BATTLE OF THE BRIE
You think Iraq stressed U.S.-E.U. relations? Wait'll September, when the WTO meets in Cancún to take up the fates of chèvre, feta, and cheddar. Excuse me, make that Chèvre, Feta, and Cheddar, because if the E.U. negotiators get their way, all three cheeses, and hundreds of other unique products of traditional European agriculture, will be legally protected, the use of their names forbidden to producers anywhere but in the home regions where the product originated. You thought they already were protected? A very fewFrance's Roquefort, for example, or England's Stiltonhave protected trademark status in the U.S., but it cost them dearly to achieve it. The new rule being pushed by E.U. trade negotiators would de-generify words like gouda, mozzarella, and Brie (cheese), Dijon (mustard), and basmati (India and Pakistan) and jasmine (Thailand) rice. American forces from lobbyists for grocery chains to U.S. trade representative Robert Zoellick are dead set against the idea and threaten retaliation. Bring it on, say lovers of regional and artisanal foods: The more Copper River salmon and Tennessee sour mash and Walla Walla sweets, the better, say they. As Nora Pouillion of D.C.'s Restaurant Nora recently told The Washington Post: "It's about time we create our own food culture!"
A TRUFFLE BY ANY OTHER NAME . . .
One of America's premier sources for luxury foods has changed its name. Discriminating shoppers who have looked to the Urbani label for a trustworthy source of caviar, truffles, and the like will have to get used to a new moniker guaranteeing top quality: da Rosario. The New Jersey-based importing firm run by Rosario Safina has restored the Urbani name to the Italian family firm that supplies many of its products so that he can expand his product line into new areas like carpaccio, artisanal honeys, flours, and butters. The new Web site is www.shopdarosario.com; the standards remain the same.
GET ONE FREE
Cook's Illustrated wants to hook new subscribers for their monthly ad-free compendium of recipes, cooking tips, and product reviews, so they're offering a free trial issue and a low, low introductory price: $19.95 for the first year. Check out CI and the subscription deal at www.cooksillustrated.com.
LOVE ME OR ELSE
McDonald's new worldwide slogan is "I'm lovin' it," and anybody who isn't lovin' it better watch out. Last week Mickey D. sued Italian food critic Eduardo Raspelli for saying, according to a Reuters dispatch, that McDonald's burgers "taste of rubber and its fries of cardboard." According to the company, Signor Raspelli's comments were "clearly defamatory and offensive to McDonald's and to the more than 600,000 Italians who each day freely choose to eat in a McDonald's restaurant."
BEE AWARE!
Did you know that a single honeybee may pollinate up to 5,000 blossoms in one day? Or that a honeybee only produces a teaspoon and a half of honey over its entire lifetime? Already knew all this? Then youand only youare excused from attendance at the Pike Place Market on Thursday, July 10, when master gardener and honeybee maven Rebecca Kolls, host of the syndicated TV show Rebecca's Garden, will be buzzing about bees and how they can help you reap a bountiful harvest. The event, which runs from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., isn't just for arthropod aficionados; Kolls will also cover general gardening advice and discuss honey and its uses.
Food and/or beverage news? E-mail food@seattleweekly.com
