This is just a story I heard when I was a kid, but I think HN might either like it or have some more details about it :

There's a marketing story about a western company that tried to introduce their product to the Japanese market with the slogan: "as easy as cooking rice" - which, according to the story managed to insult every Japanese woman as cooking rice was - according to the story - considered more or less an art form in Japan at the time.

Anyone has details about this story?