Business travel

Rest stop on the highway between NYC and the country.

The Wolf

Are you sure they are entering a treif restaurant? Or, rather, a mall like building with several merchants and stores – and they are entering the mall area, but not the restaurant area.

Absolutely, 100% positive that they are entering the restaurant area. It’s one large area and you have to pass by the ordering counter to get to the bathrooms. It’s a McDonalds.

The Wolf

Is maris ayin for jews or non jews? If you go for a business lunch with your collegues to a non kosher restaurant in say jackson hole wyoming (the only state with no chabad btw) where the only ones who will see are some non jewish cowboys, is it maris ayin?

Bimchilas Kvod HaRav Hagoon Pac-Man shlita, my rav disagrees and has told me it is permissible to go to a business lunch in a non kosher restuarant in midtown manhattan. He permitted me to eat breakfast in a IHOP with collegues in Montgomery Alabama, they ordered pancakes, I ate cornflakes. He allowed me to meet my collegues in a restaurant in downtown pittsburgh and sit with them as they sucked on clams and lobster (one of the more forgetable moments of that business trip I’ll admit).

Please note the following obvious disclaimer, one that should not have to be mentioned, but will given the nature of this forum and peoples tendency to assume, read halfway or read without thinking. I am in no way advising, paskening or dictating what one could, should or must do, everything stated is for informational purposes only and is purely for your (mine?) entertainment. Any and all practical halachic shaylos should be asked of your local orthodox rabbi (however you define the term orthodox) or to the most eminent poskim of the coffee room, not apushitayid like me.

For the OP. I once stayed in

Montgomery Alabama for 5 days. Closest chabad was Mobile, several hours away. For davening, most days, was able to drive to the air force base outside town (in 1997 they had a minyan with orthodox chaplain, not sure the situation today- the business trip revolved around a technology show hosted in part by the base but was not on the base, but at the convention center in downtown) and for food, I was able to bring along vacuum packed food and I stayed at an Extended Stay where all rooms/suites comes with a mini kitchen including a fridge, oven and microwave. I kashered the microwave and if necessary would have kashered the oven, but never needed it. It took several days of planning (the food, and how to warm it/where to stay) and a number of phone calls to make arrangements for davening (finding out if minyanim existed, when and where – chabad of mobile pointed me to the base, and getting the appropriate permission to get onto the base every morning – pre 9/11 it wasn’t easy, I can only imagine what it is like now).

The highway rest areas are certainly not maris ayin because it’s known that it’s the most convenient rest stop.

I know it’s not. I was just challenging cherrybim’s statement that he would always remove any visible sign of Jewishness if needed. My challenge to him was that there were places where hundreds of people go into a building and walk right under a McDonalds sign without the least worry of maris ayin and they don’t remove any visual indication of their Jewishness. I was wondering if he would do so then as well, or would he simply “follow the crowd” and go in. There was never any question that it is certainly actually permitted to do so.

The Wolf

Somehow, I doubt that. I don’t believe that that was the definition of Orthodox that you had in mind when you asked the question.

Okay, you know my intentions better than me. What do I want for lunch today?

you want a corned beef sandwich on rye (with seeds) with some mustard. served warm.

or alternatively, the same thing, but pastrami instead of corned beef

I choose to disagree with this point.

Whatever.

The Wolf

There was never any question that it is certainly actually permitted to do so.

I didn’t think you did question it, which is why that post did not quote or address you, or any specific poster.

Mod 80,

What should I have for lunch?

what bout me??!?!?!?!!?

coke

easy

caesar salad topped with grilled salmon chunks

Crow

i would think you would be the type for a hamburger on pumpernickle, medium well, with some grilled onions and mushrooms on it.

Sounds pretty good, hold the mushrooms and pumpernickel, put it on a soft roll instead.

i leave the condiments up to you

Thanks for giving me some autonomy.

but i dont think you need any.

Got that just right; I prefer mustard but don’t need it.

How about something from the Kosher Subway 🙂

That belongs in the oxymoron thread. ?

I’ll have the mushrooms on the side, then.

The pumpernickel might taste great, but I’m afraid the burger might fall off.

Maybe if I melt some (parve) cheese on it, it’ll stick. I’ll keep the wrapper on so it won’t be maris ayin.