Do Messianic people who keep kosher eat out at public restaurants?
Among kosher-friendly Messianic people, there is obviously a wide array of interpretation, application, and implementation of the dietary laws present. There are some who follow a Conservative to Orthodox Jewish approach to kashrut, and thusly would be inclined to either only eat at kosher-approved restaurants, vegetarian restaurants, or only eat cold salads at public restaurants which serve non-kosher meats.[1] Given the fact that the broad majority of kosher-friendly Messianic people mainly eat a kosher-style of diet, avoiding pork and shellfish and non-kosher fish, many of the same would eat at a variety of public restaurants—perhaps even including fast food. Such people might be seen to keep a level of kosher eating which can be present in much of Conservative Judaism, where a more strict level of kosher is followed in the home than is followed in the world at large.
Every Messianic congregation or fellowship is likely to see most of its constituents eat out at public restaurants, which will serve non-kosher meats, even if these are not consumed and avoided by such Messianic people. Only you can make the best decision regarding what is right for you, and your family.
NOTES
[1] Consult Lisë Stern, How to Keep Kosher: A Comprehensive Guide to Understanding Jewish Dietary Laws (New York: William Morrow, 2004), pp 108-109; Sue Fishkoff, Kosher Nation: Why More and More of America’s Food Answers to a Higher Authority (New York: Schoken Books, 2010), 98.
