IF IT QUACKS LIKE A DUCK………..

It seems like a life-time ago when pareve margarine was introduced to the marketplace. Just like that, every kosher caterer had pats of kosher, pareve margarine to serve. Similarly, when the pareve, ersatz milk came along, the caterers were quick to jump on that, too. We remember being at a very, very swanky wedding held at a large and famous NYC hotel, and when the pareve coffee creamer was served, it was served in the cardboard containers so we all could see that it was kosher and pareve. It did not matter that affair was way upscale, the ‘milk” was served in the containers to allay any fears.

Years later, pareve “ice cream” came on the market and soon enough found its way to kosher catered events. Once again, the “ice cream” was served out of cardboard tubs so that we could see that it was kosher and pareve.

So called Chinese style Phon-ee shrimp became a similar kind of catering hit. Eventually all of these things found their way into the larger Jewish, kosher culture.

We write this because there seems to be a contretemps brewing over the fact that a kosher certified steak house is serving “cheese” burgers. Rabbis and others are screaming that the burgers are not acceptable. They use the old duck standard of argument. What is the duck standard?

If it looks like a duck, waddles like a duck, quacks like a duck- it must be a duck. While that may be true of ducks, it is not true of certified kosher steak house menu items. Just because something looks like a trefe food item, does not mean that it is trefe. Plus, when dining in a clearly certified restaurant, one automatically knows that the cheese burger is not made from real cheese.

So what is the whole brouhaha all about? Good question!

We think that it is mindless behavior on the part of people to protest this innocent food item. People: stop looking over your shoulders!!

The rabbis taught that for every trefe item, there is a kosher analogue. Those people who protest the item are like lemmings marching to the beat of some demented sense of probity in kashruth.

We do not know if the burgers are good or not. But we do know that they are kosher.