Chelsea Grocery Store Serves Biting Commentary on Van Halen

Assorted Cheese Contains Elements of 'Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love'

Posted by Charlie Moran on 07.24.08 @ 11:57 AM

Photo: Lisa Fain

We've covered rock-branded eats before, but this one may be the tastiest ... critical commentary?

Recently, our editor's assistant Matt Kinsey purchased a container of assorted cheese cubes at the Westside Market in Chelsea, but he was a little worried about the ingredients, which included:

I've been to the edge
And then I stood and looked down
You know I lost a lot of friends there, baby
I've got no time to mess around

Somehow, Van Halen's "Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love" slipped into this batch, and a dutiful employee entered the lyrics into the label in order to let everyone know. Our assistant managing editor and certified foodie Lisa Fain returned and discovered that this was unfortunately the only type of rock n' roll cheese sold there, and she also managed to get thrown out in the process! Word to the wise: Be prepared to leave if you're snapping photos with a big honking SLR in a grocery store.

So we were sad to learn that this was probably just an instance of rogue branding, perhaps by a bored or disgruntled (or enlightened) employee wishing to pay silent tribute to the savoriest of rock bands. Still, we can take heart knowing there's a budding Lester Bangs out there somewhere -- maybe in the baking aisle, perhaps produce -- waiting to someday put his or her stamp on the world beyond the checkout aisles.

1 Comment

By kohanmusic | Lake Success, NY July 28, 2008 10:35:02 pm:

It's nice to know that in a world of increasingly homogenized and standardized merchandising that one lone individual can go against the grain - albeit in a very weird way.

Kudos to you Subversive, Van Halen-loving, Kick-Ass Grocery Clerk!

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