# Rosengarten Report: sales rag or objective newsletter? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 1, 2004, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rosengarten-report-sales-rag-or-objective-newsletter/243006 "2004-05-01T16:16:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Athena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/35a633/32.png) [@Athena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Athena)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2004, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rosengarten-report-sales-rag-or-objective-newsletter/243006/1 "2004-05-01T16:16:05Z")
Every once in a while, I get this newsletter in the mail called the Rosengarten Report. Author David Rosengarten claims to scour the world for the best foods and wines - all of which are “available overnight by mail order no matter where you live!” The newsletter claims to be totally independent, accepts no advertising, and does not accept kickbacks from the products it recommends. On the other hand, the sales pitch - at least in the “sample newsletter” I’m looking at - is pretty intense. So which is it? Is he a quack or a gen-u-win objective reviewer? ---
**Author:** ![Athena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/35a633/32.png) [@Athena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Athena)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2004, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rosengarten-report-sales-rag-or-objective-newsletter/243006/2 "2004-05-01T16:17:40Z")
Oh yeah, there’s a Web site: [www.davidrosengarten.com](http://www.davidrosengarten.com) Also, this newsletter costs $40/year to subscribe. If you go 2 years, it’s $79, plus a gazillion “free gifts! Just for you!” ---
**Author:** ![percypercy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8baadc/32.png) [@percypercy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/percypercy)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2004, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rosengarten-report-sales-rag-or-objective-newsletter/243006/3 "2004-05-01T16:32:21Z")
My dad got a subscription to this. I was actually going to start a thread in the pit about it. Not because of the content, which seems to be fairly legitimate. David Rosengarten was a reviewer for Gourmet, worked with the Food Network, that sort of thing. The report itself has won a James Beard award. Also, Rosengarten Report readers are often able to mail-order things that ordinary mortals aren’t. It’s his writing style that driving me up the wall. I refuse to believe that I must buy this brand of mustard because Rosengarten, the food god, has deemed it good. This seems to be what he’s going for. -Lil ---
**Author:** ![Athena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/35a633/32.png) [@Athena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Athena)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2004, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rosengarten-report-sales-rag-or-objective-newsletter/243006/4 "2004-05-01T17:14:49Z")
> [@percypercy](#): > > It’s his writing style that driving me up the wall. I refuse to believe that I must buy this brand of mustard because Rosengarten, the food god, has deemed it good. This seems to be what he’s going for. > -Lil I think that’s one of the things that really bugs me about it, and makes me think that it can’t be legitimate - his writing style is HORRIBLE. Everything he writes makes me think that he’s writing something that will ultimately end up on the back of a bottle, or an advertisement. It’s really annoying. ---
**Author:** ![Athena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/35a633/32.png) [@Athena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Athena)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2004, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rosengarten-report-sales-rag-or-objective-newsletter/243006/5 "2004-05-03T16:07:52Z")
Shameless bump to see if this thread gets more attention during the week.