If it’s not from Parma, it’s not Parmesan.
1 Like
Indeed. Parmigiano-Reggiano or GTFO.
2 Likes
Someone ought to tell Kraft. And if they’re not from Genoa, they’re not jeans… and they’re certainly not denim jeans unless made with fabric from Nimes.
But, from the wiki entry on wagyu:
In the United States, Japanese Wagyu cattle were bred with Angus cattle. This crossbreed has been named American Style Kobe Beef.
1 Like
Haven’t you? We Southern California rednecks talk that way when horse-tradin’ our used pick-em-up trucks all the damn time. Incorrect it may be, but so is saying “three hundred and fifty” as far as that goes. Doesn’t mean people don’t talk that way.
Even if someone somewhere does talk that way, the fact that is is a) incorrect, b) highly misleading, c) was in the context of selling an almost $4k bottle of wine in a fancy-pants restaurant…would be a clear indication that this wasn’t just the waiter/waitress using redneck slang. it was clearly quoted as thirty-seven fifty which has a very precise standardized commonly accepted meaning. It was no fault of the visually impaired patron for misunderstanding, in fact i’m sure the restaurant would lose in court for taking unfair advantage of someone’s disability.
4 Likes
Well, I imagine we’ll find out. It all depends on whether a judge is familiar with the not-at-all-uncommon colloquialism (seriously, we’re not just talking rednecks here), and whether he or she gives more weight to the printed price on the menu.
Agreed, but these are the same people that make Cheez-wizz. Think they’ll listen?
Sure, why not. When it comes to Protected Designation of Origin for clothing, it’s going to be a bit tricky with Panama hats, but I’ll totally back your fight for proper jeans.
Thankfully, in Canada (which I hope is the only other nation that sells it) “American cheese” is sold as “processed cheddar.”
I have my doubts about how much the appellation regulations are about eliminating misrepresentation and ensuring transparency for customers, and how much of it is about elitism and snobbery. Hipsters who squee over selvedge jeans constructed from denim made on Japanese looms would probably love these kinds of appellation restrictions, while middle America loves their Kraft Parmesan.
I don’t think anyone is being misled by “American Kobe,” so I don’t see it as being problematic, especially if it’s from full Wagyu cows and not the Angus-Wagyu crosses.
1 Like
That’s why Chateau Andre is my preferred street fightin’ wine. Its labeled “champagne” and its pink so you know its classy. But for 12 bucks tops it comes in the sort of bottle that destroys teeth.
3 Likes
Legally, I’m guessing it would come down to unilateral mistake doctrines, where only one party is mistaken about the facts. Typically, I believe the non-mistaken party (i.e., the restaurant) will win unless it would be unconscionable to enforce the contract or the non-mistaken party knew (or had objective reasons to know) that the other party was mistaken. If the mistake happened as a result of negligence, on the other hand, the mistaken party will likely lose. I’m not sure the contract is unconscionable if the price was actually reasonable for the wine sold, and while you could argue that the restaurant had reason to know of the mistake given the way the price was presented and knowledge of the buyers lack of sophistication, the buyer was probably negligent in not checking the price written on the wine list in front of him.
Buyer could probably also claim fraudulent inducement, saying that the seller made false statements about the price that induced the purchase, and although mistake claims are usually broader than fraud claims, the buyer’s possible negligence isn’t so important here.
As I understand it if its labeled “Wagyu” it has to be 100% Wagyu, though that’s a more recent thing. “American Style Kobe”, “American Kobe” and “Kobe Style Beef” are all unregulated terms. They tend to be chock full of beef that doesn’t even qualify as prime, has no relation to the Wagyu breed etc. So its best avoided,
Although if you can establish (its hard) that your Kobe/Wagyu whatever is legitimately from one of the Wagyu-Angus herds where things are a sensible hybrid (ie Wagyu heavy). A lot of butchers and chefs I know will tell you that’s actually a better eating steak than true Kobe. The issue is that Kobe, and Wagyu in the same class, is insanely fatty and rich. Like hard to eat more than a few ounces rich. The Angus hybrids (when well raised and close to the Wagyu end) tone it down a bit, and add in a beefy richness that comes from the Angus breed and access to pasture. So you can actually eat an enjoy a whole massive steak of the quality hybrids.
The issue being its even harder to identify a quality American Kobe/Hybrid piece of meat at market in the US than it is to find Kobe. I’ve certainly never seen it, Those chefs and butchers I know? Yeah they can’t get it regularly enough to serve/sell it. They speak about as if in myth and legend. Its something you stumble across mixed in with all the messy naming conventions. It seems like the sort of thing you’d need to get direct from the farmer/rancher. Which we do for our beef. Everyone in my area raises Scottish Highland cattle. The beef is fucking delicious (like really, really delicious), and its like $3.99/lb when you buy it by the quarter. So I’ll stick with that.
Wait, what? Not in merrie olde England, it isn’t.
She should have said it was three grand, a monkey and ten ponies.
1 Like
It’s better if you eat like an American. but no American is going to walk into a butcher and order a 16 ounce steak that looks like this (which is admittedly even more marbled than you typically find in Japan), and no chef is going to serve it like an American steak:
I realize I pretty much repeated what you said, but those who actually want the authentic Kobe beef experience are best served going to a Japanese restaurant that will serve it in a quasi-sensible and palatable way. Most just want the marketing, name experience. And for that, the chef’s interpretation of American Kobe is almost certainly going to leave them a lot more satisfied than anything remotely authentic.
I had a fusty old teacher who’d give us holy hell if we included the “and.” Forever in fear of her posthumous disapproval, I still write amounts like “One thousand three hundred fifty dollars” on my checks.
A buddy of mine just couldn’t do it. She’d tell him to say “one hundred six,” and he couldn’t stop himself from saying “a hunnert 'n six.”
That would be my (wholly uninformed) guess. If I were the disgruntled customer, I wouldn’t like my chances. And I need spectacles, too.
Perhaps the defendant could settle, i.e. washing dishes, as per the tradition? Would his hourly rate (in terms of debt remuneration) meet national minimum wage? How many decades would he be in servitude?
What’s minimum wage: $7.25? He should tell them he’ll work it off at five-fifty per hour and he’ll be done in a day.
10 Likes
Well judged! Solomonic, in fact!
2 Likes
Perhaps he should make a discreet phone-call, “nice restaurant you’ve got here… would be a shame to have a negative review hit the interwebs. I’d hate for anyone to hear about the rat’s head in the Beef Wellington…”
1 Like
I think this whole affair counts as an equivalent of such call. With even better visibility.
1 Like
