??? ?????? ?? ????

Is a very terrible and assur thing. I am very sad when I see meat that has been hidden from wine.

But I’m here to tell a story about something else–about ??? ?????? ?? ????.

See, where I hang out, there are a lot of non-frum jews, and a few non-jews, and a couple handfuls of frum jews of various affiliation. So on the occassionally that some event has food, frequently they will order kosher food for the kosher jews.

And so yesterday there was a big event at lunchtime, and they did so. And I came to where they usually put kosher food, and there is a sign that says “Kosher Food Here” and things of chinese looking food. And it isn’t wrapped or sealed, and I’m the first one here.

Now, there was a bar, so I wasn’t concerned about ??? ?????? ?? ????, but I was concerned about ??? ?????? ?? ????. And I was like, “oh come on, why did they have to open it, now I have to worry about this, and give me a break, of course I know where it’s from, it’s from the chinese place they order from which I know.”

So I’m sitting there tzittering, and a couple more fellows come, and see me tzittering and say, what’s the issue. And I says, well, seems like ??? ?????? ?? ???? to me, and they’re like, but the wine is right there, and I explain the difference between eyes and wine.

So I don’t know if it’s really an issue. Maybe there is some way to solve it. I recall once in similar circumstance a rav suggested it might help if I called the place and verified that they sent food like this to this place (although I don’t know why that would help, and I couldn’t get through that time and didn’t eat it). So I figure, well, at least I’ll do that, and then I’ll think what to do next.

So I call the chinese place and no answer. Of course not–it’s 1145 and who knows if they are even open yet. But then where’s the food from? Let me ask someone from the organizers.

So I find an organizer, and she knows nothing but assures me that if they say it is kosher then it is. So I assure her that I could care less what they say. Nicely.

So they find me the person who ordered it, and she tells me it is kosher, she ordered it from <redacted>. You what? I never heard of that place! It isn’t kosher. No no, she called on friday and they assured her it is kosher, and she ordered it off the kosher section of the menu. And she’s ordered from there before (I am skeptical of this, it has always been wrapped except for the referenced time above and that was not from this place, and was ordered by different people).

Yeah, it wasn’t kosher; I verified. And here I was all annoyed about these basar shenisalem rules, and wondering if I wasn’t being too much of a kanoi.

At least there was wine. (no, there was beer, the wine wasn’t kosher)