Modern entertainment

In the following post, I finally make the full transition to grumpy old man moaning about how things were better "in the good old days"...

Yesterday, I was having my hair cut, when a chap walked into the Barber's shop with his son (about eight years old) and sat down waiting for their appointments.  I heard the father ask the boy "did you bring your iPad with you?"  "No, I forgot", was the rueful response.  "Well, you're going to be bored, then, aren't you?!"

Why?

Why should the boy be bored, because he forgot his iPad?  I've nothing against iPads (indeed, I have one myself, and I love it!) nor against electronic forms of entertainment in general - but the idea that, without these electronic devices, one's existence is nothing but vast expanse of unrelenting boredom seems a little severe.

I started to think, when I was eight years old (and nobody had iPads), and I was sitting waiting somewhere with my Dad (possibly for a haircut), how would we have amused ourselves?  We could've played "I Spy", or some sort of word game.  We could've made up some game from watching the other customers coming and going, or from the rhythmic clack-clacking of the barber's scissors.  Or we could just have talked.

Yeah, that's probably what we would've done.

Why do people need to be "entertained" all the time, these days?  Not every second of you life has to be filled with the most fun you can possibly imagine having.  It is possible just to be, sometimes - to talk, to reflect, to contemplate - without having to fill your time with high-intensity hair-raising fun and excitement.  (Or, at least, things that are supposed to be fun and exciting - all the stuff you're supposed to enjoy is never as good as you're always told it's meant to be!  But that's really a topic for another time...)

When I was a child, I never understood other children who always "got bored", unless they were being provided with some sort of activity to amuse and distract them.  I still don't.

It is just one short step from here to sitting out in a lawn chair in front of my house, smoking a pipe, and shouting "damn hooligans!" at a gang of kids riding past on bicycles, before muttering something about "the war" into my nicotine-stained beard.

#Africa - it's only natural

With the new BBC series on Africa (narrated by the wonderful David Attenborough), the nation is agog with another stunning wildlife documentary. Atmospheric music, beautiful camera-work, an amazing spectrum of colours, incredible close-ups, and the words of a man who is unquestionably deserving of the label "National Treasure" have all combined to make the BBC's "Africa" compelling viewing.

But the pitfall with wildlife programmes is that people always seem to watch them through a haze of human morals.  Nature doesn't conform to our consciousness.

Nature has no "good guys" and "bad guys" - no right and wrong, or fair and unfair; just individual creatures fighting tooth and nail to survive in a hostile and unforgiving environment, in the only way they know how.

Watched dispassionately, "Africa" is both fascinating and awe-inspiring - but if you impose an ill-fitting overlay of human morality upon it, "Africa" might just leave you disappointed...

Art Bus

Christmas leftovers recipes

Need to find ways to use up all your unwanted, outmoded Christmas food? Here are a few ideas and suggestions to help out...

I would like to make it clear, in the third line down, that "a quarter of a pint of gun" is a typing error - this is, of course, meant to say "a quarter of a pint of gin". Unfortunately, these are made up of Tweets from over a year ago, meaning it is not possible to edit the text now.

Sandwich review: Cheese Ploughmans by delicious

The official description for this sandwich is -

Vintage Cheddar cheese with tomato, cos lettuce, pickle and seasoned mayonnaise on malted bread.

By popular demand, I am posting my first vegetarian sandwich review. I chose a classic Cheese Ploughmans sandwich, from the delicious brand, to be the subject of this groundbreaking new step.

I enjoyed this sandwich. The salad was crisp, and fresh (which is a huge positive, just in itself) and the balance between the mayonnaise and the pickle (a combination about which I admit I had my doubts) worked much better than I was expecting.

However, for a sandwich in which the main event is Cheddar cheese, it could've done with a bit more flavour in that department. The cheese is described as "vintage Cheddar", but it seemed rather milder than I had hoped, and was consequently a little disappointing.

A more mature Cheddar would do this sandwich a world of good. However, in spite of this, I would buy this sandwich again.

Sandwich review: Meat Feast Sub Roll from Morrisons' "Prepared In Store" range

The official description for this sandwich is -

Prosciutto cotto, chorizo, salami, vine ripened tomato, mozzarella, wild rocket, mayonnaise and tomato and basil sauce in a herb topped sub roll.

I have been impressed by Morrisons' sandwiches in the past, so I was looking forward to this.  The recipe is great, the ingredients are good quality and the flavours all work really well together; what's not so good, is the construction of the sandwich...

It was actually very difficult to eat this sandwich, without the filling all falling out onto the floor.  They have tried to stuff too much filling into only a moderately-sized roll, and the result is quite inconvenient.  Much as I tried to look past this, and appreciate the sandwich for what it was, that proved harder and harder as I continued eating - in the end, these problems became too large, and spoiled the enjoyment of an otherwise really excellent sandwich.

Regrettably, until Morrisons can fix the issues with constructing this sandwich, I would not buy it again.

Sandwich review: New Yorker, from deli2go

The official description for this sandwich is -

Pastrami with Emmental cheese, Iceberg lettuce, gherkins, Ameican style mustard, sour cream mayonnaise and red onion on malted bread with millet and sunflower seeds.

Quite a list, eh?! Well, there's a lot going on with this sandwich - and that means a lot of different flavours to balance...

deli2go make a valiant effort of this - and, on the whole, they don't do too badly at all. Each bite of the sandwich gives you something slightly different, while still managing to paint an overall picture of the whole.

The "American style" mustard is pleasantly tangy, without being overly tart or off-putting; likewise, the gherkins and red onions. The coolness of the sour cream mayonnaise compliments these flavours nicely, while the Emmental cheese sings out above the while ensemble in clear, nutty tones.

The only criticism I would have, then, is that the pastrami gets a little lost amidst the cacophony of other tastes flying around. That's not to say that it's bad, or that you don't notice it - it could just do with being a bit (if you'll pardon the pun) beefier.

Maybe using slightly better quality pastrami could help? Or, if not, another layer in the sandwich, just to help it stand out a little better?

Other than this (very slight) issue, I enjoyed this sandwich, and I would definitely buy it again.