How you do deal with keeping Kosher while working at a secular company? It's easy enough to bring my own lunch everyday; what I'm not sure how to handle are events like company lunches and other social activities. Bonding with co-workers over food is a common practice. I don't want to be rude or lose those opportunities.
Answer
- A buffet-style standing meal, or wine-and-cheese mixer, or the like, in the office: Just don't eat. No one will notice, or, if anyone does, you can explain why you're not eating. (Presumably, if you work there for more than a short while, someone will eventually cotton on to the fact that you keep kosher anyway.) (Note: I don't see why it'd be impermissible to attend and not eat, but CYLOR.)
- A meal in a restaurant, in someone's home, or in the office outside of working hours: As citelao's answer suggested, try and get them to hold it in a kosher restaurant or with kosher food. (I once attended a dinner held in my thesis advisor's home, and she very kindly ordered all the food (for everyone) from a kosher place and waited until I arrived to open it.) Otherwise, decline; if your absence would be weird, explain why. If you really need to attend, see the next item.
- A sit-down meal in the office during working hours: This is more difficult, as its harder to absent yourself; fortunately, it's also a lot rarer. I can see a few possibilities here, but none of them is very good. One, CYLOR about permissibility, attend if it's permissible, and don't eat. (Toy with a cup of cold water the whole time.) If anyone asks why, explain. Two, bring food. Again, explain why if asked. I only had to attend one of these, and the food was plated (not buffet style); the host very thoughtfully ordered from a kosher restaurant food to match as closely as possible the non-kosher food everyone else was eating; it came wrapped appropriately, and I tucked in with the disposable cutlery provided for me. But you can't expect that.
:-)
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