For a few years now that demand has trickled into the kosher meat sector, as anyone who shops at Whole Foods knows. Despite the higher price, demand for kosher organic chickens is clearly evident, judging by the ransacked shelves at the Union Square store by Friday morning. Some Jewish leaders and organizations are now promoting the concept of Heckscher Tzedek, a Kosher Justice certification on foods.

But Jews aren't the only ones buying into this religiously-proscribed organic eco trend. Jewish food doyenne Joan Nathan wrote an article in today's New York Times which outlines a host of faith-based farms raising cattle and poultry across the country according to interpretations of biblical tracts and various religious precepts. According to one industry expert,

“Religious leaders have been giving dietary advice for decades and centuries, telling us to eat fish on Friday or to keep kosher in your home. What we are seeing now are contemporary concerns like the fair treatment of farm workers, humane treatment of animals and respect for the environment being integrated into the dietary advice given by the churches.”

As industrial kosher meat slaughterhouses continue to be mired in allegations including inadequate safeguards against mad cow disease, reports of fecal matter in the food-production area, and two recent high-risk recalls (an unusually high number), I'll be happily digging in to my Amish brisket this coming holiday season.

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So far the Hot Nosh machines dispense delicacies such as hot mozzarella sticks, veggie patties, and pizza. Separate fleishik vending machines will be hitting the market soon.

As reported in today's New York Times, the guys behind Hot Nosh hope to outfit hospitals, college campuses, and offices around the world — or for now at least in the tri-state area (where it's really hard to find kosher food):

"From a culinary perspective, this is the kind of food that would make the pharisees of local, seasonal food fall to their knees and beg for mercy. The frozen knish is thawed in a microwave compartment, then crisped by what Mr. Fetman calls 'a convection oven on steroids.' The hot dogs, individually sealed in plastic so they can stay in the machine for up to 21 days, are heated in seconds with a combination of grilling and infrared technology."

Clearly kosher dining has hit a new high with Hot Nosh 24/6.

Well, at least Beyoncé's getting Shtetlbootylicious with it. The principle backer behind Hot Nosh 24/6 is Phat Farm's Ruby Azrak, who also runs Beyoncé's clothing line, House of Dereon. A Hot Nosh vending machine has already been installed at the Azrak offices in the garment industry. What's next, Beyoncé-K?

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Ok, I can't promise a recipe every week. But I can promise you'll be able to make homemade jam. And no, this recipe does not involve sterilizing jars, making wax lids, or using pectin. Just sugar and strawberries and a bit of lemon juice (fresh squeezed, always). Freaked out that summer's nearing its end? Homemade jam is a great way to keep that summer taste on your tongue a little while longer. You'll need a lot of fresh strawberries. Do yourself and the environment a favor and buy local. It's summer, after all, and delicious produce is aplenty. At my farmer's market I got a deal on a big crate of almost over-ripe strawberries. Follow this recipe for some insider tips.

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I even called the landlord once. Only commercial tenants, he barked. Click.

But I'm perfect for you – a nice Jewish maydele, I wanted to tell him. I'm writing a freakin' dissertation on the Jews of the Lower East Side. What more could you want?

Now it seems the landlord has finally found his tenant. Chickie's Pigs. I kid you not. It's a new pizzeria, and their signature pie is topped with three versions of pork: prosciutto, ham and sausage.

Gawker posted this picture yesterday (though they reported that the former building was a burial society — based on the "Chevra Kadisha" in its name — it was probably also a synagogue):

Pig pies in a former house of Jewish worship? Sure, I devoured a souvlaki (guess which white meat) with tzatziki at a lovely Greek restaurant last night, without a care. Yet I've also been known to weep and nearly vomit in a gourmet restaurant in the French countryside when my chicken was served to me literally in a pot of warm milk.

People are contradictory, as my first professor of Jewish history would say, with a shrug. And many of those inner-conflicts are played out over the dinner table. So I'm not sure how I feel about this seeming transgression.

I'd do just about anything to save the remaining tenement synagogues dotted across the Lower East Side. But is this taking things to far?

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Jews have long championed the therapeutic properties of Matzoh Ball Soup, but the Japanese have put a whole new spin on Cup Noodles with this latest spa treatment.

Hakone Kowakien Yunessun Spa now offers a giant bowl of ramen seasoned with the requisite spices and a massive dash of salt and pepper for group dunks. According to the owners of the chichi spa: "The aroma of pepper is said to have the effects of refreshing your mind, warming your burned-out heart and inflaming your passion."

Ramen will never be the same. 

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With Tao Las Vegas, we see that some religions are just sexier than others.

I'm not sure why certain religions are cool, but I think it's somewhat similar to our selective eating habits. Why, for example, are fried calamari perfectly acceptable and delectable to many a reformed-Jew, yet ordering pork chops seems somehow wrong–either to our taste buds or our faith? Hamburger with a glass of milk? No, thanks. Moo Shu Pork, yes please. Cookbook historian (and NYU Performance Studies prof) Barbara Kirshenblatt-Gimblett calls this phenomenon within Jewish eating "selectively trayf" behavior. For some reason certain foods are culturally acceptable while others are not.

I was reminded of this last week while dining at one of the local kosher delis/Chinese restaurants in Montreal (only in Jewish cuisine is it perfectly normal for wontons to be served alongside pastrami). The new item on the menu at Ernie and Ellie's is "Kosherimp." While not actual shellfish in this case, shrimp is nevertheless a very sellable item to Jewish diners. But would Porksher ever make it to the menu? I don't think so.

The post Picky Eaters appeared first on Jewcy.

Chef Mark's Wednesday columns get me out of bed early any Wednesday morning, but yesterday's "Summer Express: 101 Simple Meals Ready in 10 Minutes or Less" literally brought tears of joy to my eyes. Clearly I'm not the only one who enjoyed: by noon yesterday it was the most circulated article on the Times website, and it continues to be today.

For good reason, too. All the recipes are less than four sentences in length, including the ingredient list. None require fancy equipment. And unlike most quick and uninspired summer recipes, Chef Mark did not succumb to the BBQ's lure. Though I'd devour a good steak or burger on the grill any night, how good does five minute scallop ceviche with lime and chili sound (nb: I'd add fresh cilantro or mint)?

Yes, Chef Mark's recipes are often brazenly trayf, but in a nod to his bubby, he included a "recipe" for blintzes ("Buy good blintzes. Brown them on both sides in butter. Serve with sour cream, apple sauce or both."). I'm sure he would love to teach us how to cook blintzes from scratch (a future column, dear Mark?), but that is not his point here.

Plus, who (besides me) really wants to make dough and roll blintzes in the heat of summer? For now I'll take cold soba noodles with dipping sauce instead. Indeed, there are plenty of vegetarian and kosher-able recipes on this list. Grilled eggplant with crumbled goat cheese and olive oil? Yum.

He even gets us cooking things most would avoid: five minute sautéed chicken livers on toast, for example. And you gotta love this one-liner dinner: "Canned sardines packed in olive oil on Triscuits, with mustard and Tabasco."

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