[Avodah] Understanding an Unfriendly Minhag: Not Eating Out on Pesach

[Zev Sero via Avodah]

On 05/02/2016 02:24 PM, Ben Waxman via Avodah wrote:
> On 5/2/2016 4:02 PM, Prof. Levine via Avodah wrote:

>> And how, pray tell,  is one to determine how "the kashrus
>> standards of the would-be host are at least as high as those of the
>> would-be guest"?

> In some cases it is obvious. We had relatives come over during this
> chag. Except for water and potato chips that I bought for them, they
> didn't touch any of our food. Later, we went to their place and ate
> their food. I know perfectly well that they are more machmir, or at
> least more particular in the hekshers that they use than we are
> (putting aside the fact that we aren't in the "don't eat out"
> mindset).

1. There's a lot more to standards, especially on Pesach, than which
hechsherim one trusts.   You might trust more hechsherim than your
relatives do, but not use some product from *any* hechsher that they
do use, or have some practise at home that they don't.

2. If you are indeed sure that you are not more machmir than them,
then the custom of not mixing would not apply in that specific case.
The minhag is subject to the guest's discretion, not the host's;
all it demands of the hosts is not to take offence.

-- 
Zev Sero               All around myself I will wave the green willow
zev at sero.name          The myrtle and the palm and the citron for a week
                And if anyone should ask me the reason why I'm doing that
                I'll say "It's a Jewish thing; if you have a few minutes
                I'll explain it to you".