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Whoa: Milk Street Cafe only temporarily not kosher
By adamg on Fri, 01/09/2009 - 9:25am
UPDATE: Kosher Blog now reports (same URL as below) that the cafe is simply changing certification agents and that they will remain kosher.
Kosher Blog reports that the Milk Street Cafe has lost its kashrut (i.e., kosher) certification:
Here's hoping that whatever kashrus issues caused this turn of events can be quickly turned around, and a dean of Boston kosher restaurants can be restored to its proper place!
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Comments
certification cost
Here's hoping that whatever kashrus issues caused this turn of events can be quickly turned around,
It could be as simple as "money is tight"; is it any surprise in this economy?
I tried to find out what the typical or average cost of certification is, and couldn't; everything I read said it "depends on many things" and "don't worry about the cost, you'll see increased sales!"; that evasiveness is bothersome (consumers benefit from a market where information is readily available), and the latter is a half-truth that makes many assumptions about the potential market/sales increase.
There's actually an article on Wikipedia called "Jewish tax" which claims that anyone asserting kosher certification is a "tax" is an anti-semite. Funny; maybe someone should tell that to all these Jewish people noticing how expensive kosher foods are compared to non-kosher foods (read the comments too.)
Looks like it can maybe be in the $1k-5k range. That's a lot of money for a cafe operation. Also, it seems a bit absurd: the article mentions the need for Post to find "kosher apples".
Kosher costs
There's actually an article on Wikipedia called "Jewish tax" which claims that anyone asserting kosher certification is a "tax" is an anti-semite.
Could that be because the only people who raise the issue are, in fact, anti-semites? Or did I somehow miss the new law forcing you to buy Empire chickens?
try again
http://orthomom.blogspot.com/2007/03/cost-of-koshe...
and
http://www.rabbis.org/news/article.cfm?id=100585
So, the rabbinical council are anti-semites?
Also, look carefully down that list of recommendations. Note nowhere in there do you see "consider lowering certification fees" or "increase the efficiency of certification operations to pass savings onto the customer", or "encourage additional businesses to get certification, thus lowering prices via increased competition."
Oh, Jesus H. Christ
I'm not denying kosher food costs more. I'm denying that there's a "Jewish tax" on food, which you felt compelled to bring up. Nobody is forcing you to eat matzoh and the cost of your ham on white bread with mayonnaise sandwich is not higher because some people chose to keep kosher. The anti-Semites' issue is with the little circled U you can find on many products in the supermarket. And since you know about the Wikipedia article, you know that that is, in fact, a canard.
wow
I'm denying that there's a "Jewish tax" on food, which you felt compelled to bring up
So now I'm an anti-semite if I even mention the article?
Thoughtcrime, anyone?
Thoughtcrime?
The impression I got was that you were saying there really is a "Jewish tax" at the supermarket.
If my impression was wrong, then I apologize. If you really think your food prices are higher because of kosher certification, then, no, I don't think you're right and that all you're doing is buying into some anti-Semitic nonsense. But that's hardly the same as arguing you should be brought to thoughtjail.
I NEVER said that!
If you really think your food prices are higher because of kosher certification, then, no, I don't think you're right
As I have specifically said: I don't think it has impacted my food prices significantly. If I cared, I could certainly avoid it. I don't bother.
My issue is with both businesses and observant Jewish people being forced, essentially, to pay for a fee (since "tax" is apparently too loaded) that they shouldn't have to- and that something just so happens to be attached to the most primal, basic human need: sustenance.
The whole setup also should at least raise the eyebrows of someone who didn't sleep through their economics class...
I apologize then
And will consider a reading comprehension class.
I'm pretty sure...
...that Jesus has nothing to do with Kosher certification. :)
Oh, but back in the day
I hear he kept kosher :-).
Biblical Sidetrack
If anyone wonders where the early still-considered-themselves-to-be Jewish church split off from kosher observance, see...
New Testament, Acts 10:9-16
Suldog
http://jimsuldog.blogspot.com
really?
that's news to this Jew. I'd often noticed and commented on the higher costs of certified kosher food when out doing the food shopping for the want-to-keep-kosher now x-husband and darn it if I've never had the pleasure of being called an anti-semite!
No, that's not the 'Jewish tax'
The evil Jews raise food prices for everybody through the insidious circled U on many food products. And they probably use the money to buy the blood of Christian babies or something.
The Wikipedia article explains it pretty well:
With such infrequent USDA inspections ...
the food-safety features of kosher rules and regular renewals of Kosher certification probably more than pay for themselves, even for those of us gentiles who don't worry about their religious importance.
I wonder why the USDA and FDA can't charge that fractional cent and do their jobs properly - rather than have only enough staff to inspect every 100 to 200 years.
stop putting words in my mouth
The evil Jews raise food prices for everybody
Nobody in this thread said or implied that. Would you like to address my points instead of trotting out hyperbole and accusing me of being an anti-semite, which is the trump card of ad-hominem? Others in the thread get what I'm trying to say without foaming at the mouth.
In 1975 the cost per item for obtaining kosher certification was estimated by The New York Times as being 6.5 millionths (0.0000065) of a cent per item for a General Foods frozen-food item.
Until I read that article I actually had no idea that General Foods went and got kosher certification for many of their products. I guess that makes me a pretty incompetent evil-Jews-hating-nutjob, doesn't it? Especially if I think it makes sense for a company with a national presence and the volume to make it an insignificant per-item cost?
Take it easy, you were misunderstood
Take it easy Brett - Adam knows he misunderstood you the first time.
The "Jew Tax" thing is a SERIOUS issue, that's why he is sensitive. If you've ever talked to serious American anti-semites, of the both the Lew Rockwell variety and the Nation of Islam variety, they think that EVERYONE in America pays a "tax" that goes to the all-powerful Jewish Conspiracy to put the little O-U (U in an O, for Othodox Union) on many food items at the grocery store. Which is some crazy shit. And they are seriously pissed about this imaginary tax. And they write form letters to huge food vendors, packagers, and distributors protesting it, and making threats.
So take it easy, everyone gets that that isn't what you meant now. Probably Adam was a little shocked when he thought you were bringing up a conspiracy theory or something.
Let's hope Milk Street Café
Let's hope Milk Street Café can get this fixed - it's one of the few places in the Boston area that is Kosher and has reliable delivery service.
In the three years I was at MIT supporting a couple of research groups, we used MSC for all the catering. One of the professors kept super-strict Kosher and this was the only place I could be assured would double wrap the packaging and kept the food groups strictly separate. This issue would have seriously impacted the ability to have Kosher food at meetings. Other alternatives had to be ferried from Brookline with less than adequate taxi service and I was never certain that the food was OK.