A slight marketing exaggeration

Many of you may know this, but I recently flew back to the U.S. for a short visit. I left late at night, and was pretty exhausted on the plane. Yet something caught my eye - so outrageous, that even in my drowsy state I felt I had no choice but to pull out my trusty camera and take a shot. But before the photo, here's a fast micro-lesson in the laws of kosher food:

There exists a concept in Judaism of "glatt" kosher. According to Kashrut.com, "Glatt is Yiddish for smooth, and in the context of kashrut it means that the lungs of the animal were smooth, without any adhesions that could potentially prohibit the animal as a treifa (non-kosher--T), an issue only applicable to animals, not fowl or non-meat products."

Okay, fair enough. Now, glatt has come, in many circles, to mean "super kosher," and so manufacturers like adding the word on whenever they get a chance. I suppose it's like the new custom of writing "fat-free" on things like raisins or cellphones - items that obviously have no fat, but seem even more appealing when it's pointed out. Although we don't eat red meat in our house, I often find myself eating chicken or turkey that has been labeled glatt. That's not really possible, as understood by the definition of glatt, but like I said, it sounds good, so the newly glatt items keep on coming.

Now, here's what I found on my kosher airline food:


Perhaps they're just referring to extra-creamy cheese, but come on... enough!