El Grumpy Gringo - Labels Over Labels

Published on 10/8/2007 in Spanish Culture

Food labelOkay, I can understand that imported food should have a list of ingredients translated into Spanish – but do the morons have to stick the label right over the instructions! 

Recently the missus went back to the UK on one of her mercy dashes to M&S, leaving yours truly to fend for himself.  No problem!  I can do a fry up as well as the next man. But after a week of cholesterol on a plate, I decided I fancied a curry. 

In our pantry we have every herb and spice known to man, but I couldn’t be bothered to prat about “dry frying” cumin and coriander seeds, mincing garlic and ginger and all that twaddle, so I went into my local Brit supermarket and bought a jar of curry paste. 
“Just add to meat and vegetables.” It proclaimed on the jar. 

I can do that, I thought smugly.

But I couldn’t  because some sadistic pillock had put the Spanish translation of the ingredients right over the instruction panel. 

I didn’t know if I had to cook the meat and veg first or marinate them in the sauce?  Should I add the whole jar or just a spoonful? How long did it take to cook?   Decisions, decisions!  In the end I just bunged everything together in the pot and boiled it up.

It tasted revolting and I place all the blame on some euro bureaucrat who has nothing better to do than bring out silly rules.  I mean, let’s face it – can you actually see your average Spanish housewife rushing out to buy curry paste?  And even if she did she wouldn’t have a clue how to use it either because although they give the ingredients in Spanish – they don’t give the cooking instructions - so what’s the ruddy point? 


Written by: El Grumpy Gringo

About the author:Owners Direct Group




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Comments:

Pilgrim said:
Thursday, March 18, 2010 @ 6:42 AM

You are so right!!

I commented on this problem to an assistant, who responded by saying "we have to put that label on by law." I responded, "I know dear but not over the instructions!"

"I´ll talk to the manager", was the reply but of course nothing changed!! To add insult to injury, most of the labels printed in Spanish are so poor, they are unreadable!

She probably thought, "miserable old git!"


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