The London Lounge

Is it true Veal is better than Calf leather for shoes in having less tendency to wrinkle and gives a smoother shine when polished?

My son asked me whether there is a difference between Veal and Calf leather, but I was unable to answer his question as I hate steak unless it's found inside a steak & kidney pie. I'm looking forward to eat at a pub if I ever visit London again.

Same thing, different terminology. What IS veal? Meat from a calf. Look at J&M's brushed veal loafers and it becomes quickly clear that it's a lower-grade calf.

Teacher's right - veal is just the meat from a calf, which is a young cow.

I'm not even sure why J&M would call it veal leather. It's like saying your EGs are made of steak leather.

Well, language does evolve. Teacher and Demeter are quite correct that it's rare to hear 'veal' used of the animal rather than the meat nowadays, but it is a venerable and well-documented usage. Perhaps the marketers at J&M hope the term will lend some traditional patina to their product.

For those few besides myself who might enjoy such byways, here's the second deifnition of 'veal' from the OED:

2. A calf, esp. as killed for food or intended for this purpose. Now rare.

1422 YONGE tr. Secreta Secret. 244 Flesh of Velis, Vynegre, hemroll, and Potage of oot-mell. c1450 Mirour Saluacioun (Roxb.) 71 The ydolatiers of the golden veel. 1466 Paston Lett. II. 269 For purveying of all the velys, lambes,..certain piggs and polaly. 1513 DOUGLAS Æneid XII. Prol. 185 Tydy ky lowys, veilys by thame rynnis. 1544 in Star Chamber Cases (Selden) II. 305 The prices of Flesh, as of Beefes, Muttons, Veales, & Porkes. 1582 Nottingham Rec. IV. 199, vj. fatte wethres, at viijs. viijd. a pece, and ij. veyles, at vjs. viijd. a pece. 1601 R. JOHNSON Kingd. & Commw. 25 The flesh..of their swine, oxen, and veales haue the best relish. 1648 HERRICK Hesper., Paneg. Sir L. Pemberton 63 When guests make their abode To eate thy Bullocks thighs, thy Veales, thy fat Weathers. 1688 HOLME Armoury III. 315/1 Upon these [drag hooks] are hung two Veals or Muttons at a time. 1737 Ochtertyre House Bk. (S.H.S.) 13 Killd a Veall. 1801 Farmer's Mag. Aug. 319 In selling veals to butchers, their haggling was extremely disagreeable. 1855 THACKERAY Newcomes I. 265 My mother..would receive her prodigal and kill the fatted veal for me. 1898 WESTCOTT David Harum xvii, Jim brought three or four veals into town one spring to sell.

Here is a link to a listing for a shoe made from veal:-

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0009B ... 06SXKAXG8K

the comment about veal is actually contained in the remarks made by a reviewer rather than J&M itself.

A veal is a younger calf. Generally one which is only milk fed as fermentation of grain in the ruminate stomach (not yet developed when first born) causes the meat to change to a more red tone. In recent times, as farms have become more speicalized in their operations, these calves, only a few days old, are sold and raised on farms that specialize in raising veal. An earlier practice was to use one of the less productive dairy cows as the nurse cow for several calves, then sell the calves at maybe 90 days.

The hide of a younger animal should be softer, thinner and more delicate. Certainly it would have fewer (none?) scars and blemishes. That may or may not be of benefit, depending upon the intended use. Even a very high quality hide can be finished in a manner that is not appealing to some people.

Thank you, Charley, for your wonderful explanation.

Those veal J&M captoes are made in India, the motherland of all cows. I guess there should be no problem with soles coming off after a few months, as there will be need to substitute glues made from cow hoofs with cheaper but unreliable stuff due to cow shortage, unlike some other Second and Third World countries.

The veal uppers look very smooth, almost to a point one could describe as plasticky, but not as that found in patent leather.