Last meals

I’ve never given much thought to what my last meal would be since most of us don’t get much notice of when we are going to leave this mortal coil unless of course you’re a prisoner on death row. We don’t execute prisoners any longer so I guess we’ve got to look to some states in the US to determine the current trends.
Thomas Grasso who was executed in 1995 for using Christmas tree lights to strangle an 85-year-old woman requested two dozen steamed mussels, two dozen steamed clams, a Burger King double cheeseburger, six barbecued spare ribs, two large milkshakes, a tin of SpaghettiOs with meatballs, half a pumpkin pie and strawberries and cream. Seems like he was stocking up for a long journey to the hereafter but unfortunately for him, the length or complexity of his list seemed to confuse kitchen staff who made one crucial mistake. Grasso's last words were: "I did not get my SpaghettiOs, I got spaghetti. I want the press to know this.” Robert Buell, sentenced to death for the murder and sexual assault of an 11-year-old, Krista Harrison, in 1982 was much more frugal. His last meal request was for a single black olive with the seed removed. Perhaps the most bizarre was the request from James Smith who was executed in June 1990 for murder and robbery in Houston, Texas. For his last meal, Smith requested dirt, allegedly so that he could carry out a voodoo ritual. His wish was not granted, however, because dirt was not included on the list of foods approved by the prison system. He settled for yoghurt.

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Its an ill wind

Britain’s had a bit of a rough time recently with all the bad weather but for some it wasn’t so bad. Drinkers at a remote country pub were trapped in the bar for EIGHT DAYS after 16ft snowdrifts cut them off from the outside world. Snowploughs and rescuers made repeated attempts to get to the stranded regulars and staff – but had to turn back in ferocious blizzards. Fortunately it wasn’t a case of the pub with no beer since luckily the Lion Inn, perched high on the North York Moors, had stocked up on food and drink for Christmas parties – and two of those trapped were the pub’s chefs. One of them said: “I’ve been cooking steak for everyone all week. It was the most popular meal and you need it in this weather. The snow was terrible but it’s been an interesting experience and there are far worse places to be trapped but we will all be glad to get out.” Evenings were spent round a roaring fire enjoying a drink at the landlord’s expense and having a bit of a laugh.The pub’s co-owner lives nearby but was unable to reach the inn. I suppose he was desperate to read the till!

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Sunday afternoon at the bioscope

In today's clip Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie play a couple of pedantic pricks in a restaurant - we've all met them, but the waitress finally gets her own back. FeedBlitz subscribers should visit the site to view.

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Dilly Diner of the Week

Of course no trip to Transylvania would be complete without dropping in on the Count which is perhaps why modern day day visitors to Romania are so keen to dine at this week's Dilly Diner, the Count Dracula Club in Bucharest. Torches burn outside the early 20 th century mansion to set the scene and a black cloaked doorman warns guests that they
" enter freely " and " of their own free will ", a chilling reminder from Bram Stoker's classic novel, Dracula.
The Count Dracula Club restaurant does a brisk trade with a mixed clientele of bemused tourists and black-clad eurogoths, sipping such concoctions as Transformation, Elixir Dracula and Transylvania Night or the blood-red Deeper Kiss cocktails. Diners can tuck into the Evil Salad ("Don't smell the basil") whilst a man in a black cape with a fine line in facial pallor runs through a kitsch vampire floorshow, culminating in a spot of crowd participation neck biting."No white wine," shrugs a bored, white-faced Morticia Adams-lookalike waitress. "Only red. This is, after all, Dracula's House."
Count Dracula's special entrees include Devil's Chicken in Hot Sauce ("Doubtless, there is something strange or magnetic in the sauce's ingredients which works for life in a peculiar way," according to the menu) and Outlaws' Brochettes. The Continental and Romanian offerings also feature several fish and game dishes.For dessert, clatite, a crepe filled with chocolate, fruit jam or cheese, shouldn't be missed.

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That Was The Week That Was

Two interesting stories out of Russia this week. Firstly the big news that they will be hosting the World Cup much to the disgust of the English and secondly a report issued this week indicated that half of all wine and 70 percent of the cognac on Russian store shelves is counterfeit according to a top alcohol market official. The fake wine and cognac is made out of "concentrates, aromatisers, and alcohol," said Vladislav Spirin, a policy official at Reh Federal Service for Alcohol Market Regulation. So it seems that if you going to attend the World Cup the best advice is to do as the locals do and drink vodka.


Meanwhile Chemical Ali, Heston Blumenthal, no stranger to faking a few things himself, revealed this week some of the delights he is planning for his new London restaurant. Britain’s most inventive chef has revealed the menu for his first restaurant in London will include fake fruit made of meat, pigeon pie...and pig’s ears on toast. Another dish, “toast sandwich” - which he described as “a piece of toast sandwiched between two pieces of bread” - was still in development, he said. I can hardly wait!


Still on the subject of fake food and Heston, his new TV show was announced by Channel 4 this week. Heston is hoping to do for much-mocked airline food and NHS meals what he did for Little Chef - by raising culinary standards. He aims to transform food and profits at five organisations for a Channel 4 series. Heston's Michelin Impossible will see him take on the kitchen challenges of British Airways, NHS, the Royal Navy, Cineworld Cinemas and ferry company Stena Line. It’s amazing what you can achieve in 45 minutes each week.

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Hug a shark today

What is the world of haute cuisine coming to? Michelin has been awarding lots of stars to Japanese restaurants so much so that Tokyo is now the gourmet capital of the world with more starred restaurants than Paris has. Now they’ve even started doling them out to Chinese restaurants! These are of course upmarket restaurants in Hong Kong, not the local noodle house that you and I eat in – we can be thankful for small mercies. However the latest recipient has raised a few eyebrows as Michelin has awarded three stars to a Hong Kong restaurant specialising in the controversial delicacy of shark fin soup. The famous French restaurant guide has made Chinese restaurant Sun Tung Lok the third restaurant in Hong Kong to hold three stars, joining Caprice and Lung King Heen at the city’s Four Seasons Hotel. The restaurant serves the traditional Chinese dish of shark fin soup, which according to environmentalists contributes towards the near extinction of some shark species as it involves the killing of millions of sharks each year. However, Michelin stressed that it wasn't endorsing shark's fin consumption and was recognising Cantonese cuisine. You wouldn’t expect the tyre company to be particularly concerned about the plight of the sharks would you, after all they couldn’t give a toss about the amount of foie gras force fed to innocent diners in their recommended restaurants!

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Eau dear what a conundrum

Now here’s a bit of a conundrum – what would happen if Groot Constantia wine was no longer produced in Groot Constantia but rather in Taiwan or China? Pop stars, celebrities, and even the US President may soon have to find a new way to quench their thirst after the fashionable mineral water company Fiji Water announced that it was to cease operating in the South Pacific country that bears its name, amid a growing dispute with the nation's ruling military junta. The junta has upped the tax on the mineral water from under 1 cent per lt to 15 cents per lt.
Typical, I hear all the bunny huggers yelp, all these rebels want to do is line their pockets at the expense of our pure ecologically correct beverage. Well that may be true but consider this - Fiji Water has aggressively styled itself as an eco-friendly product, claiming that it pays to offset all the carbon emissions which come from transporting square plastic bottles from one of the world's most remote locations to the refrigerators of major cities. Al Gore swigs it while delivering speeches about global warming, while the firm's owners are the well-connected LA-based philanthropists Lynda and Stewart Resnick, who have given millions of dollars to progressive causes and Democratic Party politicians. However when it comes to paying tax, court records show that, in 2008, Fiji Water was owned by an entity in the tax haven of Luxembourg and the firm has enjoyed tax-exempt status on corporate income since it was founded in 1995. I suppose it’s easy to be philanthropic when you pay less to the taxman than the average guy in the street.

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