the 19th century

Question

Why are we talking about the 1800's? Let's talk about the 1960's in a place called Atlantic City, NJ which at the time was the second largest Sephardic community in the USA. Growing up,we did not know that there were Jews who did not keep kosher. We bought meat from the butcher who was also the shohet (and the Baal Koreh). My mother made it kosher herself, every week. We bought bread and cake from a Jewish family who owned a bakery or Italian bread (flour, water, yeast and salt) from an Italian man who owned a bread bakery. We bought fish from the docks, or from the fish market (they sold kosher and unkosher fish). We knew how to buy fish anywhere. There was no "kosher fish market". We used Shop Rite canned tomato and veggie soup. Everyone seemed to know it was kosher and everyone used it. Years later, it won an OU. We made fluffy diet parve desserts from Knox gelatin and egg whites. (We gelled green salad and the Shop Rite canned tomato soup too for fancy Sisterhood luncheons). If my father had to take a customer to lunch, there were no kosher restaurants so he ordered an individual tuna with sliced tomatoes, red onions, iceberg lettuce, olives, olive oil and lemon. He just said he was on a diet, ate the packaged melba toast and had a cantalope half for dessert. Sometimes he would just get a broiled fish in foil with lemon, butter and salt or a baked potato. My mother always knew from his tie, what he had eaten. We ate tuna subs at the local sub shop (bread was from the Italian bakery, chicken of the sea tuna, Hellmans mayo and sliced tomatoes, onions and hot peppers). I am just grateful that the sanity has been returned to our observance. Thank you again for all you are doing for our community!!!