Trayf Arguments
To the Editor:
Tom Mandel ("Dining Like Capitalists," Feb. 17) claims that a student who chooses to keep kosher is hurt by the "absurdly high prices" at the Pavilion. Clearly Mr. Mandel has never purchased kosher meat before. A prepared steak at any kosher restaurant usually costs between $20 and $45, while the Pavilion serves an entire steak dish for $16 -- a true bargain. Mr. Mandel also bemoans the lack of variety of kosher food, ignoring the fact that the Pavilion is not the only source of DDS kosher food. The kosher consumer can find a variety of kosher-supervised yogurts, cereals, and snacks in DDS dining halls. Additionally, considering the size of the kosher community on campus, the Pavilion's hours are certainly adequate. DDS does a terrific job of catering to students with a wide variety of dietary needs. Mr. Mandel should research his subjects prior to attacking them.
Eliana Fishman '11
A Short-Sighted Suggestion
To the Editor:
The Native American studies and women's and gender studies departments offer courses which greatly enhance one's education with alternative views that have been historically silenced. While Peter Blair '12 suggests eliminating the two departments ("Short Answer," Feb. 16), they are important enough to stand independently -- despite not being "traditional" academic subjects.
Lumping WGST courses under the English department cuts out the majority of what the WGST department teaches -- how gender is constructed socially, politically, historically and economically throughout the world. "Feminist literature" does not sum up the WGST program, and the suggestion to group NAS under the history or anthropology departments is equally ignorant. Native people exist today and do not belong in one's imagination dressed in loin cloths and headdresses, interacting with pilgrims long ago. Nor can NAS be encompassed under American anthropology -- which began with the colonial notion that Europeans were superior to Native people.
Tealese Orme '10
