Penguin Group Australia has had to reprint 7,000 copies of a book called the Pasta Bible last week after a recipe for spelt tagliatelle with sardines and prosciutto suggested a rather unwelcome ingredient.
The recipe called for the dish to be seasoned with "salt and freshly ground black people" instead of black pepper.
The reprint cost A$20,000 ($18,000; £12,000), but stock in bookshops will not be recalled as it is "extremely hard" to do so, Penguin said.
I can see a proof reader getting their arse kicked over that one!
It does make you wonder what the person who wrote it was thinking...
ReplyDeleteMy initial guess was that it was due to the Cupertino effect. As I commented on Language Log, cookbooks are notoriously difficult to proofread, but it's hard to believe this error made it all the way through to publication.
ReplyDeleteI wonder Cherie
ReplyDeleteAh Stan I had never heard of teh Cupertino effect but it explains what may have happened
The comment I left on Language Log is: I wonder if there would be such a hoopla if white pepper had been used in the recipe instead of black, and if the grounded people would then be Caucasian, not black.
ReplyDeleteOh Claudia white people would totally change the taste of the dish out of all recognition!
ReplyDeleteAre you implying that I wouldn't be tasty? I hope you're around when Andrew's alien friends finally come down and plan to boil me, grounded or in parts.
ReplyDeleteBut seriously, the reaction to that error is a tempest in a teapot. We have to stop being so bloody self conscious about race and colours. Once, I used the word snigger (instead of snicker) on an American post. And I was told I was racist. In USA, you can't even say, "Oh! boy, it's hot today." if there's a black man near you. Utterly ridiculous....
Jams this is a spell check issue. I have had bad ones, but nothing at this level
ReplyDeleteAgreed Claudi it is a lot of very little. I don't think anyone complained about the typo. It was a case of spotting an outrageous but inadvertant one and correcting. Personally it amuses me.
ReplyDeleteOf course it is Bekerkin.. sloppy spellchecking and sloppy proofreading
Proof-reading, SO important. I once spelled my middle name wrong on my own business card (which I designed myself, so it was all my own doing.)
ReplyDeleteGod yes Knatolee!
ReplyDeleteExactly, Jams. That was my point. Grounding white people would have have been funny. I would have sent a list of names to the chef...
ReplyDeleteHmm even if they taste rotten they cant spoil the dish worse than sardines!
ReplyDeleteWe'll tell the chef to serve the meal to the Vatican. I can't believe I'm that bad...
ReplyDeleteErr It's going to take more than a few novenas to save you Claudia!
ReplyDeleteI guess the automatic spell checker is to blame for this one. I have seen worse...
ReplyDeleteSloppy spellchecking is a curse. Years back and a lot more junior I once sent out a note about Territiorial Inspectors, well it should ahve been except I had changed alll to Territorial Infectors. And they were a humourless and self important bunch of arseholes so you can imagine their response!
ReplyDelete