There used to be a television show called Kids Say the Darnedest Things. Without getting political, there should be a show called Bush Signed the Darnedest Laws (the show could work for any president). The first episode could focus on the Roquefort cheese tariff.
In his final two days in office, Bush signed new tariffs on several European items. Most notable was the 300 percent tariff on Roquefort, which was to go into effect next week before it got a last-second reprieve. The move is allegedly in retaliation to the European Union for turning its nose up to America's hormone-fed beef.
But that's not the way cheese lovers see it.
If Bush wanted to punish the EU he could have placed tariffs on
products most EU countries import. Instead he chose Roquefort, a blue
cheese that by definition has to be made in France. To Francophiles,
this was a final "up yours" to the French from the Bush White House. As
a cheese store manager told the LA Times, "It's such a blatant, petty move on the White House's part... it reeks of 'freedom
fries."
The
tariff was set to go into effect next week but the Obama administration
has delayed that move by one month while it figures out what it wants
to do about the tariff. It may leave the tariff
in place because it was sanctioned by the WTO (President Clinton instituted a 100 percent tariff
on the cheese that did not put a damper on sales, which
was the idea of the tariff in the first place).
For now Whole Foods carries it as does Better Cheddar, but in a month that could all change, which is why people are
stockpiling it like a valuable metal. It's like an investment -- a
delicious, creamy, spreadable investment.
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