The French Look At Us As Wild Libertines
You know how Americans are stuffy conservative fascists and Europeans are progressive liberated higher folk?
Well, at least we can drink Red Bull, while some Europeans can't.
In a commentary on the alleged toxicity of fluoride, Kevin Paine said the following:
To place things into perspective, caffeine, which can be found in coffee, tea, chocolate, guarana and many other items is 4.8 times more toxic than the fluoride being placed into the water. I don't remember seeing people writing to ban coffee.
Well, I couldn't find any evidence of anyone who banned coffee for medical reasons, but look what the French did:
French ban on Red Bull (drink) upheld by European Court
08 Feb 2004
Health concerns over the Red Bull energy drink were fuelled yesterday after Europe's highest court upheld a French ban on the product....
It contains caffeine, vitamins, and sugar which, the company claims, kick-starts the body's metabolism and keeps people alert. But France has refused to authorise its sale, along with other vitamin-fortified foods such as Danone yoghurt and Kellogg's cereals.
Huh? Kellogg's cereals?
The judges said that a study by the French Scientific Committee on Human Nutrition found that Red Bull contained excessive caffeine. The committee also raised concerns about the drink's other ingredients - taurine, an amino acid the company claims can 'kick-start' the metabolism - and glucuronolactone, a carbohydrate.
The EC's Scientific Committee on Food conducted a study last year, and found that while caffeine levels in energy drinks were safe, more studies were needed to assess the dangers of taurine and glucuronolactone....
One can of Red Bull contains 80mg of caffeine - equivalent to one cup of coffee....
A spokeswoman said: 'Red Bull will continue to be sold in 100 countries worldwide.' She added: 'No authority in the world has ever discovered or proven an unhealthy effect in or from Red Bull.'
Only France and Denmark have banned the drink....
An urban myth that taurine was made from bull's semen has only added to its popularity....
Frankly, that would be a turn-off for me. Here's what Red Bull has to say:
Q: Is taurine made from bulls' testicles? Is taurine a derivative of bulls' testicles or semen?
A: Taurine is a purely synthetic substance produced by pharmaceutical companies and is not derived from animals or animal materials.
That doesn't sound much better. I guess Tom Cruise won't let Katie Holmes drink Red Bull then.
Here's what Bike Mag has to say:
Years ago, a friend told me about a new drink he tried while mountain biking in Europe.
"It's got bull semen in it," he said. "It makes you ride like you're insane!"...
I decided to shame him with guilt and let him persecute himself.
"Does it feel weird to kiss your mom now?" I asked.
With an attention span large enough only to monitor his own thoughts, he ignored me....
Eventually, the U.S. market caught up with Europe and brought us Red Bull, which, to my relief, doesn't actually contain bull semen. I mean c'mon, that just wouldn't be fair to the bull.
The ingredient my friend was confused about is taurine, a naturally occurring substance that is present in bull semen and has been chemically reproduced for refreshment purposes. No bulls were violated in the process....
Overheard:
"That guy is pretty fast. Do you think he does the taurine?"
"Taurine? The sea man drink?"
"No, that's rum. Taurine is a naturally occurring substance that is present in bull semen. It makes you go fast."
"Really? How does it taste?"
"It's seemin' alright."
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