Asparagus Recipe Mysteriously Finds Its Way Into Belgian Legal Text
Asparagus, as we have learned, is a mystical and magical vegetable. It can predict the future. In Germany, late spring/early summer is known as spargelzeit, dedicated to the celebration and consumption of white asparagus. And now it has found its way into a discussion of economic law in Moniteur Belge, the francophone edition of Belgium's official journal, which publishes all new laws, decrees, ordinances, official notices, and other matters of public record. But why should a recipe for white asparagus gratin not be a subject of national importance?
The recipe was discovered by lawyer Morgan Moller, The Brussels Times reports, who promptly posted the discovery on Twitter.
Ik heb het gehad met mensen die zeggen dat het Belgisch Staatsblad nutteloos is. Je vindt er alles : wetten, besluiten, recepten om te koken, noem maar op.
Eerlijk : in mijn juridische carriere deze hilariteit nog niet vaak tegengekomen. 😁 pic.twitter.com/VKR9rJOg6Z
— Morgan Moller (@morganmoller) May 28, 2021
Translation: "I have had it with people who say that the Moniteur Belge is useless. You can find everything in there: laws, determinations, recipes, you name it."
"Honestly: in my legal career, I have not often come across this hilarity," Moller told The Brussels Times.
The recipe only appeared in the online version of the Moniteur, and editors quickly removed it. They also insisted that the recipe was not actually a legal text. Which, okay, I guess that makes it less embarrassing? Anyway, the recipe seems to have come from the site Marmiton. Go ahead and try it for yourself. Bonus points if you can already read French, and double bonus points if you think it tastes like the law.