The Manischewitz Pie Crust Debacle

We were invited to a Passover Seder last Friday night, and my wife offered to bring dessert. Aware that there are special foods required for Passover, she dutifully went to the supermarket and bought a Manischewitz pie crust.

Manischewitz is the largest manufacturer of processed kosher food products, as well as matzo, or unleavened bread. Obviously, this would be a safe and reliable source that would toe the line. Everyone in the Jewish community knows of the integrity of Manischewitz.

My wife proudly handed to our hostess the pie she had made – a frozen key lime. She asked the hostess to keep the pie in the freezer during the meal and remove it about 15 minutes before dessert would be served.

The big moment came. The pie was brought to the table, and my wife asked if the hostess would permit her to cut and serve each person a piece. And so she began. But the freaking pie would not cut. So we switched to a serrated knife. We were literally sawing the bloody thing. Meanwhile, the frozen key lime filling was starting to melt. Still, no progress. So we tried a much bigger knife, and it still would not cut. Among the guests, there happened to be a 6’5” former football player who had auditioned for the NFL. So… we handed him the knife (at this point the guests were hysterical!), and he finally gained traction. Hooray! By this time, the frozen lime was soupy lime. I tried a piece. The crust was like chewing cardboard. The label said: coconut macaroon.

My wife pondered the possibility that perhaps the problem was due to freezing the crust. But she had made another pie the following night with a chocolate crust, where no freezing was required. The same thing happened. It would not cut. She had to dump the pie.

I suggested she write Manischewitz online to tell them of the experience. She received an automated email response noting that they were closed and would be open on Monday. I can understand Manischewitz being closed for the holy first two days of Passover, as it relates to the integrity of its position within the Jewish community. That said, as the world’s leading manufacturer of unleavened products, and for the holiday that claims a major part of its sales, shouldn’t there be some channel of interaction available to its thousands of customers once the observance is over at sundown on Sunday? Current status at end of day Monday: No response.