In the book I’ve been reading to prepare for the bar exam, it provides an example for the risk of loss when selling goods. It includes a brief “with all due respect to German-Americans, Bob Knight, and Trey Parker and Matt Stone,” then begins…
Karl, a grocer in New Ulm, Minnesota ordered coffee from a New York seller. Even though the coffee was shipped in the best available containers, rats “infiltrated” the coffee while it was in transit. The coffee was delivered; the grocer paid for the coffee. The grocer then opened the packages of coffee and wrote the following letter of complaint:
Schentlemens:
Der last two pecketches ve got from you off koffee was mit rattschidt gemitz. Der koffee may be gute enuff, but der rattsdurds schbeels der trade. Ve did not see der rattschidt in der sambles vich you sent us for examination. It takes so much time to peck der rattsdurds from der koffee.
Ve order der kelen koffee und you shipt schidt mit der koffee; it vas a muschtake, YA? Ve like you to schipp us der koffee in van sak und der rattschidt in a udder sak. Den ve mix it to suit our kostomer.
Write please if ve shutd shipp der schidt bak und keep der koffee or if ve shudt keep der schidt und shipp der koffee bak or schipp der whole schidten verks bak. Ve vant to do rite in der madder, but ve don’t like dis rattschidt bizziness.
Mit mutch respeckts,
Karl Brummenschidt
