On the Meaning of Pastygate
I'm trying to think of a US equivalent to the current media storm raging in the UK over whether or not the Prime Minister has ever eaten a Cornish pasty. Corndog-gate, maybe?
Anyway, the story goes like this: under new tax regulations, consumers of take-out snacks will now be subject to a 20 per cent Value Added Tax on their purchases if those snacks are still warm when they consume them. (But will be exempt from the tax if they allow them to cool, apparently).
One of the victims of this new tax will be the Cornish pasty. This is a delicious baked pastry fold containing diced potato, diced swede, and chunks of peppery lamb in a rich gravy. The pastry has a crinkly ridge, allegedly - so the old story goes - so that farmhands and factory workers with filthy hands could use the ridge as a kind of handle which they'd chuck away at the end.
Regular consumers of Cornish pasties (generally not hedge fund managers, top lawyers, prime ministers, you won't be surprised to hear) felt victimized by this. So Prime Minister David Cameron felt compelled to announce that he too was a pasty eater. He then made the mistake of trying to name the last place he ate one - and was exposed as a fraud.
What is it with politicians and their silly attempts to pretend to be men of the people? We don't need them to be authentically working class, we don't require that they be down with the kids or have cool musical tastes or even know the price of a loaf of bread. What would be nice though, if they tried to avoid doing stuff that ends up making our lives more constrained, poorer, more regulated, less happy. Is that really such a big ask?
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Comments:
May '10
Re: On the Meaning of Pastygate
Diced swede??? Sure, Scandinavians can be annoying sometimes, but . . . sheesh. What is it with you Brits???
Aug '10
Re: On the Meaning of Pastygate
Um, if you asked me to name the last place I ate a hot dog, or a hamburger, or a corn-dog, or whatever bit of fast food that I eat with some frequency, I wouldn't be able to tell you. Who remembers that sort of thing?!
"Oh yes, if was 3:43 pm last Thursday at the Wendy's on Main Street. I had a bacon cheeseburger. I remember it distinctly."
Jun '11
Re: On the Meaning of Pastygate
A good liar does have to have an awfully good memory, doesn't he?
Jun '10
Re: On the Meaning of Pastygate
I'm a farm boy, and the pasty sounds pretty good--though, like Fredosphere, I'd like to hear a little more about that "swede" ingredient.
I've often wondered why the Swedish population remains so low. Would "dane," "norwegian," or "finn" be an acceptable substitute if you went to the cupboard and found you are out of swede?
May '10
Re: On the Meaning of Pastygate
I ate a pasty once at a local Celtic festival, so that puts me ahead of your PM, apparently. Since the upper peninsula of my state (Michigan) is a hotbed of pasty production, I should really have eaten more. Neil Gaiman, of all people, has become the bard of upper-midwestern pasties.
I can testify that the pasty was delicious, something I cannot say for the beverage I used to wash it down, which claims to be Scotland's other national drink.
Nov '11
Re: On the Meaning of Pastygate
This coalition gets flakier by the day...
Dec '10
Re: On the Meaning of Pastygate
Fredösphere: I ate a pasty once at a local Celtic festival, so that puts me ahead of your PM, apparently. Since the upper peninsula of my state (Michigan) is a hotbed of pasty production, I should really have eaten more. Neil Gaiman, of all people, has become the bard of upper-midwestern pasties.
I can testify that the pasty was delicious, something I cannot say for the beverage I used to wash it down, which claims to be Scotland's other national drink. · 0 minutes ago
I'm not native to Michigan, so I'm not sure, but I thought pasties were Scandinavian, at least the Upper Peninsula version.
Jan '11
Re: On the Meaning of Pastygate
John Kerry leaps to mind. (For our non-American friends:) In Philadelphia, there's a famous local sandwich called a cheesesteak. The protocol is to go to the order window, and you only tell them one thing: "wit" or "witout". Meaning, do you want it with fried onions or without? The rest of the order is automatic. In fact, ordering anything else is a shibboleth that proves you don't belong here.
On the 2004 campaign trail, John Kerry tried to ingratiate himself with the Philly voters by ordering a cheesesteak, and then ordered Swiss as his cheese.
This is simply not done.
It's like putting Laurel with Costello, chianti with fish, or having seven Stooges. If you don't get the idiom, don't try to pretend that you do.
Edited on March 29, 2012 at 6:25pmMay '10
Re: On the Meaning of Pastygate
Foxman
Fredösphere: I ate a pasty once at a local Celtic festival, so that puts me ahead of your PM, apparently. Since the upper peninsula of my state (Michigan) is a hotbed of pasty production, I should really have eaten more. Neil Gaiman, of all people, has become the bard of upper-midwestern pasties.
I can testify that the pasty was delicious, something I cannot say for the beverage I used to wash it down, which claims to be Scotland's other national drink. · 0 minutes ago
I'm not native to Michigan, so I'm not sure, but I thought pasties were Scandinavian, at least the Upper Peninsula version. · 2 minutes ago
Wikipedia says Finnish immigrants adapted the pasty from Cornish miners who had already arrived there. Copper country, and all that.
Dec '10
Re: On the Meaning of Pastygate
When I moved to Michigan I thought it was pronouced differently and was something worn by ...um exotic? dancers.
May '11
Re: On the Meaning of Pastygate
They do have centuries of Viking raids to make up for, though cannibalism does seem to be a bit harsh.
Now that's just desperate. I'd hate to think how they're going to enforce it.
Oct '10
Re: On the Meaning of Pastygate
The language barrier here is hilarious.
Diced swede, pasties...I'm giggling like a third-grader over here.
I really thought this was going to be a story about politicians visiting strip clubs in Cornwall.
Sep '10
Re: On the Meaning of Pastygate
I know precisely when I last ate a Cornish pasty: 5 Sept 2010 in a little shop opposite the Earl's Court Underground station. It was the day after I had attended the Battle of Britain 70th anniversary air show at Duxford. I had skipped the overpriced bagel at the hotel, so this was breakfast on the way to Heathrow.
It was ambrosial. I had two.
Edited on March 29, 2012 at 6:40pmSep '10
Re: On the Meaning of Pastygate
Same here! They're very popular in the UP (Upper Peninsula for those who aren't Michiganders). The first time I was in St. Ignace I saw signs in big capital letters: PASTIES! Really made me wonder what was going on there.
Jan '11
Re: On the Meaning of Pastygate
We have a different kind of trap here in Texas. We had one visiting president who tried to eat a tamale (which is cooked in a wrapping of corn husks) without removing the husks. A second visiting candidate or president (sorry, I don't remember which) was offered an enchilada (which consists of filling, a tortilla to constrain the meat or cheese filling, and sauce). Remembering the previous example, he said, "Aha, you can't fool me with this one," and tried to unwrap the enchilada.
Sep '10
Re: On the Meaning of Pastygate
"Average Joe" Biden had a classic gaffe during the 2008 campaign:
May '10
Re: On the Meaning of Pastygate
Our politicians don't have pastry problems, just with tarts.
And James, being a pastry critic is not as exciting as being the reincarnation of a Mongol Marauder, is it?
Oct '10
Re: On the Meaning of Pastygate
James,
I actually think stories like this, while admittedly a bit ridiculous in the big scheme of things, reflect an excellent impulse among voters: that leaders should understand our regional values. And food can be an excellent proxy for viewpoint.
For instance, if you've never eaten a chicken fried steak, it's logical for me to assume that you might not be completely trustworthy on the issue of gun rights. Can you see why?
We treasure American federalism and state sovereignty because it means our leaders come from us and at least understand our viewpoint -- even if they don't agree with us. If they've never eaten our food, that means they've never sat at our table.
When I hear President Obama say that people in the middle of the country "cling to guns and religion," he loses my vote forever. Not because I disagree with him, but because it shows that he doesn't understand people like me.
Edited on March 29, 2012 at 6:56pmDec '10
Re: On the Meaning of Pastygate
Blake: James,
For instance, if you've never eaten a chicken fried steak, it's logical for me to assume that you might not be completely trustworthy on the issue of gun rights. Can you see why?
Edited 0 minutes ago
If you regularly consume chicken fried steaks, you are probably this far away from a coronary.
Jul '10
Re: On the Meaning of Pastygate
I'm relieved to know I'm not the only one that saw the title of this post and thought it was about something completely different.