From Los Angeles Times :
It isn’t easy being a kosher food inspector in the land of moo shu pork. No matter how hard you try.
“Once, they got me into a restaurant and they ordered a whole plate of food and put it in front of me,” recalls Rabbi Martin Grunberg, who has the unusual task of ensuring that Chinese factories that make food for export comply with ancient Jewish dietary laws. “They were putting me to the test because they really don’t understand why I can’t eat Chinese cuisine.”
Keeping kosher is a breeze back home in Jerusalem, but it’s a daily challenge here in China, where food is practically a religion and people say they’ll eat anything with four legs — except for the table. It means Grunberg can’t travel light on his monthly trips through China: He carries two or three suitcases packed with dry goods, canned meats and vacuum-sealed packets, so he can feed himself breakfast, lunch and dinner. That way, he never has to step into a Chinese restaurant where about the only thing he can order is a fruit plate and can of Coke.
Although many here have never heard the word “kosher,” China is now the world’s fastest-growing producer of kosher-certified food, with more than 500 Chinese factories producing the approved products. That number is expected to soar, not because this country that is still officially atheist has embraced Judaism, but because it’s good for business.
