The last two weeks have seen the dreaded lumbering EU creature of darkness shake off its sloth and remind us how it can suddenly change our little lives for the worse. It reared its head and sniffed the air, desperate to source a little fresh meat and settled on frightening the bejesus out of restaurateurs, chefs and olive oil producers alike.
It decreed that, lo, (that's, like, official EU speak) olive oil shall no more be served in cute authentic dipping bowls for those we like to call customers to break bread and be as one, dipping and eating in communal harmony whilst waiting for their food to arrive. No, the EU-monster (we like to picture it with little round glasses and perhaps a comb-over) thought that those pesky restaurateurs were clearly conning all of us and serving inferior-grade olive oil for dipping; a better idea would be to serve the oil in pre-packaged, tamper-proof mini-bottles for customers to open themselves (and the restaurant to discard the gigantic waste) so that we ARE NOT MISLED (although it's clearly happy for us to be served battery-farmed chicken and eggs, horse in our meat and so on). Restaurateurs and producers reared up in fright like angry spooked horses and led a global stampede that led to the EU-monster being vanquished once again and sent to sit back down in his little grey dungeon in Brussels. It was what you might call a storm in a ramekin.
It was both enlightening and entertaining to read the many and varied loopholes that would have enabled the dipping bowl to continue: mixing the oil with a little chilli, balsamic or even salt would have meant it was not "pure" and therefore subject to the regulation. Some suggested a special "oil sommelier" to pour at the table. The ban also did not apply to balsamic vinegar, ketchup, mayonnaise, butter, salt and pepper - in fact any of the condiments served at the table - which made it even more of a nonsense. Producers were outraged at the very real prospect of being put out of business: the new packaging made the costs of production untenable for many, so the EU would probably have ended up destroying the very industry it wished to protect.
So where do you stand on the "dipping" issue? Some applauded the measure, classing it as unhygienic as the dishes of nuts served at bars; most chefs reacted with anger at the implied allegation that they were screwing their customers; some saw it as just another way for the EU-monster to stamp on the little man, much as the furore over imperial measures at markets was an issue a few years ago. So are you a communal dunker? Do you pour the oil on to your own plate first? Would you even care what the oil was as long as it tastes nice? Grease those typing digits and let us know.
