for God’s people was not just an external manifestation of nothing much; rather, it was an external outworking of their deeply held convictions about what it meant to belong to God. Given where these young men were and what they were doing and what they were being called, the last thread tying them to their Jewish roots and faith was dietary. So Daniel said, I can do this, and I can absorb that, but I cannot go any further. I have drawn a line; I will not cross it, and I am taking my stand here.