Kosher food is often termed a Jewish food. Jewish followers are the most common kosher food consumers, but they are not the only ones. There are individuals who eat kosher food simply because the food is often considered better than traditional food. Jewish law is used to determine exactly what food is kosher and what is not.
When I first ventured into the world of vegetarianism (although now I am more of a pescatarian) one of my friends (a non-jew btw) asked how it was different from a kosher diet as it seems to be based on similar principles of respect from where the food comes from. Being that I am a simple "holiday jew" from Oklahoma, I was embarrassed by my inability to answer this in a fully informed way, so when I read about the recent rise of the eco-kosher movement on Grist, alas my questions would be answered. Evidently an entire movement is mobilizing through such sites as The Jew and The Carrot that features the intersection between Jews, food and contemporary life. According to Grist:
