Bimbo Bread?

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A few years ago a story came out, in the SRU universe entitled "Bimbo Bread." The subject matter of the story should be obvious due to the title.

Recently, at our local "superstore/grocery store, I found the real deal! It's pronounced Beem-bo Bread, according to the packaging, but however you pronounce it, it LOOKS the same.

I don't, like, know if it, like has the same effect as the stuff in the story. I've been using it for sandwiches for the last few, you know, days? I haven't noticed any effects yet, fer shuuure, but I'll keep you...ummm. oh, you know, like appraised?

like, later.
Cathy

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South of the Border

littlerocksilver's picture

It's a major brand south of the U.S. border, down into South America.

Portia

Portia

Bimbo Owns Brands and Bakeries in the US

Here are some of the Brands they own:
# » arnold
# » bimbo
# » boboli
# » brownberry
# » Entenmann's
# » francisco
# » freihofer's
# » marinela
# » mrs baird's
# » oroweat
# » stroehmann
# » thomas'
# » tia rosa

I first became aware of them when they bought out Mrs. Baird's which was a big regional brand in Texas. I'm sure they know about the English meaning of the name. My guess is that they don't care.

Didn't Know...

...that they'd bought out the Oroweat (/Francisco sourdough/Thomas English muffins/Entenmann's pastries) line here in the SF Bay Area. I'm pretty sure they still make all the breads here, though, since I shop occasionally at their factory store.

Bimbo products have been a staple in Latino-oriented markets in the area for a pretty long time, I think, and I heard that they are (or were) heavily advertised in Spanish-language media. They just moved into mainstream supermarket chains here a relatively short time ago, which suggests that they're probably being serviced by the same trucks as Oroweat now.

Eric

(If I recall correctly, the version of the story I saw some years ago (StorySite, I think) did offer apologies to "the real Bimbo bread".)

Translation

erin's picture

Bimbo in Italian and Spanish means "baby boy".

Back in the fifties there was a pop song called "Bimbo" about a mischievous little boy. It started getting used that way in American English for a bit but somehow metamorphosed into being a pretty but dim woman. Language is weird.

I remember my grandmother, Ma Dale, referring to one of my younger cousins in a roomful of sewing circle ladies as being her "little bimbo." And Bill, irreverent, unpredictable and highly verbal, even at age two, said, "Bimbo's a little shitass." Meaning he needed his diaper changed.

Hugs,
Erin

= Give everyone the benefit of the doubt because certainty is a fragile thing that can be shattered by one overlooked fact.

= Give everyone the benefit of the doubt because certainty is a fragile thing that can be shattered by one overlooked fact.

When I first saw it

When I first saw it in a local market I wondered if the manufacturer knew the common meaning of the word in the US. I also wondered if there was a story hidden in there somewhere.

Bob

Personally

I won't buy any Bimbo bread products, or Mrs. Bairds anymore. Even the more common things are made in Mexico now (other than the main loaves themselves), and I don't appreciate it. Even the manager at the Mrs. Bairds store hadn't caught on to the 'made in Mexico' part until I pointed it out on some of the Mrs. Baird's snack cakes.

I also have tried a bunch of the straight "Bimbo" products, because their main distributor is here in Houston. Almost everything they make tastes stale, right out of the package. Apparently in Mexico and points south, they like stale tasting scones, biscuits, bread, cookies, and snack foods in general.


I'll get a life when it's proven and substantiated to be better than what I'm currently experiencing.

Flour

erin's picture

If you get stale tasting food, take it back to the store you bought it from; that can happen with any brand. They will report to their distributor and if they get enough complaints will stop carrying those goods. Has happened in the past and is how Frito-Lay has become the dominant national chip producer in the US; they deliver the freshest product nationwide and regional brands can't compete on freshness outside their region.

Most of the flour used in Mexican products comes from the US or Canada. That's both the domestic and export product. So does the oil: corn, soy or canola. Also, the ovens and processing machinery were made in the USA or CA, most likely. The trucks to haul it were likely either US/CA, Japanese, Korean, German or now, Chinese. Mexico runs a trade deficit in the 100s of millions of dollars with its NAFTA partners most months.

Mexicans BTW complain that food brands from the US always taste stale or artificial. In Mexico, if you buy cheap tortillas, they are made with US/CA corn. Only the expensive/premium brands are made with local grain because growing corn in Mexico is not subsidized like it is here. Black beans, a staple food product in Eastern and Southern Mexico, come from Louisiana and Texas, quite frequently. Bad harvests in the US/CA can send Mexican food prices through the sky, even on products that are mostly domestically grown because the US will buy up Mexican stocks of fruits and vegetables when those items are scarce here. Bad harvests of black beans, tomatoes or onions in Mexico affect restaurant prices in the US since US restaurant suppliers are increasingly using Mexican product on some non-price supported foods.

The economic relationship between the US and Mexico is very imperialistic with the US having the lion's share of both exports and imports. Trade agreements with the US are seldom advantageous for consumers one either side of the border and usually end up with some American company and a few Mexican politicians pocketing extra profits. It actually amuses me to see Bimbo reversing the usual trend.

Hugs,
Erin

= Give everyone the benefit of the doubt because certainty is a fragile thing that can be shattered by one overlooked fact.

= Give everyone the benefit of the doubt because certainty is a fragile thing that can be shattered by one overlooked fact.