Dietary laws aren't enforced this Passover in Jerusalem
It is Passover, and displaying or openly selling leavened products such as wheat, barley, oat and rye in Israel is against the law during the weeklong holiday that began last Wednesday. But this year, secular authorities did not dispatch inspectors or levy fines.

The change reflects the growing influence of the determinedly secular political party called Shinui, the only part of Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's coalition government that campaigned promising to separate religion from government affairs. A Shinui Cabinet minister declared that officials had no business inspecting people's eating habits.

That reminds me.........I bought some Coke that was Kosher for Passover. I hope I can explain this correctly...regular soda made with high fructose corn syrup is not Kosher (for Passover) because the corn syrup contains a miniscule amount of fermented corn byproduct. Or something like that. I have it on the highest authority. My husband learned this from a rabbi who is the editor of a magazine for Kosher homemakers. So I think I have it straight.

Anyway, this would make this particular Coca-Cola more appealing to purists who think that high fructose corn syrup is an abomination and only Coke made with sugar (cane, beet, whatever) tastes like the real thing. Supposedly, Coke from Mexico is made with sugar. I have no experience with this since Martha forgot to transport home the bottle of Mexican Coke that my sister had put aside for me.

I can’t really say that I detected a taste difference. This could be affected by the fact that it was canned and not bottled. We all know that Coca-Cola from a glass bottle is the gold standard. So I would rate the Kosher for Pasover Coke as very good. Not as good as the $4 bottle of Coke that I had at a cafe in Paris. That was from a bottle. Opened tableside by the waiter and decanted over several perfect, rock-solid ice cubes. The ultimate cola experience.

No further taste testing will be done. The rest of the six-pack disappeared quickly, having the appeal of a high-priced curiousity. Next Passover, I shall attempt to find the Kosher Coke in glass. That will be the true test.