Typically Spanish.... but how long for?

Often the simple pleasures in life are the best.... One of the many joys of living in Spain is the easy laid back attitude - sometimes it can appear positively horizontal and take a little getting use to, but overall the relaxed lifestyle is what drives most people to uproot and move here. The weather is probably the number one reason but the culture and long lazy lunches are just as appealing to most.

If you go to lunch at almost any Spanish restaurant one of the first things that they bring you is a basket of bread and bowl of olive oil to dip it into. But hang on.... come 1st January 2014 the EU is to ban the use of refillable bottles and dipping bowls! Yep the loony European Commission have absolutely nothing better to do except bring in some obscure new legislation which they claim will protect consumers and improve hygiene! Seriously, how can it be justified that tax payers money is being wasted on a committee that think up of such drivel? In my opinion, they´re all barking....

Refillable.... "NO" according to the EU

From 1st January 2014, restaurants and tapas bars will only be allowed to serve olive oil in "tamper proof" packaging labelled to EU standards. I would stake a 500 euro note (if I had one, but you get my drift) that restaurants buy olive oil in bulk and refill the bottles and jugs daily.

As well as the stupidity at such a legislation, the repercussions on all the businesses associated with oil for the catering industry is colossal. The manufacturers of the oil & vinegar jugs for one, the waste of glass as infinitely more smaller bottles will need to be produced and so push up the cost, which no doubt will be passed on to the consumer - you and me! Many small artisan producers will go out of business, ending decades of tradition as restaurants are forced to buy mass factory produced oil.

This would be a definite no no then....

It will start with olive oil - what will be next. Banning bread baskets, butter, demanding individual salt and pepper pots? The EU´s largest producers of olive oil Spain, Portugal, Greece and Italy are those that are currently struggling economically the most and will be hit even harder come next year.

If they are so concerned with hygiene they should take a look at other things first, such as open salad bars, bowls of free nuts at bars and dishes of unwrapped after dinner mints - who knows what dirty fingers have been in them.  The majority of the hotels in Benidorm would have a problem as they all serve buffet meals where you help yourself.... opps - don´t tell anyone in Brussels!