Tuna and Milk

ok this might sound like a stupid question but it’s important for me…

In Jewish law, it is forbidden to eat fish and milk together.

A famous Arab saying says that eating fish with milk/yoghurt will make you sick.

I tried looking it up online but didn’t find anything except some arab kids discussing how their parents warn them about eating fish and milk together. I asked some people I know (I’m Arab)… some said that saying is baseless, while some swore that it’s the truth.

my friend insists that the one time he forgot and had milk after having eaten tuna, well he didn’t want to get into the details of what happened the next morning but he said it wasnt pretty.

so you guys have not been raised with this “indoctrination” and i’m sure there are tons of bodybuilders who have fish and milk together every day, or at least within a few hours from each other…

so i’m hoping to hear from you that there’s absolutely no truth to the matter… (unless the truth is otherwise then i’d rather hear the truth).

fish is the only meat that I eat, the fish usually being a tuna sandwich that i have 2 or 3 times a week. can i have milk not long after?

again, for you this might be a stupid question… but it might somehow be true.

There’s no physiological reason why you can’t have milk following your tuna fish sandwich (provided you’re not lactose intolerant). But the cultural prejudices can run deep. I grew up with the idea that all pork is “nasty” and “unhealthy” although there are lean cuts just as good as chicken or turkey. Anyway, I still don’t eat pork. If it really bothers you (in some back corner of your heart/mind) leave it be and eat them separately.

I’ve never had a problem eating them together. I don’t care for tuna much, but it doesn’t affect me. I also don’t care for milk much, but it doesn’t bother me either. Maybe Arab people have a higher incidence of lactose intolerance?

Why is fish the only meat you eat? Ar you strictly a vegeterian or is this an Arab custom too? You could always drink something other than milk too if you’re that worried about it.

While I understand your question in general, what stirkes me as odd is that you start by saying it’s a strict custom, then you ask if it’s ok to do? Are you intending on going against the custom if it turns out to be an Urban Legend told by your ancesters just to keep people sticking to it (as most cultural customs are, including most in my culture- White America), or are you going to follow the custom regardless?

[quote]eengrms76 wrote:
I’ve never had a problem eating them together. I don’t care for tuna much, but it doesn’t affect me. I also don’t care for milk much, but it doesn’t bother me either. Maybe Arab people have a higher incidence of lactose intolerance?

Why is fish the only meat you eat? Ar you strictly a vegeterian or is this an Arab custom too? You could always drink something other than milk too if you’re that worried about it.

While I understand your question in general, what stirkes me as odd is that you start by saying it’s a strict custom, then you ask if it’s ok to do? Are you intending on going against the custom if it turns out to be an Urban Legend told by your ancesters just to keep people sticking to it (as most cultural customs are, including most in my culture- White America), or are you going to follow the custom regardless?[/quote]

it’s not a strict custom… it’s just a widely-held belief… apparently it’s not allowed in jewish law for some reason or another but i’m not jewish. i just mentioned that as extra evidence tht there might be truth to the belief.

or, maybe the arabs got this belief from the jews who lived among them for centuries.

i wanna know if that’s true or not cause i’m semi vegitarian (in that i eat fish but no other meats). Anyway i never have milk with tuna, but sometimes i worry about having milk two or three hours later.

I often eat fish with milk and have had no ill effects whatsoever. This thread is really odd…

Hey I eat tuna, with whole milk at least 3 times a week and have never had a problem. The jewish laws were from a time where they couldn’t properly preserve or protect their food so they started things being “kosher” to prevent their people from getting sick. I’m sure your arab ancestors, being from the same geographic area, had similar traditions to prevent them from getting sick. Now in the modern time we have refridgerators, and the milk doesn’t spoil as easy, etc etc… Those old traditions are simply still there, but no longer necessary in the modern society.

This also goes along with the old “take your shoes off before coming in the house.” This practice was designed in Asia because they had no roads, and marshes, and we walking thru wet rice paddies all day. Their feet/shoes were breeding grounds for bacteria and things that could be harmful to health. This is why they took their shoes off. Now with roads, and cars, and vacuum cleaners this practice is nice, but no longer necessary in this society.

not jewish or arab, but my mom was taught the same thing growing up with six other brothers and sisters: when you eat fish for dinner, do not drink milk.

their rationale was simple. save the milk for another meal because good quality protein sources were very valuable (more expensive and less plentiful) back then.

Actually, in Jewish law there is no prohibition against consuming fish and milk together. Meat and milk is not allowed, but fish is placed in a category called “pareve,” which is neither meat nor milk, along with fruits, vegetables, nuts, etc. So there’s no contradiction there.

Once I put tuna in my protein shake with milk. I was fine but I do drink alot of milk and eat alot of tuna.

well, thanks everyone. guess i’ll not worry anymore about having milk after having had tuna.

Wait a minute Silencer- so your not Jewish or Arab? WTF to you care about their customs then. Just try fish and tuna together and get on with life. Also- not being a vegetarian I’m not 100% positive, but most vegetarians I’ve met eat fish but still consider themselves strict. Now a vegan will not eat fish, but that’s something different. For some reason fish is not really considered a meat. Maybe for the reason posted above, or maybe for a different reason.

[quote]eengrms76 wrote:
Wait a minute Silencer- so your not Jewish or Arab? WTF to you care about their customs then. Just try fish and tuna together and get on with life. Also- not being a vegetarian I’m not 100% positive, but most vegetarians I’ve met eat fish but still consider themselves strict. Now a vegan will not eat fish, but that’s something different. For some reason fish is not really considered a meat. Maybe for the reason posted above, or maybe for a different reason.[/quote]

He is arab.

You must have confused him with another poster (chillain)that mentioned that he was neither Arab nor Jewish.

AlexH.

Traditional Jewish dietary law prohibits eating meat and dairy together. Imagine not eating a cheeseburger!

Many tradional Jews keep 2 sets of dishes. One for meat and one for dairy.

[quote]Sneaky weasel wrote:
Actually, in Jewish law there is no prohibition against consuming fish and milk together. Meat and milk is not allowed, but fish is placed in a category called “pareve,” which is neither meat nor milk, along with fruits, vegetables, nuts, etc. So there’s no contradiction there.[/quote]

Really? I’m not jewish but have known many. I always assumed that fish would be considered meat, because I consider fish meat…

I come from a christian raising, & have heard the same thing.
However I have noticed I can tolerate a tuna sandwich an glass of milk, however fish cooked in a sauce, specifically a tomato sauce, will upset my stomach.

I was told that if you eat certain fish and drink milk with it, you might have skin pigmentation where you develop contrasting patches all over. Since, this fish (if one existed) was never specified my family generally shunned the idea of having any kind of fish with milk in one seating.

If having fish and milk in the same meal do not in any way affect one’s health or well-being then there is no point in not having these two items as part of the same meal.

I am not for superstition, and would not like to impose unnecessary and uncalled-for dietary restrictions.

[quote]Zap Branigan wrote:
Traditional Jewish dietary law prohibits eating meat and dairy together. Imagine not eating a cheeseburger!

Many tradional Jews keep 2 sets of dishes. One for meat and one for dairy.[/quote]

If all else fails, you could always have a fast food cheeseburger. You’d be hard pressed to find either meat or milk in one of those.

Yeah, I am really worried about eating those Ostrich steaks. God said the ostrich is an abomination, which means eating it is probably eternal damnation.

Got to love religious control over food mixing. Religions are great.

[quote]BlackSabbath wrote:
Got to love religious control over food mixing. Religions are great.[/quote]

Yup - crazy, isn’t it?

Fasting is the best!