I open a pack
of pasta and just when I am about to pour it into a bowl and weigh it I
notice with disgust that dozens of little black hairy insects are crawling among the
penne. I'll have to throw it away, damn, it was a new 1kg-pack. Well, at least I didn't eat it.
When I return
to the supermarket where I bought it I shake a few more packs of the
same (Italian) brand and I take a close look at them: from behind a rigatone or a pennetta rigata
one of the small animals often sticks its head out. This supermarket
must have received an infested batch. I change shop, carry out the same
test and obtain the same result. This means that the problem is bigger
than I thought. Maybe a whole container of this pasta brand has been
attacked. Then I have a hunch. I grab random packs of other brands,
Italian, French, Australian: some of them are infested. It's a mess. I
don't think the health-related risk is particularly serious, as the
pasta is usually boiled for several minutes, but...how disgusting!
I can't be the
only one who noticed this. And while the thought is taking shape in my
mind I put together fragments of memories, images, sensations. Those
free sauce cans taped to the packs, the suspicious discounts, the smart
shelf layouts. Slowly I start to grasp the most disconcerting aspect of
the situation: these guys know everything and instead of complaining
with those who come before them in the supply chain or scrapping the
whole batch and lose money...they still try to sell it on the sly! And
I wouldn't be surprised if they had already greased the wheels that
will save their asses in case someone protests or even sues them.
Poor consumers. It's a dirty war, us against them all, we've got to keep our yes wide open if we don't want to succumb.
Image: one of those insects in a pack of penne rigate