Tenerife Magazine’s round up of some of the most interesting news stories of the week in Tenerife.

Missing the Point
The Canarian Government has announced that the EU has authorised the public sector in the Canary Islands to favour employing or contracting only with Canarian residents. Javier González Ortiz, the Canarian Government’s Minister for Economy, Taxes and Security said this was a positive move that would help improve the prospects of Canarian residents whom he felt were victims of not only a lack of jobs but of foreign workers taking up positions in the islands.
Apart from the fact that it goes completely against EU directives, the idea of favouring job hunters and contractors because of their place of birth is ridiculous and discriminatory.
People don’t take jobs, they earn them because they have the suitable qualities, qualifications and experience for the job.
If someone doesn’t have the qualifications or the necessary qualities, here’s the not-so-secret formula ““ they need to work harder and get them. To think otherwise is to miss the point. The Canarian Government should concentrate on tackling issues such as better education and training instead of flaunting this red herring. Interestingly the authorisation (if it can be called that) is related to ‘Canarian residents” not ‘Canarios”, a point that seems to have eluded some newspapers as well as some Canarian politicians.

Possibly this official statement might help remind them what it means to be part of the EU – ‘Free movement of persons is one of the fundamental freedoms guaranteed by Community law. It is perhaps the most important right under Community law for individuals, and an essential element of European citizenship.‘

Thankfully opposition politicians seem to have a better understanding of EU legislation and have ridiculed what they say is a deliberate twisting of what was a communication between Brussels and the Canary Island Government.

Carnaval Poster for 2013
Although the sound of those carnival drums is a long seven months away, the biggest fiesta in Tenerife is never far from people’s minds. This week saw the unveiling of the carnival poster design for 2013 by artist Waldemar Lemanczyk from Güímar. The poster, titled Rhythm and Colour, was chosen from a field of 27 entries. There’s no mistaking the Bollywood theme for next year’s carnival with the fish adding that essential Chicharrero (the nickname for people from Santa Cruz) element. That alluring Indian look will no doubt give some people an idea for a carnival costume… especially the men.

Honey Shortage
Apparently one of the things affected by the drought on Tenerife is the production of honey. The spring/summer honey haul is only 50% of what it should be and bee-keepers fear that as much as 90% of average annual honey production will be lost by the end of the year, particularly honeys made with tajinaste and retama de Teide. Apart from being disastrous for bee-keepers it means that honey prices are likely to soar.

The Music Scene on Tenerife is Different
Whereas Sting struggled to sell 6,000 tickets on Tenerife, Latino singer Juan Luis Guerra pulled in 10,000 fans in Los Cristianos on Friday night. If you’re a fan of Latino and Spanish music, you’ll regularly get to see the biggest names from those music scenes on Tenerife. However, if it’s top British and American musicians you want to see in Tenerife a ‘sound-alike’ in Playa de las Américas is probably the closest you’ll get.

And finally the TIT (This Is Tenerife) of the week award goes to”¦ Coalición Canaria
Following last week’s TIT of the week award to Arona’s Mayor who was disqualified from holding public office for four and a half years, this week’s award goes to his political party, Coalición Canaria (CC). Despite the judicial ruling, the CC have backed the Mayor to stay on in his position. The party stated that whilst they respected judicial decisions, this particular one just wasn’t logical. Maybe they only respect the judicial decisions they like.
What sort of an example is that to set? The message seems to be ‘If you think any aspect of the law is illogical, simply ignore it and do your own thing’ under the ‘if it’s good enough for the goose, it’s good enough for the gander’ philosophy. Or is it more a case of ‘do as I say, not as I do’?

With luggage allowances at a premium, why waste space on fake watches that will stop the minute your aircraft wheels leave the runway? Here’s our pick of the best buys to squeeze into the suitcase at the end of your holidays to Tenerife …

1. Tobacco. If there’s one place where hoping to give up smoking while on holiday is probably a non-starter, it’s Tenerife. As a VAT-free island, the dreaded weed is a fraction of UK prices. Don’t wait until you get to the airport to stock up, you’ll pay way more than in any local supermarket or in resort shops.

2. Alcohol. That absence of VAT on Tenerife means that all the vices are at irresistibly affordable prices and with supermarkets allocating as many aisles to alcohol as they do to food, readily available in all flavours and sizes. Opt for the local brands if you really want to win the cheapskate prize but be prepared to pay a dividend in hangovers.

3. Perfume. There’s that “we’re a tax-free island” bonus raising its pretty head again…without which the price of wafting Dior, Chanel and Versace in your wake falls distinctly into the affordable bracket. Again, don’t wait until you get to the airport to buy, you can test to your heart’s content in any number of hyper stores and leave everyone in close proximity with a headache and a slightly nauseous feeling.

4. Cheese. Tenerife produces award winning goat’s cheeses and it’s worth testing out a few during your stay and bagging a block to take home. You can buy fresco (fresh), ahumado (smoked), semi-curado and curado (cured) with fresco being the mildest and curado having definite cheese attitude. The biggest trophy cabinet belongs to Arico smoked which is considered one of the top twelve cheeses in the world by people who know about these things ““ presumably Wallace and Gromit.

5. Shoes. Leather has always been a good buy in Spanish territories and Tenerife is no exception. With eternal summer on the beaches, it’s a great place to stock up on your summer sandal collection. If you really want to play Carrie Bradshaw to your friends at home, check out the nearest branch of Pécas for incredible styles that you won’t find in the UK.

6. Honey. Look for the “Miel de Tenerife’ label and grab yourself a jar of Winnie The Pooh’s favourite supper. Mobile hives are transported to allow their little furry workers to feast on such delicacies as avocado blossom and tajinaste which results in some 15 varieties of truly excellent honey.

7. Miel de Palma/Palm Honey. Okay, I know it’s technically honey but… it’s derived from an entirely different source and it tastes more like toffee syrup, so it’s getting a separate listing ““ bite me. Produced from the sap of Gomeran date palms and distilled into a rich, dark syrup, Miel de Palma has been produced for over 500 years. Completely natural, filled with minerals and high in nutritional value, drizzle it to turn a bowl of vanilla ice cream into a dessert to die for; Greek yoghurt into the food of the Gods and goat’s cheese into seventh heaven.

8. Mojos. Having spent your holiday dipping your papas arrugadas into the delicious tangy red and green mojos that are served in Canarian restaurants, you can buy lots of little sets to take home and smear on your chips.

9. Coffee. Extremely good value compared to UK prices, the Spanish addiction to strong coffee translates into dozens of varieties, some of which have packaging that will get you arrested by the political correctness party just for having it in your suitcase.

10. Turrón. Made from a base of almonds and honey and available in a dizzying range of flavours, the enduring favourite is yema tostada. A seasonal goodie, turrón is only on sale a couple of months either side of Christmas so if you see it, grab a slab and when you’re back home, pop a slice onto the saucer and turn your morning coffee break into a Tenerife daydream.