Schneier on Security

Roger • February 11, 2006 2:20 AM

I assumed “Pizz’a Chicago” was meant to be a play on “Piece of Chicago”, just as “Pizza My heart” probably means “Piece of my heart”. I guess they have a pun thing going with San Joséan pizza places; around here, it’s the Thai restaurants that do bad puns.

Pretty good reviews. It’s interesting to see another side to your character like this. And I see you’re a blue cheese guy, excellent! ObSecurity, sort of: there’s a few places around the world that ban the importation of roquefort, including the US (Australia just lifted the ban a few months ago, hourra!). Naturally, this leads to roquefort smuggling:
http://archive.salon.com/travel/food/feature/2000/01/28/cheese/print.html

Roger • February 13, 2006 5:06 PM

@Davi:
“What’s to stop you from just ordering Societe Roquefort online?”

In the US (where I am not), this would, of course, be illegal. The FDA shuts down such resources as often as it can, but in the case of something like a ban on cheese (which most people don’t take very seriously, even if they are aware it exists) there are too many to take notice of, nobody gives the FDA tipoffs, and most of the offenders are in any case honest merchants who didn’t realise that certain cheeses might be banned from certain countries.

ObSecurity: this is an interesting issue, because, if the concerns about unpasteurised cheeses are valid [1], then the potential consequences of these casual “grey market” importations are far, far more grave than undutied imports of alcohol or tobacco, perhaps more grave than importation of cocaine or firearms. Yet the public perception is that bans on cheeses are Pythonesque, and so they are flaunted en masse.

Anyway, I don’t need to smuggle cheese in the post; here in Australia the ban was lifted last September, and one stockist is within walking distance.

“They carry an awesome Gorgonzola as well …”

Thanks for reminding me, someone I know wants to make gnocchi al gorgonzola!

“…as the very impressive Australian Roaring Forties Blue.”

Mmmmm, highly recommended with a fino.

“Speaking of security, I’m still trying to figure out how much trust you can put in a Taleggio seal…”

It’s just a series of “T” shapes inside circles, impressed into the rind, isn’t it? It would be trivial to forge, but no doubt legally serves as a trademark. It thus serves the same security rôle as picket fences: no actual obstacle to committing an offence, but makes it clearer that one is being committed, and thus makes a barrier between slightly dodgy merchants prepared to sell cheese that “might be” taleggio, vs. those who are definitely conspiring to defraud.

1. In the case of Roquefort only, Australia at least has now been satisfied that the concerns were not valid.