The staff has, in its haste to satisfy grumbling and discontented stomachs, treaded on thin ice.

This time, The Crimson cannot simply retract its rare token of praise heaped upon a worthy administrator.

A messianic mantle cannot simply be torn down. That's just not how divine things work.

When we declared Michael Berry the "Mealtime Messiah" last year, we did not do so lightly. How often do we have anything good to say about college directors and faculty, let alone announce their God-given reign of universal redemption?

As is the case with the acceptance of any Messiah, we were prepared to take the bad aspects of Berry's reign with the good and assume that, by definition, the final gains will ultimately outweigh any drawbacks.

But the staff, perhaps taking note of the false messiahs that appeared in the Sabbatean glory days of yore, has thrown its faith in Berry into the trashbin of history.

It may be that withered waterfowl have been making almost daily matinee appearances in the dining hall. Vegetarian dishes have perhaps not been answering the carnivorous cravings of many students.

I take the staff's word on those complaints. After all, I always pass right through the dining hall line. I never eat typical Dining Services fare. That's because I choose my lunch from the Dunster House Kosher Table--one of three that Berry has established in the past year. Kosher tables are just one of many improvements that Berry has instituted in his tenure.

Perhaps a return to the basics of college food is in order, but the end of belief in the Mealtime Messiah is going too far. I almost want to say that members of the staff should be forgiven for they know not what they do.

But that would be too cheesy.