The New York Times revealed on Friday that New York is facing a major lentil crisis. Our first thought: Do they mean we might be forced to eat them? Apparently, the opposite is true: Due to India's OPEC-like export ban on the tiny legumes, lentil prices have tripled all over New York. But what really caught our attention was the admission by one Jackson Heights restaurateur that "80 percent" of his menu is lentil-based. Really? We like Indian food well enough, but the crisis, it seems to us, is that too many people are eating lentils to begin with. We are not alone in our loathing of the pasty spheres, which we were frequently forced to eat as children as penance for too much kugel. "Whenever I tell somebody I hate lentils, they're shocked," Bobby Flay told the Times last year. "There are a lot of lentil fans out there." We know! On behalf of our fellow city-dwellers, we hope the price goes down soon. But if it doesn't, we won't weep for the decline of the lentil. Secretly, we've been hoping for it all along.

"Trouble in Queens as Lentil Prices Rise" [NYT]
"I'm the Boss, and I Say No Lentils" [NYT]