Nutella Fever
Those with a sweet tooth who have tried the famed hazelnut spread, Nutella, know how rich and creamy it is. Nutella is the original Italian brand, Nocilla is the Spanish version. I remember eating sandwiches of it on a vacation here when I was a child. I also remember the joy at finding Nutella in an Italian grocery shop in Boston's North End once. To me back then it was a minor miracle; a taste of vacation and summer and country air and tasty warm fresh bread and sweet goodness.
But from appreciating something rich and sweet to punching people just to get a jar is a large leap. Yet, that is what happened these past couple of days in many Intermarché supermarkets in France. Food in general is more expensive in France, Nutella included. So, when the supermarket chain decided to give a 70% discount on jars that normally cost €4.70, leaving them at €1.41, droves of people made the supermarkets look the the craziest of Black Fridays in the United States.
I've never lived through that Thanksgiving madness, but I do remember the Cabbage Patch doll craze in the 1980's. The first year they came out, just in time for Christmas, toy stores and department stores were the scene of pitched battles between mamas and grandmamas, and a few papas, that would not even consider their little darlings wait another year for a doll that wasn't even very cute.
Something similar happened in France. Some supermarkets ended up selling in a few hours as much Nutella as what they normally sell in months. Some customers also ended up acquiring something more than a jar or two. People lost hair in fistfuls, others bled, some got a jar lobbed at their head, boxes flew, and security was hard put to make people behave. Some customers couldn't believe what they were seeing. The scenes looked like they were shot in a rationed, famished country, where customers would fight over the little food available, only the plenitude of different packages of food surrounding them belied that thought.
How much hazelnut spread can one house eat, even with kids? Is it worth it punching a total stranger just to buy jars that have been discounted three euros? Is this what society has devolved to, the triumphant search for a bargain, even to the extent of buying so much that the bargain becomes more expensive? Lots of supermarkets have 3 for 1 discounts, and others similar to that. It makes sense only if you use a lot of the product. Otherwise, you end up paying more because you might not use all that you buy. And even if you get one product free after buying two, if the product is relatively cheap, many times the savings aren't really even worth it.
There was a video on an article, of people gathering jars and jars of Nutella into a large shopping bag. Let's say, fifteen jars. Multiply 15 times €1.41 and you get €21.15. That's a lot of Nutella. Will a family even end up eating fifteen jars in a year? Before the expiration date? Perhaps if they consume it morning, noon and night. And while it is quite rich, a diet consisting of Nutella at every meal is not exactly nutritious, especially with all the sugar and fat it contains.
Bon apétit!
But from appreciating something rich and sweet to punching people just to get a jar is a large leap. Yet, that is what happened these past couple of days in many Intermarché supermarkets in France. Food in general is more expensive in France, Nutella included. So, when the supermarket chain decided to give a 70% discount on jars that normally cost €4.70, leaving them at €1.41, droves of people made the supermarkets look the the craziest of Black Fridays in the United States.
I've never lived through that Thanksgiving madness, but I do remember the Cabbage Patch doll craze in the 1980's. The first year they came out, just in time for Christmas, toy stores and department stores were the scene of pitched battles between mamas and grandmamas, and a few papas, that would not even consider their little darlings wait another year for a doll that wasn't even very cute.
Something similar happened in France. Some supermarkets ended up selling in a few hours as much Nutella as what they normally sell in months. Some customers also ended up acquiring something more than a jar or two. People lost hair in fistfuls, others bled, some got a jar lobbed at their head, boxes flew, and security was hard put to make people behave. Some customers couldn't believe what they were seeing. The scenes looked like they were shot in a rationed, famished country, where customers would fight over the little food available, only the plenitude of different packages of food surrounding them belied that thought.
How much hazelnut spread can one house eat, even with kids? Is it worth it punching a total stranger just to buy jars that have been discounted three euros? Is this what society has devolved to, the triumphant search for a bargain, even to the extent of buying so much that the bargain becomes more expensive? Lots of supermarkets have 3 for 1 discounts, and others similar to that. It makes sense only if you use a lot of the product. Otherwise, you end up paying more because you might not use all that you buy. And even if you get one product free after buying two, if the product is relatively cheap, many times the savings aren't really even worth it.
There was a video on an article, of people gathering jars and jars of Nutella into a large shopping bag. Let's say, fifteen jars. Multiply 15 times €1.41 and you get €21.15. That's a lot of Nutella. Will a family even end up eating fifteen jars in a year? Before the expiration date? Perhaps if they consume it morning, noon and night. And while it is quite rich, a diet consisting of Nutella at every meal is not exactly nutritious, especially with all the sugar and fat it contains.
Bon apétit!
I don't know if I feel better or worse that the French can be as crazy as Americans. As for the cabbage patch dolls, a relative said she was hoping for cabbage patch birth control.
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