Ben & Jerry's insult the Irish!

[thewayne]

Whee!

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060421/od_nm/benjerrys_dc

Ben & Jerry's sorry for Irish "Black & Tan" upset

Fri Apr 21, 2:39 PM ET

Ice cream makers Ben & Jerry's have apologized for causing offence by calling a new flavor "Black & Tan" -- the nickname of a notoriously violent British militia that operated during Ireland's war of independence.

The ice cream, available only in the United States, is based on an ale and stout drink of the same name.

"Any reference on our part to the British Army unit was absolutely unintentional and no ill-will was ever intended," said a Ben & Jerry's spokesman.

"Ben & Jerry's was built on the philosophies of peace and love," he added.

The Black and Tans, so-called because of their two-tone uniforms, were recruited in the early 1920s to bolster the ranks of the police force in Ireland as anti-British sentiment grew.

They quickly gained a reputation for brutality and mention of the militia still arouses strong feelings in Ireland.

"I can't believe that Ben & Jerry's would be so insensitive to call an ice cream such a name and to launch it as a celebration of Irishness ... it's an insult!" wrote one blogger on www.junkfoodblog.com.

"I hope they don't try to launch it here in Ireland or I imagine they'll lose a lot of their fans."

Ben & Jerry's, a unit of Anglo-Dutch consumer goods giant Unilever Plc, prides itself on its commitment to friendly business. Its mission statement includes a pledge to show "a deep respect for human beings inside and outside our company and for the communities in which they live."

Comments

[slashophile.livejournal.com]

I came out of the article going, "there's a blog for junk food?"

[thewayne.livejournal.com]

Think of the strangest thing that you can think of, and there's a blog about it. :-)

[greyweirdo.livejournal.com]

Oddly I had another reason for annoyance at this ice cream.

I shall explain later in a post of my own.

[thewayne.livejournal.com]

Really?! So they're a major force in Ireland? Interesting, I didn't know that. I was surprised to see that the company that bought them out is also responsible for Breyer's, which is my favorite icecream. I do like B&J's, but very few flavors, so I don't buy it often. They had a orange cream, but I'm pretty sure it's in the flavor graveyard.

[thewayne.livejournal.com]

:-)

[cardigirl.livejournal.com]

I have a bit of a love/hate attitude toward B&J's who, to be fair, have been mostly social-activistly-positive. However, the original Ben and Jerry took their process/recipes from Univ of VT before the university could publicize/market their own research, and B&J patented it out from under the university, which while legal is still kinda sleazy ethically.

OTOH, I can't believe the marketing dept at the big corp who now owns B&Js didn't do a lick of research. (pun intended). Black and Tan, fer cryin' out loud...

[nausicaa1.livejournal.com]

Aw shit, now what am I supposed to call that drink when I want Harp beer and Guiness beer in one glass? Or for that matter, should I not call a mixture of Guiness, Bailie's, and Jameson a "carbomb"? This whole controversy has made my drinks ordering routine too complicated. That's it, I'm boycotting. It'll be tequila shots and Dos Equis for me from now on.

Drinks

[joecthulhu.livejournal.com]

Black & Tan = Half Guiness, Half Bass Ale
Half & Half = Half Guiness, Half Harp

Both of which you can pissed on in any pub in Ireland proper without anyone getting pissed off at you.