Perhaps the world's largest food fight.
August 28, 2002 12:51 PM   Subscribe

Perhaps the world's largest food fight. 38,000 people gathered in Bunal, Spain to throw tomatoes at each other. They were supplied with 132 tons of ripe, juicy ammunition.
posted by caddis (25 comments total)
 
any politicians in the vicinity?
posted by Stars Kitten at 12:58 PM on August 28, 2002


hmmm...you never hear about horned melon fights.
posted by dangerman at 1:00 PM on August 28, 2002


It's that kind of wasteful lifestyle that's made Spain the most hated country in the world.
posted by mr_crash_davis at 1:09 PM on August 28, 2002


meanwhile at the sustainability conference...
posted by Mick at 1:12 PM on August 28, 2002


*throws kiwi*
posted by dangerman at 1:20 PM on August 28, 2002


Pretty sure this is an annual event, no?
posted by Witty at 1:20 PM on August 28, 2002


The crowd of 38,000 - mostly young tourists from around the world -
Crash, it sounds like another local idea being co-opted by outsiders (cf today's Burning Man thread). I agree with you on the wastefulness -- why couldn't they just use the proverbial "rotten tomatoes"?

The participants, including many females, had ripped off their shirts
Definitely sounds like the Burning Man thread...I hope that Video Voyeurs got signed consent forms this time.
posted by PennyPrune at 1:24 PM on August 28, 2002


What a waste. Reminds me of "US discontinues tradition of overturning oil tanked every year on annual Energy Waste Day following energy shortages."
posted by ac at 1:25 PM on August 28, 2002


Shameless wastage while people around the world are dying of hunger. They can rather send these tomatoes to some hunger stricken refugee camps and throw each other in red food colored swimming pools.
posted by adnanbwp at 1:26 PM on August 28, 2002


Spain must feed the world!
posted by dangerman at 1:30 PM on August 28, 2002


Spain should just outlaw frat boys that want to fondle tomatos.
posted by corpse at 1:32 PM on August 28, 2002


That event always makes for some nice color photos.

As for the waste, as any tomato grower knows, there's not too much you can do with an excess of over ripe fruit.
posted by HTuttle at 1:47 PM on August 28, 2002


Didn't they send the Road Rules kids to this once? Never had the tomatoes been put to better use.
posted by GaelFC at 1:50 PM on August 28, 2002


send them to africa instead
posted by sikander at 2:05 PM on August 28, 2002


Believe it was called "Rueing the Ragu Goo Road Rules."
posted by DenOfSizer at 2:13 PM on August 28, 2002


The history of the Tomatina.
posted by liam at 2:13 PM on August 28, 2002


Now if it was Tomacco, that would be interesting.
posted by gottabefunky at 2:53 PM on August 28, 2002


Was E's "Wild On" there?
posted by aaronchristy at 3:21 PM on August 28, 2002


That tomato thing is pretty far out. That running bull thing, that's some freaky shit right there.
posted by holloway at 4:40 PM on August 28, 2002


The name of the town is neither Bunal nor Bunol but Bunyol, any other variation being a central government Spanish version of the town's name. Bunyol means dumpling. This has been going on for years. More tragic was the case of a Catalan town in the heart of the cava (Catalan champagne only better) district where the town fountain spurted cava for one night and everyone filled their glasses and jars to their hearts content. It was banned a few years ago because they believed underaged drinkers were visiting their own fountain. The fountain was paid for by the cava companies and the tomato thing usually uses tomatoes unfit for consumption. It sounds like a lot of tomatoes but you'd be amazed, or not...
posted by Zootoon at 5:40 PM on August 28, 2002


On the small Canary island, La Palma they have an annual flour fight. Must be something Spanish?
posted by edh at 3:10 AM on August 29, 2002


edh: flour fights happen all over Spain during carnival ... and in Thailand during the Songkran festival
posted by magullo at 7:43 AM on August 29, 2002


What zootoon was trying to say is that the Spanish name of the town in Buñol. Should you want to speak Catalan or Valencian, feel free to use Bunyol (the local government's version fo the name of the town).

Additionally, bunyol (buñuelo in Spanish) is not a dumpling, but a puffy, sweet, deep-fried pastry. Tastes like a doughnut.

So the name of the town, in English, is doughnut.

That's all I have to say.
posted by magullo at 7:54 AM on August 29, 2002


Tomacco's hilarious.
posted by Scottk at 8:04 AM on August 29, 2002


Yes, the cast of Road Rules Europe (Season 3) did participate in this. I think it was their last mission. Didn't they also have to climb the greased pole to drop something to start the fight?
posted by SisterHavana at 8:30 AM on August 29, 2002


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