A group of young Mallorcans have taken to social media to complain that numerous restaurants in Soller only have their menus in English. They have organised their very own protest by buying food from local pastry shops and eating it on a park benches next to restaurants.
"We will do this until menus are not just in English," they say in a social media post. Their campaign, on Tik Tok, has enjoyed some success receiving a large number of "likes" and numerous favourable comments.
"I am from Sóller and you have done very well", "The same thing happened to me in Benidorm" or "I was in Mallorca and there were shops where neither the shop assistants understood Spanish nor Catalan," where just some of the comments which were posted online.
It comes after 20,000 people marched through Palma on Sunday calling for fewer tourists and a return to the "old Mallorca." The Balearic government has vowed to take action and is drawing up plans to ease tourism overcrowding.
It is illegal for restaurants to have their menus only in English and owners can be fined by the local authorities.
39 comments
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LoadsamoneyA. Your name says it all. You can't buy class, as you tell us if we disagree we don't know anything about food. How arrogant!. B. Why do you live here at all, with such poor quality food, according to you. C. Choose another place in Spain where you find the food you.like, but maybe it would ""tarnish" your image, as its sound more upmarket living in Mallorca. D. Let's not hear your views again about the "poor food" in Mallorca and the "dross food" in the UK.
Richard PearsonNot anymore as it doesn't exist
It would be far more productive if the y denounced these establishments if they exist. Much better than idiotically sitting outside and eating a slice of coca.
LoadsamoneyEr what you mean about northerners. I’m about as north as you can get , and we have great restaurants and gastro pubs and fish shacks. Including Michelin stared if your into that. Majorca has some good restaurants family run places. And very good local wines. I was a great fan of the villa Italia now sadly gone. But found a great place on the outskirts of Deia with lobster salads and Galicia beef. One night had a red tuna starter that would have cost a hundred bucks in Tokyo or London alone. 3 course with wine for £150. Excellent value for 2 person. But London is full of ping and boil in the bag places charging a fortune. Like all mass catering there’s poor quality. But look in the right places in Majorca and there’s some real stars.
I am a foreigner coming to Mallorca but can certainly understand the protests.When I am in Mallorca or mainland Spain, I speak as much Spanish as I can ( and even some Mallorcan words I ve learned ) and read the Spanish menus. I also was confronted with a restaurant employee who I talked to in Spanish and couldn't understand me.... ) I an earlier article it was referred to a Eu law that so called could not forbid foreigners to buy a holiday- house. Well this is not correct as f e in Austria you cannot buy a house unless you live in it permanently. So I wish all Mallorcan people succes with their actions.
Kevin DWell, considering that this entire narrative is complete nonsense (there is no place with English-only menus - especially in Soller - because there's too many other nationalities who visit there - and besides it's illegal under Spanish law), AND against all evidence to the contrary, as published just this morning, British bookings are actually increasing... But OK, let's pretend that "English" no longer come to Mallorca out of self-incited indignance at the "anti-British" movement that English tabloids have now spun ad-nauseum, then consider that Brits (who aren't all English, by the way) collectively account for about 18% of tourism here (yes, I know the overwhelming majority according to tabloid maths) the where do you think the other 82% will go?
Be no English there soon, so you can have it all back in Spanish, along with the empty tables. Enjoy
Zoltan TeglasBet you could find Barrio Chino though
Actually Tawny, I should make it clear. Although I don't rate Mallorcan food, it is still better than most of the dross you get in the UK outside of London. Cumbria excluded, the North of England is a culinary desert. I only criticise Mallorcan food, because I know how good regional cooking in Spain is. Some of the food in Andulasia/Girona/Asturias/Galicia is amazing. Go to Haro, have a galician steak and a bottle of local La Rioja Alta, what's better 🤷♂️. The reason I get annoyed with Mallorcan food is that ignorant Brits (mostly northerners) think the food is amazing there. It ain't, its just better than the lard & chips on offer in Manchester etc al 🤷♂️
LoadsamoneyYes, yes, yes we all know about France and the menus. As France is hailed as the best cuisune in the world, its a bit stupid making that comparison. But it is also clear that you just don't know the best menu places on this beautiful island full of "pobres" and i doubt very much they would share that knowledge with YOU!