bread

I have two observations to make about a recent trip to a local supermarket.

For some time I’ve suspected that the price of bread has gone up, but today I am certain. I know that last year I was often paying around 1 Euro for a loaf of bread, depending on the type.

Here is the price that greeted me today:

Now, while the price of bread may be going up, the milk-producing farmers are complaining that they are not getting enough for a pint – sorry, litre – of milk. So they have gone on strike and are not supplying the dairies that in turn supply the supermarkets.

So there is a shortage of normal quality milk. The more expensive brands are still in stock, but this is what the normal milk area looked like today:

There’s none left! Apparently the strike ended today, so I shall be hoping to see a new delivery soon.

What was particularly interesting was that it was a discounter that made the first move to increase the amount paid to farmers for their milk. But at first the strike continued anyway. Now the price for the consumer is set to go back down again, leaving us with the threat of new strikes.

All of which leaves me wondering: when will we be able to buy milk again, and what we will have to pay for it?

Pan y mantequilla

There is very little that you really have to be warned about on Lanzarote, especially as far as eating out is concerned.

But there is one thing where you really can be tricked into giving out more than you planned.

When you order your meal at most restaurants, the waiter will bring you basket of rolls and butter. What he or she does not tell you is that you will be charged for this!

Normally you will receive one roll per person, some restaurants only bring a roll for those who have not ordered a starter, but the charge is per roll.

Depending on the restaurant this charge can be excessive – around 80 cents is normal but sometimes it can be 1EUR or even more!

The trick is, of course, to say that you don’t want them (unless, of course, you do!) when you order. This may not help – I’ve told the waiter in Spanish that I didn’t want any rolls as we were sharing our starters, but he – yes, the same waiter – still brought a basket of them to the table.

So that is step 2 of the trick – send them back again!

Even then, this may not solve the problem entirely, as often they have already been entered into the computerised till and will appear on the bill.

This where step 3 is important – the word in Spanish for butter is mantequilla – not something vaguely recognisable if you don’t know it (and not like other European languages where the word for butter has some resemblance to the English version).

So make sure you check the bill to see if pan y mantequilla has appeared anyway, and if it has – get it removed.

Unfortunately, this may not be the end of the problem. When questioning a bill once (although not about the rolls) the waitress proceeded to ask the other guests at the table to confirm that they really hadn’t had the items that I was having removed. If the waitress suddenly doesn’t speak much English and you don’t speak Spanish, then it’s all too easy to say “yes” to something that you was meant a different way, only for the waitress to turn round in Spanish and say “see, I told you so” and want full payment.

That is, however, the extreme version of the problem. Normally you should be OK after the first 3 steps.

Bon appetit!

Bread and milk

Pan y mantequilla

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