I’ve noticed that lately I don’t shop based on what I need or feel like eating that day. If I want ketchup, I buy it, of course. But I’m talking about the real ingredients, the ones that make up the dishes. And the reason is simple, even if a little disturbing: I only, or almost only, buy discounted products because they are close to expiring. And obviously I don’t decide what will go wrong and when. Today I got a little reality shock when I saw that my entire purchase had the yellow 50% off sticker. That moment when you understand that the supermarket decides for you if you want to make it to the end of the month with your 1,300 euro salary and 25 years. Yes, I buy kefir at the discounted price of 1.07 euros and then on Sunday I drink four vermouths for 3.50 euros. I am not interested. Each with their vices. But it makes me laugh – and a little angry – having to spend every penny when we go shopping to be able to afford our little “whims”. Be careful, a yogurt. And then there are the tricks to survive while shopping which are another nuisance: the greengrocer near the office, which rotates between courgettes, aubergines or chard at 0.99 euros per kilo. Small strategies for spending your money. Because surviving on discounts is not just an economic strategy, but a symptom of the times.
Sea Barranco Clemente. Madrid
In the end we tell our story
When Franco died I was seven years old. I don’t remember that day or the previous ones. But I remember never having studied at school or even at the institute (there was never time, the teachers complained), nor his figure, nor his criminal regime. Instead, I remember, almost in detail, having studied other historical periods in depth, I’m not saying that they are less current, but they are of less interest to young people who have just entered into freedom and don’t want to lose it again. I’m not saying that we shouldn’t know our most remote origins, but digging deeper into the caves of Altamira than in the recent cave seems to me to be a disproportionate insult and a colossal mistake. The impressive thing is that, 50 years after that dark period, support for the far right is growing among our young people. And I feel fear, anger and pain, because such an inclination can only respond to a supreme and unforgivable ignorance that I hope will not cause us to stumble into the fascism of other times. How to avoid it? Starting to tell our story from the end could help our young people become more aware of the privilege of living in freedom.
Gonzalo by Miguel Renedo. Logrono
The Golden Fleece
Recently the Golden Fleece has been awarded to various personalities, including Queen Sofia or the fathers of the Constitution. I think this distinction should be revoked when one of the people who received it commits an intentional crime. Among them is King Emeritus and former French President Nicolas Sarkozy. The first could not be brought to trial, but it is clear that his conduct was not exemplary and for this reason he lives on the private island of Nurai, in Abu Dhabi, where he has tax residence. The second was convicted and imprisoned. Will this distinction be withdrawn to maintain its prestige?
Alejandro Fernández Fernández. Madrid
