I think Tag might be mixing up his EC and his Customs & Excise (or is it Inland Revenue?) officials. I know it's an easy mistake to make. This is how I recall the case of a few years ago: Under UK taxation law, food is exempt from VAT charges, but this exemption doesn't cover confectionery (nor food in restaurants - it's all too luxurious.) Now cake is classed as a basic foodstuff (something of a hangover from Marie Antoinette and her Pasties of the Bourgeoisie no doubt) but biscuits, they're clearly frivolous items of confectionery. One day the taxman decided that Jaffa Cakes weren't really cakes at all but just tax dodging biscuits. McVities weren't going to take this lying down because they wanted to make lots of money. So the courtcase ensued. And clever McVities lawyers argued that JCs really were sponge cakes, just a lot smaller than the norm. In a coup de grace, they called for Exhibit A, a specially-baked giant Jaffa Cake which they sliced in front of the assembled court in a very cake-like way. Everyone gasped and the day was won. A Jaffa cake is a cake is a cake is a cake. Hmm.. Is the new LP going to have a pub trivia theme I wonder? "If you're feeling anal" anyone? So long Nick xxx Tag wrote: And jaffa cakes, which are particular bone of contention for me. Biscuit or cake? Since they are described as cakes, a recent EC directive decreed that they should therefore be taxed accordingly. And a jaffa cake contains light sponge, chocolate and a smashing orangey bit, but not 'biscuit'. But I can't help feeling that an authentic cake should somehow be bigger. I have no problem with them being called jaffa 'cakes', somehow jaffa sponges or jaffa biscuits is aesthetically inferior, and a bombay duck is a fish not a duck, and a parson's nose is not a nose at all, so why should a jaffa cake be a cake. A case of EC bureaucracy gone mad, perhaps? Maybe, other readers or indeed Stuart himself would care to offer their views. _________________________________________________________ DO YOU YAHOO!? Get your free @yahoo.com address at http://mail.yahoo.com ----------------------------------------------------------------------- . This message was brought to you by the Sinister mailing list. . To send to the list please mail "sinister@majordomo.net". . For subscribing, unsubscribing and other list information please see . http://www.majordomo.net/sinister . For questions about how the list works mail owner-sinister@majordomo.net . We're all happy bunnies humming happy bunny tunes. Aren't we? -----------------------------------------------------------------------