Religious at Work is a series about my experience balancing a religious lifestyle with the demands of a full-time job in a secular environment.
Keeping kosher was something I never really struggled with. I know what I can eat, where I can eat and when I can eat it. I’ve never really had a desire to eat something forbidden. It’s just not something I do and I’m completely ok with it.
Even though keeping kosher is easy for me, the challenge for me is being the only one who is keeping it. I get inquisitive stares when I wash for hamotzi or say a bracha. Oh yeah, and for some reason, explaining kashrus to people makes me completely uncomfortable.
I know that some people are really open about their religion and love explaining their different customs, but I’m not really like that. Don’t get me wrong- I love my religion and am proud to be Jewish, I just don’t like delving into it with my co-workers and feeling like I have to justify it. I find it easier to keep to myself and just politely say, “No thanks” when offered a yummy looking treat that my co-worker baked in her non-kosher kitchen.
Whenever we eat something with mindfulness of our Creator and Divine purpose, our act of eating acts as a connection to Above. The energy we receive from that food itself becomes elevated into that higher purpose.
Food is something that brings people together, even at work. Group lunches, holiday parties and happy hour are all challenges I face. It doesn’t come up every day, but it happens often enough that it makes me think. I don’t always want to be the odd one out or the one that always declines a lunch invite, but I also don’t want to place myself in an uncomfortable place or situation when I don’t have to. There’s a fine line between uncomfortable and inappropriate and I think everyone has to set their own boundaries.
I used to work in a city without any kosher options around. I felt awkward going to sit in a non-kosher restaurant and sip a glass of coke, so I usually (politely) declined lunches out. This wasn’t the perfect solution. I always had a feeling of missing out and never really felt like I was one of the team.
On the other hand, a while back we had two members from our team travel all the way out to our office location. It was a big deal and warranted a team lunch. I was all for it- I strongly believe in teamwork and feel that with appropriate socialization, your work relationships become stronger.
Since I was new to the group, I wasn’t really sure what my boss knew about my religious observance. Before the group lunch I casually mentioned that I had dietary restrictions and only ate in specific restaurants (luckily there were kosher restaurants nearby!). I also made it clear that there was no need to make arrangements to accommodate me. I think the reason I felt the need to mention something was because I didn’t want him to be upset/surprised when I only had a soda.
My boss wanted our lunch to be a true team event and was willing to try a kosher restaurant. It definitely wasn’t his first choice in food, but my boss and co-workers went along with it knowing that this is not an everyday occurrence. They really made it nice for me and since then I’ve always been appreciative of how they went out of their way to include me.
I think this aspect of the job really surprised me. I didn’t realize how much the simple act of eating together would impact my work relationships. Maybe I was naïve. Maybe I was inexperienced. Maybe I was hoping things would be different.
In my mind keeping Kashrus is a gift. It’s not a burden and doesn’t leave me yearning for something else. It keeps me true to who I am, encourages me to remain true to myself and my religion and reminds me on a daily basis that I am a proud Jew who tries her best to keep mitzvos.
How do the people you work with accommodate your Kosher observance? Do they make it easy for you?
Until next time,
Shaindy
One of my favorite work group lunch experiences is when I go to luncheons for a professional organization of which I am a member. The lunches are at a banquet facility of a local hotel. I can request a kosher lunch when I RSVP & it usually is served to me with no problem. It allows me to attend the luncheon & not feel like an outsider.
wow, that’s awesome!
In my first job, we had lunch meetings every Wednesday. It wasn’t too hard for me because the owner was Jewish and there was one other person who brought his own lunch to the meeting.
Having others in the same boat as you definitely makes things easier!