Marsh Madness

Since Ohio State has royally screwed my bracket, I think I’ll stick to a game I know I totally rock:  the “if you could eat one treif thing what would it be?” game.  You have undoubtedly played a version yourself.  Maybe you were at a bar (G-d's infinite wisdom made lots and lots of alcohol kosher) fantasizing over the establishment's menu.  Or maybe you were watching TV and a commercial for TGIFriday’s/Olive Garden/Chili’s/Papa John’s came on, complete with pornographic images. Or maybe you were on a road trip and the novelty of the “I’m going on a picnic and I’m bringing ________” game had worn waaaay off. 

What's your One Thing?  While many jump to the cheeseburger, lobster and bacons of the world, I always play the Peeps card.  I don’t know if it’s the food coloring, the texture, or the uniform stance of the squat little chicks, but if G-d one day said, “You know what?  Forget that whole calf/mom’s milk shebang,” you can bet I’ll be knocking down the doors at Just Born Inc.

With Peeps, the possibilities are endless as exhibited in art, dance, sushi, and porn.  Peeps + chocolate milk + time = Peeps' counterpart.  The best kosher marshmallows have done is rolled themselves in coconut.  Big whoop.

This time of year is especially rough, with their beady black eyes buring a hole through to your soul in every grocery store and CVS, and the aforementioned coconut lame excuses are our only option.  Until....

OU-D!

Finally, the marshmallow walls dividing kosher and non-kosher consumers is slowly melting into a pile of Fluff.  Follow me on Twitter @PopKosher and join me in the fight for a gelatin free world!!

What Happens in Eruv, Stays in Eruv

March should be morphing into a lamb by now, but judging by the flurries this morning it's still quite lion-like.  This, perhaps is a good thing.  It gives these people more time to resolve this issue before beach season begins.

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
The Thin Jew Line
www.thedailyshow.com

First they're pushing their kids.  Next they're pushing their orthodox agenda.

I believe the kosher bakery is Beach Bakery Cafe.  It's already begun.....

Two Degrees of Bacon

1.  Yesterday, Demi Kutcher Tweeted this picture of her and her husband celebrating Purim.   

They must have been attending Madonna’s Kabbalapalooza where Hollywood’s most spiritual gather in a ketoret-scented room, wear $26 red strings (that old woman at the Kotel is a marketing genius!), and raise their Kabbalah water glasses to toast Mordechai and Esther.

2.  And in opposite news, J&D’s Foods has reported via Facebook that a group of Orthodox British consumers protested not agunot, not the imprisonment of Gilad Shalit, but Baconnaise (OU Dairy) outside of a UK market.  While the official cause of their fury is unknown, I assume the issue is the product’s dairy status and resulting purposelessness.  

Esther Go Bragh

St. Patrick’s Day isn’t really a gentile holiday that Jews really care much about one way or the other.  Growing up, I just knew that there was one day a year that we didn’t wear green.  Pretty much all beer and Irish whiskey is kosher, so there are no strong feelings of envy from being excluded, and as far as Wikipedia tells me, St. Patty himself wasn’t particularly anti-Semitic (though he was a member of the Catholic Church in the 5^th century, so one can’t be so sure).  St. Patrick’s Day isn’t even usually incorporated into mid-March’s sitcom plots. Click this too.

But St. Patrick’s Day this year is particularly relevant, as I just learned that during every Jewish leap year (like this one), Purim falls during the same week (like this one).  So therein lies my segue.  Both are celebrated by drinking adloyada.  There used to be a bunch of Jews in Ireland and there still are a few.  Fleeing pogroms and such, immigrants from Lithuania found refuge there.  Famous Irish Jews include Daniel Day-Lewis, Daniel Radcliff (kind of), and Bono (just kidding).  And then there are the Israelis who celebrate the day in "Irish" pubs that are more Disney than Dublin.

So this Purim, in honor of our Irish brethren, fill your mishloach manot baskets with soda bread, potatoes, nips of Jameson, and other lucky charms.

I would be remiss if I didn't include The Maccabeats' adorable Purim video.  They just make my inner Stern girl squeal and cry.

Hiya, Toots!

I previously discussed the miracle that was the kosher certification of Junior Mints.  I am thrilled to share the latest news with you, straight from the OU.  I get these kashrut alerts often, but never are they as exciting as this!

What a relief it is to know that there is a Tootsie Pop for every occasion:

Watching your weight?  Tootsie Pop Mini

Really watching your weight?  Tootsie Pop Sugarless Mini

Snowing out?  Tootsie Hot Chocolate Pop

Simchat Torah?  Tootsie Caramel Apple Pop

Hate sticks?  Tootsie Pop Drops

This breaking news solves a lot, however the answer to one age old question, the world may never know...

Newly Certified

March 08, 2011

Tootsie Roll Industries, Inc.
Chicago, IL

Brand:	Tootsie Pop
Product(s):	Products must have OU-D on packaging. Banana Tootsie Pops, OU-D Blue Raspberry Tootsie Pops, OU-D Caramel Tootsie Pops, OU-D Cherry Tootsie Pops, OU-D Chocolate Tootsie Pops, OU-D Grape Tootsie Pops, OU-D Green Apple Tootsie Pops, OU-D Lemon Lime Tootsie Pops, OU-D Orange Tootsie Pops, OU-D Peppermint (Candy Cane) Tootsie Pops, OU-D Pomegranate Tootsie Pops, OU-D Raspberry Tootsie Pops, OU-D Sour Apple Tootsie Pops, OU-D Strawberry Tootsie Pops, OU-D Strawberry-Vanilla Tootsie Pops, OU-D Watermelon Tootsie Pops, OU-D Wild Apple Berry Tootsie Pops, OU-D Wild Black Berry Tootsie Pops, OU-D Wild Blue Berry Tootsie Pops, OU-D Wild Cherry Berry Tootsie Pops, OU-D Wild Mango Berry Tootsie Pops, OU-D
Brand:	Charms Blow Pops
Product(s):	Products must have OU-D on packaging. Cherry Blow Pops, OU-D Grape Blow Pops, OU-D Sour Apple Blow Pops, OU-D Strawberry Blow Pops, OU-D Watermelon Blow Pops, OU-D
Brand:	Charms Super Blow Pops
Product(s):	Products must have OU-D on packaging. Blue Raspberry Charms Super Blow Pops, OU-D Cherry Super Blow Pops, OU-D Grape Super Blow Pops, OU-D Sour Apple Super Blow Pops, OU-D Strawberry Charms Super Blow Pops, OU-D Watermelon Charms Super Blow Pops, OU-D
Brand:	Tootsie Caramel Apple Pops
Product(s):	Products must have OU-D on packaging. Golden Delicious Caramel Apple Pops, OU-D Green Apple Caramel Apple Pops, OU-D Red MacIntosh Apple Pops, OU-D
Brand:	Tootsie Hot Chocolate Pop
Product(s):	Products must have OU-D on packaging. Hot Chocolate Pop, OU-D

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Tootsie Roll Industries, Inc.
Chicago, IL

Brand:	Tootsie Mini Pops - Natural Flavors
Product(s):	Products must have OU-D on packaging. Cherry Mini Pops, OU-D Chocolate Mini Pops, OU-D Grape Mini Pops, OU-D Orange Mini Pops, OU-D Raspberry Mini Pops, OU-D Strawberry Mini Pops, OU-D
Brand:	Tootsie Mini Pops - Sugarless
Product(s):	Products must have OU-D on packaging. Chocolate Mini Pops, OU-D Grape Mini Pops, OU-D Raspberry Mini Pops, OU-D Strawberry Mini Pops, OU-D Tangerine Mini Pops, OU-D
Brand:	Tootsie Pop Drops
Product(s):	Products must have OU-D on packaging. Blue Raspberry Drops, OU-D Cherry Drops, OU-D Chocolate Drops, OU-D Grape Drops, OU-D Orange Drops, OU-D Peppermint (Candy Cane) Drops, OU-D
Brand:	Tootsie Pop Egg Shaped Easter Pops
Product(s):	Products must have OU-D on packaging. Cherry Tootsie Pops, OU-D Chocolate Tootsie Pops, OU-D Grape Tootsie Pops, OU-D Orange Tootsie Pops, OU-D Raspberry Tootsie Pops, OU-D
Brand:	Tootsie Pop Miniatures
Product(s):	Products must have OU-D on packaging. Cherry Miniatures, OU-D Chocolate Miniatures, OU-D Grape Miniatures, OU-D Orange Miniatures, OU-D Raspberry Miniatures, OU-D Sour Apple Miniatures, OU-D

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Tootsie Roll Industries, Inc.
Chicago, IL

Brand:	Charleston Chew
Product(s):	Products must have OU-D on packaging. Charleston Chew Chocolate Flavored, OU-D Charleston Chew Strawberry Flavored, OU-D Charleston Chew Vanilla Flavored Juniors, OU-D Charleston Chew Vanilla Flavored Mini Chews, OU-D Charleston Chew Vanilla Flavored Mini Rollers, OU-D Charleston Chew Vanilla Flavored Original, OU-D
Brand:	Junior Caramels
Product(s):	Products must have OU-D on packaging. Junior Caramels Original, OU-D
Brand:	Junior Mints
Product(s):	Products must have OU-D on packaging. Junior Mints Christmas, OU-D Junior Mints Hearts, OU-D Junior Mints Inside Outs, OU-D Junior Mints Minis, OU-D Junior Mints Original, OU-D Junior Mints Pastels, OU-D Junior Mints Peppermint Crunch, OU-D
Brand:	Sugar Babies
Product(s):	Products must have OU-D on packaging. Sugar Babies Caramel Apple Flavored, OU-D Sugar Babies Holiday, OU-D Sugar Babies Original, OU-D Sugar Babies Pastels, OU-D
Brand:	Sugar Mama
Product(s):	Products must have OU-D on packaging. Sugar Mama Original

About 110,000 More Reasons to Love Google

How cool is this??  Google recently introduced a new feature to ye olde Google search:  Recipe View!  Upon discovery, I instantly searched "kosher."  In about 0.21 seconds, GRV churned out about 110,000 results.  Now that's a lot of kishka!  A lot, maybe.  Too much?  Never.

What will you search for?  Find something awesome?  Let's get the comments section cookin!