Haggis. A concoction of sheep stomach stuffed with innards and boil and prepared in the traditional scottish art. A delicious delicacy that Americans cannot recreate. However in America we cannot enjoy this dish due to a ban on the import of Haggis
American haggis-lovers were elated last week when word spread that the ban might be lifted. Haggis producers in Edinburgh were pretty excited, too. They were already salivating over potential sales to a U.S. market.But when the BBC contacted the U.S. Department of Agriculture, they said not so fast. "Recently, several news articles have incorrectly stated that the U.S. will be relaxing or lifting its ban on Scottish haggis," a spokeswoman wrote the news organization. While a review of the ban on beef and lamb is underway, there's no timeframe for its completion. Plus, there may be another barrier to importing haggis: Since 1971, the U.S. has banned all food made with lungs.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=123179163
And Haggis is not the only foreign delicacy that we can only dream about appearing on our plate. Many soft cheeses of France and other European countries are banned due to the fact that they do not pasturize the milk before making the cheese. Now I understand that mostly these bans are due to concern for public health, but really, when we allow all sorts of imports of toys ridden with deadly toxins from foreign markets, what is the real danger of a little sheep innards? Personally I don't see the logic in it. Is America just being protectionist against the possible impending competition with sheep stomach? Or worried that the cheddar cheese industry cannot withstand the intense taste of a fresh Camembert?
I would rather have a child nibbling on a bit of cheese than drooling on a toy horse ridden with lead.
