venta

Things from the internet:

1. A government e-petition to "Make wrongly describing a casserole with a pastry lid as a pie a criminal offence." (Thanks to Will for the tip-off.)

I'm torn; clearly this is a cause after my own heart, but I feel slightly bad about wasting Government time. On the other hand, as onebyone pointed out, the "review" stage has already happened and the petition is unlikely to get to the required 100K, so all the time that's going to be wasted already has been. I also take slight issue with the petitioner's rather hardline approach to genuine top-crust-only pies.

2. Someone's made me a to-do list! 25 Pubs You Must Drink In.

6 down, 19 to go. Though for clarity I'd like to confirm that the Birch Hall Inn is not in Whitby, it's in Beck Hole. It took me a minute or two to work it out, because I've never heard its name (in fact, I've never heard anyone call it anything other than "the pub in Beck Hole".

(I've drunk in The Spaniards Inn, the pub in Beck Hole, Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem, The Eagle and Child, Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese, and The Dove.)

The Jerusalem Tavern, Clerkenwell, is unknown to me and pretty convenient for a post-work drink, though, if anyone fancies joining me.

Today, as per usual for a Friday, the degenerate end of the office hived off to the pub for lunch.

I ordered a burger. Please could I not have bacon[*] in it?

Sure, said the barman, the bacon wasn't compulsory. Did I want something else in it instead?

Like what?

"We...ll. Mushrooms?" he improvised. "Or an egg? Or black pudding?"

"Really?" I asked, bouncing gently up and down. "I could have black pudding in my burger?"

Apparently yes, if I wanted.

I wanted.

Black pudding in a cheese burger is awesome.

Accordingly, for being friendly and willing to improvise and serving Rebellion's Fat Cat[**], this week's Designated Hero of the Week is The Maiden Over.


[*] I don't dislike bacon. I just don't get as excited about it as everyone else. And I don't think it belongs in my burgers.
[**] Although it has just been demonstrated that a pint of Fat Cat has rendered one of my colleagues unable to count accurately up to 2.

Anyone fancy an evening doing silly things in the Oxfordshire countryside ?

Next Tuesday (June 30th) my dance team, Mabel Gubbins, are inviting all their friends to the Red Lion in Brightwell-cum-Sotwell.

Sadly, some of their friends are morris dancers, so there will be hanky-waving to contend with.

But the Red Lion is really a very lovely pub, run by extremely friendly people. It also does good food; it's not a gastropub, or a restaurant, it just does decent pub food. And very good puddings.

8 o'clock kick off, be there. If you really can't stand the thought of morris dancers (fair point), then go to the Red Lion some other night for dinner.