The overvaluation of plant life

When I was a youngster my parents tried to inspire me to become a gardener. Particularly, as I recall, a vegetable gardener. I suspect this was a cunning ploy to encourage me to eat vegetables; especially green vegetables. I loved potatoes, but was partial to only a few other varieties and these were usually high-priced species. For instance I enjoyed asparagus and corn-on-the-cob, but peas and beans made me nauseous and I agree wholeheartedly...

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The picket fences of gentle people

Shane Jones has initiated a furore over a supermarket chain he alleges have used mafia tactics to improve returns to their shareholders. Jones reckons Countdown is extorting money from suppliers by asking for retrospective payments and threatening banishment from its shelves for those who don’t pay up. The allegation will probably be shown to have some validity. In one form or another competitive supermarkets have been doing this for...

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The best and worst in the world

An absorbing Australian television programme Ask the Butcher screens on Choice Television on Thursday evenings at 8.05. Host is Sydney meat retailer Anthony Puharich who takes viewers on a culinary journey from farm gate to dinner plate via his family-owned butchery called Victor Churchill. A few weeks ago he featured lamb on the programme and said among other things that Australia has the best lamb in the world. Some of the owners...

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The good, the bad and the ugly

I was standing at the checkout counter at the Warehouse recently waiting for what seemed to be an inordinate amount of time for the young lady in front of me to have her transaction completed. She was purchasing quite a large amount of bedding and it required her to sign a number of forms. I was about to return my meagre purchases to their original shelving when the proceeding was finally completed and the young lady exited the store with...

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