DOES SALSA REALLY OUTSELL KETCHUP?
IT COULD BE said that globalization
started in the kitchen, when, in the 1800s,
French cuisine became popular in America.
Today, according to Chicago-based
restaurant consulting firm Technomic,
Mexican dishes are one of the industry’s
leading trends. Moe’s Southwest Grill,
based in Atlanta, serves the popular fare
in more than 400 locations throughout the
U.S., with another 65 scheduled to open
this year. Chipotle Mexican Grill opened its
first location in 1993 with a roof sign on
its 880-square-foot facility in Denver that
stated simply, “Mexican Grill.” It began with
a vision of a gourmet burrito and developed
the concept of fast-casual/fresh dining.
Now, 900 venues carry the Chipotle name.
As far back as the 1990s, salsa began to challenge ketchup as our No. 1
condiment. The San Francisco Chronicle reported a statistic by Packaged
Facts, a food-and-beverage marketing research group based in Rockville, Md.,
that salsa outsold ketchup by $40 million in 1992. The controversial question
continues today. The answer depends on whom you ask and how you count:
by units sold, dollar value, institutional or retail-package sales.
Defending ketchup’s position in 2003, Robin Teets, spokesperson for Heinz
North America, Pittsburgh, noted that “the two condiments are used with
different host foods.”
Today, hot dogs and fries remain the traditional hosts for ketchup. As chefs
experiment, however, salsa flavors and salsa hosts become more diverse every
day—naturally, for tacos and chips, but currently also seen on Atlanta-based
Ted’s Montana Grill buffalo burgers, and as a mango-salsa smear with grilled
shrimp and fried green tomatoes at Atlanta’s London Bistro.
SOUNDS LIKE ENGLISH
Some of the easiest Spanish words to learn are those similar to English words. Speak a little
Spanish almost immediately by practicing the Spanish vowel sounds and pronunciation.
According to “Hispanic Americans by the
Numbers,” an online report from the U.S.
Census Bureau, between July 1, 2008,
and July 1, 2009, one of every two people
added to the U.S. population was Hispanic.
The U.S. has an estimated 48. 4 million
Hispanics, the second-largest Hispanic
population in the world after Mexico, with
an estimated 111 million.
Spanish
a
e
i
o
u
Sounds like
ah
ay
ee
oh
oo
English
almonds, asparagus
ate, plate, cake
eat, meat, beef
romaine, okra, oregano
food, smoothie, spoon
The culinary industry employs many
Spanish-speaking workers, so knowing
a little Spanish could be good for
you and your business. It can reduce
misunderstandings as well as enhance
food safety/hygiene, productivity and
efficiency. It can also improve loyalty,
morale and the all-important bottom line.
If you don’t remember enough Spanish
from high school or college or from your
travels, here we offer words, phrases and a
few pronunciation techniques.
Words similar in English and Spanish
English Spanish
No No (also, don't)
Regular Regular
Is (It is) Es
Necessary Necesita
Tomato Tomate
Number Número
Respect Respeto
Perfect Perfecto
Problem Problema
Electrical Eléctrico
Machine Máquina
Accident Accidente
Spanish pronunciation
noh
reg OO lahr
ays
nay say SEE tah
toe MA tay
NOO may roh
ray SPAY toh
per FEC toh
proh BLAY mah
ay LAYK tree koh
MAH kee nah
ahk see DAYN tay
