Trump Wants to Make European Wine, Cheese, and Olive Oil More Expensive

Would you like extra cheese with your trade war?

Prices could be going up on a long list of European foods from blue cheese to yogurt, as the Trump administration proposes new trade tariffs on a wide range of imports from the European Union. The rationale? The EU subsidizes aircraft manufacturer Airbus (the main competitor to America’s Boeing), so the U.S. is going to pick a petty fight by making it harder for them to export food (and a bunch of other stuff).

The products targeted run the gamut from luxury items such as Champagne down to everyday groceries such as olive oil: in short, Trump would make it more expensive to import such items, pushing up in-store prices for Americans. The Guardian hints that Trump might be trying to stab countries like France in their epicurean hearts with the 14-page list of proposed tariffs, since it seems to focus a lot on “symbolic targets” of certain European countries such as Champagne and escargot. Yet the list is pretty darn long, with proposed tariffs for (deep breath): crab, butter, Roquefort, Gruyere, citrus fruits, oysters, olives, jams, certain fruit juices, brandy, kitchen knives, chocolate milk, and a whole bunch of wines. Just to name a few.

And in other news...

• A court case targeting processed meat producer Hormel attempted to define when companies can and can’t use the ultra-ambiguous word “natural” on their packaging. [Bloomberg]
• Archaeologists digging through the ancient Roman city of Pompeii uncovered a fast-food counter that would have been visited by the city’s lower classes. [Hyperallergic]
• Jeff Gordinier road-tested a fine dining weed-and-wine pairing dinner in Denver and declares it “the future.” [Esquire]
• Vegan protesters in Australia blocked one of Melbourne’s busiest intersections this week, while farmers complain that such activists are getting too militant. [NYT]
• Also in Australia, hot cross buns were recalled at one grocery store in Adelaide after people began finding pieces of, um, a calculator inside the light, doughy treats. [Munchies]
• In today’s weird but also dumb tech bro diet dispatch, Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey reveals that he only eats one meal a day (it’s dinner) and fasts on weekends, drinking only water. [GQ]
• Burger King is suing a franchisee who owns 37 restaurants after a Texas TV station filmed rats scurrying around one of the franchisee’s stores. [NRN]
• The Times has a delectable history of spiral-cut ham for your consumption. [NYT]
• With Game of Thrones ending, Patton Oswalt has a suggestion for the next big series: Cupcake Battle, an epic where baked goods get wizard powers (it also comes with lashings of sex and violence). [Conan on TBS]

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