The Proper Mustard - - - 'Yellow Journalism at its Best!'
The Official Newsletter of the Mount Horeb Mustard Museum ~~~~ March, 2008
Editor-in-chief: Barry Levenson  [email protected]
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CALIFORNIA, HERE WE COME!

Why will the Curator and Mrs. Mustard be in the Napa Valley, March 13-16? Here are the possible answers:

(a) To present medals to the winners of the 2008 World-Wide Mustard Competition;
(b) To visit as many wineries as possible and drink as much wine as they can;
(c) To meet friends and mustard lovers in the Bay area;
(d) To sign copies of "Mustard On A Pickle" at the Marketplace at COPIA during the Napa Valley Mustard Festival on Saturday and Sunday;
(e) To visit as many wineries as possible and drink as much wine as they can.

The correct answer is: ALL OF THE ABOVE! For more info on the Napa Valley Mustard Festival, visit the festival website, www.mustardfestival.org.

The Curator and Mrs. Mustard hope to see you in Napa.

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THE WINNERS ARE...

Click here to see the complete list of medal winners at the 2008 World-Wide Mustard Competition. Most of these mustards are currently available at our online store. We even have a separate category for them in our online store: 2008 Medal Winning Mustards

MARCH DEALS AND STEALS

MX38A - The Curator's Mega Surprise. For only $49.95 you'll get at least $75 worth of mustards and other goodies from our gift shop. This month you'll receive at least THREE of the medal winners from the 2008 Competition in your surprise. Let the Curator delight you with his picks.

LDC104 - Laurent du Clos Walnut Dijon. We're not supposed to mention her name but when we were on her show, she went nuts over this mustard. "O well!" (Hint, hint...) Reg. $7.75, SALE $6.75.

SNV102 - Sierra Nevada Pale Ale & Honey Mustard. From the maker of the 2007 Grand Champion, a robust honey mustard made with pale ale. Reg. $5.25, SALE $4.25.

RRT700 - Robert Rothschild Raspberry Wasabi Dressing. A medal winner two years running. Tangy, thick, and a staff favorite. Reg. $7.50, SALE $6.50.

PMM125 - Pommery Moutarde Royale. This gorgeous French cognac mustard won the Gold Medal for best packaging but we think it's also Gold Medal quality inside. Reg. 22.00, SALE $19.95.

CZP102 - Cuisine Perel Champagne Mustard. Smooth and mellow with a delightful wine essnce. Perfect for salads and grilled meats. Reg. $6.25, SALE $4.95.

More deals and steals online on our SPECIALS & CLEARANCE page

See ALL the Specials & Sale Items Here

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SALUTE TO AMERICA'S LITTLE MUSTARD MAKERS

America's smaller mustard makers did quite well at the 2008 World-Wide Mustard Competition so we have decided to honor the craft of mustard making in our land with a gift box of seven distinctive artisan mustards from the U.S.A.

Included in this proud assortment: Boetje's Stoneground Dutch-Style Mustard, Denison Mustard, Raye's Down East Schooner Mustard, Cherchies Champagne Mustard, Bertman Ballpark Mustard, Saucy Sisters Golden Honey Russian Mustard and the 2008 Grand Champion, Silver Spring Deli Mustard. It's our "Red, White, and Yellow Mustard Sampler," item #MX76 for just $29.95.

We never like to pick on little children but this month's Yucky Ketchup Award goes to Little Debbie, the snack cake queen. In an age when most industrial snack makers are eliminating trans fats, Little Debbie has slammed 4.5 grams of trans fats into her four-ounce Lemon Pie. Not that these delectable tarts don't have their good points - Yellow #5, Yellow #6, Sodium Propionate, Sodium Benzoate, Sorbitan Monostearate, and the always yummy Mono- and Diglycerides - but we are hard pressed to find any food item with that much trans fats. We called McKee Foods and asked, "Why so much trans fat?" Little Debbie replied, "What, me worry?" Oh Debbie, you are quite the tart!

The March GOLDEN MUSTARD Award goes to the mustard-loving listeners of Wisconsin Public Radio who responded to the Curator's appearance on the Joy Cardin show (February 17) during the pledge drive with a phenomenal outpouring of support. The Mustard Museum offered to send a three-pack of Grand Champion Mustards to all who called in during the hour with a pledge of $120 or more. WPR's goal for the show was to raise $6,000. When the phones stopped ringing, EIGHTY mustard fanatics made the requisite pledges and raised more than $11,000. They will be receiving their Grand Champion Mustard Gift Boxes (valued at more than $20 each) in the next few days. Good job!

NEW TINS AT THE MUSEUM

Our latest additions to the Antique American Tin exhibit are Yellow Bonnet and Glendora. Thanks for your support. Remember, you can donate to the Mustard Museum Acquisition Fund by "buying" one or more Donation Dollars when you shop online. You can also toss unmarked bills into our genuine acrylic donation box at the museum.

2 new mustard tins arrive in the museum

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Congratulations to Caitlin Hora from Wilton, Iowa, who correctly picked the two "wieners" from the six offerings that the Curator served up on March 1.

We have a new game for tour groups that visit the Mustard Museum: "Pick the Wieners." The Curator recites six Shakespearean-type passages that mention mustard. The problem is that Shakespeare mentioned mustard in only four plays; two of the Curator's recitations are phony - they are the "wieners." Caitlin is the first person out of several hundred this year to correctly identify the faux Shakespeare. For her efforts, Caitlin received a Doctor of Diddley Squat diploma from POUPON U..

 

MUSTARD BITS FROM THE BOTTOM OF THE JAR

WORTH A VERY LONG JOURNEY. . .

Wu Peihong is a fine young man with a bright future. He recently graduated from college in Tokyo and landed a job with IBM. He came to Wisconsin for intensive English language instruction. Before starting that rigorous program, he wanted to visit three Midwest cultural icons: The Chicago Art Institute, The Museum of Industry and Science, and the Mount Horeb Mustard Museum. Yes, the Mustard Museum. Here he is with the Curator, holding his cherished POUPON U diploma. ("I like him a lot," says the Curator, "He says I'm a genius. Or maybe he said I was crazy. I don't remember. But he is very tall.")

NOT EVEN MUSTARD COULD SAVE THIS DISH

As is our custom, we bring you the tale of another bizarre Wisconsin crime. According to a recently filed criminal complaint in West Bend, one R. Kropp has been charged with the felony of placing foreign objects in food. He was working as a cook and allegedly placed some of his own hair in a steak to be served to a customer. Apparently, Mr. Kropp was upset that the customer had complained that his first steak was overcooked and sent it back to the kitchen. Mr. Kropp decided to give that wonderful personal touch to the second steak.

We often recommend mustard with steak - a peppercorn mustard cream sauce is divine - but do not think it would have made much of a difference here. What kind of hair? Mr. Kropp tells the police it was just a little facial hair. According to the complaint, he bragged to a coworker that it was, well, not exactly facial hair. A little south, if you catch our drift. We'll let it go at that.

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Until next time - Hasta la Mustard, Everyone!