Sorry to already have a similar theme, something I should have been able to avoid with this site being so new, but I simply had to share my experience at today’s US Open Tennis matches. I left early this morning in order to see as much tennis as possible and didn’t find the time to pack a lunch. I figured I’d manage to find something to eat in or around the tennis center and was surprised to read in the program about the existence of the “Glatt Kosher Stand.” Having found it, I was dismayed to see prices like $13.00 for an “overstuffed” (read: 2 pieces of meat) pastrami sandwich, $5.50 for a hot dog and $11.00 for a turkey wrap. Of course I had both the pastrami sandwich and then 2 hot dogs to follow, not bad for $24.00, but worth it!
The point of telling you this? I’m always amazed at the multitude of places you can find Kosher food. Did you know that nearly every (possibly all) New York sports teams have Kosher concession stands in their stadium? I think it’s particularly nice to be able to go a game like everybody else and enjoy a hot dog and a beer. With Dave’s encouragement of Newark airport to open a kosher concession of their own, we’re well on our way to never having to pack lunches again.
On a side note, I was initially bothered by the extremely high prices of the concession but it does (almost) add up: the concession stand has to pay an exorbitant amount to set up at the US Open, then the Open takes a percentage of sales. On top of all this, there is the higher price of Kosher food overall and the required salary for rabbinical supervision of the facility. Sure, $13.00 is a lot for a sandwich no matter which way you look at it, but it’s not as unreasonable as it may seem at first glance. Regardless, I’m more than happy to pay for the convenience (as is Donald Trump apparently, whose box called down an order while I was there waiting for my food).
Look out for Shahar Peer playing her fourth round tomorrow. She’s an awesome Israeli athlete who’s seated 18th and should be someone to watch out for.
Now what to do about this sunburn…
