Genuine Mustard

There is a thingness about familiar products. Their printed labels say "genuine" but any certainty is conferred by our own eye that recognizes the brand elements. We know at a glance that it is what it says it is. There's also the guarantee from context. Powdered mustard is less likely to be counterfeited which is why you can seldom purchase it out of the trunk of a car or from a furtive gentleman in a trenchcoat. You have to go to a grocery store, and who is more trustworthy than a grocer? It doesn't hurt to know the royal family likes it too.

Branding

The term comes from the Texas cattle business. Now, instead of using a red hot iron to show who we belong to, we wear a large identifying label across our chests on expensive t-shirts and sweaters. The shorts with the brand on the seat put the name right about where the cattle wore it. Americans show their independence by identifying themselves as members of herds. Sometimes we belong to several herds at once. I don't think Texas cattle were ever as cooperative or loyal or easily led as we are.