Richard Keene wrote:

> Old Testament - No pigs, various other no-no's  because of various
> parasites.

See Wayne Van Tassel's "Oh, please" post... (thanks, Wayne!)

> General recomendation to eat grains probably since meat was often
> spoiled and way too costly for the poor.

Spoilage and economic considerations have nothing to do with whether
or not the kosher dietary laws *permit* meat or not.  They permit
meat, period.  Not only that, but meat is considered so important that
it is *strongly* encouraged for Jews to honor their Sabbath and
Festival meals by including meat dishes (a sore point with Jewish
vegetarians).

If the intricate laws of slaughtering/preparing kosher meat reflect
any inherent ambivalence on the part of Jewish tradition for killing
animals for food (a favorite conjecture of Jewish vegetarians), then
the same can be said for the consumption of grains, which is also
governed by an intricate set of agricultural laws (tithing, setting
aside part of the field for the poor, old/new wheat, the sabbatical
year, etc.).  In fact, during Passover, for 7-8 days grain consumption
is strictly prohibited (with the obvious - and seemingly paradoxical -
exception of a required bit of matzoh at the ceremonial seder meal)!

--
Deanna