kosher and halal

     Both Jews and Muslims are subject to dietary laws--an unfamiliar notion to most Christians, or to non-religious people. The Jews call food that is suitable to eat, according to their dietary laws, "kosher". The Muslims call suitable food "halal". Neither Muslims nor Jews eat pork--it is forbidden to them by the same scriptures Christians call the Old Testament. When you see a sign or a food label package that says "kosher" or "halal", it means that a religious authority has checked that the food does not violate any dietary guidelines--including how the animal was slaughtered, and what might be present in the plant where it was processed. For instance, a Jew or Muslim would not want to eat chicken that was prepared where pork was also prepared.
    For many Jews and Muslims, this means avoiding many popular fast-food places, since pork is served in them.  For people who are not Jews or Muslims, "kosher" or "halal" on a package of hot-dogs or sausage may simply mean "all-beef".