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Jorge Gomez
Professor Crosby
English Composition 3
24 January 2018
RA First Draft
Three words are enough to paint an image, an expectation of what a product can be
before you use it, taste it, buy it: made in China. Tony Perrottet, a writer for the Wall Street
Journal, wrote the article “Fine Wine and Caviar-Made in China?”, published in December 2014,
in which he blatantly points out the preconceived ideas that Americans have of Chinese products
and quality. Perrottet addresses the stereotype that Americans have through the production of the
Chinese delicacies, wine and caviar, by using realism along with his own anecdotes from his
visit to wineries and luxury resorts, introducing the history of the delicacies, and using quotes of
senior figures in the respective industries in China in an attempt to dispel the stereotypes.
Through this article, Perrottet demonstrates to a wide range of Americans that China is
improving the quality of their products in hopes of persuading them to reevaluate their own
A good portion of products on American shelves have the words “Made in China” on the
labels which immediately leads Americans to think “crap quality.” In this article, Tony Perrottet
tackles the American stereotype that anything made in China is of poor quality. In 2009, “…
recent scandals about poisoned baby milk, contaminated pet food and dangerous toys from
China” (Economist, 2009) only gave fuel to the fire of the stereotype and increased distrust in
Chinese made products. Although there is a reasonable explanation and a defense for the errors
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made in China, Americans are not so quick to trust or let go of the mistake made by the mass
producer. Within the article, Perrottet makes it known that he had reservations of the Chinese
delicacies that were being served to him. For example, while speaking anecdotally he states,
“…like many uninformed outsiders, when I was first offered a glass of Chinese grape wine…the
first sip is a surprise-crisp and bright, with subtle nectarine flavors.” Through this, he represents
a grand majority of Americans who simply have the preconditioned negative response to Chinese
cuisine. He also explicitly includes the words “many uninformed outsiders” as if to clarify that
he only knows what is told or expressed in the news outside of the actual nation of China. After
trying the wine that was offered to him, he was pleasantly surprised by the taste which is due to
his expectation that the wine was not going to live up to the quality of wine that is presented in
the United States or Europe. Not only does Perrottet express his own biased views of Chinese
products he blatantly says, “The main hurdle is convincing consumers to give Chinese products a
chance-a problem that is particularly acute with wine.” He points out the issue that the Chinese
have to get consumers to try their products, especially in the industry of wine due to its young
age in the nation. Perrottet then proceeds to use the history of now family business CEO Judy
Chan to walk the reader through the process and development of the wine industry, disproving
the belief that everything in China is mass produced and has no sense of originality or anything
genuine. The wine industry is not the only industry that Perrottet mentions but he also mentions
the delicacy of caviar and its introduction to the country. He speaks of the Chinese scandals with
their products as an infection and states that the caviar industry is not yet touched by it; however,
the stereotype still spreads simply because the delicacy is from China, even though it may not be
made there and may be imported. The author proceeds to include a story told to him by Swiss-
born chef Florian Trento of Hong Kong’s Peninsula hotel in which he was offered Chinese
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caviar and even claimed to be apprehensive toward the idea. He even proceeds to quote Trento
saying, “Often we do blind tastings because Chinese products have such a bad rap.” (Perrottet,
13) Perrottet continues to state through the article that the stereotype is prevalent in Americans
but also in other cultures around the world. The stereotype is so deeply rooted in the minds that
businesses must use different tactics in order to get customers to try the caviar. Tony Perrottet
makes it very clear to any reader that the issue of the stereotype that most cultures and people in
the world have of Chinese products affects businesses and the Chinese economy; however, his
article also makes a very strong attempy at dispelling the stereotype and showing that the nation
In the article, Perrottet uses realism, anecdotes, and the history of both delicacies in the
nation of China to persuade the reader to question their view of China and possibly reconsider it.
Perrottet refers to what one expects a vineyard to look like and says, “The balcony of the
Italianate mansion overlooks lush rows of grapevines stretching to the horizon, where low
mountains hover in the haze. Picnic tables sit scattered in a garden beneath slender trees that
rustle in the dry wind.” He paints a very vivid image of the beauty and serenity of the vineyard
and China and the similarities between it and one in Europe; however, he also uses the converse
to show that although China has areas of beauty, grand parts of the nation are still
underdeveloped and living in poor conditions. He uses the beauty and the “ugly” reality of China
to prove to the reader that although the country has multiple areas which are underdeveloped, in
regard to certain industries, such as wine, they make sure to use the proper resources to produce
a quality product. Alongside realism, Perrottet goes on to explain the history of the wine industry
in China and mention some of the recognition they have received over the years. He mentions,
“In fact, grape wine was first grown commercially in China in 1892… It was a strong beginning:
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In 1915, the winery, Changyu, won a string of gold medals at the Panama-Pacific International
Exposition in San Francisco.” In the context of history, Perrottet uses his own anecdotes and
details of his travels to properly convey his message that China is increasing the quality of their
products and attempting to stray from the well-known stereotype. The author himself wished to
see a winery in China and made the “pilgrimage” to a winery “located in a rural district an hour-
and-a-half drive northeast of Beijing.” He then provides vivid imagery of the complex and makes
a connection to a “Disney fantasy” to assist the reader in properly envisioning the scenery of the
Tony Perrottet’s purpose for writing the article is to not only change the minds of
Americans, but the minds of people everywhere. He has made it clear in his article that the
stereotype regarding Chinese is widespread not only in the United States but also in Europe and
it most likely exists in other cultures and nations. He states the issue that China has blatantly in
his article, mentions the reason why public distrust runs deep due to incidents in Chinese
production years ago, and goes as far as to mention the tactics restaurant owners must use in
order for customers to try the delicacies or anything from China. Through anecdotes, the history
of the delicacies in China, and realism, Perrottet attempts to build trust with the reader and China
without the reader actually trying a Chinese product or visiting themselves. Through realism and
the brief history lessons, it is as if he is walking the reader through the industry and production
so as to establish a sense of knowledge with is then linked with trust because the reader, or
potential consumer, now knows where or how the product is being made.
Through the tactics of realism, using his personal anecdotes, and the history of products,
Tony Perrottet attempts to dispel the stereotype that most if not all Chinese products are low
quality in people around the globe in his article “Fine Wine and Caviar-Made in China?”. He
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references the effects of the stereotype, the nature of it, and what may have added on to it in past
occasions, constantly refereeing the kind of ideas that most people have due to that.