One
area where a Directive from Brussels really will be responsible for
changing Spanish society is that of the olive oil and vinegar set on
every restaurant and café table. The oleaginous march of
progress means these are to be banned. But not, as you might think,
because they're unhealthy; it's an anti-fraud measure. And we all
know how assiduously the EU and the Spanish government crack down on
fraud.
Which
reminds me . . . A large Galician fishing company – Pescanova –
recently went belly-up, another victim of La Crisis. The
president sold his vast holdings of shares just before announcements
were made. Clearly a man blessed with exceptional luck. Or insight.
I'm
also reminded of the reports that not only the current PP president
(Rajoy) but also the previous PP President (Aznar) was receiving
extra salary payments from a slush fund. Which makes a bit of
nonsense of those lists of minor politicians alleged to be earning
more than the top dog. They may still be overpaid, of course, but,
relatively speaking, not as much as previously.
Not
long after I came here to Spain I worked out that all of my utility
bills were composed mostly of fixed costs, rather than variable costs
in line with my consumption. This is the opposite of other countries,
where your bill will relate far more to your usage. Twelve years on,
things haven't changed. I've just received a water bill which
comprises 96% fixed costs. But at least the company has improved its
bills a tad in 12 years; as of a couple of months ago, I don't need
to spend 3 seconds totting up 2 or 3 numbers so as to get the volume
of water used. They now do it for me. Unlike the gas company, which
has recently stopped providing either the total volume of gas used or
any of the components that would allow me to do calculate it. Now,
that's progress. And pretty good evidence of how Spain's effective
monopolies treat their customers. No Ofgem here.
Many
of us will have experienced the feeling that someone is following us.
But few of us, I guess, will have feared it was the devil. Not so a chap down in Murcia who, having concluded Old Nick was after him,
decided to seek sanctuary in the local church. Possibly forgetting
that he was driving a car at the time. And pulling a trailer full of
artichokes. That's fear for you. More here, and an HT to reader Sierra.
I've
mentioned Pontevedra's Porcos Bravos a couple of times. I've
now learnt that their motto is “Football, Beers and Orphans".
I've no idea where the orphans come in but hope to find out tomorrow
when I join these Anglophiles for their fish 'n' chips celebration of
St George's Day. Which is more than can be said of most Brits. Me
included, normally. Perhaps we can drum up a small military parade.
For
no good reason – honest – I wanted to know what the Spanish for
'to nag' was. I came up with regañar and fastidiar but
these – 'to scold' and 'to annoy' – don't really seem to fit the
bill. Has anyone got a better option?
Mots
Justes
A
preposition is a word that you shouldn't end a sentence with.
This
wine completely hit the spot. It tasted of iron and granite, like it
had been raised on Emily Dickinson poetry, and it had a cool
thickness to it that seemed to match the London fog coiling around
the street-lamps outside my window. But it also contained, somehow,
tendrils of hope, like snowdrops pushing through the frozen earth.
- Victoria Moore: Daily Telegraph.
- Victoria Moore: Daily Telegraph.
Finally
. . . Since when did the packaging and posting
costs for Amazon reach 33% of the bill?
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