Are all authorities equal? I mean, in NYC there are, I'm sure, different certificates from different kinds of religious authorities.
They're not really equal. For packaged foods, there are certain ones in the US that are generally accepted as good, and a few others that some people are OK with, but others aren't. For restaurants, there are lots of different ones. (In NY, up until a few years ago, there was a state law saying that a restaurant couldn't call itself kosher unless an Orthodox rabbi had given the certification, but that was struck down as unconstitutional. Now, I think the new law is that any restaurant calling itself kosher has to clearly display the name and affiliation of whoever certified it.) There are some national ones that are always fine, and for the local ones, you just sort of have to know which are generally accepted. I'll see if I can find a NY list.
I know places have certificates up, I've just never read them.
Hooray for Nilly tickets! I, OF COURSE, really want to meet Nilly while she is in the LA area, so just in case I am not on the activities list (since I don't hang out in this thread much), could some kind soul please include me on any itinerary-type emails? Profile addy is ready and waiting!
I'm pretty sure this is generally accepted as reliable. If you go to Kashrus Magazine and click on "Kosher Supervision Guide" in the left column, you'll get lists of reliable certifications, listed by state. (And, for NY metro area, divided up further. but the region listed is where the rabbi is, not where the restaurant is. There are plenty of restaurants in Manhattan with a Brooklyn or Monsey rabbi's certification.) (Nilly, do you have any other listings of which ones you consider reliable?)
Oh, and Deb, the site I linked last night was [link] .
Robin, I shall make sure you're on the list. I was thinking of gathering for a dinner.
Oh, and Nilly, did you hear about the questions about the kashrus of NYC tap water? Are you OK with using it? (Long story short -- they found that there are some microscopic organisms in it, that none of the health authorities or clean water people care about, because they're totally safe to drink, but they're technically crustaceans, so a whole bunch of NY rabbis are arguing over whether it counts if you can't see it without a microscope.)
Dude. My kosher understanding is shattered. I was so sure the KVH sign up in JP Lick's was, like, the One True Kosher Restaurant sign. It is only one of many many.
(On the up side, Nilly, at least you can get ice cream in Boston.)
(I mean, I'm sure other food items too, but definitely ice cream.)
(Which is the whole point, right?)
