/ck/ - Food & Cooking

I FEEL PISSED AS HELL BECAUSE MIMOLETTE IS ONE OF MY GO-TO CHEESES. FUCKING ANGRY, THATS HOW I FEEL.

Well this ruined my day, thank you.

>>4575325
let it out bro

I FEEL LIKE THE FDA WOULD DO BETTER AS A PRIVATE ORGANISATIONS REPRESENTING THE INTERESTS OF RETAILERS, MEANING THAT MIMOLETTE WOULD BE LEGAL BUT ONLY IMPORTED BY A SMALL SUBSET OF STORES

BUT HEY, THAT'S /pol/ TALK AND ANYWAY I'M NOT EVEN AN AMERICAN

Well cheese mites sounds disgusting but if it's nothing serious why stop it?

Im not even mad , its all about the great american singles

>>4575339
Because the FDA wants control. This is turning /pol/, but hey, I found the video on the CATO institute channel.

frenchfag here, I feel sorry for you guys.

>>4575339

Because they're following the letter of the law. They aren't picking on this cheese specifically. The law states that all imported food must be free of insect infestations. This cheese just so happens to contain mites. Even though it's normal for the cheese it's technically a violation of the law. Stupid, yes. But nobody ever said that laws make sense.

I say we night raid the FDA main office and line their air ducts with Pont l’Eveque.

>>4575352

Oh, so that's how it is. Well now I know what cheese to stay away from.

Anyway, it is stupid to ban is just for that. It's like banning blue cheese because of mold.

>>4575352
The government is definitely abusing it's power here though. If peaceful people want to engage in a transaction and buy cheese that may harm them (there is a very slim chance that it actually will), then who is to say that they shouldn't be allowed to do so? The law DOESN'T make sense, which is why it should be changed. Nobody ever said being passive made sense either.

>>4575357
If you watched the video, they say the US gouv imposed a 300% tax on roquefort.

>>4575368
The 300% tariff on true french Roquefort was a punishment and only lasted 5 months in 2009

>>4575379
>punishing a market for an individual's mistakes
yeah, no

>>4575379
>>4575404
Actually the tax was shelved and never took affect.

Is anyone really surprised by liberals trying to control even more things with the federal government in the name of safety?

>>4575363
so how would the average person who didn't read this article be informed that the cheese might be filled with bugs before they purchased it?

>>4575463

Liberals love cheese and France. This is clearly a pro-America conservative move.

>>4575467
>This is clearly a pro-America conservative move.
Nope. Liberals, despite their love for mainland europe, love controlling things even more

Also remember that the democrats control the government now as they have for about 5 years now, so its kind of hard to blame current policy on anyone but them as if they didn't fully support the law they have had ample time to change it

>>4575476
are you really this delusional/bored?

>>4575476
>most "blue laws" actually come from red states
>conservatives remain obsessed with protecting our precious masturbating fetuses

It's a republitard dairy protectionist move. Stop being dense.

>>4575482
Do you really think republicans have any influence in Obama's FDA?

Also the vast majority of american dairy comes from Obama states like Wisconsin, New York, Vermont and California

>>4575410
>Actually the tax was shelved and never took affect.
EFFECT

>>4575514

inb4 extremely convoluted explanation on why it was grammatically correct and you were just too stupid to grasp the DEEP meaning, even though it appears to be a simple mistake

>>4575517

Pretty sure nobody was ever affected because of the law.

CHECKMATE GAME SET MATCH

>>4575466
First off, if you're buying mimolette, you know something about cheese. Second, there is probably just as much of a chance you will get sick from this cheese as there is you'll get sick from a bad burger. Does the government need to force people who sell any beef products to hand out a warning about that too?

>>4575463
>>4575467
>>4575476
>>4575481
>>4575482
>>4575488

>turning this into a republican/democrat debate

They're all fucking statists people. They don't care about anything but protectionist policies for the rich as long as they benefit from it.

>>4575570
>statists

This is an extremely blatant no-longer-code word for "I'm a retarded Paultard".

Delete your post and try another word that's a little more subtle.

>>4575572
>implying you have areal argument against what I just said

try again

>>4575352
>>4575363
Just FYI, there are NO actual mites in the imported mimolette. The french producers of the cheese treat it before shipping as per US regulations. This is all happening because they found some "mite residue" on a few wheels of mimolette that came in. Mimolette WILL NOT HARM YOU IN ANY WAY. Even if it weren't treated, it STILL wouldn't harm you. No one gets sick from eating Mimolette. And (btw, I'm >>4575325, so you already know how mad I am), Mimolette makes the most glorious mac and cheese, and I'm fucking gutted about this. It's one of my most favorite cheeses, to eat with bread and fruit, on burgers, in sandwiches, with wine and crackers, in mac and cheese, and FUCK THE FUCKING FUCK FDA.

Nothing really was lost and anything to hurt the French economy is great.

>>4575595
faggot

>>4575595
You're an idiot.

>>4575586

4575352 here. I realize it won't harm you in any way at all. I realize that the whole thing is stupid. That doesn't mean the government isn't obeying the letter of the law. Silly? Yes. Dumb? Yes. Stupid as hell? Yes. Do I agree with it? No, I want my mimolette as much as you. But, the saw says if there's bugs or bug parts, it can't be imported. Retarded government at work.

>>4575603
Yes, but it's fucking treated before shipment. Why can't they just fucking inspect it and reject the shipments that weren't treated properly? Why reject an entire product that people NEEEEEEEEEEED. It's fucking retarded.

>>4575612

Because that's not what the law says. The law says insect parts = illegal. The law is stupid. The law is the problem.

Most laws have unintended consequences. This is one such example. The point of the law is to exclude obviously contaminated food. In this case there's no problem but due to the wording of the law it creates stupid situations such as this one.

Most laws have this problem. It's one of the reasons why all new laws should be very very very carefully worded since there's nearly always some unintended exception. The intent of the law might mean well, but its wording and implementation isn't always beneficial.

>>4575357
whoah whoah whoah whoah whoah. whoah. whoah.

blue cheese has MOLD in it??!?

>>4575626

But then we'd just have massive companies arguing that THEIR orange is meant to have a certain percentage of rat bodies or tomatoes are supposed to have a certain amount of inert fecal bacteria. It's part of their proprietary process which is not to be disclosed on pain of DMCA violation.

>>4575586

You should write to your congressman.

Or whatever Americans have to do to appeal something like this.

>>4575632

I don't care if the companies do that or not. Instead of my tax money being spent by the government to check those things I could instead spend my money willingly to a 3rd part who tests for those things instead. Then I can make my own decisions based instead of having someone else do it for me. I'm OK with mite parts in my cheese. I'm OK with unpasteurized milk. I'm willing to take those risks, no problem.

Even if you are risk-averse there are plenty of options instead of blinding trusting in big brother who may or may not have your best interests at heart (or who may or may not be in the pocket of big ag and Monsanto already)
For example, if you want to buy something expensive like a computer, or a car, a major appliance, etc, you do you research. You might even pay for a service like Carfax or Consumer Reports to do your research for you. The same thing can apply to food, and it does already. There are plenty of private groups who test food and rate them for all sorts of issues which you may care about: nutrition, labor concerns, enviornmental concerns, and so on. If you're concerned about taste you can check cheese snob sites to find out whose cheese is the tastiest. If your concerned about exploitation of workers who pick your coffee you can opt for free-trade. If you're a tree-fucking vegan you can visit sites who rate the enviornmental impact of different companies. All of that information is available to you--mostly for free--and without any laws or government action at all.

Or, the law could be reworded in such a way that these sorts of exceptions are excluded. Obviously blue cheese is meant to contain mold, so why not mimolette being exempted for containing mite bits?

>>4575632
>But then we'd just have massive companies arguing that THEIR orange is meant to have a certain percentage of rat bodies

they can argue whatever they want. you don't have to believe them or buy their products at all

>>4575632
>Ding ding ding
We have a winner.

Who exactly is going to foot the bill to make sure that the little bug shell that was found is just the harmless cheesemite leg instead of something less benign? Who is going to make sure that less scrupulous makers don't take advantage of this loophole? Who is going to make sure that at no point does viable eggs make it through to cause a potentially horrible infestation?

Remember, fireants are in the US because of a banana shipment.

>>4575653

And how will I "believe" something that isn't advertised because their super seekrit process that requires rat bodies will be sealed by a court order? Let alone make a decision on whether to purchase it?

>>4575632
That already happens. Hot dogs can have a certain amount of rat shit and insect parts in them according to the FDA.

>>4575664

Well I'd assume you'd be able to recognize a rat body amongst a box of oranges. I'd also assume you wouldn't care about fecal bacteria in your tomatoes because fecal bacteria is already EVERYWHERE and you're an idiot if you don't wash your produce first no matter where it came from. But for more difficult to detect issues, please see:
>>4575652

Also, if you believe your government would do something like "court order sealed super seekret process" then why would you trust them to check the safety of your food?

>>4575661
>>Who exactly is going to foot the bill to make sure that the little bug shell that was found is just the harmless cheesemite leg instead of something less benign?

You. You're already paying for it now via taxes. Instead you could pay a private group to do the same thing. Or you could research it yourself the same was as described in 4575652.

>>Remember, fireants are in the US because of a banana shipment.

Indeed. The government sure did a great job there, didn't they? Why are you trusting them when they keep screwing up?

>>4575667

Same with Coffee Beans. USDA Grade A coffee allows quite a large degree of insect infestation. Not that it matters because you'll be brewing the coffee with boiling hot water anyway, but it sure sounds nasty!

>>4575676
>>4575675
>the private sector will save us
>let the private sector take over everything that the government screwed up even once
>what could possibly go wrong

>>4575684
It'd probably be better than now because government doesn't respond to the desires of the market, just does whatever the fuck it wants. Everyone knows that the market is infinitely more efficient than the government.

>>4575689

That's true. Society should be run by corporate officers who answer to no one.

>>4575684

I see you ran out of proper arguments and have resorted to sarcasm.

I never stated that the private sector should replace import laws. I never said that food safety laws should be abolished either. I simply responded to the questions posed of "how would I choose my food if the government doesn't do it for me"...and there's plenty of options for that, and most of them are free. If you're concerned about health, nutrition, human rights issues, environmental issues, etc, there's plenty of FREE resources that you can go to right now to help you choose whom you want to do business with. Or if you don't care about some of those things you're likewise free *not* to worry about them.

Also if you read carefully I also pointed out that the law can simply be reworded properly to exclude obvious exceptions such as this one.

>>4575689

Another important detail is that the government is above the law. If they make a mistake, tough beans. Private industry faces the pressure of competition, social media stigma, boycotts, lawsuits, and so on. The government is above the law. You can't sue them. They can do as they please (or as Monsanto pays them) with little worry of consequences.

>>4575694
I don't know what you're trying to imply with that image, but if it's that in a society with minimized government you'd be able to own slaves, then you would be misrepresenting what I said.

>>4575694

The Dutch East India company was given monopoly powers by the Dutch Government. The Government legally declared them above the law and specifically gave them not only the right, but also the money, materials, and weapons to build forts, raise armies, and so on.

Sounds like another government problem to me. Normal companies are not above the law. In fact, there has never been a naturally occurring monopoly on the free market. They are always created by governments. This one is a great example. Doesn't sound very "free market" to me.

>>4575704

Most corporations now have ways of forcing you to accept some kind of "arbitration clause" effectively rendering your lawsuit remedy useless.

The government is theoretically accountable to voters.

Neither is perfect which is why you don't want either one to grow too powerful.

Right now, private interests are way too powerful.

>>4575355
....that would be amazing.

The first time I had the stuff I used teeny tiny dabs on whole slices of hearty brown bread of some sort.

>>4575719

1) I've never encountered an "arbitration clause" when I have bought any sort of produce. Or food. Or anything really, except my house.

2) I'm all in favor of private arbitration. Arbitration means that a 3rd party resolves disputes. It's much more efficient than the courts, and at least you get an option. There's no such option when the gov't is involved. It's simply "you lose".

I'm not sure why you're saying private interests are too powerful. Nobody is forcing you to deal with them, so what's the problem? If you don't like them, don't give them your money.

I'm guessing that at this point you might mention unique cases like Monsanto, etc. I agree with you that those are indeed problematic. Alas the problem here lies not with the private company but with the fact that the government has granted them incredibly far-reaching patents and so forth. Problem? You bet! But again, it's a government problem.

In my opinion private industry has no business governing. Lobbying and the like is far out of control. By the same token, the government has no business messing with business, except for enforcing common law, such as contracts.

>>4575730
>I didn't ready any of the license agreements for whatever device I am posting to this website with. Furthermore, I have never purchased anything priced more than $20 in my entire life.

>>4575730
1. Grocery stores now have them. Sam's Club, for example. Perhaps you have a cell phone? You signed one.
2. The reason lawsuits work is that punishments can involve large amounts of money. The appeal of an arbitration clause for a corporation is to limit damages to below nuisance levels and keep top management out of pesky legal proceedings. They can farm that stuff out to low level low paid clerks and basically act with complete impunity.

>>4575736

I bought a new kitchen knife last week. I paid $45 cash for it. Where was the license agreement?

As for the device I'm posting with, it's a friend's computer. I didn't sign any sort of license agreement.

I do have a cell phone but it's a company-issued one. I don't pay for it nor did I sign a contract. Why would I do that? Remember, nobody forces you to sign these things, you choose to do so. If you don't like the idea of an arbitration clause then don't agree to one.

anyway, we're talking about food here. Tell me again where the license agreements and arbitration clauses are when I pay cash for my produce and meat at the local butcher an farmers market?

>>4575744

Most people in this country own personal electronics and enter into dozens of license agreements per year that they don't read. If this isn't you, you're in the extreme minority.

With regard to cash purchases for food, again, you're in the extreme minority. Most people regularly use credit or debit cards and large membership-based stores are an established and growing trend. As mentioned before, Sam's Club is a pretty common example.

Personally I regularly make small purchases such as bottled water via NFC from my phone. FYI, while this is not particularly common yet, it will be the norm within 10 years and cards will come to be viewed as antiquated.

>>4575754

I agree that people commonly use credit cards and web services/social media with all sorts of license agreements but those are all choices people made. If you don't like the terms of a license agreement or a contract, etc, then simply don't use them. It's a bit silly to choose to accept all those agreements then complain about them.

Furthermore, these things are also quite limited. Suppose I did use a credit card to buy my food. In that case there probably would be an arbitration clause with respect to the credit card company....but not with the supermarket from whom I bought the food, and not with the company who produced that food. In fact, it's actually advantageous to use a credit card in some circumstances. All the major card companies have customer-satisfaction policies whereby if if you buy something and if the item you purchased wasn't as described in the advertising/lablel/etc then the credit card company will give you a refund even if the merchant refuses. It's called a "chargeback". Look it up. As a business owner I have to deal with both sides of chargebacks. If a business is hit with one then the business has to pay a very hefty fee to the credit card processing company (not to mention the money in dispute), otherwise they shut down your service. Using a credit card is a great way to ensure that a company provides the goods as advertised.

polite sage because this is getting off-topic. we're not really talking about food anymore.

I would rather not have these infesting my cheese, thanks.

>>4575899
If that bothers you, you don't want to examine your other foods too closely, bro.
Also, they don't "infest" the cheese. They don't actually get inside it. They are only on the outside of the cheese. And, as was noted before, the cheese is cleaned before shipping. Stop being such a scaredy-cat. You have probably any number of parasites in your intestines now (mild ones, that don't cause distress). You have mites inside the follicle of your eyelashes, too. Actually, you have mites on you anyway, you just can't see them. True stories. They're harmless little buggers. Learn the difference between harmless and harmful flora and fauna.

Sometimes when I'm baking, I forget to use milk and so I just jerk-off into the bowl and use my sperm as the milk. The cake or whatever the hell I'm making tastes very graugy after it is done.

What's the best way to go about teaching myself to cook? I don't just mean heating up hot pockets or making stir-fry but actually writing recipes and and all that.

wtf?

>>4575914
>What's the best way to go about teaching myself to cook?
1. Ask yourself, "What food do I like?"
2. Find recipes of said food that you think may taste good. Cook the food, following the recipe.
3. When eating said food, note what you like or dislike about it. Next time you make it, make some small changes based on your preference.
4. MONEY BABY

>>4575899
Fuck dude, that thing looks badass.

It looks like some kind of boss you'd fight in a Contra game.

My government is spying on me but damn am I mad the cheese I never had in my life is being regulated according to the rules.

>>4575945
So we can't care about both issues?

>>4575325

>>4575899
Pussy.

Most government officials should be flayed and salted on principal alone.

I don't see the issue here.
Almost all foods have some sort of bug/vermin bits in them. Especially any processed foods. Rice has bug eggs in it. There are even guidelines on how much contamination is allowed in foods like cereal, ground beef and sugar. The numbers are never zero.
Unless these bugs happen to be very dangerous, this is just some hypocritical bullshit.

>>4577333
except raw milk has a much higher chance of salmonella and foodbourne illness

>>4577536
Big fucking deal.

Raw milk won't give you alzheimers and cancer.

This is linked to the US EU trade deal. It would have relaxed regulations regarding cheese sales between the two trading blocks, but now a lot of European cheese is not going to be offered because of this while US cheese is going to be dumped into EU markets.

>>4577536
Only if the conditions are bad the cows are unhealthy.

I live near the Alps and drink raw milk all the time. Raw milk from happy and healthy cows grazing on tasty grass and herbs.

>>4575899
Google dust mites, brah.

You sleep in them every night.

Next time you put your cheek on a pillow remember to countless dust mites you're laying in.

>>4577551
Before the ban of Raw Milk it was the reason for 78% of all foodbourne illnesses in the united states

now it's less than 1%

>>4575318
>implying I am able to aford fancy cheese

don't give a fuck

let them eat cheddar

>>4579996
Yet in Switzerland and Germany people drink raw milk all the time without problems because of stricter regulations and more hygienic conditions.

It's not raw milk that's to blame, it's corner cutting American mass production that is to blame.

>>4579927
i-is that cow smiling..... SO CUTE

>>4580158
this

>>4580171
what? it looks fucking grumpy

not that cows actually have feelings or thoughts besides eat, shit and sleep

>>4580178
you have to look deep into the cows eyes

>>4575899
it looks like a potato with some growths

But can we agree that libertarians are scum on the earth and that caveat emptor is not a good option at all?

Gross. You guys eat bug poop cheese?

>>4581882
How about no. Has this thread not been a perfect example of how government bans things which are totally harmless when it has too much power? Government intervention in the market was originally acceptable in order to correct market failures. Now it's just completely batshit retarded.

>>4582453
We need government, Libertarians are nutcases. But we need a government for the people by the people. Meaning that more democracy is needed. Direct democracy as in a referendum. As in the ability to challenge everything to a debate and a vote with a petition and enough signatures for example. That is true democracy unlike the quasi monarchy/dictatorship we live in where all we can choose is who makes the decisions which we can't influence directly at all.

>>4584857
>democracy
>not republic

oh lord

>>4581882

buttmad obongobot detected

>>4584857

> democracy
> existing in any country

i remember when i was five too

>>4584919
That's what I was saying.

Switzerland has direct democracy though.

>>4584954

no, it does not

they have a constitutional republic, just like every other first world country

democracy must first have zero base rules, otherwise it is not a democracy. democracy must have zero representative parties

>>4584957
http://direct-democracy.geschichte-schweiz.ch/

Link is in English.

>>4584974

now i have a easy to reference source in this thread why it is not a direct democracy at all

>MUH FANCY PANCY CHEESE IS GONE
fuck off you fucking hipsters

>>4584976
It's better than nothing.

>>4584990
It's not about the cheese if you haven't noticed.

>>4584976
Different anon (I'm not Swiss, but my mum is) here.
Mum votes on a different referendum like every two months. Swiss vote on self-governance directly. Furthermore, if someone asks me something like "does Switzerland do X" or "how is it in Switzerland," I always have to start with the phrase "it differs for each canton, so..." because laws, representation system and even the democratic process each vary considerably from one canton to the next.
Technically, each canton is a tiny separate nation part of a larger confederation in the same way that Wales, England and Scotland are separate nations that make up Great Britain/the United Kingdom, so each canton has complete rights to self-governance.
It's difficult to explain, especially when English isn't my primary language. It's hard, even, to keep track of who's supposed to be running the country because even that's done democratically.
While there's a "president" per se, Switzerland is run more by a board of directors with equal standing with one another who decide what is to be done based on the opinions expressed in referendums. The "president" is more primus inter pares than a president or prime minister in other countries. His/her true sole power above those of the rest of the group is a tie breaking vote. Besides: the "president" is only president for a year, anyway but remains a member of the federal council for four years, the position of "president" rotating to another council member when his/her one year term is over.
Collectively, the council serves as the head of state and the "president" merely primus inter pares. Polite sage for post unrelated to food and cooking.