Monday, November 17, 2008

I Just Can't Afford It Anymore


To be an orthodox jew is to make sacrifices. No work on Saturdays, no eating in 99.9% of the restaurants in the world and exorbitant day school tuitions while still paying taxes for the rest of the town's kids to attend public school. High prices for kosher foods, high prices for synagogue membership and building funds for shuls and schools.
Recently, I decided to compare restaurant prices.
I started with fast food. I went to Kosher Experience on Cedar Lane. The world's smallest hamburger is $2.50. It's a medium sized bun with a two ounce patty that even the "Where's The Beef" lady from days gone by wouldn't believe. A chicken sandwich is a mere $8.50. Do you want fries with that? That'll be $2.75.
Then I drove up to Wendy's. For 99 cents each, you can have a chicken sandwich, a hamburger with a quarter pound of meat, a fries and a soda.
Okay, I know kosher food has some inherent additional costs, but it's getting to be ridiculous. In this economy especially, they're limiting their customers to only the wealthiest among us.
The RCBC is partly to blame. The Jewish Standard reported recently that to take on RCBC supervision costs a restaurant upwards of $60,000 a year.
The other issue is the fake "glatt kosher" requirement. Ashkenazic jews are not required to eat glatt kosher. Lately, companies are labeling chicken products as glatt kosher when that's not even a possibility. What is the fascination with "glatt?" Obviously, it's not required, so why are the RCBC, the OU and most other mainstream kashrut supervision agencies requiring it? How much money can the community save if this fake requirement went by the wayside?
Last week, I stopped by Glatt World on New Bridge Road in Bergenfield. The price for a pound of chopped meat was $5.49. At Pathmark, across the street, the non-kosher ground beef was $2.49 a pound. Sure we must pay a premium for kosher meat. But more than double?
The lone saving grace in all of this is the fish department at the Englewood Shop Rite. The fish in the kosher and non-kosher sections are the same price for the same item. Thank God for that one. Let them eat fish!!

45 comments:

Anonymous said...

well you could always eat veggies and legumes and skip the meat till the economy picks up :)

What Lola Wants said...

Thand God Agriprocessors got put out of business! With the new kosher meat shortage we can all start eating healthy (and I'm a big carnivoire) while we re-evaluate the whole kosher mafia, whoops! I mean the "system".

Anonymous said...

It's expensive to live ones life in a fantasy world.

Anonymous said...

It's amazing that a company that underpays its workers and violates child labor, immigration and worker safety regulations can still be deemed "kosher" by Orthodox rabbis.

Somebody is obviously answering to a lower authority.

What Lola Wants said...

Anonymous and Anonymous:
Agree completely.

What Lola Wants said...

All of these kosher places charge super high prices because THEY CAN!!! I actually complained to the owner of Kosher Experience that their burgers were 1/2 the size and twice the price of other kosher burger places in Manhattan (where the rents are higher), Queens and Long Island. He just shrugged his shoulders and said, "so drive there". 'nuff said.

Anonymous said...

I am sorry what Lola Wants, I just have to laugh at your last comment!

What Lola Wants said...

Anonymous,
Yes, my comment WAS funny, but it shows that these guys can charge what they want because suckers will pay for it. I'm cooking at home tonight...

Anonymous said...

Well Lola you know what they say about suckers, right? It looks like the old cliche is still alive and true in this town.
What I don't understand is why these "suckers" need to eat at these establishments if they are getting ripped off. I would think a boycott of these places would send a pretty clear message that you guys are tired of getting ripped off!

What Lola Wants said...

Anon,
I agree. I DO NOT patronize these places. I actually did a little research on a small scale on the bagel places in town. Love my bagel and scallion cream cheese! I went to every one and noted the price and what you were getting (i.e. could you see the cream cheese or was there so little it didn't even look as if the bagel was sliced. The biggest loser (meaning the worst) Is Sammys. I his sandwichs are a full DOLLAR more than any others in town, kosher or not and the amount of cheese he gives you you cant even see. I made a point of going in when I knew there would be a crowd and told the owner my results (loudly) in front of the crowd and he said, " you are not going to the kosher places". I said that I was and named them. I then said that I was going else where because being a business woman I had no respect for alleged business people who try to rip off their customers. I also said I would spread the word. This was 2 years ago. I have not set foot in there since and every new person who moves into town I make it a point to let them know they will get ripped off at Sammys.

The real problem in this town is that the kosher consumers have no guts. Everyone lives in their ivory towers and just let things happen. I'm just one small voice. When I tell people I did this they either say "good for you" or "I would never do that! How could I embarrass someone like that!" Embarrass someone? They are STEALING FROM YOU!!!! Say something...sucker.

Anonymous said...

Lola,
Now granted I do not keep Kosher so I do not frequent the Kosher joints in town, but good for you!
It is too bad that more of your brethren don't have a back bone!

Out Of Rightfield said...

I did notice that Pizza Crave actually lowered his price on a pie from $16 to $15.
Maybe the saturation point was finally reached,

Anonymous said...

$16 for a pie? Are you guys flipping crazy? And you are not even getting meat product on it?
Spread your checks cause your getting fucked up the ass royally guys! Lola was right you guys are SUCKERS and have no back bone, you get what you deserve!

What Lola Wants said...

I do like Pizza Crave and patronize it when I'm coming home from work late, its only me and I just want to pick up something fast that I can eat while I read the morning paper. The various deep dish pizzas I can't replicate at home and I want dinner immediately. For that I'll pay the primium for a slice or 2. It truly is the convenience factor, but only OCCASIONALLY! The only kosher eateries will "make it" in lean times is if they can cater to everyone and I think the rip off joints will have to get real to survive the next few years. It will be survival of the fittest.

Anonymous said...

So Out Of Rightfield anything else you care to discuss?
Anything else bothering you??

Out Of Rightfield said...

I want to know if anybody's been to the n ew kosher Indian place and what they think

What Lola Wants said...

We considered going to Shalom Bombay last night but were really not in the mood for kabobs etc. Most Indian food is parve or dairy and the south Indian meat food is too much like middle east food. Just wasn't in the mood. They should hve gone dairy.

Anonymous said...

So can you afford your kosher food now or are you still bitching about it?

Anonymous said...

You can blame the resteraunteur, the pruveyors, even the farmers all you want. kosher supervision is making a mint off of everyone and in return you have fools that stand in the corner of a kitchen and do nothing, and dont even know what to look for. agri was trying to cut costs as any business would, hes a little shady, but does that mean that the ou cant reach a deal with purdue or tyson which would make prices drop. should the rcbc overcharge sammys, and every other organization so they are forced to overcharge the customers, after all the too have yeshiva tuition to pay dont they???

Anonymous said...

got some take out from shalom bombay
aluparatha breast stuffed with potoatoes and califlower and beef samosa
cost about 12 bucks, samosas were real good and filled with beef
as an appetiser pretty good. the aluparatha was very good.
would go back again

Anonymous said...

Alu Paratha is a bread. What exactly did you get (bread stuffed with chicken breast)?

aluparatha breast stuffed with potoatoes and califlower

Anonymous said...

I think Sammy's is the worst. They are grossly overpriced and.....they don't even give you a napkin unless you ask.

Mike Perkins said...

So what do we do? We are going broke trying to feed our kids. I mentioned to one Rabbi about buying a cow and having it slaughtered but he hemmed and hawed about how hard it would be. I live in a rural area, Columbia Missouri, and you can buy beef on the hoof relatively cheap.

We went kosher this year but my wife is seriously having second thoughts. We will stick it out but having to have stuff shipped in and the high price we pay is just nuts.

What is the alternative besides not keeping kosher? Too many carbs and you and up with diabetes and/or overweight.

Mike

Unknown said...

Well down in South Texas ground beef is 9.99 per pound and chicken is 4.00 per pound. I hate to say it but I am rethinking keeping kosher.

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