, cheese, butter, and yogurt; and then parave, which is all the other food lol
Traditionally speaking, the combination of meat and dairy is so forbidden that even the utensils pots pans plates and even the sinks where they’re washed must be kept separate. The way my home was built, we have two sets of cabinets for everything, even two silverware drawers -- one for the meat products and one for the dairy. You even have to wait a certain amount of time (depending on which Jewish group you’re a part of) after eating meat before you can eat dairy. It’s very very strict.
Generally speaking, it’s kind of confusing as to what meats and foods are considered Kosher, and what aren’t. There are 6 guidelines to follow when trying to determine if meat is kosher (please forgive me if there are more, I only remember 6 lol):
The meat must come from a ruminant anil with split hooves -- such as cows, sheep, goats, lamb, deer, etc. (pigs, horses, rabbits, etc are Not kosher)
Within those animals, the only cuts of meat that are kosher come from the forequarters of the animal (so no sirloin, short loin, flank, shank, or round steaks!)
Birds are alright lol they get a free pass (except predatory and scavenger birds like eagles or hawks but also maybe don’t eat eagles anyway)
In order for the meat to officially be considered kosher it has to be slaughtered by a shochet (that’s just a special jewish butcher -- go support your kosher butcher shops and delis! even if you aren’t someone who keeps kosher!)
The meat must be properly cleaned before serving
And like I said before only utensils designated for meat can be used to prepare or serve the meat
Fish is also kinda interesting because it’s only allowed to be from an animal that fins and scales, which is why the no shellfish rule exists. But unlike meat or dairy, fish is doesn’t have to have its own separate set of utensils.
And for all my vegetarian friends out there, plant-based foods can be mixed with dairy with no problems! As long as they’re not processed with the same utensils as those used for meat, it’s all good :)
HOWEVER, things are different for Passover (which I strangely saw advertised already even though this year it isn’t until April) where leavened grain products are also forbidden in addition to all the guidelines and rules above. This is why we eat matzo!
TLDR; At the end of it all though, the only big thing to remember is this: if you’re following the rules of Kosher just don’t ever eat pork, and don’t mix your meat and dairy. We live in an age where a lot of people are free to pick and choose how strict they want to follow the kashrut, or if they want to follow it at all! Some people (like myself) only keep kosher in its fullest form during the holidays, and are more lax about it during the rest of the year (although I don’t eat pork). Other people follow it 24/7/365. It all just depends on your personal preference and lifestyle!