This reminded me of how way back when I was a kid “Made in Japan” meant cheap and shoddy. Now it is more likely to mean “made well”–I suppose because of the Japanese cars that hit the US market at about the time I reached the car buying stage.
Same with Germany in the 19th century. When Bismarck asked how German wares were estimated on the Philadelphia exhibition in 1876, he got the three word answer "billig und schlecht" (cheap and bad).
This reminded me of how way back when I was a kid “Made in Japan” meant cheap and shoddy. Now it is more likely to mean “made well”–I suppose because of the Japanese cars that hit the US market at about the time I reached the car buying stage.
Same with Germany in the 19th century. When Bismarck asked how German wares were estimated on the Philadelphia exhibition in 1876, he got the three word answer "billig und schlecht" (cheap and bad).