What's new

Historical note

Pet of the Month Starts Now!
FishForums.net Pet of the Month
🐶 Click here to enter! 🐰

WhistlingBadger

Professional Cat Herder
Retired Moderator ⚒️
Tank of the Month 🏆
Fish of the Month 🌟
Joined
Dec 18, 2011
Messages
6,629
Reaction score
11,707
Location
Where the deer and the antelope play
Historical note: In early spring of 1915, a merchant ship left New York harbor carrying food to resupply troops stationed on the west coast. After transiting the newly opened Panama canal, the ship sailed north along the Mexican coast, where it was torpedoed in a surprise attack by a German U-boat.

Most of the food went down with the ship, but strangely, thousands of gallon jars of mayonnaise were jarred loose by the explosions and spilled into the ocean. The buoyant jars were scattered far and wide by winds and currents, washing ashore over a wide area of the Mexican coast. Over the next several days, the inhabitants of impoverished coastal villages were surprised by the unexpected windfall of delicious, high-calorie food.

It had been a tough year for Mexican agriculture, and though the fate of the American sailors was tragic, the sinking couldn't have come at a better time for Mexico: It is said that hundreds, perhaps thousands of people were saved from starvation.

And that, my children, is why to this day Mexican communities celebrate "El Sinko de Mayo." Now you know.
 
Too late...I sent the story you wrote to the local newspaper :lol:. They are affiliated with syndicated radio stations, national news magazines, and national tv stations.
 
Last edited:
Is the joke the Mayo part saving people or the sinko de Mayo part because I found both funny , I was imagining Bono in the Sudan handing out Mayo
 
The joke is that cinco is Spanish for 5 and Mayo is Spanish for May. So sinko de Mayo just means 5th of May, the date WB posted his historical note.


(Though as someone who was taught Castillan Spanish, I pronounce cinco as thinco :) )
 
Just a cheap pun. Cinco de Mayo=Fifth of May, a major holiday in Mexico. In English, it sounds like a sinking of a ship with a bunch of mayo involved. The rest of the story just felt like it needed to happen.
 

Most reactions

trending

Staff online

Members online

Back
Top