New York Bakery Sells $60 Rye Loaf, Customers Report It Pairs Well With the Feeling of Having Been Chosen
A bakery in New York is now selling a single loaf of rye bread for $60, and the line outside suggests the price is not a problem. The price is the point.
According to staff, the loaf ferments for several days, uses heritage grain, and comes with a short verbal history of the starter. That history is not optional. One customer tried to pay and leave during the part about the starter's childhood in Brooklyn and was gently asked to stay for the ending.
The loaf is dense enough to function as a doorstop. Several buyers have confirmed this. Its flavor is described as "earthy," "sour," and "worth it if you tell people," which seems to be the main ingredient. A rye bread nobody hears about is just a rye bread. Posting it to Instagram is where the value comes from.
Economists point out that Americans will pay almost anything for an ordinary item if it comes with a backstory and a slight sense of exclusion. This explains artisanal ice, $14 toast, and most of the art market.
CBC sent a reporter to ask whether the loaf was worth it. Very Canadian of them. A New Yorker sees a $60 loaf and asks where to line up. A Canadian sees a $60 loaf and puts together a balanced panel.
The twist arrived when Canadian readers did the conversion. At current exchange rates, the loaf costs about $83 Canadian. Viewers in Toronto reviewed this figure, compared it with their last trip to Loblaws, and concluded the New Yorkers were getting a pretty decent deal.