Matzah -- it's flat, dry and hard to find

If you want matzah, you may have to go to Beijing. The chinese restaurant, that is. The eatery on Spruce Street next to the Quadrangle may be student's best hope of finding the Passover staple on campus this year, because many local merchants have not gotten their regular shipments of the the flat, dry, cracker-like bread. "I haven't found matzah anywhere," College freshman Nicole Jacoby said said yesterday. "I know a lot of people are looking for it." She said she originally brought some matzah from home but added that her hallmates stole it and now she is unable to find it in the local stores. "I've been living off fruits and vegetables," she said. Passover is an eight-day holiday in which Jews commemorate their ancestors' exodus from Egypt in several ways, including not eating leavened bread or food with yeast. In order to follow this, many Jews eat matzah along with other traditional foods. Several stores in the University area said during the holiday they usually carry "kosher for Passover" items, which must meet many religious guidelines, but said they have not received their shipments this year. Bob Kane, manager of Uni-Mart Convenience Store, said that in the past he has carried between $800 and $900 worth of kosher food for the week, but that this year, his distributor sold him less than a quarter of that. "It sells fantastic," he said yesterday. "I'm very disappointed -- usually we have plenty on hand." WaWa, another popular convenience store on campus, also ran out of their supply of the unleavened delight, and employees said the two campus locations would "definitely do well with it." "People say all the time saying, 'Do you carry [matzah,]' and we say no," said employee Marge Fink. "I tell them to check at Thriftway." But students making the six-block trek to the popular supermarket may be disappointed. Thriftway also did not carry the crispy cracker this year, according to Night Manager Benny DeLoach, after a hectic renovation left the food off the shelves. "People have been asking about it," he said. "Next year, we'll be in better shape." The last place many would think to look for matzah is in fact, one of the few on campus serving the traditional food. Beijing Restaurant is serving matzah to its clientele who cannot eat their regular dishes during the celebration. "If they don't eat rice, we give them matzah," said store manager Andy Yuan. He said one of the restaurant's three owners is Jewish and recognized the opportunity to keep Jewish people coming to the restaurant during Passover close to three years ago. "We have a lot of Jewish people in the school here," Yuan said, adding that matzah will continue to be sold to keep customers coming back during the week. When asked if ancient Jewish and Asian fare mix well, Yuan would only say, "it's pretty good." Lee's Hoagie House has also been selling the food, providing it as an option to bread with many of its entrees, according to manager Juan Rodriguez. He said that the restaurant has sold it for the last five years and said that customers typically devour 10 to 12 boxes during the week. And Dining Services Director William Canney said the University cafeterias have been serving matzah for at least 16 years. He said during the festival, Dining serves up 22 cases or 120 pounds per day of the unleavened bread. "It's a lot of matzah," Canney noted. One traditional campus breakfast spot, Skolnik's in Houston Hall, does not serve matzah, and has seen a "slight decrease" in business over the week. Associate Manager Suzanne Vacanti said that while customers have not asked if the store carries matzah, there have been several orders for sandwiches sans the bagel. She said if the restaurant were to receive requests for matzah, "we would have no problem for catering to whatever people want," Vacanti said. "After all, that's what we're in business for," she said.

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