Tuesday, May 05, 2009

5 de Mayo



Most people don't know that back in 1912, Hellmann's mayonnaise was manufactured in England . In fact, the Titanic was carrying 12,000 jars of the condiment scheduled for delivery in Vera Cruz, Mexico , which was to be the next port of call for the great ship after its stop in New York .

This would have been the largest single shipment of mayonnaise ever delivered to Mexico . But as we know, the great ship did not make it to New York. The ship hit an iceberg and sank, and the cargo was forever lost.

The people of Mexico , who were crazy about mayonnaise, and were eagerly awaiting its delivery, were disconsolate at the loss. Their anguish was so great, that they declared a National Day of Mourning, which they still observe to this day.

The National Day of Mourning occurs each year on May 5th and is known, of course, as ---Sinko de Mayo.



9 comments:

tascha said...

i LOVE it!! :D

Betty said...

haha, I don´t know what the real holiday is about, but this is funny! :)

Rhonda in Chile said...

This one gets me every time!

Anonymous said...

...of course exactly one year later, those bottles of mayonnaise washed up on a Mexican beach just north of Veracuze, broke open and covered the seacoast, killing thousands of seagulls, crabs and coating the coastal tidal regions with a thick milky white goo. After a few weeks, the smell from the rotting marine life and fermenting mayonnaise drifted west and reached Mexico City. From that day on, some residents familiar with the original event referred to the event as "el stinko de Mayo

Mountain Mama said...

LOL!! I love it too.
You know you really had me going there until I read the last line.

Siberia Tom said...

Hey ever see Galaxy Quest? What a wonderful historical document. I would have never guessed that the titanic had mayo on board. Wow. and then it floated contra the current to Veracruz Wow double wow. Maloderous Mayo batman something is smelly here.

Gringo said...

Mark my words: You will get your just PUNishment!

The Local Malcontent said...

I never knew that! Can't wait to share that information with friends.

MightyMom said...

bwahahahahahahhahhahahahahahah