Changes on Idaho’s Grocery Shelves

Ellos son geniales!  I had to look up that one.  It means, “They’re great!”  It’s what Tony the Tiger said about Frosted Flakes when I was a boy.  Maybe he still does let loose with the slogan but I probably don’t see the commercials because I watch all the wrong demographics on TV.  Last week I was shopping and found a childhood favorite on a grocery shelf.  The targeted buyers are Spanish speaking.

This isn’t unusual in the Magic Valley.  You may not like the changes.  However, it’s here and if you’re a businessman or woman, you’ll recognize all dollars are green.  I asked around about the meaning of the cereal box.  Friends with an understanding of Spanish tell me it means “sugar bites”.

I had one year of Spanish in junior high school.  Jerry Ford was President.  In high school I really wasn’t very interested in foreign languages.  My brother was a different story.  He died young.  He was 46-years-old but at the time of his passing had mastered eight languages.  He could also read and write in many of those and it made him very marketable.

Second and third languages are in demand when it comes to employment.  Friends who’ve done missions are usually fluent in at least one additional language.  One works in law enforcement and finds Spanish speaking people appear to trust him even more when he chats with them in their first tongue.

My lack of additional languages is a regret but I’m willing to guess Frosted Flakes taste the same in any language.  Funny, I probably haven’t had a bowl since before junior high but still have memories of the crunch.