Fine Food? Hogwash!

I have decided to start a campaign - a campaign against Fine Food, and have found a suitable acronym for it - OFFAL, but am looking for suggestions for the three empty words, perhaps someone could help me there. Here in South Africa (hopefully I won't be here much longer, but will be winging my way across the Pond to join Liz) there is currently one of those ghastly television series for Top Chef. The judges appear almost as phony as the food. I am probably biased in my opinion, but am equally sure that there are others that hold a similar one.

Fine Food - those dishes where there is more plate than food, dishes that are meant to look good and are priced way beyond the pocket of the average man in the street. To me, food is food, and I believe that there is nothing better than a good, tasty plate of food at the end of the day.  I pride myself in being something of a cook, and can produce a good sit-down meal for a table of eight that I guarantee will be enjoyed by all and sundry. I'm talking about Sunday Lunch, about that special dinner for a group of convivial friends. In my personal opinion any good cook should be able to produce a meal where the diners get to help themselves to its various constituents. I'm talking about dishes such as:

• A whole poached River Spey salmon served with new potatoes, young peas and carrots with a green parsley sauce
• Hungarian Goulash
• Beef Stroganoff
• Spaghetti Bolognaise
• Poached Chicken in parsley sauce
• Roast Rack of Lamb served with a freshly made mint sauce
• Roast Sirloin of Beef  - of course with Yorkshire Pudding
• Roast Suckling Pig

The list could go on, but I'm sure you get the idea. If I wanted to impress someone (which I wouldn't - I'm far beyond such desires), the last place I would take them would be to a Fine Food restaurant or a Sushi Bar. I would rather cook them a meal to remember and serve it with a good wine.

I have another gripe. I have visited and eaten in more countries than the fingers and toes on my hands and feet. I have even eaten with royalty, but I have to assert categorically that I have never found Brussels Sprouts that taste and look as good as mine. I would stake my life on that. Yes, I have a secret little recipe, and it will probably go with me to my grave.

What ever happened to the family restaurant? Fine Food? Pigswill!

© Michael J. Mason 2012

The Migratory Season is upon Us

Some of this blog may only make sense to people who read my posts back in November regarding our visiting swallows. It seems that the Migratory Season is about to arrive. About three weeks back our two parent swallows announced to the world the arrival of three offspring, and they have been carrying out flight practice over the last three weeks. It has been an eye-opening and enlightening three weeks. Where there were two swallows swooping low over the garden, now there are five. One entire morning was spent in teaching the young to fly high in the sky, yesterday how to cope with strong winds.

Every day at precisely the same time the family of five arrives back at the nest after a day's training. They perch on the wire I had erected 2 years ago before, one by one, entering the tunnel that leads to their nest for the night. One of the young took a little time to master alighting and entering the tunnel, but is now a master. As autumn approaches I am expecting them to have, one day, flown away, just as my wife is to do in a couple of weeks.

Yes, Liz is returning to the States, and in 2 weeks time will be jetting over the Pond to pave the way for our relocation. She will be staying with her daughter, Dena, who was good enough to pay for her ticket. Thank you Dena and Andrew! Liz will be changing her still-official (in the USA) name to mine, and then applying for my spousal visa. Unfortunately I still have to sell the farm. Potential buyers who came to view it on Sunday have just phoned to inform me that it is just a little too far from Grahamstown, where they have a business. They have, though, offered to take Jack and Bob, our two cats. I will wait until Liz has left before taking up their offer. I want to be ready to up and leave when the time comes.

Google proposes sweeping new changes penalizing over-optimization

Google has announced sweepig new changes to its search algorithm. To be implemented within the next few weeks, the searches will penalize the blatant over-use of SEO . Websites that have pages that contain links that are simply not relevant to the website will be penalized against, as will the over-use of keywords.

In future Google will make less use of keywords and more of understanding what the content of a website is all about. You can see pertinent videos here;

2 Minute Video announcing Google changes

8 Minute Video commenting on the Google proposed changes

If you would like me information regarding these changes, or would like to discuss content for your website, please contact me

Telkom update

I was very surprised on Friday (3/16) to receive a telephone call from Telkom. Now Telkom never call people unless they are late with their account payment. You will recall from the previous post that I had reported my land line out of order on 2/28 - so that's already over 2 weeks that I have been without a land line. The lady who phoned me (on my cell phone, of course, and reception on that is a little dodgy out here in the countryside, since we're so far from the nearest cell tower) advised me, very politely, that the service would not be restored until the end of April. That means that I and others in the area will have been without their Telkom line for no less than 2 months.

Now 2 days might be an acceptable time for a telephone line to be out of order, but 2 months?. That is completely unacceptable in 2012. The problem is, what can I do about it? Imagine the business that is being lost because of this Telkom failure. We have our house on the market, so this means that no-one will be able to contact us with an offer (unless they just happen to have our cell numbers. I cannot see any way in which Telkom can justify their inability to restore our connection within a couple of days.

This only serves to amplify my feelings regarding the demise of everything sane in this country.

Telkom going downhill and unable to fulfil its commitments

I live out in the countryside, six miles from the nearest tarmac road and 20 from the nearest Telkom office. Now, when I first "signed on" with Telkom some 30 years ago, I understood that their part of the agreement was to supply me with a serviceable land line. Out here in Martindale in the Eastern Cape my telephone line goes on poles for a couple of clicks to where it is connected to a battery driven radio transmitter that is backed up by a solar panel. Anyway, apart from the usual breaks when the locals have stolen the copper wire connecting me to the transmitter, or when they have stolen the solar panel - these faults have always been dealt with fairly timeously.

At some time in late February my phone line went dead - I reported it on 28th February ( reference 83CEZ280212 ). and two full weeks later I am still without a phone. Not having a landline out here in the countryside (where cell phone coverage is somewhat limited) puts one at a distinct disadvantage, and what worries me is that, should something happen to either my wife or myself, we would have no way of communicating with the emergency services. I have managed to get through to an operator twice. On the first attempt I was advised that the matter was in the hands of a supervisor (Hassim ??) and he had been sent a message to contact me (I am still awaiting that contact more than a week later). On the second time that I managed to get through to an operator I was advised that Telkom was waiting for delivery of a "card" and that it had to be imported from France.

If anyone reads this and has the time or inclination, perhaps they could, on my behalf, direct a few newspapers to this posting in the hope that someone can start putting some pressure onto Telkom. Maybe there is a lawyer out there who would be willing to sue the company on my behalf - it would have to be pro bono though. You can contact me through my contact page - I have removed the Telkom number!!!

I take this as being just one more sign of how South Africa is going downhill, weighed down by the pressure of corruption, bad management, reverse apartheid and bad government.