Kosher question

Nope. Not in the same meal at all. They even have meat plates and dairy plates, so that plates that once held meat will never hold cheese.

Bread and butter is ok- as long as the fat in the butter isn't from an animal (but lard is pig fat, so not really an issue)

Blue cheese on a salad is ok- it's still a dairy product. But they won't place turkey on the salad.

Roast beef and a glass of milk only after a specific waiting time between the two.

Try this link for more info.

No. That's why there is so many non-dairy products out there. You can't have the milk shake with your burger. And once you eat meat you can't have dairy for 6 hours. Most observant Jews only have 1 meat meal per day and it's usually dinner. Breakfast and lunch tend to be dairy.

that should read animal fat in the bread- ugh- i had been napping. lol.

No milk and meat in the same meat at all. Some people wait 6 hours after having meat to have dairy, some wait 3. The wait time going from dairy to meat is shorter. Most say an hour/hour and a half.

I have separate dishes, cookware, cooking utensils and silverware.

great question & great answers! ive wondered this for some time myself!

i know its one of the 613 laws Jews observe, but what's the practical purpose behind it (most of the food laws seem to have health reasons behind them).

No, there's no eating meat and dairy in a meal together. I even have two sets of cooking utensils, dishes, serving platters, etc. If I eat dairy, I can eat meat immediately afterwards as long as I cleanse my mouth with a neutral food like bread, for example. But if I eat meat I can't have dairy for 6 hours.

Sharon

"now what's the reason and/ or purpose?"

This is one of those laws that doesn't have a visible explanation- the Torah only tells us not to cook the calf in its mother's milk. Certain Torah laws have a visible consequence and it's easy to understand by mere observation why they exist, i.e, not to steal, cheat in business or commit murder. But other laws aren't that obvious to us, their consequences are spiritual. The spiritual energies of meat and dairy are incompatible with each other, so mixing them has a detrimental spiritual effect, some people refer to it as "spiritual cholesterol", as it blocks us spiritually.
As a more personal view, I think these energies are incompatible as milk is life, sustenance and meat is a result of death. But this isn't an explanation I've found in traditional sources. This is a law we cannot fully understand and we follow for the sole reason G-d told us it's best for us.

Sharon