Hot dog! Getcher hot dog! Hot dogs heeyah!

Bill Poser over at the Language Log alerts me to the story about the Black Mountains Smokery at Crickhowell in Powys. It seems that the Powys County Council Trading Standards was required to inform the company that the packaging of one of their products violated the 1996 Food Labelling Act, in that the Welsh Dragon Sausage did not, in fact, contain any dragon meat whatsoever.

The obvious punchline: Their popular brand of [item], however, was approved for continued sale. But what’s the funniest thing to put into it? Do you continue with the mythical creature line and use Unicorn Patties? That’s funny. Something ever-so-slightly off color, like Spotted Dick? That’s funny, too. There’s the referential joke, Crunchy Frog. There’s the sudden leap into bad taste, using something like Kitten Links, or even Jelly Babies. There’s the non sequitur absurdity, along the lines of bicycle pump embuchado. So many paths.

Sadly, as happens so often, the actual story is less funny than the story I was told. It seems that the local council decided that in a product line of sausages that clearly indicated the meat, having one that clearly did not indicate meat might well be misleading. The BBC quotes a spokesman: “I don't think anyone would imagine that dragon meat was being used but we would not want vegetarians to buy the sausages believing they were meat free.” And, actually, that’s mildly persuasive. Unlike the sausage, which doesn’t appear mild at all.

chazak, chazak, v’nitchazek,
-Vardibidian.