In the kosher kitchen, we only have so many ingredients to work with, both at home and professionally. Many ingredients that most chefs take for granted are not part of my daily repertoire due to kosher restrictions. I have a meat and pareve kitchen and cannot just add cream to a soup or sauce to thicken it. I have to work a bit harder and find other ways that fit into the kosher laws. I do not believe in using faux foods for substitutions and I look to natural ingredients that are already kosher and in season. In the spirit of Cucina Povera, I embrace my constraints, accept the materials I have to work with and move on.

Is age really nothing but a number? We asked JDaters in a recent Topic of the Week how they felt about ageism and romance and received a lot of varied opinions, but it appears that the majority think an age gap is okay. Here are some of our favorite responses.

It’s a problem we all face:

You find an attractive someone on a dating site. You craft a witty, fun, complimentary and intelligent email and send it off, and two weeks go by with no reply. What gives? You’re not a freak. Your picture is hot. You’ve carefully chosen corroborating pictures that make you look socially well-adjusted and fun, and you (and your mother) consider yourself a solid catch. What happened?

The answer is simple. You’ve made a mistake so common; no one even knows there’s a better way. Prepare to be enlightened.