Fresh and Re-Fresh at Super Fresh

[MarketStEl]

I'm guessing that this is probably the most appropriate forum to post an observation on terminology used in the selling of food and suchlike; if it isn't, I hope a moderator will let me know.

In any case, I had an interesting encounter with a neologism at the Pier 70 Super Fresh this morning.

I had gone down to South Philly's Big Box Heaven to stock up on household items at Target, and on the way back, decided I would stop here to pick up the things I didn't get at the Acme the day before.

One of these was flounder fillets, which my neighborhood Super Fresh had run out of when they had a seafood sale earlier this month. So I went over to the seafood counter and found a wealth of fish, including:

"Fresh Ocean Perch"

"Fresh Salmon Fillet"

"Re-Fresh Flounder Fillet"

Funny, the fillets looked well rested to me. Had they gotten tired on their journey from the waters off New England?

Then it hit me: These fillets were of the variety we have historically called "previously frozen." They had been put in suspended animation and "re-freshed" by thawing before being put on display.

Still, there's something too cute by half about this term, and maybe a bit misleading to boot. And I'm sure it's not the only example of euphemisms on the supermarket shelf. Let's hear some of yours. I'll start the ball rolling further with another, one I see on the ingredient lists of several organic products: "evaporated cane juice." I assume you all know what that is.

[Smithy]

"Re-fresh" sounds more like something from a science fiction book, doesn't it? Not long ago I was re-reading a book in which so-and-so stepped out of the 'fresher...apparently they weren't expected to have showers by then. But to describe something frozen, then thawed? Wow.

I'm so glad I'm not alone in thinking that 'evaporated cane juice' is a strange euphemism! I've been boggling over that one for a while.

Hmm. Others will probably come to me in the night. Good topic, Sandy!

[TJHarris]

I just noticed in the last six monthes or so that my wholesale seafood distributors are selling "refreshed" products now. It seems as though this may be the "new" industry accepted term.

[pax]

My Dad was the meat buyer for a huge grocery chain for two decades. He is now the national meat buyer for a company that does just high end restaurants.

I rely on a box of frozen yummy stuff to show up on my doorstep at regular intervals, thanks to him.

He asked me one Thanksgiving if I wanted a turkey, and I told him I'd already ordered one from the butcher, and he and I had a chat about frozen vs fresh meat.

He said he would never eat poultry or ground meat (from a grocery store) that was NOT shipped frozen. He said it's hair raising, keeping fresh poultry refridgerated correctly in transit, and accidents happen more than anyone knows. Either frozen, or dripping blood and still warm, he said.

So I guess if I weren't buying it off the boat, "re-fresh" doesn't bother me so much.

I don't expect anyone to take Dad's second hand word as gospel, but it was a light bulb moment for me so...I'm sharing it, fwiw.

[Toliver]

I'll start the ball rolling further with another, one I see on the ingredient lists of several organic products: "evaporated cane juice."  I assume you all know what that is.

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Sugar.

This is a little off-topic since you're discussing new-speak euphemisms...

I get a kick out of seeing products like "Sunny D" that can't call themselves orange juice because they don't have enough juice in them to label themselves as such. So they're orange "drinks" or as Sunny D calls themselves "SunnyD® Tangy Original Style"...original style what?

The second ingredient behind water is high frustoce corn syrup...and don't forget the canola oil in the list of ingredients.

[JanMcBaker]

I don't know if this counts as a euphemism, but I never understood the point of calling an uncured pig's leg 'fresh ham'. Why isn't it just called pork?

[The Hersch]

I don't know if this counts as a euphemism, but I never understood the point of calling an uncured pig's leg 'fresh ham'.  Why isn't it just called pork?

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Well, just calling it "pork" wouldn't indicate which part of the hog it came from. The thigh of the hind leg of a hog is called a "ham", but modern usage of that word generally assumes the cured article, so they call an uncured hind leg a "fresh ham". I find this neither puzzling nor annoying.

Now why is the foreleg called a picnic?

[jgarner53]

And why is the shoulder called Boston butt (while we're on the topic of pork). Good thing my shoulder doesn't look like my butt.

[rooftop1000]

And why is the shoulder called Boston butt (while we're on the topic of pork). Good thing my shoulder doesn't look like my butt. 

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Butt was the barrel that the shoulder was cured and shipped in...from what I heard

tracey