Luis Ayala, Editor of "Got Rum?" magazine, Rum Consultant and Founder of The Rum University.
Luis Ayala- Rum Consultant
Luis Ayala, Editor of "Got Rum?" magazine, Rum Consultant and Founder of The Rum University.
The Quest for the Truth
How much truth do you want your food vendors (supermarkets, restaurants, bars, etc.) to disclose about the products they offer to sell you? If you are like most of us, you probably don’t ask your waiter at the restaurant if the black peppercorns in the grinder are free of animal feces, insect parts, disease-causing bacteria and other foreign contaminants.
More than likely you don’t ask either if the demineralized water used at your hotel is free from bacteria or other microorganisms or if their level is so low that it is deemed “safe for human consumption”.
Have you ever asked if bird nests have been found inside the cellars aging your favorite wine or if rats have been seen roaming the floors of your favorite restaurant’s kitchen?
You probably don’t ask either if the food offered to you in your country is allowed to be sold in other countries with the same ingredients. The truth is that food companies often have to change their ingredients to comply with regulations that ban certain practices or ingredients in some countries but not in others.
But why am I asking all these uncomfortable questions? Recently I’ve been approached by individuals who clamor for “full disclosure” when it comes to the things that are formulated into their spirits, claiming a “right to know” and a desire to “act from a position of information.”
While I fully understand those who think they want full disclosure, I also see that they don’t go into restaurants asking for the recipes of the dishes served, or into water treatment plants demanding to see results showing 100% purity.
Breweries, wineries, distilleries and some food producers derive much of their mysticism from the notion of “secret recipes”, terroir and specialized know-how that impart their products with added value not found elsewhere. Full disclosure, while innocuous-sounding, can also have the effect of standardizing mediocrity, creating a world where no one has an edge or even desires one.
In the quest for enlightenment one should always seek a balance between the practical, the reasonable and the ridiculous.
Cheers!
Luis Ayala, Editor and Publisher