Different cultures, different languages, different tastes. Somewhere along the line, things are going to go wrong when it comes to packaging our foodstuffs for the rest of the world to see. We've captured the top five most unfortunate in today's post.
5.) Shitto Hotly Spiced Pepper Sauce: Ghana
What's the big deal? It's a hotly spiced pepper sauce that's made with fermented fish and has an illustration of brown liquid in a bowl. What else would it be called? Sure, the Ghanaians added the words "country style" to make the boss-man happy, but they know truth in advertising when they see it. If anyone's laughing the hardest, it's them. (Also bottlers of Pee Cola. Shitto should not be confused with Japan's Cream Colon)
4.) Cock Soup: Jamaica
Here's a soup that thinks it's better than everyone else, stares at your mom's breasts, constantly bluffs at Texas Hold 'Em, and calls any sports teams it doesn't like "a bunch of pussies" while downing your last beer. His cousin is Spotted Dick, the less offensive British dessert.
3.) Golden Gaytime Ice-Cream: Australia
So you released your product in the '60s when the word meant something completely different. What to do? Damn the PR department and roll with it! Add "4 chances to have a gay time" on your box, sell T-shirts that say, "It's hard to have a Gaytime on your own!" via your website, and re-air that raunchy commercial from the '80s.
Poor Poland. Besides its people being the punch line of many an insensitive joke, they've got a gaseous green beverage that just happens to be called "Fart," which actually means 'good luck.' Can you imagine: "Hey, fart on your test!" or "You're my fart charm!" or "Wish me fart!" Suddenly, we're giggling like children.
1.) Ayds Appetite-Suppressant Candy: U.S.A.
Ayds Corporate Peon: Uh, sir, aren't you worried that the name of our appetite-suppressant candy is phonetically similar to the disease AIDS?
Ayds Executive: What? That's ridiculous! People lose weight with our product.
Ayds Corporate Peon: They do with AIDS, too, except they die afterward.
Ayds Executive: So? More exposure. Plus, look at the great flavors we offer.
Ayds Corporate Peon: Sir, the commercials could be seen as offensive.
Ayds Executive: Pish-posh. We've already trademarked the name and spent millions on the marketing. Relax, this product's a slam dunk.
(Ayds Appetite-Suppressant Candy sought a new name in 1988 because sales had dropped as much as 50 percent due to publicity about the disease. The product's name was changed to Diet Ayds (Aydslim in Britain), but eventually it was withdrawn from the market.)
