Religious Dietary Prohibitions and Faith: An Analysis of Pork Consumption in Jewish Culture
Overview
This essay analyzes Francine Prose's article 'Faith and Bacon,' examining the religious and cultural significance of pork prohibition in Jewish tradition. The paper explores various theological and anthropological explanations for dietary restrictions while reflecting on the tension between religious observance and secular assimilation in Jewish-American communities.
What this essay covers
- Introduction to Prose's personal narrative of growing up as an assimilated Jewish family in 1950s Brooklyn
- Examination of theological justifications for pork prohibition including biblical commandments and cultural interpretations
- Analysis of anthropological and historical theories regarding pork avoidance across cultures
- Discussion of faith as a test through dietary restrictions and the concept of sacred mystery
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Summary of the Prose’s Faith and Bacon
Francine Prose wrote the article “Faith and Bacon.” She tries to explain how eating pock in the Jewish was regarded as an abomination. She starts by explaining that she was brought up in Brooklyn during the 1950s. Her parents were assimilated Jews and were brought up in more observant households that did not entertain eating pork. As such, the family used to order sweet-and-sour chicken at the nearby Chinese restaurant, whereby all people ate pork. However, as Prose narrates, Bacon was not considered to be pork, although it used to contain some pork. As such, some Jews, especially those who preferred feeding on pork, used to order the crisper and harder bacon because it included less pork.
The Jews believed that eating pork was a way of breaking God's commandments. Therefore, parents attempted to raise children in the instructions of God by prohibiting them from eating pork. According to Prose (2), numerous theories have been established to explain why people from different cultures avoided pork consumption. Some feared that pigs were disease carriers, while others, especially the Jews, were obeying God by not feeding on animals that did not chew cud (Prose 5). However, other Jews, for instance, Isabel, claimed that she could not eat pork because pigs represent men whom God had cursed, and until God reversed the curse, human beings should not eat them.