Can you eat a hobbit in accordance with kosher law? The authors of this post address that question and the kosher-ness of other fanciful creatures.As for hobbits, they say 'no' on the basis of that creature's sentience. But I don't recall that being a requirement of kosher. Perhaps Jewish readers will correct me. Meanwhile, I'm being getting the deep fryer hot.
HT: Neatorama
6 comments:
Well the Judaism 101 site says does not say anything about sentience. But it does have this to say about edible land animals:
"Of the "beasts of the earth" (which basically refers to land mammals with the exception of swarming rodents), you may eat any animal that has cloven hooves and chews its cud. Lev. 11:3; Deut. 14:6. Any land mammal that does not have both of these qualities is forbidden. The Torah specifies that the camel, the rock badger, the hare and the pig are not kosher because each lacks one of these two qualifications. Sheep, cattle, goats, deer and bison are kosher."
So even if hobbits chew their cud, I don't believe those hairy feet are cloven, so no dice.
Of course, as a Christian, you are freed from such dietary restrictions, so warm that deep fryer up.
You can't eat the hobbit because it was offered to an idol.
I beg to differ with CometotheWaters, because a hobbit is not a "beast of the earth," not a beheimah, just like a human being isn't a beheimah. This is why some rabbinic authorities consider a human being NOT a "non-kosher animal." Some, for the sake of argument, will even qualify a human being as "parve," since the Torah doesn't explicitly disallow the consumption of human flesh (Zombie cheeseburger alert!). However, human flesh is ultimately disallowed on the Torah principle of not doing disgusting things. (Understatement, that one.)
Perhaps the principle extends to the Halflings as well.
Good point, Allan. But not all hobbits were.
You're in dangerous waters here. Remember what happened to the trolls who argued about the best way to eat a hobbit.
Sure, the list of imaginary kosher animals is a hoot, but it's got nothing on the list of gentile animals. Cast your vote for the most "gentile" animal!
http://heebnvegan.blogspot.com/2008/04/vote-for-most-gentile-animal.html
(or http://tinyurl.com/3feb7u)
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