Saturday, August 27, 2005
Cheese and whineThis can happen only when you mix Japanese politics with French food. In early August, Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi invited his predecessor Yoshiro Mori to his official residence to discuss the upcoming elections. However, after the meeting, Mori complained that he felt slighted, since for refreshments he was given only canned beer and "bone-dry cheese." About the cheese bits, he said, "I did my best to sink my teeth in these, but they were too hard for me." That was probably right up there on the list of serious offenses in Japan, next to getting bowed to but not deeply enough.
It turns out that the cheese was an expensive French variety called "Mimolette." According to this cheese site, Mimolette is firm and slightly oily with a subtle fruity aroma and a mellow nutty taste, and has a orange or light brown rind that is pitted, dry and hard. Maybe Mori didn't have enough beer and spent the whole time nibbling on the rind. Upon learning the cheese facts, he was mollified and dropped his plan to challenge Koizumi to a one-man-alive samurai sword battle. On Thursday, the pair reconciled over dinner, this time staying safe with nothing but Japanese food.
They didn't ask me (they never do!) but personally, I think they should have gone to McDonald's in the first place, where you can never get confused about food. Everything is clearly labeled, and a deluxe cheeseburger is always obviously deluxe -- no bones about it, because they use worms for meat (just kidding, don't sue me!). And their cheese is good old American cheese; it might taste a lot like Velveeta, but it is never pitted, dry or hard.
- posted by Woofwoof @ 6:49 AM
Comments:
<< Home
Hilarious. The only thing stranger than a politician is a drunk politician.
# posted by 
: 27 August, 2005 08:35
: 27 August, 2005 08:35
Isn't it also a huge deal to complain in the papers about this sort of thing? Looks like he got whine with his cheese . . .
Surrender ye unfaiftful. We do not use meat of any kind, not even worms.
# posted by : 27 August, 2005 13:24
: 27 August, 2005 13:24
He should have been offered other kinds of French cheese just as hard and a lot smellier. Velveeta, yum!
# posted by : 27 August, 2005 17:07
: 27 August, 2005 17:07
Tough audience against Mori. Actually the guy is right. Mimolette is a very hard cheese, not like most French cheeses. But he did get the beer, so he had nothing to complain about.
Post a Comment
# posted by : 28 August, 2005 16:09
: 28 August, 2005 16:09<< Home
