Two things I had forgotten

[fpb]

1) How much I like gefilte fish.
2) What scary awful prices kosher foods cost. I guess that is one thing that stokes the legend of Jewish wealth - if they can afford to pay four pounds for a bag of gefilte fish or two or three for a few slices of salt beef, they MUST be well off!

Comments

[dustthouart.livejournal.com]

Seriously? Kosher food is quite reasonably priced in the United States. Perhaps it's due to the UK not having quite as large a population of kosher-keeping Jews as the US? Volume means price goes down, generally.

One of the supermarket chains near where I grew up, Weis Markets, is owned by a Jewish family and they have an extensive kosher selection. While I'm not keen on gefilte fish, we always bought kosher matzo and kosher prepared potato pancakes and similar.

[fpb.livejournal.com]

You are probably right. I can tell you that, in the Sainsbury's supermarket chain, prepared meat such as salt beef costs in the range of the most expensive kinds of non-kosher luxury prepared meat, namely bresaola (part-dried spiced beef) and Parma ham, namely more than two pounds per hundred gram. I don't know how that translates into American measures, but it's a lot, and I can't imagine a modestly off Jewish family paying that much on food without either having to live on a stringent diet, or going without a lot of other things.

[fellmama.livejournal.com]

Kosher food is less expensive where I live (New York state), but I also know many observant Jews who are vegetarian or semi-vegetarian (eating meat or fish only on the Sabbath) just to reduce the headache of keeping kosher. I'd imagine that would be even more appealing where meat is expensive.

[goreism.livejournal.com]

Yeah, and in fact, most canned goods in the supermarkets around here have a hechsher.

OT

[fpb.livejournal.com]

Hello there, long time no see.

Re: OT

[goreism.livejournal.com]

Hello yourself! Yeah, I've been insanely busy with my dissertation. (Have been? Still am!) But one day I might finish and unleash myself onto your comment threads. Prepare yourself.

You?

Re: OT

[fpb.livejournal.com]

I wish I had anything as interesting as a dissertation to report. Just boring, grinding guff. May ask what it is about? And I would be all too happy to have one of my most articulate, good-tempered and provocative commentators back.