Monday, January 09, 2006

TRUTH

Another Irish tin: this one, from the 1950s I think, bizarely labelled Hadji Bey's Real Genuine Turkish Delight (made in MacCutain Street, Cork, Ireland) which begs the question what is genuine and what is false better than Orson Welles managed in his film "F Is For Fake"

(Actually I may mean and be referring to O W Jeeves in his film "Vérités et mensonges"; we are, after all, dealing with degrees of truth and falsehood here.)

This is a question that has been much worrying the British Courts and the EU with a recent court decision about that fine English delicacy Melton Mowbray pork pies. which along with Cornish Pasties and Cheddar Cheese are made, it turns out, in a disused tyre factory in Akron, Ohio.

This is the Internet. None of it is true.

(but some of it is strange. Since writing the above I have discovered that Hadji Bey's Turkish Delight is still made in Cork, is no longer labelled Real Genuine but described as "Sultan's Choice - Harem Favourites". I am concerned now that I may have really offended the Sultan of Cork and the scantily clad inmates of his harem who are pictured on the boxes. The present company makes clear on its webpage that "The present company 'Hadji Bey Ltd' was formed in 2004. There is no connection between this company and any previous company of a similar name.")

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hadji Bey was an immigrant from Central Asia who ran a famous shop on either Bridge St. or MacCurtain St. on the edge of Cork city centre. He was famous for his Turkish Delight and his shop closed in the early 70s.

Anonymous said...

Hadji Bet et cie was my family's business. It was first launched during the great exhibition in Fitzgerald's park in 1902. Unfortunately Eddie Batmasian retired in the 70s so the business was sold on.