I refuse to buy the $60 bread in NYC

My home here in New York City may not have the same sourdough scene as San Francisco or, of course, Paris, but it’s competitive. So much so that it attracted a revered Austrian family bakery, RYE by Martin Auer. Their first U.S. outpost is just downtown here on Lafayette Street.

But I need to make one thing clear — I refuse to buy Martin’s bread.

For one, we need to make waiting in lines taboo. Because social media has ruined us, especially in New York City. I once passed the 57th street Chanel store on a random Tuesday and when I saw a line around the block I thought: (i) does nobody work? and (ii) we’re finished as a culture.

People have lined up for many other places in New York City, including Cafe Panna in nearby Gramercy. But at least there’s novelty in their ice cream as the flavors change. It also carries the Danny Meyer name, which is revered in this town.

Like RYE, Cafe Panna has received a lot of attention on TikTok. It started in 2019 and boomed serving ice cream during the pandemic.

But do people really go for the quality of the ice cream or to take part in the experience of the line and street cred of, “yeah, I tried it”? It’s not like they’re using magical or unique ingredients. Although the…