Categories: uncategorized
Date: 16 May 2007 14:45:49
This week I've been mainly working from home. Magda's battery is dead and I'm waiting for a new one to be delivered. You see there is a little inconvenience with owning an MX-5, their batteries are specially made to fit in the boot. Buying another make means that you need to modify the boot to accomodate it. No car parts providers have stocks in the area, well the main dealer does but wants £40 more than the MX5 parts specialist.
I'm grateful that my job means that I can do this without it affecting my productivity - some would say that it couldn't get lower ;-)
have you heard about the controversy that has erupted following the latest edition of The F Word, Gordon Ramsey's latest cookery show?
PETA today dumped a ton of manure outside his restaurant at Claridges in London. It appears that they objected to him publisising Horse as a culinary option. It appears that not only are they against people wearing furs and experimenting on animals but also against people eating them as well. Maybe its time that they invaded France and Germany to complain at their eating of horse.
It appears that Ramsey attracts bad publicity like a magnet. Several restaurants have complained following appearances on Ramsey's Kitchen Nightmares. They call him in to try to turn around the fortunes of their failing businesses. Some listen to his advice and others go out of their way to ignore it.
One of the resturants featured in 2003 was one local to us, The Walnut Tree in Abergavenny. It had been owned by a couple for 37 years and then taken over by another couple who'd been there since 1999. Unfortunately the new owners had encountered difficulty in attracting custom. This seemed to be down to the cost of the food - a £70 main course or £28 starter among them.
He advised them to lower their prices, helped recruit a new head chef and tried to get the owner to promote from within. Whatever Ramsey suggested the owner refused to implement. He even canvassed people in Abergavenny who all said that they'd heard that either the food was poor or that it was too expensive. They went back in 2004 to see what had happened and found that they were still having problems and would still not listen to advice.
In February this year the owners appeared in the local paper blaming all their problems onto Ramsey and their appearnce on his show. The fact that they'd gone out of business and had to close the restaurant was in no way due to the poor decisions that they'd made.
Why is it easier for people to blame others for their failings? If they are offered free advice that could help to save their livelihood, from someone who has been in their situation but turned it around, why not listen?
The same applies to PETA. Yes they should draw attention to animal cruelty. However what has today's protest really achieved. Horse is not widely eaten in the UK and is unlikely to be following one TV programme. Does this sort of act really gain positive results for PETA? Will it really make people consider changing their habits? Humans are by nature omnivores, that is what we're designed for. We need a balanced diet that includes the vitamins and inerals that you get from meat. Yes, you can have a vegitarian alternative but don't try forcing it on everyone else.