The Deuce Bigalow star innocently uploaded an image of his Frankenstein’s monster-like paella attempt to Twitter on Christmas day, and the wrath of Spain was swift in its arrival.
We just put the Paella in the oven!! Que rico!! pic.twitter.com/skUit0zucG
— Rob Schneider (@RobSchneider) December 25, 2016
“Dude, that paella is a 2.5/10 quality. Come to Spain to taste the REAL ONE,” Spanish Youtuber Liberty-Mario replied, before later deciding to downgrade his rating to an even harsher “0.033/10”.
“This is not paella: this is rice with things,” commented another Twitter user. “If this is paella, my balls are carnations,” jabbed Valencian journalist Manolo Montalt.
@RobSchneider DELETE THIS! pic.twitter.com/TBnBh6UjFy
— Chichu (@ChichuTheDog) December 25, 2016
“What?! You forgot the chorizo!!” joked one reply, making reference to a similar incident in October when TV chef Jamie Oliver posted a photograph of his own take on the dish which included the Valencian no-no of chorizo.
Labelled an “abomination” in Spain, the fuss was so big it even became known as “paellagate”.
READ ALSO: Six reasons why you have probably been doing paella wrong
When actor Schneider finally opted to respond to the critiques of his own dish, he only dug a bigger hole. In what was either a cheeky attempt to stir things further or an embarrassing display of a lack of awareness of Spanish culture, he insisted to the “people of Sevilla” that he didn’t mean to use lobsters in his dish
For the people of Sevilla who were insulted by my Paella, I didn't mean to use lobsters. They crawled in the pan by themselves! pic.twitter.com/QFojdj5Npm
— Rob Schneider (@RobSchneider) December 25, 2016
“Paella is from Valencia…. Breath in breath out! Mayhem has broken… you maybe handcuffed if you travel to Valencia!”, Spanish chef José Andrés, who had previously defended Oliver’s chorizo-filled version, pointed out in response.
It wasn’t all bad news for Schneider though. As a result of his monstrosity, chef Andrés offered to give him an exclusive class on making a real paella over FaceTime.
And the American finally decided to try and calm things down on Monday night, tweeting in Spanish:
“Out of respect for Spain and José Andrés I’m going to make a second attempt. Let me know if I’m missing anything in the recipe.”
Por respeto a España y @chefjoseandres voy a hacer un segundo intento. Diganme si falta algo en la receta. pic.twitter.com/pHKe0wtTJI
— Rob Schneider (@RobSchneider) December 26, 2016
That seemed to be enough for most Spaniards to put their knives away. The moral of the story? If you’re going to make paella, it’s probably best not to share it with Spain on social media. Just in case.