Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/494410
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 12 APRIL 2015 Opinion 20 E ver wondered about the significance of those obscure digits, dots and dashes printed on the bottom (sometimes on the top) of tins, jars and bottles in any supermarket or grocery store? If not, it probably means you live in the real world, and therefore already know all about the existence of such concepts as 'expiry dates'. There are, however, some of us out here for whom 'shopping' is a more or less annual appointment; and even then, an appointment we keep somewhat reluctantly, when the pangs of starvation become too urgent to ignore. I fall into the latter category, so my direct experience of picking and choosing items from a supermarket shelf has always been rather limited. When I first noticed the regular presence of those mysterious symbols, stamped in smudgy ink on each and every product, I found them as intriguing as an archaeologist might find an undiscovered set of ancient hieroglyphics. What could it possibly mean? A sign of things to come, no doubt. Like the mandatory micro-chips we now insert into dogs, and will soon start inserting into new- born babies. A stamped mark of identit y, like the branding on a herd of cows… to remind us that we are all, in our own way, just a bunch of mass-produced items on a supermarket shelf. About the last thing I imagined was that they contained vital information that could very well save your life. And this might explain a near-death experience I recently went through involving eggs, bacon and a tin of baked beans. Oddly enough, I had been 'shopping' that day, and consequently felt like a 19th century explorer who had just discovered the source of the Nile. I had wheeled my trolley through endless aisles of supermarket shelves… slashed my way with a machete past small mountains of discounted special offers and cut-price bargains… through dense jungles of cabbages and kale I discerned distant, pyramid- like structures composed of laboriously stacked fruit-juice cartons… And I saw peas. Lots and lots of shiny green peas, winking back at me through the mist y glass panes of a freezer encased in thick- ribbed ice. Ah, the thrill of discovery! Like 'stout Cortez with eagle eyes', and all that. Any way, by the end of the expedition I was reasonably certain I had secured everything necessary for English breakfast that morning… which also means I had enough to keep myself alive for at least another week. But the bacon was already sizzling merrily in the pan when I realised I'd forgotten a vital ingredient. Baked beans. I had bought a packet of frozen peas… not, mind you, out of any intention to ever actually consume them: it was more because I was moved by compassion to free them from imprisonment, like a latter-day Oscar Schindler… but I had forgotten baked beans. Now, I ask you: what would an English breakfast be without baked beans? 'Breakfast' it may remain, certainly. Starvation it may even stave off, for a while. Raphael Vassallo Antique Musical Instruments in Malta EXHIBITION ENTRIES Fondazzjoni Patrimonju Malti is currently working on an exhibition of antique musical instruments from the earliest times through to the 19 th century. is exhibition will form part of a major project entitled 'A Musical Journey through the Mediterranean' which will take place throughout 2018, the year that Valletta will hold the title European Capital of Culture. We would like to appeal to anyone who would consider lending items for this exhibition. We are looking for all kinds of musical instruments from woodwind to string and keyboard instruments, brass and percussion including clappers, drums, bells, rattles and whistles as well as music boxes, folkloristic and home-made instruments. We are also interested in items related to music, including music scores and paintings with a music theme. Interested parties should contact Angela Ghirxi on 21231515 or at info@patrimonju.org. All communication will be treated with the strictest condentiality. ank you www.patrimonju.org Don't open that tin…