ADS 336x280 Here...
Gloria London in Nov/Dec. BAR takes a stab at why we don't mix meat and milk. Maimonides suggest that boiling animals in their mother's milk was associated with idolatry. London points out that this Biblical restriction is mentioned twice after discussing festivals. So Maimonides has a good case.In addition to that, in her research, she learned from potters in Cyprus that you never put meat in a clay pot that was used for milk. The reason is that the clay is porous and the sour milk clings to it. That sour milk is excellent for making yogurt and other similar products but it absolutely contributes to the souring and spoiling of meat. As a consequence, these Cypriots had a "common practice to keep all ceramic pots used for milk versus meat separate." And in case you are wondering about how meat was prepared in ancient Israel, the condition of most bones reveal that people mainly boiled or stewed meat rather than roasted, thus requiring a clay pot.
After I posted this, my store manager told me he heard this years ago. The article in BAR made it sound like news.