I fear for the future of my people’s culinary traditions…
Photo: Laura Martínez
Category: Food
McDonald’s Now Serving ‘Traditional’ Colombian Food
Don’t you just love it when huge corporations go out of their way to cater to our Latin palate?
Well, after an unsuccessful attempt to cater to Mexican tastes by putting the Big Mac on a tortilla, McDonald’s is now launching Antojos colombianos (Colombian cravings,) a specially crafted menu for sale in Colombia that includes “some of the most recognized and traditional” foods of the country: The classic McPollo Junior (sic,) hogao sauce, empanadas, sundaes with lulo sauce, nuggets with honey, and original and unique options like ají sauce.
Call me crazy, but last time I checked, Colombian food didn’t look quite like this. Maybe they meant to say typical “Columbian” food….
Now, that will totally make sense.
Hat tip: @blabbeando
This ‘App’ is so Mexican, it Spells ‘Menu’ With an ‘ñ’
On the hunt for fake Mexican food? There’s an app for that!
Some genius in the applications world has come up with the Mexican Food app, which according to its creators will teach you the ingredients of every burrito and help you navigate to nearby taquerías. Because as everybody knows, Mexican food is all about burritos and tacos.
Judging from some screenshots available (I have better things to do with my $0,99) one can tell the creators of the app went the extra mile to make sure things were properly spelled in Spanish –or at least pretend to know how to spell words in make-believe Spanish, such as “meñu.”
Mariachi Doritos Bring a Little Mexican Joy to Otherwise-Gloomy Brits
Turns out Americans are not the only non-Mexicans who take pleasure in eating and drinking “spicy” stuff around Mariachis. The Brits, too, owe it to my people for bringing the party to the party (whatever that means.)
PepsiCo’s Doritos brand today unveiled its latest UK campaign, a “360-degree” effort that bears the tagline “For fun, add a little Mexican,” which apparently conveys a truly “unique” message: That Mariachis, food, music, party and corn chips go awesomely well together. Per a company press release:
“Doritos has a strong Mexican product association, which provides differentiation within the marketplace, and was central in delivering this unique campaign message.”
Wait… I think I’ve seen that unique message elsewhere… but I’m not sure.
Hat tip: GaboSama
French’s Mustard is so Spicy, You’ll Want to Wear a ‘Sombrero’ and Shake Some Maracas Around
Remember French’s Mariachi serenade? Well, the makers of this made believe mustard fine product are at it again, this time doning a pair of maracas and Mariachi hat to some white chick who seems to be so excited about the mustard, that she feels like shaking her butt like a Mexican.
But… I have a problem with that.
See? Mexicans don’t really wear mariachi hats on a daily basis, and those of us who do, would never -EVER- use a pair or maracas to go with it. That is what a guitarrón is for!
But then again, her outfit is as Mexican as the mustard is French, so we’re cool.
Photo & hat tip: @SaraChicaD
¡Órale! Here’s How to Get a Free Pizza in the States
Remember Pizza Patrón? the Texan pizzeria that caused a major brouhaha for saying it would accept Mexican pesos as payment?
Well, the marketing geniuses behind the pizzeria’s fabulous success are at it again, this time offering a free large pepperoni pizza for every customer that orders in Spanish. Per a company press release:
On Tuesday, June 5th from 5pm to 8pm, Pizza Patrón is launching its PIZZA POR FAVOR™ event at restaurants nationwide. Every customer that orders in Spanish will receive a free large pepperoni pizza, which is the company’s top-selling product. Free pizzas are limited to one per customer between 5pm and 8pm, at participating locations, while supplies last.
This is freaking brilliant, and this blogger can’t wait for June 5th to place her order.
I just have one question, though: Can I get not one, but TWO free pepperoni pizzas if I order Una pinche pizza por favor?
Thank you, Pizza Patrón, in advance for your prompt attention to this matter.
Kelloggs Wants you to Know Cinco de Mayo Is Some Sort of Mayan Celebration. LOL
UPDATE: CRUNCHY NUT’S CINCO DE MAYO PROMOTION HAS BEEN TAKEN DOWN FROM NUT CRUNCH’S FACEBOOK PAGE, APPARENTLY BECAUSE IT WAS NOT REALLY FUNNY, NOR RELEVANT. HOWEVER I MADE SURE TO SAVE THE COPY -AND GRAPHICS- FOR YOUR ENJOYMENT…
Oh no, they didn’t!
I swear it took me a while of digging before realizing this page is legit.
Well, damn it, it IS legit!
Kelloggs, which for some reason says its Crunchy Nut Cereal is the cereal of [un] official celebrations, has launched a celebration of –yes, you guessed it!— Cinco de Mayo. A Facebook campaign exposes visitors to some supposedly funny not funny “informational” copy, where we learn among other things that:
The fifth of May holds special significance that dates back to the rule of the ancient Mayans. They believed the number five was extremely lucky, and took great care to integrate it into their lives. Calisthenics five times a week. The five-day workweek. And so on. But the number five had special meaning when it appeared more than once – five-five or May 5 was worthy of only one thing: celebration. So, the Mayans would get their groove on withKellogg’s® Crunchy Nut® cereal on May 5 in honor of their favorite number.
Yadda, yadda, yadda. Yeah, yeah, it’s supposed to be funny, but you know what? It is not, really.
There’s just one thing this blogger would like to add: These guys are positively NUTS!
Sadly, McDonald’s Denies Being Behind Awesome Stop & Frisk Meal Giveaway
UPDATE: Predictably (i.e. sadly) McDonald’s denied being behind this awesome idea. This blogger continues to urge the NYPD to launch such an effort and include Mexican fare in their meal offering (I mean, in case the stopped and frisked happen to be Latinos.)
Oh, how I wished this was true!
In a move to show the world the ridiculousness of racial profiling African-Americans, a website claiming to be associated with McDonald’s has launched the Three Strikes, You’re In!, a program that “rewards New Yorkers for their patience with the “Stop and Frisk” policy.”
Per a release:
[…] Individuals who are stopped and released three times without charge are eligible for one Happy Meal at participating McDonald’s stores. To receive their Happy Meal, customers must record each stopping officer’s badge number, as well as the the time and location of the stop, on a voucher obtainable at these stores.
This “effort” is too ridiculous (and brilliant) to be true. However, this blogger thinks it’s actually not a bad idea at all. And given the fact that many victims of NYPD’s Stop & Frisk program are also Hispanics, I would like to encourage the NYPD to put it into place and actually expand their meal offering to include Chipotle or Taco Bell. (I’m sure many of my fellow Latinos would looooove to be given the option of a free burrito or a free torta.)
Farmer Frank Martinez Loves Growing Potatoes for McDonald’s. Eats them Raw
Meet Frank Martínez (alas, not a relative,) a potato grower from Saddle View Farms, WA, who thinks his potatoes are much better after they get peeled, chopped, fried and chemically manipulated by McDonald’s. (Presumably because he has a tendency to bite into raw potatoes, which have got to taste pretty bad.)
Mr. Martínez is one of several real-life suppliers featured in one of McDonald’s latest U.S. ad campaigns.
Go on. Watch him bite into a raw potato. Right. Now!
Oh No, They Didn’t! Taco Bell Preps the Dori-Taco
All this blah, blah, blah about being bicultural, bilingual, living in two worlds, etc. has finally resulted in something tangible –and most likely inedible. Taco Bell’s Doritos Locos Tacos promise to bring us the best of both worlds: a “taco” on the inside… Doritos on the outside*
How can you go wrong with that?
via: Gizmodo
*CAUTION: Customers might be required to wear latex gloves when handling this “thing”
Gorton’s Launches Spanish-language Site to Pitch Tits and Other Delicious Seafood Treats
UPDATE: It is rare for a marketer to come forward and admit they have made a mistake. But that is exactly what Gorton’s did. Not only did the company add the missing accent over “mamas,” but it sent a very nice email thanking this blog for pointing out the mistake. Scroll down to the end of the post to read the complete email:
I love it when marketers go out of their way and launch Spanish-language web sites to reach my people (i.e. Hispanics.)
But just one little thing. If you are going to be as rigorous as Gorton’s Seafood, which seems to be pretty good at putting accents and including “eñes” in their Spanish-language copy, you might want to make sure to put a little accent over the word “mamás” … I mean, if what you mean is to talk about moms (mamás) and not what some dirty minds (not mine) might be thinking of.
FROM 02/16/2012.
Dear Ms. Martinez,
Thank you so much for alerting us to the error that was included on our recently launched website,GortonsEnEspanol.com. We are very sorry for the omission of that accent in the headline. As you noted, we did work diligently to be rigorous about our translation. Though we used a Spanish translation service, and had Spanish-speaking staff members review the site before it was launched, this typo was somehow overlooked. We truly regret the error and sincerely apologize to you and to any of our consumers who may have been offended.
The error has been fixed and we are once more reviewing the site to ensure accurate translation of the intended message. It is our goal to do the right thing and to always put our consumers first.
While we worked quickly to fix the error, we still feel badly about it. Sometimes even when you give things your best effort mistakes still happen. But, as a thank you for alerting us to the issue we would like to send you a little something. If you’d like to send us your mailing address we can get it out to you right away.
Again, our sincere apologies and heartfelt thanks,
The Gorton’s Crew
—
The Gorton’s Crew
Gorton’s Seafood
Denny’s Wants you to Think of Dogs When You Eat a Delectable Sizzling Skillet
And speaking of innovative marketing ideas, Denny’s has decided it is a good idea to link dogs with a sizzling meat fajita.
In what this blogger considers a marketing –and gastronomical– faux pas (I grew up eating tacos al pastor outside my local subway station) the restaurant chain has tapped famous dog behavioralist César Millán (aka ‘The Dog Whisperer’) to help a Latino family deal with an extremely “aggressive” meal, a Western Beef Sizzling Fajita thing.
I don’t know you, but after enduring watching the 3-minute thing, I felt like getting myself a veggie meal. I do not want to think of dogs when I see a sizzling fajita. Or viceversa.
But watch it yourselves and let me know what you think!
Parisian Style Subway Entrance and Tacos al Pastor. What Else Can I Ask For?
Greetings, followers, from Mexico City, home of the 10-peso taco al pastor and a mayor who wishes he ruled Paris.
NOTE: I am sorry for having abandoned this blog for such a long time, but I never realized how much time eating good food actually takes. So bear with me.
Photo: Laura Martínez (Ciudad de México, 2012)
Now You Can Enjoy Latin America Without the Dangers and Annoyances of Latin America
Attention, non-Hispanic Americans: Are you afraid of being killed in Mexico? Mugged in Central America? Sickened by some deadly bug in Peru or killed by the chikungunya virus in the Caribbean?
Worry no more!
Thank your undocumented and documented Hispanic immigrants for the latest trend in U.S. tourism: Latin American cultural immersion trips in the confort of your own city!
Sí, señores! Latinos are a smart bunch, so we are using the very same neighborhoods we took away from gringos to lure them back, and invite them to get a taste of our fun, dance, food and drink-filled culture! (And no, you don’t need to get a passport, nor take a malaria pill or take a kidnap ransom insurance.)
You are welcome…
How do you Say ‘Plum Tomato’ in U.S. Spanish?
One of the most beautiful things about language is that it manages to re-invent itself, transforming the names of otherwise unpronounceable stuff into things we (phonetic-language-speaking people) can understand -and pronounce properly.
How else would you explain the wonderful transformation of “plum tomato” to plontomero?
I don’t know you but these plontomeros would be delicious in this type of salad.
MI BLOG ES TU BLOG 