Perceived overreaches of European Union regulators are a staple of critics, of Bavarians, and of what passes as television comedy in Germany.
Not to be outdone, this blog has prominently featured the EU's "Novel Food Directive" and speculation about a more intimate regulatory move.
Last week, however, the EU stepped up to the dinner plate and protected the Bavarian pretzel after only six years of investigation. Nobody knows how they managed to be so fast.
Protecting this Bavarian signature baked good was a smart move because the pretzel is loved by hardcore EU critics in this southern German state.
Many of these will now invariably associate their comfort food with a more benevolent side of the EU.
Yes, they banned incandescent light bulbs and they are set to neuter the housewife's best friend, the vacuum cleaner, by reducing the power of a vacuum's motor to roughly that of a Lego play set motor, but they saved the Bavarian pretzel.
The timing of the good news could not have been better, just before the final edits to the fun speeches of the carnival season, just a couple of days before the parade floats are done.
What does the new rule mean for the rest of the world? You can continue to make your own pretzels but you cannot call them "Bavarian".
This EU-style happy ending is almost allegoric for a food that was created by accident when a baker dipped a pretzel in a lye solution instead of sugar water.
If there was an official EU baked good, the pretzel would be perfect.
With its many twists and turns, thick in some places, fragile in others, caustic on the outside and fluffy on the inside, it is more than an elaborately shaped strand of dough.
It is a happy accident of history.
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