[Carriage Hill]

I remember the Food Network shows from back in the 80s, and Mario Batali claimed he had real Italian meats and cheeses, imported to his business and restaurant (before he expanded into a small empire). Is the FDA import law just recent?

[TangledUpInBlue]

I don’t know. I would say frankly, that things are getting better (at least in terms of availability) but in terms of, perhaps, “authenticity” I’m not sure that’s true.

For example, any wine imported here is mandated to have additional sulfites added to it in order to “preserve” the wine for the overseas trip. It’s the dumbest thing ever. All wine contains natural sulfites, but when it comes here, they are forced to add even more.

Guanciale, certain dried soppresatta and salami are not permitted to be shipped. the funny thing is, these are foods that have been eaten for centuries... it’s not going to hurt anyone.