Soc.Culture.Jewish Newsgroups Frequently Asked Questions and Answers URL: www.scjfaq.org/faq/06-19.html

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Question 6.19:
I have a friend coming over that keeps Kosher. What do I do?

Well, first you'll need to know that if they keep Kosher, they cannot use any utensils or plates at your house, because those are non-kosher. Secondly, you need to know that with respect to prepared products, there are little marks that indicate the products Kashrut status. You can get a listing of all the symbols from http://www.kashrusmagazine.com/, but the best known and most widely used on is a U in a circle.

Given this: You're not going to want to serve anything that requires heating or other preparation, as that will require using your utensils (an exception might be heating water in a paper cup in the microwave, but ask first).

You can serve food in packages that they see you open, such as tea bags (Red Rose, Tetleys, Lipton), cookies (Stella D'oro). You can also serve fresh fruit, which comes in its own package.

Also, let them see you open the package of paper plates, etc.

Of course, the best answer is to talk to them first, and ask what is acceptable to them. They'll appreciate your thoughtfullness.

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