ViLco wrote:

>>>> Further, more and more Chinese garlic shows up in our markets.
>
>>> Same as here. Last time I bougth garlic, though, the options were
>>> argentinian and italian and I took italian
>
>> Is there a problem with Chinese garlic?
>
>Their food safety standards, notwhistanding the very heavy penalties for
>infringements, are still among the worst on Earth

So your decision falls under "Precautionary" rather than driven by
some specific event?

George M. Middius wrote:

>>> Is there a problem with Chinese garlic?

>> Their food safety standards, notwhistanding the very heavy penalties
>> for infringements, are still among the worst on Earth

> So your decision falls under "Precautionary" rather than driven by
> some specific event?

Where do you think my opinion about chinese food standards come from?

"George M. Middius" wrote:
>
> ViLco wrote:
>
> >>>> Further, more and more Chinese garlic shows up in our markets.
> >
> >>> Same as here. Last time I bougth garlic, though, the options were
> >>> argentinian and italian and I took italian
> >
> >> Is there a problem with Chinese garlic?
> >
> >Their food safety standards, notwhistanding the very heavy penalties for
> >infringements, are still among the worst on Earth
>
> So your decision falls under "Precautionary" rather than driven by
> some specific event?

They are driven by a great many specific events, just not one specific
to garlic. The recent Chinese milk and wheat gluten issues come to mind
as do their "gutter oil" problem, a case where more expensive glycerin
was substituted with a cheaper and toxic "look alike" chemical in a
shipment to a pharmaceutical company which resulted in a couple hundred
deaths, and many other "QC" issues.

Pete C. wrote:

>> >> Is there a problem with Chinese garlic?
>> >
>> >Their food safety standards, notwhistanding the very heavy penalties for
>> >infringements, are still among the worst on Earth
>>
>> So your decision falls under "Precautionary" rather than driven by
>> some specific event?
>
>They are driven by a great many specific events, just not one specific
>to garlic. The recent Chinese milk and wheat gluten issues come to mind
>as do their "gutter oil" problem, a case where more expensive glycerin
>was substituted with a cheaper and toxic "look alike" chemical in a
>shipment to a pharmaceutical company which resulted in a couple hundred
>deaths, and many other "QC" issues.

I've heard of some of those events, but none of them is a simple
vegetable. All those examples went through processing. I don't know
how an agribiz company could produce garlic cheaper than by just
harvesting and packing it. Do you?

The reason I question dismissing Chinese garlic is because around
here, it's usually fresher than the Cal. garlic. Seems unlikely, but
it's true. Except today, when the domestic garlic at HT was both
cheaper and fresher-looking.

George M. Middius wrote:

> I've heard of some of those events, but none of them is a simple
> vegetable. All those examples went through processing. I don't know
> how an agribiz company could produce garlic cheaper than by just
> harvesting and packing it. Do you?

Pollution and water: if you give polluted water to your vegetables you'll
sell polluted vegetable. When it happens in Europe the incident gets handled
a-la European, when it happens in China it gets haldled a-la-Chinese, and
since the list of higiene and QC issues in China is so long I tend to think
they would just hang a couple of persons to a tree and let things going on
as they are.
That's why I do my best to keep far from anything chinese

"ViLco" wrote in message ...

> Pollution and water: if you give polluted water to your vegetables you'll
> sell polluted vegetable. When it happens in Europe the incident gets
> handled a-la European, when it happens in China it gets haldled
> a-la-Chinese, and since the list of higiene and QC issues in China is so
> long I tend to think they would just hang a couple of persons to a tree
> and let things going on as they are.
> That's why I do my best to keep far from anything chinese

Good luck with that. About half of the "Italian" garlic is from China;
smuggled in and re-labelled.
Btw, shouldn't the be Spaghetti aglio e olio e peperoncino ?

Cheers,

Michael Kuettner

Michael Kuettner wrote:

>> That's why I do my best to keep far from anything chinese

> Good luck with that. About half of the "Italian" garlic is from China;
> smuggled in and re-labelled.

I know it happens for everything but... half? Do you have any source for
that info?

> Btw, shouldn't the be Spaghetti aglio e olio e peperoncino ?

Peperoncino is there but it gets usually omitted when citing this dish, so
the common form is "spaghetti aglio e olio", or "aio e oio" in south Italy
where also spaghetti doesn't need to be cited since they're a staple for
this dish, just as hot pepper.

"ViLco" wrote in message ...

> Michael Kuettner wrote:

>>> That's why I do my best to keep far from anything chinese

>> Good luck with that. About half of the "Italian" garlic is from China;
>> smuggled in and re-labelled.

> I know it happens for everything but... half? Do you have any source for
> that info?

<http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=OLAF/10/6&format=HTML&aged=0&language=DE&guiLanguage=fr>

That one, for example.
The math : 1 200 000 kg = 1 500 000 Euro in tarriffs alone.
Meaning : By just smuggling the garlic into Europe you earn 1,5 Euros per
kilo.
Add to that :
- EU money for growing garlic in poor parts of Italy
- the difference of price between 1 ton of garlic from China vs. 1 from
Italy
- long open coasts and the Mafia.

Half was a conservative estimation. It could be two thirds.
Only drugs bring more money than garlic ...

>> Btw, shouldn't the be Spaghetti aglio e olio e peperoncino ?

> Peperoncino is there but it gets usually omitted when citing this dish, so
> the common form is "spaghetti aglio e olio", or "aio e oio" in south Italy
> where also spaghetti doesn't need to be cited since they're a staple for
> this dish, just as hot pepper.

I've seen aglio olio e peperoncino vs. aglio e oglio in Veneto nearly
everywhere.
Maybe it's a regional thing.

Cheers,

Michael Kuettner

Michael Kuettner wrote:
> "ViLco" wrote in message ...
>
>> Pollution and water: if you give polluted water to your vegetables
>> you'll sell polluted vegetable. When it happens in Europe the incident
>> gets handled a-la European, when it happens in China it gets haldled
>> a-la-Chinese, and since the list of higiene and QC issues in China is
>> so long I tend to think they would just hang a couple of persons to a
>> tree and let things going on as they are.
>> That's why I do my best to keep far from anything chinese
>
> Good luck with that. About half of the "Italian" garlic is from China;
> smuggled in and re-labelled.
> Btw, shouldn't the be Spaghetti aglio e olio e peperoncino ?
>
> Cheers,
>
> Michael Kuettner
>
Here, anyway, it is easy to recognize garlic from China: its base
is totally smooth, with not even a vestige of roots. I guess that
isn't smuggled though.

--
Jean B.

On Mar 18, 9:01*pm, "Michael Kuettner" >
wrote:
> "ViLco" *wrote in ...
> > Pollution and water: if you give polluted water to your vegetables you'll
> > sell polluted vegetable. When it happens in Europe the incident gets
> > handled a-la European, when it happens in China it gets haldled
> > a-la-Chinese, and since the list of higiene and QC issues in China is so
> > long I tend to think they would just hang a couple of persons to a tree
> > and let things going on as they are.
> > That's why I do my best to keep far from anything chinese
>
> Good luck with that. About half of the "Italian" garlic is from China;
> smuggled in and re-labelled.
> Btw, shouldn't the be Spaghetti aglio e olio e peperoncino ?
>

Do Italian garlic growers cut off all rootlets? Because that is one
characteristic of Chinese-grown garlic.

On Mar 15, 7:14*am, George M. Middius > wrote:
> ViLco wrote:
> >>>> Further, more and more Chinese garlic shows up in our markets.
>
> >>> Same as here. Last time I bougth garlic, though, the options were
> >>> argentinian and italian and I took italian
>
> >> Is there a problem with Chinese garlic?
>
> >Their food safety standards, notwhistanding the very heavy penalties for
> >infringements, are still among the worst on Earth
>
> So your decision falls under "Precautionary" rather than driven by
> some specific event?

Even if the Chinese had no track record of poisoning their customers
without a qualm, Chinese garlic bulbs are all the same size -- sounds
like Frankenfood to me.

spamtrap1888 wrote:

>> >> Is there a problem with Chinese garlic?
>>
>> >Their food safety standards, notwhistanding the very heavy penalties for
>> >infringements, are still among the worst on Earth
>>
>> So your decision falls under "Precautionary" rather than driven by
>> some specific event?
>
>Even if the Chinese had no track record of poisoning their customers
>without a qualm, Chinese garlic bulbs are all the same size -- sounds
>like Frankenfood to me.

I never thought of that. However, that suspicion has yet to be
ratified by our resident know-it-all.

Mary, what do you say? Genetically engineered, or just lucky?