h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

They do?

I got lost in the threads when canned wine came up ...

But I do agree "rolling your own" can be good for ... uhh, we call it "pico de gallo" for fajitas rolled into tortillas. Tomatoes, red onions, cilantro, lime juice, vinegar. I guess a specific kind of "salsa"? The stuff I like on tortilla chips is typically labelled "picante sauce", usually I just buy a jar of the store brand (generic), probably no more expensive than ketchup.

Rolling your own?

As long as you don't smoke them afterwards.

B

Ah, but do you know why salsa is so popular? Because people like to say salsa. "Salsa salsa!"

And yes, it just means sauce in spanish. No, I would not put it on my chips. Yes, I like it on my tacos.

And if someone wants to write an entry on salsa, go right ahead.

Just a little note:

on a recent trip to a local small supermarket: 9 shelves of salsa, 2 shelves of ketchup.

Apparently the Italians aren't big fans of ketchup, either, at least based on the movie "Good Fellas". The Ray Liotta character turns rat on his mobster buddies to save his own skin. He's in the witness protection plan, living as a normal "nobody", which is hard to take after being a "rock star" mobster. Has to go to the back of the line, etc. Even worse, he orders spaghetti with marinara sauce, he is served egg noodles with ketchup. And he can't shoot anybody.

9 shelves versus 2? very interesting but not conclusive. i once worked in a small supermarket where there was as much shelf space for microwave popcorn as for fresh vegetables. it didn't mean we sold a lot of popcorn, simply that the manager had his head up his...

to really present convincing data, a wider population of stores, of different sizes and price ranges, in diverse neighborhoods is needed.

I'll keep counting.

Right. Bigger grocery. More upscale (sells live lobster and crab [we're 8 million miles from the sea]) and all sorts of organic crap. Three wide shelves of salsa. One of Ketchup (all Heinz).

8 million miles! then it must be in texas! (observation based on 1. knowledge of geography displayed by leading citizens of the lone star state and 2. proverbial tendancy of texans to exaggerate).

in which case the preponderance of salsa can be considered a regional aberration.

a socio-economic variable is also present: upscale stores likely have the highest proportion of salsa. you may find more varieties of caviar than sardines too. do we imply that caviar sales outstrip those of sardines?

your next assignment is to check stores in polish, irish and afro-american neighborhoods in the great lakes areas and new england.

didn't I mention that it was Canada?

Nothing downmarket about sardines, young riotact. Very good too they are on a BBQ.

B

fresh sardines i hope, not canned ones. they smell horrible cooking but taste fantastic.

canned ones are good too. did you know they get better with age, like wine? my advice is to consider the "best before" date on the can as "best AFTER". I never open a can that isn't at least a year beyond the "consume by" date.

now for some saucy info:

Salsa vs. Catsup results for lyon, france:

CARREFOUR (very large supermarket, middle price range)
- Catsup: 1.2 linear metres of shelf space. 3 brands; Amora (2 sizes regular, each displayed 2 rows abreast, and 1 size "hot", 1 row), house brand (same display but no "hot"), low price brand (one size 3 bottles abreast).
- Salsa: 60 centimetres shelf space. bottle type: tabasco 5 bottles abreast (displayed in cut carton), green tabasco 1 row, Crystal 1 row, Salsalito 1 row. jar type: old el paso one row, house brand one row. i have not counted 60 centimetres devoted to "kits" with tortillas and a seasonong poxder for meat included; the salsas in these kits are identical to those already listed.

SUPER U (medium size market, middle price range)
- Catsup: 80 centimetres shelf space. two brands
- Salsa: none

LEADER PRICE (large market, budget range)
- Catsup: 1.5 metres shelf space; only one brand in one size however, the excessive shelf space is due to stockage principle by whole pallets
- Salsa: 40 centimetres shelf space. no bottle brands, one generic jar brand presented in a kind of basket next to the tortilla chips.

CHAMPION (medium size, upscale neighborhood)
- Catsup: 80 centimetres shelf space. two brands, both with "hot" varieties
- Salsa: 1.2 metres shelf space in two areas. one area had the bottle types: tabasco red and green, Crystal, and 3 other brands; and the more common jar brands (2 brand names, 5 total varieties). The other area is reserved for upscale brands of diverse products; here the bottled salsas were repeated, excepting the 3 "other" brands, but adding a Jamaican sauce. There were also 5 different jar brands not present elsewhere.

and special for Anhaga: Champion also stocks 1 variety of REAL maple syrup (no ersatz available)

Is it Canada No. 1 Maple Syrup?

Inner city supermarket, low income neighborhood: 9 shelves salsa, 5 shelves ketchup (sorry, didn't have my tape measure)

one thing about ketchup is that it seems to keep indefinitely whereas salsa tends to spoil mo more easily

it depends how hot the salsa is. pepper and sugar are two of the most common pre-refrigeration methods for conserving food, along with salting and smoking. you'll notive that tabasco doesn't go moldy.

Do you actually eat food, riotact, or just see how long you can keep it for?

B

"... you'll notice that tabasco doesn't go moldy."

I remember a saying, "There is no such thing as an empty bottle of Tabasco." Not true in my house ...

where i come from you can get baby bottle nipples that fit on tabasco bottles!

That'll traumatise the nippers.

B