Synopses & Reviews
From the McDonalds hot coffee case to the cattle ranchers beef with Oprah Winfrey, from the old English "Assize of Bread" to current nutrition labeling laws, what we eat and how we eat are shaped as much by legal regulations as by personal taste. Barry M. Levenson, the curator of the world-famous (really!) Mount Horeb Mustard Museum and a self-proclaimed "recovering lawyer," offers in
Habeas Codfish an entertaining and expert overview of the frustrating, frightening, and funny intersections of food and the law.
Discover how Mr. Peanut shaped the law of trademark infringement for the entire food industry. Consider the plight of the restaurant owner besmirched by a journalists negative review. Find out how traditional Jewish laws of kashrut ran afoul of the First Amendment. Prison meals, butter vs. margarine, definitions of organic food, undercover ABC reporters at the Food Lion, the Massachusetts Supreme Court case that saved fish chowder, even recipes—its all in here, so tuck in!
Review
"Levenson has a demonstrated knack for writing in a conversational, witty tone that effectively keeps this reading light, even as he lays out complex issues ranging from copyright laws to libel."—Lisa Wolff, associate editor of Gourmet News
Review
"Much more fun than having dinner with your lawyer!"—David Rosengarten, host of the Food Networks Taste program
About the Author
Barry M. Levenson is the curator and CMO (Chief Mustard Officer) of the Mount Horeb Mustard Museum in Mount Horeb, Wisconsin, where he has amassed the worlds largest collection of mustards. Before his life as the worlds foremost mustard authority, he was an assistant attorney general for the State of Wisconsin. He argued dozens of cases before the Wisconsin Supreme Court and is undoubtedly the only lawyer to have appeared before the United States Supreme Court with a jar of mustard in his pocket.
Table of Contents
1. Assault with a breadly weapon -- 2. Big beef supreme -- 3. Nutrition facts, nutrition fictions: Thou shalt not commit adulteration! -- 4. Food fight : a tale of two pizzas -- 5. Java jurisprudence -- 6. Bones of contention -- 7. The legacy of Mr. Peanut -- 8. Mcbully -- 9. Ladle and slander -- 10. From bad apples to mad cows -- 11. It's not nice to defraud mother nature! -- 12. Not so strictly kosher -- 13. Cruel and unusual condiments: food in prison -- 14. Just desserts -- 15. The final verdict.