Day: 22 November 2005

I’m not really sure I understand this advert from a booklet, I just found on my bookcase, entitled “Getting Married” from 1972. Here’s what it says:

Now he’ll love your cooking, too!

He’ll really appreciate you when you become not only his wife, but a good cook too!

Easy to use — and very efficient in all it does — a SPONG mincer is as pretty as it is versatile.

A choice of attractive hard nylon coloured tops in olive green, honey, tangerine and sky blue will blend with any colour scheme.

With slicer/grater tops to add to your mincing you have at hand a complete aid to good cooking.

See the range of Spong mincers, slicer/graters, bean slicers, coffee grinders at your hardware or department store. Look for the N705 at £2.25, the N605 at £2.70 and the comprehensive 702 Kitchen Set at £4.31.

Well, first of all there’s the blatently sexist “he’ll really appreciate you when you become … a good cook!” Then there’s that part about “a SPONG mincer is as pretty as …” When have you ever heard of a mincer being described as pretty?! And just how versatile can it be? How many different ways can you find to mince something!

Do I even have to point out the sentence about its “choice of attractive hard nylon coloured tops” matching any kitchen colour scheme:

Four attractive colours that will blend with any kitchen colour scheme, from left to right: olive green, honey, tangerine and sky blue.

But what I find most baffling is the company’s byline: “Spong: A meal in a mincer”. I mean, I know for the early part of the 1970s I was mostly eating liquidized foods, but then I had an excuse: I was a baby. But, was there some kind of let’s-mince-all-our-foods craze that we’ve not been told about?!

Full marks, however, to the advertising company that managed to sex-up a mincer! Next week, if I’m brave enough, I’ll share the advert entitled “Better gifts are electric”. Or the advert for “the best ironing table in the world” that also offers a left-handed version! What, stand on the other side?!