Tuesday, October 31, 2006
Why did my Kippa Fall in the Toilet?
Coming to NY, food is so easy. No matter where you are in the city, Kosher food is right around the corner. However, with more choices comes ambiguity. There are so many Hechsherim (Kosher Certifying Bodies) that it's hard to tell which are good and which are scams. A friend (and semi-loyal reader) recently called me and asked if I knew if a certain Hechsher was reliable. I'm not sure why she went straight to the out-of-towner. But in light of recent scandals, I could see why she was so cautious. But scandals aside, there are some Hechsherim that even when everything is going according to plan are suspect, because they admittedly allow certain practices that are generally not accepted in the Kosher world.
So I started with the requisite Googling, a complex Halachic tool utilized by the finest scholars to discern all truth. Coming up empty, I proceeded to call the phone number listed on the eateries website. Getting an answering machine, I was leaving a message when somebody picked up the line. Stating my purpose of looking into the Hechsher behind this specific eatery, I was instantly greeted with a half hour lecture on the sad state of Kashrus today, which was due in no small part to the Kosher consumer who blindly follows the Big Business Hechshers while shunning the smaller more careful names in the Kosher world. Could be, I don't know. But I really just wanted to find out who was behind the stamp on the restaurant's wall, not question his credentials. I'll do that behind his back.
But how do we come to conclusions? Obviously a Hechsher is an invention of the industrial age, a method of reassuring distant consumers that a manufacturing process follows all Kosher laws. But do we really know what the differences are behind different labels? Do we really have any more reason to trust the food we eat based on supposed policies in place that we aren't even familiar with?
Just some food for thought...
So I started with the requisite Googling, a complex Halachic tool utilized by the finest scholars to discern all truth. Coming up empty, I proceeded to call the phone number listed on the eateries website. Getting an answering machine, I was leaving a message when somebody picked up the line. Stating my purpose of looking into the Hechsher behind this specific eatery, I was instantly greeted with a half hour lecture on the sad state of Kashrus today, which was due in no small part to the Kosher consumer who blindly follows the Big Business Hechshers while shunning the smaller more careful names in the Kosher world. Could be, I don't know. But I really just wanted to find out who was behind the stamp on the restaurant's wall, not question his credentials. I'll do that behind his back.
But how do we come to conclusions? Obviously a Hechsher is an invention of the industrial age, a method of reassuring distant consumers that a manufacturing process follows all Kosher laws. But do we really know what the differences are behind different labels? Do we really have any more reason to trust the food we eat based on supposed policies in place that we aren't even familiar with?
Just some food for thought...
# posted by Josh : Tuesday, October 31, 2006
Comments:
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... did I miss something?.. I'm still trying to figure out why your kippah fell in the toilet ...
# posted by 
: October 31, 2006 6:33 PM
: October 31, 2006 6:33 PM
If you ever have a question about a hashgacha on food or on a restaurant, give me a call.
Yes I, Düdie, have worked for the Vaad of Montreal (recognized and accepted by the OU) and the Vaad of Westchester. Both are very reliable and mean I know my kashrut.
There is this rice/bean thing just showed up on store shelves from India. I did my checking and found out the guy who gives the hashgacha's son went to YU and he's not only reliable but a pretty nice guy.
Call me with questions.
Yes I, Düdie, have worked for the Vaad of Montreal (recognized and accepted by the OU) and the Vaad of Westchester. Both are very reliable and mean I know my kashrut.
There is this rice/bean thing just showed up on store shelves from India. I did my checking and found out the guy who gives the hashgacha's son went to YU and he's not only reliable but a pretty nice guy.
Call me with questions.
Your kippa fell in the toilet as you reached in to grab your toothbrush... the real question is, will you ever use your toothbrush again?
first of all, i will email you back, sorry for the delay.
secondly, we used to go to a vegan restaurant in philly several years ago because they were certified kosher. recently, we were considering a trip down to philly and thought it'd be nice to go there again. we checked their hechsher on line, and sure enough, it wasn't an orthodox hechsher. needless to say, we don't plan on eating there if we make it to philly.
it's really hard to figure out which hechshers are reliable, especially in mixed supermarkets, since on occasion, a hechsher will show up that is just sooo bizarre that it needs to be researched.
a friend of mine dropped his cell phone in the toilet once. hang in there.
secondly, we used to go to a vegan restaurant in philly several years ago because they were certified kosher. recently, we were considering a trip down to philly and thought it'd be nice to go there again. we checked their hechsher on line, and sure enough, it wasn't an orthodox hechsher. needless to say, we don't plan on eating there if we make it to philly.
it's really hard to figure out which hechshers are reliable, especially in mixed supermarkets, since on occasion, a hechsher will show up that is just sooo bizarre that it needs to be researched.
a friend of mine dropped his cell phone in the toilet once. hang in there.
Erica - Why, because there wasn't enough traction, of course!
Tek - Of course, but that doesn't mean it didn't happen.
Dud - How could I forget, the world expert on Kashrus. For the record, I've never eaten at any restaurant that you've worked at...
Marc - I definitely appreciate the non-biased approach. And lord knows you don't distinguish between plates of food...
MH - I think I was leaning over for some reason. I had gotten caught in the rain, so it was wet anyway. But I wasn't sure if it was right to go to davening with it anyways...
In - That's why they make minty toothpaste. I don't throw anything away...
Sus- It was kind of embarassing asking around if anyone had one I could borrow...
Bec - Eagerly awaiting the email. I'll even let you choose the Hechsher. We assume that any place that goes through enough trouble of getting a hechsher must be reliable, but there are many details we have to be aware of. For example, there are a number of Indian vegetarian restaurants in the 20's with individual hechshers, but if you look closely, they don't attest that the food is edible for the kosher consumer. They merely say that there is no milk or meat served at the location. Similarly, Baskin-Robbins posts a Hechsher that specifically says only the sealed containers are ok. But many people don't look past the sign...
Fortunately, even velvet can be washed...
Tek - Of course, but that doesn't mean it didn't happen.
Dud - How could I forget, the world expert on Kashrus. For the record, I've never eaten at any restaurant that you've worked at...
Marc - I definitely appreciate the non-biased approach. And lord knows you don't distinguish between plates of food...
MH - I think I was leaning over for some reason. I had gotten caught in the rain, so it was wet anyway. But I wasn't sure if it was right to go to davening with it anyways...
In - That's why they make minty toothpaste. I don't throw anything away...
Sus- It was kind of embarassing asking around if anyone had one I could borrow...
Bec - Eagerly awaiting the email. I'll even let you choose the Hechsher. We assume that any place that goes through enough trouble of getting a hechsher must be reliable, but there are many details we have to be aware of. For example, there are a number of Indian vegetarian restaurants in the 20's with individual hechshers, but if you look closely, they don't attest that the food is edible for the kosher consumer. They merely say that there is no milk or meat served at the location. Similarly, Baskin-Robbins posts a Hechsher that specifically says only the sealed containers are ok. But many people don't look past the sign...
Fortunately, even velvet can be washed...
Bec - that is one of the best restaurants ever, too bad it's a conservative hashgacha. I ate there at the advice of a Philly friend whose father, I later realized, was a conservative rabbi.
Still, SO delicious!
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Still, SO delicious!
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