Stop the Toronto-ization of Spain’s Legendary Pata Negra, or The Black Hoof
The government of Spain should better defend it’s legendary culinary traditions and brands against cultural appropriation, fraud, and theft. Imagine a restaurant called Champagne that only served cheap Canadian wine with bubbles. A diner named Beurre d’Isigny that only served cheap Canadian butter. But you don’t have to imagine this: There exists a company and a restaurant in Toronto, The Black Hoof @TheBlackHoof — a name that is a direct, exact, literal translation of the famed Spanish dry-cured ham, La Pata Negra — the most famous and expensive dry-cured ham in the world. Beyond the pale. Although this fraud has been going on for the last decade, this @TheBlackHoof is today pitching a “French” restaurant, #LeSwan, but again substituting the Spanish La Pata Negra for their own cheap, raw-ish Canadian pig meat. I looked up pig and pork and found no reference to raw-ish ham and butter in my 1961 American edition of the Larousse Gastronomique, but then their references to Spanish ham are a little wide of the mark; perhaps it’s me that is out of date, lugging 80 old cookbooks half-way around the world — and, perhaps, this raw-ish pork and butter is the new thing.
This is the worst case of cultural appropriation: appropriating the name, but empty it of all content by only serving a cheap, inferior, Canadian pig meat. There is a distinction to this difference. This Toronto-ization of Spain’s culinary heritage should be met with litigation by Spain in concert with the European Union; this appropraition should be met with protest at Canada’s Embassy in Madrid; and maybe a boycott of Canadian products, or targeted sanctions. I hope #LeSwan got a crowd, by stealing this brand: @TheBlackHoof — because they certainly picked a fight.
If you want to draw a crowd, pick a fight” — Phineas Taylor “P. T.” Barnum
The new director of #MarcaEspaña that will now be referred to as Spain Global, Irene Lozano, @lozanoirene — has a lot on her plate. This position has now also been elevated to Secretary of State within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and is scheduled for approval, by the Council of Ministers, on the Dia de la Hispanidad — Spain’s equalivant of the Fourth of July. Imagine the confusion seeing this photograph, below, of raw-ish pig meat served with butter marketed by this @TheBlackHoof. I immediately thought how awful this combination was — after being conditioned by a quarter of a century living in a hillside hamlet up the road from Madrid, Spain. In 25 years, I had never seen such an abomination and tweeted this out. Nothing in the Larouse Gastronomic that prepared me for the arrival of this vulgar image.
This Toronto case of cultural appropriation also appears to be in direct violation of Spanish law
“– «Pata negra», que queda reservada exclusivamente a la designación «de bellota 100% ibérico», que cumpla con las condiciones establecidas en el artículo 3.”
This Toronto case of cultural appropriation also appears to be in direct violation of Spanish law; not only copyright, or trade mark law, but a specific law for La Pata Negra, a Royal decree that specifically states that Pata Negra is reserved exclusively for the designation of “bellota 100% Iberico” that complies with the elaborate and extensively document d conditions that are established in Article 3 of this Royal Decree. (Real Decreto 4/2014)
What happened to Due Diligence in Toronto? Are the attorney’s smoking too much of that legal weed in Toronto, because this appropriation, or fraud, carries significant political risk — @abalosmeco. How is the new Spanish President @sanchezcastejon going to defend his lack of enforcement of this law in the December 2nd elections in Andalusia — the homeland of pata negra — and just two days from the Día nacional de Andalucía. Federica Mogherini, the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy / Vice-President of the Commission @FedericaMog has an obligation to defend this Spanish law. (Reglamento (UE) n.o 1169/2011 del Parlamento y del Consejo, de 25 de octubre de 2011) President Sanchez should immediately order Spain’s foreign Minister @JosepBorrellF to bring this fraud to her attention for urgent action. Canada’s Ambassador should be summoned.
“We Have Come here to Toronto To Take Our Black Hoof, or PataNegra brand back home!”
This appropriation of Spain’s property and cultural heritage should be on the table of EU-Canada trade negotiations. Sanchez could dispel doubts about his doctoral thesis on economic diplomacy by forcefully employing tools he discussed for a mere 343 pages. He literally wrote the playbook for the defence of this recognized prestigious Spanish brand.
“You must exercise your caution in laying your plans, but be bold in carrying them out.” — P.T. Barnum
Will Mr. Sanchez, expected to appear in the Senate on the 23rd of October, draw any questions on this as he defends this thesis against allegations of plagiarsm. A question, such as, “Mr. President how would you use the tools you describe in those 343 pages to address the theft of a prestigious Spanish brand, for example, pata negra?”; or the black hoof a direct, exact, and literal translation of la pata negra? Prior to this October 23 inqusition of the Spanish Senate of President Sanchez of his doctoral thesis, the President should at a press confrence in a cortijo of Seville, surrounded by the producers of pata negra, announce his ordering of Foreign Minister Borrell to take these pata negra producers — a plane load of them — on a mission to San Francisco, Toronto and Ottawa.
Imagine Minister Borrell saying this on the steps of Twitter’s headquarters in San Francisco, just before a meeting with Jack Dorsey:
“We have come here to take back our prestigious brand of ham, Minister Borrel declared to the American Press and public: “Your businesses can not use our PataNegra brand to sell cheap, raw- ish pig meat in this so called French Restaurant, #LeSwan or anywhere else. You have appropriated our most prestigious brand, and we have come here to take it back home.”
Meanwhile, over in Heulva, President Sanchez announces a battery of measures — that reference his doctoral thesis, such as the following:
1.) Litigation should be initiated, in Canada and San Francisco(Home to the Corporate HQ of Twitter), to prevent the use of this ancient Spanish brand by this Toronto business that has appropriated and extensive damages sought;
2.) Direct @ICEXOttawa to inniatiate negotiations with Twitter Canada; and the @JustinTrudeau government about this theft of Spanish culinary heritage;
3.) Take back all Twitter handles that could even confuse the market; and with them launch a branding campaign in principal markets with fresh content. A video series on it’s production, but especially it’s consuption. Do live in person events hand cutting a PataNegra with a barrel of Amontillado extracted and poured but an Andalusian;
4.)
The President could declare with bold confidence, in the fashion of Churchill:
“If you steal our prestigious brands, we will find you and will prosecute you, raising heaven and earth to stop you. Allow me to paraphrase Winston Churchill’s historic call to action: We will fight you on the beaches, the air, and ….; I say to you today: I will fight you on Twitter; in the European Commission and Parliament; I will not quit until you are stoped!”
…Or What is an Andalusian Going to Think, if Nothing is Done?
“If you hesitate, some bolder hand will stretch out before you and get the prize.” — P.T. Barnum
What Must Be Done! Podemos candidate Teresa Rodríguez could sieze this issue of economic patriotism, as defined by Íñigo Errejón, and bludgen President Sanchez and Rosa Diez with it. This is the good kind of nationalism, just as, La Pata Negra is the good kind of cholesterol. I’d put my money on @labellanhdez unveilling a banner in San Francisco: #StoptheTotonto-ization of PataNegra, or @TheBlackHoof and #Givebackourbrand. Onto the side of the Spanish trade warriors airplane printed large: #TheBlackHoof. Take it around the world branding these handles locally. Staff a “war room” and a video production squad — in tandem with industry.
Jack Dorsey should suspend this illegal handle, @TheBlackHoof, immediately and have the Twitter delegation in Madrid communicate this action to the @JosepBorrellF Minster of Foreign Affairs. And while you are at it, what about these: @lapatanegra and @patanegra #GivethemBack also.
Link to doctoral thesis of the President of Spain on Economic diplomacy.
See: 9.4.2. La Estrategia Marca País como complemento de
la diplomacia económica ………………………………………..287–289
https://cdn.20m.es/adj/2018/09/14/3973.pdf
#justiciagob #FoodWineSpain @FoodWineSpain
#MesadeCoordinacióndelIbérico #AsociaciónInterprofesionaldelCerdoIbérico(ASICI) #ASICI
Ministero Justicia @justiciagob
Teresa Sánchez Vicente
@TeresaSV @abc_es @ICEXOttawa #BrandsofSpain #TheBlackHoof #patanegra @MAECgob @SpainMFA @marcaEspana @MarcaEspanaEN #UE #Europa #España @cincojotas @jamonBEHER Carrasco Ibéricos @CarrascoIberico @JamonJoselito
#MarcaEspanaEN #JoséPizarro #DaniGarcía @danigarcia_ca
