The AFU and Urban Legend Archive
Food
Two-fifty
 neiman-marcus debunked




From: ehrice@his.com (Edward Rice)
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.urban
Subject: Re: Return of the $250 recipe
Date: Wed, 15 May 1996 18:33:20 -0400

In article <4nbg25$1cl2@news.gate.net>, paradox@gate.net (Chuck Skinner) wrote:

> I came across the following tonight while browsing newsgroups... does > anyone remember the original story? I believe it involved a cake recipe > at the Waldorf Hotel in NY...
>
> From: Buckaroo Banzai
> Subject: $250 cookie recipee from Neiman Marcus > Date: Mon, 13 May 1996 18:44:19 GMT > Organization: 8th Dimension
> Lines: 79
> Message-ID: <319782c9.562742@usenet.ufl.edu> > Reply-To: an607403@anon.penet.fi
> NNTP-Posting-Host: ppp-02-ts11.nerdc.ufl.edu > X-Newsreader: Forte Agent .99e/32.227 > Status: N
>
> ...
>
> Just goes to show you that good legends never die... >
> Chuck Skinner
> Cinematographer/Lighting Director 

 >           paradox@gate.net
 >     http://www.gate.net/~paradox

> Film and NTSC & PAL Video in Florida

Whether alt.syntax.tactical or something else, this UL is being propagated deliberately by some people, in order to disrupt newsgroups. (So are a couple of other "recipe" articles.) Two points...

First, note that the posting host was University of Florida, while the reply address was at anon.penet.fi. Anything odd about that?

Second, there seems to be a mix of postings, especially in various Usenet and non-Usenet cooking discussions, some coming from people taken in by the hoax and some from people who are trying to perpetuate it and/or disrupt the discussions. The former can be reduced in various ways; the latter probably cannot.

Around six years ago, I made a public offer to pay $250 to anybody who could provide documentation for the UL, in the form of a cancelled check, credit card chit, bill, etc. I also noted that any fraudulent attempt to obtain payment would of course be handed off to the appropriate authorities. Several people expressed an interest in claiming and told me they'd get back to me -- not a single one ever has. I presume they are of the first class of people, and when they try to track down the UL and it becomes smoke, they give up. In roughly six years, no person has /ever/ so much as asked for my mailing address in order to pursue a claim, or even said "I can get X as proof, will that be sufficient." The offer keeps popping up -- knowing that I like cookies, people even send me the damned thing in e-mail.


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