Like other days this week and recently, today has produced ice, snow, sleet, rain, wind, clouds and sunshine, four seasons in one day so to speak. As I sit paddling the keys on my laptop it is currently snowing. This picture, taken a couple of days ago might be my 2013 Christmas Card.
THIS WEEK
Saxmundham News has kindly opted for some of my ramblings in the March issue. I suppose the editor knows what he’s doing. A reprint (with larger pictures!) is available here. Click at right….
This Week’s Recipes from my weekly effort in “Coastal Scene” are farinaceous – floury, as in bread pastry and dumplings. Very appropriate in this weather, and I really do recommend the Canerdeli.
On a more cultural note: if you don’t know about it already, the sixth season of WOODBRIDGE CHAMBER CONCERTS is set for Saturday 18th., Friday 31st May and Saturday 1st June. Full details shortly.
RANT – Horse Sense I suppose just about everyone who reads this has consumed a burger, a pie, a lasagne or a shepherd’s pie that has had a spot of horsemeat in it. No ill effects, no fatalities. So, as usual it’s “the media” making scandals is it? Well, yes, but it’s our fault as well – yours and mine – that got us into this mess. Firstly, there are the “attitudes” we, as Britishers, hold. No-one eats horsemeat, we are all led to think, believe and tell others. Thus, it isn’t an accepted ingredient in our food.
But…..
Apart from millions of people in Europe who eat horse, hundreds if not thousands of tons of horsemeat have got into our food chain every year, through deceit including mis-labelling, deception, outright lies and a don’t-lets-look-too-closely-chaps attitude by people in the food trade.
Because…
We insist on cheap food. This is one of two major pressures on supermarkets – the other being shareholder pressure for ever-increasing profits. So the cheapest possible meat is purchased (as with many other ingredients) to put into burgers and ready-meals. And the sources are not too closely examined, especially if they are not at first hand, i.e. the meat is supplied to a manufacturer-supplier of the supermarket, or a long way away, in Romania, say. This media-defined scandal is costing the likes of Tesco, Sainsbury, Waitrose, ASDA and others dear. Double page spreads in the press, TV ads., Emailings, postal mailings, lots of PR, all saying how much they are doing to put their houses in order, how they are re-thinking how their customer relations, and all the things they are doing to make sure they are all squeaky clean in future. If they do what they say they will, it will surely mean dearer food for us.
…while we’re at it….
1) Let’s tell the public that there is nothing wrong with eating horse-meat (or donkey meat, as we do with some salami)
2) Formalise the production of horse-meat, its distribution and usage in foodstuffs.
3) Add horse to our range of carnivorous foods and promote it accordingly.
