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4 ways to cut down on meat when dining out – and still make healthy choices

<div class="theconversation-article-body"> <p>.<em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/laura-marchese-1271636">Laura Marchese</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/deakin-university-757">Deakin University</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/katherine-livingstone-324808">Katherine Livingstone</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/deakin-university-757">Deakin University</a></em></p> <p>Many of us are looking for ways to eat a healthier and more <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-sustainable-is-your-weekly-grocery-shop-these-small-changes-can-have-big-benefits-234367">sustainable diet</a>. And one way to do this is by reducing the amount of meat we eat.</p> <p>That doesn’t mean you need to become a <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-you-should-eat-a-plant-based-diet-but-that-doesnt-mean-being-a-vegetarian-78470">vegan or vegetarian</a>. Our <a href="https://jn.nutrition.org/article/S0022-3166(24)00333-X/fulltext">recent research</a> shows even small changes to cut down on meat consumption could help improve health and wellbeing.</p> <p>But not all plant-based options are created equal and some are <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30744710/">ultra-processed</a>. Navigating what’s available when eating out – including options like tofu and fake meats – can be a challenge.</p> <p>So what are your best options at a cafe or restaurant? Here are some guiding principles to keep in mind when cutting down on meat.</p> <h2>Health benefits to cutting down</h2> <p>Small amounts of lean meat can be part of a healthy, balanced diet. But the majority of Australians <a href="https://cancer.org.au/about-us/policy-and-advocacy/prevention/obesity/related-resources/meat-and-cancer#consumption">still eat more meat</a> than recommended.</p> <p>Only a small percentage of Australians (10%) are vegetarian or vegan. But an <a href="https://www.foodfrontier.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Food-Frontier-Hungry-For-Plant-Based-Australian-Consumer-Insights.pdf">increasing</a> number opt for a <a href="https://theconversation.com/love-meat-too-much-to-be-vegetarian-go-flexitarian-73741">flexitarian</a> diet. <a href="https://theconversation.com/whats-the-difference-between-vegan-and-vegetarian-225275">Flexitarians</a> eat a diet rich in fruits and vegetables, while still enjoying small amounts of meat, dairy, eggs and fish.</p> <p>Our <a href="https://jn.nutrition.org/article/S0022-3166(24)00333-X/fulltext">recent research</a> looked at whether the average Australian diet would improve if we swapped meat and dairy for plant-based alternatives, and the results were promising.</p> <p>The study found health benefits when people halved the amount of meat and dairy they ate and replaced them with healthy plant-based foods, like tofu or <a href="https://www.heartfoundation.org.au/blog/why-you-need-legumes-in-your-life">legumes</a>. On average, their dietary fibre intake – which helps with feeling fuller for longer and digestive health – went up. Saturated fats – which increase our blood cholesterol levels, a risk factor for heart disease – went down.</p> <p>Including more fibre and less saturated fat helps reduce the risk of <a href="https://www.heartfoundation.org.au/healthy-living/healthy-eating/healthy-eating-to-protect-your-heart">heart disease</a>.</p> <p>Achieving these health benefits may be as simple as swapping ham for baked beans in a toastie for lunch, or substituting half of the mince in your bolognese for lentils at dinner.</p> <h2>How it’s made matters</h2> <p>For a long time we’ve known processed meats – such as ham, bacon and sausages – are bad for your health. Eating high amounts of these foods is associated with poor <a href="https://www.heartfoundation.org.au/healthy-living/healthy-eating/protein-and-heart-health">heart health</a> and some forms of <a href="https://cancer.org.au/cancer-information/causes-and-prevention/diet-and-exercise/meat-and-cancer-risk">cancer</a>.</p> <p>But the same can be true of many processed meat alternatives.</p> <p>Plant-based alternatives designed to mimic meat, such as sausages and burgers, have become readily available in supermarkets, cafes and restaurants. These products are ultra-processed and can be <a href="https://theconversation.com/we-looked-at-700-plant-based-foods-to-see-how-healthy-they-really-are-heres-what-we-found-222991">high in salt and saturated fat</a>.</p> <p>Our study found when people replaced meat and dairy with ultra-processed meat alternatives – such as plant-based burgers or sausages – they ate more salt and less calcium, compared to eating meat or healthy plant-based options.</p> <p>So if you’re cutting down on meat for health reasons, it’s important to think about what you’re replacing it with. The <a href="https://www.eatforhealth.gov.au/sites/default/files/2022-09/n55g_adult_brochure.pdf">Australian Dietary Guidelines</a> recommend eggs, legumes/beans, tofu, nuts and seeds.</p> <p>Tofu can be a great option. But we recommend flavouring plain tofu with herbs and spices yourself, as pre-marinated products are often ultra-processed and can be high in salt.</p> <h2>What about when dining out?</h2> <p>When you’re making your own food, it’s easier to adapt recipes or reduce the amount of meat. But when faced with a menu, it can be difficult to work out what is the best option.</p> <p>Here are our four ways to make healthy choices when you eat out:</p> <p><strong>1. Fill half your plate with vegetables</strong></p> <p>When cutting down on meat, aim for half your plate to be vegetables. Try to also eat <a href="https://theconversation.com/were-told-to-eat-a-rainbow-of-fruit-and-vegetables-heres-what-each-colour-does-in-our-body-191337">a variety of colours</a>, such as leafy green spinach, red capsicum and pumpkin.</p> <p>When you’re out, this might look like choosing a vegetable-based entree, a stir-fry or ordering a side salad to have with your meal.</p> <p><strong>2. Avoid the deep fryer</strong></p> <p>The Australian Dietary Guidelines <a href="https://www.eatforhealth.gov.au/sites/default/files/files/the_guidelines/n55a_australian_dietary_guidelines_summary_130530.pdf">recommend limiting</a> deep fried foods to once a week or less. When dining out, choose plant-based options that are sautéed, grilled, baked, steamed, boiled or poached – instead of those that are crumbed or battered before deep frying.</p> <p>This could mean choosing vegetarian dumplings that are steamed not fried, or poached eggs at brunch instead of fried. Ordering a side of roast vegetables instead of hot chips is also a great option.</p> <p><strong>3. Pick wholegrains</strong></p> <p>Scan the menu for wholegrain options such as brown rice, wholemeal pizza or pasta, barley, quinoa or wholemeal burger buns. Not only are they good sources of protein, but they also provide more <a href="https://www.eatforhealth.gov.au/food-essentials/five-food-groups/grain-cereal-foods-mostly-wholegrain-and-or-high-cereal-fibre">dietary fibre</a> than refined grains, which help keep you fuller for longer.</p> <p><strong>4. If you do pick meat – choose less processed kinds</strong></p> <p>You may not always want, or be able, to make a vegetarian choice when eating out and with other people. If you do opt for meat, it’s better to steer clear of processed options like bacon or sausages.</p> <p>If sharing dishes with other people, you could try adding unprocessed plant-based options into the mix. For example, a curry with lentils or chickpeas, or a vegetable-based pizza instead of one with ham or salami. If that’s not an option, try choose meat that’s a lean cut, such as chicken breast, or options which are grilled rather than fried.<!-- Below is The Conversation's page counter tag. Please DO NOT REMOVE. --><img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/236505/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /><!-- End of code. If you don't see any code above, please get new code from the Advanced tab after you click the republish button. The page counter does not collect any personal data. More info: https://theconversation.com/republishing-guidelines --></p> <p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/laura-marchese-1271636">Laura Marchese</a>, PhD candidate at the Institute for Physical Activity and Nutrition, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/deakin-university-757">Deakin University</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/katherine-livingstone-324808">Katherine Livingstone</a>, NHMRC Emerging Leadership Fellow and Senior Research Fellow at the Institute for Physical Activity and Nutrition, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/deakin-university-757">Deakin University</a></em></p> <p><em>Image credits: Shutterstock </em></p> <p><em>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/4-ways-to-cut-down-on-meat-when-dining-out-and-still-make-healthy-choices-236505">original article</a>.</em></p> </div>

Food & Wine

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"I can’t a fjord it": Inside one of the world’s most extreme restaurants

<p>One of the world's most extreme restaurants has gone viral and not only for its unique location and shape, but also its exclusive dining experience that's eerily similar to 2022 horror film <em>The Menu</em>.</p> <p>Restaurant Iris is located inside a giant silvery orb in Hardangerfjord, the second largest Fjord in Norway.</p> <p>The four-storey structure, called the Salmon Eye is inspired by - you guessed it - the shape of a fish eye, and it is quite a sight to behold. </p> <p>The Salmon Eye is covered in 9,000 steel plates to emulate fish scales, weighing a whopping 1,256 tonnes and an impressive diameter of 25 metres, with one sub-surface floor that boasts a panoramic view of the Fjord. </p> <p>The restaurant itself can only be accessed by an electric boat off the shore of Rosendal, as guests are treated to "an exclusive expedition dining-journey" which offers an 18-course meal and panoramic views. </p> <p>The 24-seat restaurant is run by Head Chef Anika Madsen, and prior to having their main meal, guests are taken to the chef's boathouse on the nearby island of Snilstveitoy, for a "welcoming snack". </p> <p>The menu is designed to showcase "the most local ingredients possible", which reflects Madsen's "commitment to sustainability" and her "<span style="font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, 'Open Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif;">passion for discovering new ingredients from the ocean". </span></p> <p>Mari Eriksmoen posted the viral video on TikTok which has racked up over eight million views. </p> <p>"This spectacular just opened in the middle of the Hardangerfjord in Norway," she started in the clip with a shot of the structure floating in the middle of the fjord. </p> <p>She described the experience of walking into the restaurant "like entering a spaceship," and was mesmerised by the "insane views". </p> <p>Once the evening kicks off, guests indulge in a multi-sensory experience where they were instructed to pick a "cracker" hanging from the ceiling after watching a "short movie about food waste". </p> <p>Another TikTok user compared it to the <span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: graphik, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: -0.16px;">extraterrestrial spacecraft </span><span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: graphik, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: -0.16px;">from the 2016 sci-fi film <em>Arrival</em>.</span></p> <p>However many other users compared the dining experience to 2022 horror film <em>The Menu</em>, where a group of guests eat at an exclusive restaurant on a remote island and face dire consequences. </p> <p>"Did we learn nothing from The Menu?" commented one user with the crying face emoji. </p> <p>"I know how this movie ends," wrote another user. </p> <p>"I can’t a fjord it," joked a third. </p> <p>The dining experience aims to "blend gastronomy and activism on a global scale" as they hope to raise awareness on the the challenges and threats to the global food system. </p> <p>"The menu at Iris reads like a story, " a statement said. </p> <p>"A story about the challenges and threats to the global food system, but also with ideas and suggestions for future innovations, that can help bring us closer to solving them." </p> <p>The tasting menu itself is priced at 3,200 Norwegian Krone ($316) with an optional wine pairing for 2,500 Norwegian Krone ($247). </p> <p>For those who want to visit the Salmon Eye, but don't want to dine in, they can buy a ticket for a  two-hour "learning experience" at the centre priced at 349 Norwegian Krone ($34). </p> <p><em>Images: Salmon Eye Website/ Instagram, TikTok</em></p>

Food & Wine

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Ratings results after Shirvo’s first day in Kochie’s chair

<p dir="ltr">The results are in and <em>Seven</em> has maintained its position on top, with thousands of viewers tuning in to watch newly appointed <em>Sunrise </em>co-host Matt Shirvington <a href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/news/news/kochie-s-sunrise-replacement-revealed" target="_blank" rel="noopener">replace Kochie</a> on the breakfast TV show.</p> <p dir="ltr">Over 235,000 metro viewers tuned in to Seven on Monday, while Nine’s Today drew around 188,000 viewers, and 104,000 watched ABC’s News Breakfast.</p> <p dir="ltr">The reactions were positive and many took to social media to share their well-wishes for the former sprinter after his first day on the show.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Your first morning Shirvo, great, So natural,” one viewer posted on Instagram.</p> <p dir="ltr">“The best person to replace Kochie,” wrote another.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Matt Shirvo is exactly what Sunrise needed,” another viewer added.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I am so glad they went with Shirvo. A fresh start for Sunrise,” commented another.</p> <p dir="ltr">The 44-year-old was<a href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/news/news/kochie-s-sunrise-replacement-revealed" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> announced as the new host</a> alongside Nat Barr on June 5, and officially replaced Kochie a week later.</p> <p dir="ltr">He has shared his delight and excitement over joining the show, and even posted an <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CtWFmBhPAT4/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&amp;igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==" target="_blank" rel="noopener">image </a>of all the alarms he set in preparation for his new job.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I’m so excited but also humbled by the opportunity to co-host such an important show to so many Australians,” he said last week.</p> <p><em>Image: Sunriseon7 Instagram</em></p>

TV

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Tom Cruise dines with legends on Sir Michael Caine’s big day

<p>Tom Cruise has spent the night with fellow industry heavyweights while out for dinner for Sir Michael Caine’s 90th birthday. </p> <p>The evening marked the first time that the 60-year-old actor, best known for his work in <em>Top Gun</em> and <em>Mission Impossible</em>, was spotted publicly since his absence at the 2023 Oscars was noted - while his film was nominated for Best Picture, Cruise was not in attendance at the event. </p> <p>He was one of a few select guests at Caine’s birthday celebrations, with the 90-year-old screen legend host welcoming the likes of Cruise, David Walliams, screenwriter Christopher McQuarrie, and Denise Welch to his private dinner at the River Cafe in London. </p> <p>Author and comedian Davia Walliams immortalised the gathering by sharing pictures with keen fans to his social media accounts, a series of snaps he captioned “Happy 90th Birthday to the legendary Sir Michael Caine.”</p> <p>“I have no idea why it brings me so much joy to see Tom Cruise & you hang[ing] out together for Michael Caine's birthday, but it does,” one eager supporter wrote. “Thanks for sharing!”</p> <p>“Looks like a fun night. Sorry I couldn’t make it,” joked another. </p> <p>“Easy to see why he skipped out on the Oscars,” one said. “He knows where the real power lies.” </p> <blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/Cpye3ruDG95/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"> </div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"> <div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"> </div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/Cpye3ruDG95/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by David Walliams HQ (@dwalliams)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p>Meanwhile, actress and TV personality Denise Welch took a slightly different approach to showcasing the party, opting instead to post a clip of a joke for mature audiences she’d shared with the party, writing that it was “such an honour to be asked by Shakira to say a few words at Sir Michael Caines’ 90th birthday!!! He loves a dirty joke and so does @tomcruise it appears!!!!” </p> <p>Her fans loved it, with one quipping “Tom Cruise skipping the Oscars to watch Denise perform stand up was not on my 2023 bingo card.” </p> <p>Denise liked the comment so much she later tweeted a headline that quoted it, calling it her “favourite headline ever.” </p> <p>“No way is that Tom Cruise & Michael Caine.... just fainted. I can't imagine being at the same table as Hollywood Royalty,” another admitted on the original post, starstruck. </p> <blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/reel/CpzeNmPITWi/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"> </div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"> <div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"> </div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/CpzeNmPITWi/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Denise Welch (@denise_welch)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p>In both posts, it appears that Cruise was seated right next to Caine for the celebration, with many voicing their surprise that the two were friends. </p> <p>The pair have never technically appeared together in a movie, but both actors did have parts in the 2002 film <em>Austin Powers in Goldmember</em>. However, Cruise’s role was only a cameo at the beginning of the comedy, while Caine portrayed Nigel Powers. </p> <p><em>Images: Instagram</em></p>

Relationships

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Russell Crowe and girlfriend denied entry at restaurant

<p>Actor Russell Crowe and his girlfriend Britney Theriot were refused entry at a Melbourne restaurant for not meeting the smart-casual dress code, according to a report.</p> <p>The pair went to eat at Mr Myagi, a Japanese-fusion establishment in Melbourne, wearing outfits they had played tennis in earlier that day, and the staff were quick to deny them entry.</p> <p>“He went there wearing a brand new Ralph Lauren polo, having just played a game of tennis and was turned away,” Crowe’s manager Grant Vandenberg told the Daily Mail Australia.</p> <p>Mr Miyagi describes itself as “casual but fancy” where “work gear, activewear, singlets, and thongs” are forbidden.</p> <p>The restaurant’s management doubled down on their decision to deny the pair service, saying no one is above their rules.</p> <p>“We treat everyone the same. It doesn’t matter who you are or if you are Russell Crowe. We’ve got a dress code that we push across every level,” restaurant owner Kristian Klein told The Herald Sun.</p> <p>“We are consistent with it and I don’t feel like it’s unreasonable," Klein added. “But I know personally if I’m in my thongs and my boardies, I’m not going to try and go to a nice restaurant, because I wouldn’t be dressed appropriately.”</p> <p>Klein said the staff member that denied Crowe’s entry did not know who the Gladiator actor was, and it was a “very unfortunate situation for everyone”.</p> <p>The restaurant had some fun with the situation, posting an updated dress code policy on Instagram.</p> <p>“Dress smart casual, unless you’re Russell Crowe, then wear whatevs,” the sign read.</p> <p>Mr Myiagi also addressed Crowe to clear the air.</p> <p>“Dear Russell, During your last visit it seems we got off on the wrong foot. After much reflection on what occurred, we have made a permanent change to our dress code,” the caption read. “We would love to see you again in the future, you’re always welcome at Mr. Miyagi.”</p> <p>According to the Daily Mail, radio broadcaster Steve Price and his partner were turned away from Mr Miyagi just days later for the same reason.</p> <p>Crowe has now joined the list of recent A-listers who were denied service from restaurants.</p> <p>Talk show host James Corden was banned from Balthazar, Keith McNally’s restaurant in Manhattan, in October 2022 after he allegedly mistreated the restaurant’s staff.</p> <p>Other celebrities that have been turned away from establishments include Ariana Grande, who was banned from a California doughnut shop after being seen on a surveillance camera licking unattended pastries.</p> <p><em>Image credit: Getty</em></p>

Food & Wine

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Readers Respond: In light of Tracy Grimshaw's announcement, who would you like to see in the big chair at A Current Affair?

<p dir="ltr">Earlier this week, Tracy Grimshaw announced she will <a href="https://oversixty.com.au/news/news/tracy-grimshaw-s-huge-news" target="_blank" rel="noopener">no longer be presenting A Current Affair</a> to enjoy a much needed break.</p> <p dir="ltr">Grimshaw has been the face of the show for a whopping 17 years and shocked audiences when she announced she is stepping down at the end of the year and going on an extended break.</p> <p dir="ltr">Now, whoever replaces her has BIG shoes to fill and we wanted to ask our readers who they would want to see in the ACA chair next.</p> <p dir="ltr">Check out some of your responses below. </p> <p dir="ltr">ShaRoss Coles - Melissa Doyle.</p> <p dir="ltr">Wendy Mulholland - Good luck Tracy, enjoy the next stage of your life. I think you did a great job. Definitely not Lisa Wilkinson as a replacement!</p> <p dir="ltr">Jo Soper - Debra Knight, Silvia Jeffries or Layla McKinnon. All these women would be great.</p> <p dir="ltr">Janet Payne - All the best Tracy!  Deb Knight would be great.</p> <p dir="ltr">John Wells - Don’t care as long as it’s not Lisa Wilkinson.</p> <p dir="ltr">Jenny Taylor - Debra Knight does a good job on the weekend ACA.</p> <p dir="ltr">Max Margie Mallard - DEB. KNIGHT. The only one.</p> <p dir="ltr">Bruce Croker - The wonderful GEORGIE [Gardner].</p> <p dir="ltr">Kim Anderson - Sylvia Jeffries!!</p> <p dir="ltr">John Smith - A male please. Love Tracy but time for a bloke.</p> <p dir="ltr">Share your suggestions <a href="https://www.facebook.com/oversixtys/posts/pfbid0z4Bkvdx2r37tSVe6SNzJgNt3h188S8kasAngXVDvAFBSLDZAEsJsEvS3arpF2m1El" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here</a>.</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: Shutterstock</em></p>

TV

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7 secrets to enjoying food on a cruise

<p><em><strong>Jennifer Campbell writes for <a href="http://blog.virtuoso.com/" target="_blank"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Virtuoso Luxury Traveller</span></a>, the blog of a <a href="http://www.virtuoso.com/" target="_blank"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">global luxury travel network</span></a>, and she enjoys nothing more than taking a holiday.</strong></em></p> <p>When you conjure up great food and drink experiences, you might think of a fabulous meal by a celebrity chef, or a sommelier-led wine tasting, or local cuisine prepared with fresh ingredients.</p> <p>You probably don’t think of having all these on a cruise.</p> <p>Cruise lines have realized the enormous appetite of travellers for fine cuisine, wine and spirits. The World Food Travel Association says more than 39 million people are culinary travellers, seeking out food and beverage experiences around the world. Dining is consistently one of the top three favourite travel activities, and all demographics love food equally.</p> <p>For me, a self-professed lover of all things food, wine and spirits, the more than 10 cruises that I’ve been on have provided amazing opportunities to enjoy all of these loves while exploring the world. Here are my eight ways to make the most of the myriad ways to indulge in great cruise food and drink experiences.</p> <p><strong>1. Open your mind to new experiences</strong></p> <p>Gone are the stereotypical days of extravagant buffets and cruisers filling their pockets with crab legs before the seemingly endless piles vanish. Not to say that there aren’t still buffets on cruise ships. But the buffets of today cater to a more discerning and well-travelled client.</p> <p>Because of the international nature of cruising, the breakfast buffet might include congee and dumplings. Or maybe kippered herring, muesli or sliced meats and cheeses alongside traditional American staples of cereal, yogurt, eggs and pastries. The lunch buffet might be like visiting Japan, Greece, Ireland, Italy and Germany in one 50-foot stretch.</p> <p>For my friends and dining companions last year on Silversea Cruises, the amount of sushi that I consumed every day from the lunch buffet became embarrassing. We got to the point where our waiter would see me coming and prepare a plate of sushi to be sent to the table. I can still taste that salmon sashimi.</p> <p>Remember that the buffet isn’t like the Thanksgiving table; you don’t have to get it all at once. Eat in courses, try things and enjoy!</p> <p><strong>2. Master the main dining room</strong></p> <p>This can enhance your cruise immensely. Most cruise lines now offer open seating – meaning that you can eat at any time you like rather than at a set time.</p> <p>The great thing about the main dining room is its flexibility. The menu might offer appetizers, entrees and dessert, but guess what? You can order any or all of them in whatever configuration suits your mood.</p> <p>If you want three appetizers and no dessert, then fine, that is what you’ll have. If you order the wiener schnitzel and then notice that someone at an adjacent table has the shrimp scampi and you want it too, it is yours. Don’t see shrimp cocktail on the menu but it’s your favourite? Just ask and chances are they’ll make it just for you. My mom enjoyed it every night on our last cruise in October.</p> <p><strong>3. Discover the specialty restaurants</strong></p> <p>Specialty restaurants on many ships offer five-star dining experiences, comparable to some of the world’s great restaurants. Celebrity chefs are now as common on cruise ships as the swimming pool. Nobu Matsushisa, Todd English, Jacques Pepin, and Jamie Oliver (to name a few) all work with cruise lines in menu design, chef restaurants and cooking demonstrations. They’re elevating cruise food to new levels.</p> <p>Steakhouses, sushi bars, Italian trattorias, French dining – all of these can be found on cruise ships. Craving escargot or maybe a Pittsburgh-style steak? You can get these in the middle of the ocean.</p> <p>I had one of the best goat cheese soufflés of my life recently on board Azamara Club Cruises. Yes, there is typically a surcharge at the specialty dining restaurants. But many cruise lines now offer packages that discount that rate. So whether you want to buy a package and enjoy the specialty restaurants multiple times, or pay the one-time upcharge for one splurge evening, take advantage of them and their over-the-top menus.</p> <p>Depending on the cruise line and the category of cabin in which you’ll be staying, sometimes reservations are included and can be made well in advance. Other lines require you to book onboard. When booking onboard, don’t be dismayed if the time and date you want is not available. Many times there are cancellations, so spots open up daily. Befriend the maitre d’ and you’ll be surprised what can happen for you.</p> <p><strong>4. Buy bar and wine packages</strong></p> <p>Is there a particular sprit that you enjoy each evening? Maybe a dry Belvedere martini with a lemon twist or a Glenlivet scotch neat? The premium bar packages on many lines allow you to have these same comforts onboard the ship at a price not much more than you pay at home.</p> <p>Rather than paying $20 each evening for your martini like in a fine restaurant, your daily rate pays for itself in one drink. On my last cruise on Azamara, the premium bar package was less per day than one cocktail with my favourite spirit. Great deal for me and no guilt if I decided to splurge and have a second one.</p> <p>Love wine? Consider a wine package where you can pick premium bottles of wine from around the world and enjoy them at any restaurant on the ship.</p> <p>Can’t finish the bottle? The sommelier will cork if for you and it will be waiting the next night, just like you are at home.</p> <p><strong>5. Opt for a cosy dinner in</strong></p> <p>If you had a busy day of exploring on shore and just want to cocoon in your room that night, order room service. Unlike a hotel on land, it’s included in the price of your cruise. And it’s generally available 24/7 for any late-night cravings.</p> <p>On certain lines, waiters will set up a table in your room and – just like at a restaurant – return with each new course as you’ve finished the last one.</p> <p><strong>6. Take advantage of all your cruise food options</strong></p> <p>Your dining isn’t confined just to the buffet or the main dining room. Get to know all the ship’s venues and sample their wares.</p> <p>Have a casual meal on deck at the barbecue grill. Enjoy a snack or dessert at the ice cream shop. Indulge in special late-night culinary offerings after a show or nightcap. Savor a morning beverage and pastry at a coffee bar.</p> <p><strong>7. Pick your shore excursions with food and drink in mind</strong></p> <p>With so much traveller interest in local food and beverages, most lines offer culinary experiences while in port. You might taste wine in one of the world’s most acclaimed wine regions, tour a distillery, explore local farmers markets with one of the ship’s chefs or try a local specialty like olive oil in Italy or rice vinegar in Japan. You may be able to dine in a Michelin-starred restaurant or in a private home.</p> <p>What’s your favourite part about eating on a cruise? Is there a meal that stands out? Let us know in the comments, we’d love to hear from you.</p> <p><em>First appeared on Virtuoso. <a href="http://www.virtuoso.com/" target="_blank"><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Click here</span></strong></a> to visit their website for more information.</em></p> <p><strong>Related links:</strong></p> <p><a href="/travel/cruising/2016/07/queen-mary-2-cruise-ship-gets-pet-friendly-makeover/"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong>Queen Mary 2 cruise ship gets pet-friendly makeover</strong></em></span></a></p> <p><a href="/travel/cruising/2016/06/best-cruise-lines-in-the-world-revealed/"><em><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>The world’s best cruise lines revealed</strong></span></em></a></p> <p><a href="/travel/cruising/2016/04/cunard-queen-mary-marilyn-monroe-showcase/"><strong><em><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Cunard to showcase world’s largest Marilyn Monroe collection</span></em></strong></a></p>

Cruising

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Gordon Ramsy praises pandemic for closing “bad” restaurants

<p dir="ltr">Celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay has been caught stirring the pot again. This time, saying that a silver lining of the Covid-19 pandemic has been the forced closure of many bad restaurants taking up space in prime locations.</p> <p dir="ltr">“The crap’s gone,” Ramsay told UK magazine Radio Times in a recent interview.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Just sh**holes in a prime position and taking advantage because they’re in a great location, and they’ve got the footfall [have closed].</p> <p dir="ltr">“But now we’ve wiped the slate clean, which is good.”</p> <p dir="ltr">In the interview, the Hell’s Kitchen host, known for being fiery in the kitchen, admitted the last two years of the pandemic have been “devastating” for the hospitality sector in Britain. He said the industry “was on its arse, but it’s getting better”.</p> <p dir="ltr">“It’s been devastating the last two years. Landlords don’t say, ‘Take a holiday for two years.’ But I think what has been evident for all of us is the crap’s gone.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Last year, the restaurateur himself estimated his eateries in England lost more than $100 million in the first year of the pandemic due to loss of business during lengthy UK lockdowns.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I get criticised for being wealthy, but the responsibility on my shoulders – the livelihoods at stake – is huge,” Ramsay told The Sun at the time.</p> <p> </p> <p dir="ltr">“I do feel under pressure to give my younger members of staff, especially, some hope, and the sense that we can get out of this. There have been so many tears, people at their wits’ end.”</p> <p dir="ltr">At the start of the pandemic in April 2020, more than 1.5 million hospitality workers in the UK were furloughed. It accounted for a quarter of all furloughed staff across Britain.</p> <p dir="ltr">Last year in the week leading up to Christmas, as the Omicron variant ripped through the UK, pubs, bars and restaurants each lost on average $18,000 in what should have been the busiest trading week of the year.</p> <p dir="ltr">In the recent interview with Radio Times, the 55-year-old said throughout the pandemic, restaurants have had to “raise their game” to stay alive.</p> <p dir="ltr">He said that it has meant a positive outcome of the last two years is that customers are getting better quality from eateries.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Customers have got so much smarter in the last two years,” he said.</p> <p dir="ltr">“They know a lot more about food than they ever have done and have been making their own sourdough, so it’s taught everyone [in the restaurant industry] to raise their game.</p> <p dir="ltr">“It’s wiped the arrogance from the industry.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Ramsay takes over Jamie Oliver’s ‘failure’. Gordon recently took advantage of a business closing himself, when he took over a location formerly owned by fellow celebrity chef Jamie Oliver in Liverpool, England.</p> <p dir="ltr">“It’s sad that Jamie didn’t make it here – the site is amazing”.</p> <p dir="ltr">“It was never my intention to take over Jamie’s Italian. Jamie and I are mates everyone thinks we’re not, but we are. Two summers ago we sat in the garden with our kids and had an amazing evening talking, drinking, laughing, crying and just having a proper heart-to-heart.</p> <p dir="ltr">“It had nothing to do with it being his old site. Whether it was Marco Pierre White or Jamie Oliver, it didn’t matter who had the house beforehand. The location was absolutely spot on.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Where Jamie failed, there’s a big learning curve for all of us. One man’s failure is the next man’s success.”</p> <p> </p> <p dir="ltr">The site is the new home to Ramsay’s 35th restaurant – the Liverpool Bread Street Kitchen &amp; Bar.</p> <p><em>Image: Getty</em></p>

Food & Wine

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Woman's body found sitting in chair two years after her death

<p>The body of a 70-year-old woman has been found in her house in Northern Italy, two years after her death.</p><p>Marinella Beretta lived alone near Lake Como in Lombardy.</p><p>Her decomposed body was discovered on Friday by the Como fire brigade following complaints that a tree had fallen in her garden as a result of overgrown vegetation, Como City Hall press officer Francesca Manfredi said.</p><p>Beretta’s body was found sitting in a chair in the living room, SkyTg24 reported on Monday.</p><p>Manfredi told CNN that the cause of Beretta’s death was unknown, and the examiner had established that she died sometime toward the end of 2019, based on the level of decay to her body.</p><p>No relatives of Beretta had yet come forward, Manfredi said, adding that police were investigating whether she had any surviving family.</p><p>For now, Beretta’s body remains at the morgue, and a funeral date has not yet been set, Manfredi added.</p><p>Como mayor Mario Landriscina has invited the town’s residents to attend Beretta’s funeral. He told the Italian media on Tuesday that the local government would take care of the funeral arrangements.</p><p>“I will try to be there and I invite the city to be present,” Landriscina said.</p><p>“This is the moment to be together, and even if this woman had no relatives, we could become her relatives.”</p><p>On Facebook, Elena Bonetti, Italy’s minister for family and equal opportunities, mourned Beretta’s solitary death.</p><p>“What happened to Marinella Beretta in Como, the forgotten loneliness, hurts our consciences,” she said. “Remembering her life is the duty of a community that wants to remain united.”</p><p>Bonetti added: “Taking care of each other is the experience of families, institutions, of our being citizens. No one should be alone.”</p><p><em>Image: Getty</em></p>

Travel Trouble

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Liked Netflix’s The Chair? Here are 4 moving, funny novels set in English departments

<p>English departments are strange places. Even to those of us who spend our working lives inside them, they can seem utterly mysterious. Those looking in from outside must find them even more baffling. What exactly do lecturers do all day? They teach and interact with students, but what happens the rest of the time?</p> <p>Literary scholars everywhere, writes <a href="https://www.lancaster.ac.uk/english-literature-and-creative-writing/people/terry-eagleton">Terry Eagleton</a>, “live in a state of dread – a dread that one day, someone … will suddenly get wise to the fact that we draw salaries for reading poems and novels.” This fact, say Eagleton, “is as scandalous as being paid for sunbathing [or] eating chocolate.”</p> <p>He has a point.</p> <p>Harvard professor <a href="https://english.fas.harvard.edu/people/deidre-shauna-lynch">Deidre Shauna Lynch</a> says even more bluntly that what English academics get up to simply “does not look like work” to those on the outside. Those of us writing on literature, she suggests, must make our peace with this fact. We must resign ourselves to being largely unknown to the broader culture, living in quiet obscurity.</p> <p>And yet, as Netflix’s The Chair makes clear, life within an English department can actually look a lot like life in any other workplace. At the fictional Pembroke University, there are familiar office politics and dramas, as well as the usual mixture of ambition, resentment, and status-seeking that exist elsewhere. Professor Ji-Yoon Kim (Sandra Oh) steers a team of colleagues who have eccentric literary quirks but are recognisable figures in many workplaces.</p> <p>If you enjoyed this series, I’d recommend checking out these four novels, all of which offer compelling depictions of English departments. Forget the Campus Novel – the English Department Novel is a more interesting sub-genre.</p> <h2>1. Richard Russo, Straight Man (1997)</h2> <p><a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/428162/original/file-20211025-19-ar21bw.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=1000&amp;fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/428162/original/file-20211025-19-ar21bw.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=237&amp;fit=clip" alt="" /></a> <span class="caption"></span></p> <p>Russo’s comic novel shares many similarities with The Chair. It centres on the madcap adventures of William Henry Devereaux, Jr., who chairs an English department similar in size to that of Pembroke. Furious about recent financial cuts, Devereaux takes matters into his own hands. He uses a local television network to publicise his cause, threatening to kill one goose from the university pond every day until his department’s budget is reinstated.</p> <p>Russo emphasises the slapstick, farcical side of departmental politics. Straight Man is a glorious send up of self-serious academics, the politics of literary theory, and intellectual ambition.</p> <p>It also offers a perfect gloss on the old adage that academic politics are so vicious precisely because the stakes are so low. I strongly suspect that the writers of The Chair had Devereaux in mind while creating the similarly hapless Bill Dobson (Jay Duplass).</p> <h2>2. John Williams, Stoner (1965)</h2> <p><a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/428161/original/file-20211025-13-1glczfs.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=1000&amp;fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/428161/original/file-20211025-13-1glczfs.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=237&amp;fit=clip" alt="" /></a> </p> <p>John Williams may well have written the most moving novel ever to be set in an English department.</p> <p>In understated, elegiac prose, Williams gives us the tragic life story of William Stoner, an obscure English professor at the University of Missouri, who enters as an agriculture student but develops a lifelong passion for literature. He lives his entire life against the backdrop of the university, and all of his significant relationships are found within the English department.</p> <p>While Stoner’s contributions to the field seem middling to his colleagues, he inspires generations of students with his generous and rigorous teaching. His personal life may well be a kind of tragedy, but he finds redemption in his teaching and research, and a true home in the department.</p> <p>Williams gives us an example of the English department novel at its most existential and weighty, one beloved of readers inside and outside the academy.</p> <h2>3. Mary McCarthy, The Groves of Academe (1952)</h2> <p><a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/428163/original/file-20211025-27-16tzpl7.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=1000&amp;fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/428163/original/file-20211025-27-16tzpl7.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=237&amp;fit=clip" alt="" /></a> </p> <p>McCarthy’s novel takes us back to comedy once again, mining the same territory as The Chair and Straight Man but written well in advance of either. Drawing on her own experiences at Bard College and elsewhere, McCarthy gives us a farce with a serious political edge. Set at the fictional Jocelyn College, the novel centres on Henry Mulcahy, an expert on James Joyce who learns he has been let go, seemingly without cause.</p> <p>As he fights to save his position, McCarthy shows us the subtle and shifting nature of allegiances within the English departments she knew firsthand, as well as the petty disputes and lurid scandals they can harbour. She pulls no punches, laying bare the gossip, naked careerism, and backstabbing that even seemingly mild-mannered English academics are capable of.</p> <p>The novel also gives us a classic bait-and-switch. The central character, Mulcahy, whom we initially see as sympathetic and unfairly mistreated, slowly comes into focus as manipulative and profoundly unlikable. As we begin to see the central events from the perspective of once minor characters, the truth is revealed, and McCarthy skillfully shows us the mistakes of our earlier judgments.</p> <h2>4. Wallace Stegner, Crossing to Safety (1987)</h2> <p><a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/428164/original/file-20211025-15-1u6vbym.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=1000&amp;fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/428164/original/file-20211025-15-1u6vbym.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=237&amp;fit=clip" alt="" /></a> </p> <p>This wise and moving novel explores the lifelong friendship between two couples, Larry and Sally Morgan and Sid and Charity Lang. Sid and Larry are English professors in Madison, Wisconsin, and the novel follows them as they chase literary ambitions while also managing substantial teaching duties.</p> <p>Both are striving for tenure and are forced to negotiate complicated faculty politics. Ultimately, this is a novel about “quiet lives,” as the narrator tells us. Its great themes are friendship, marriage, and the nature of love.</p> <p>And while the English department often fades into the background as Stegner explores other aspects of his characters’ lives, its politics are never far away. Sid and Larry are often concerned with the petty machinations of their academic colleagues, and Crossing to Safety includes many details that still resonate with life at a university today. Stegner’s novel also offers a fascinating glimpse into the evolution of literary studies from the 1930s to the 1970s.</p> <p>Of course, there are many other novels within this sub-genre, including David Lodge’s beloved campus trilogy, as well as novels by <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pnin">Vladimir Nabokov</a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disgrace">J.M. Coetzee</a>, and others. While eating chocolate and sunbathing wouldn’t necessarily make for interesting fiction, life in an English department, it seems, certainly does.<!-- Below is The Conversation's page counter tag. Please DO NOT REMOVE. --><img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important; text-shadow: none !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/170110/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /><!-- End of code. If you don't see any code above, please get new code from the Advanced tab after you click the republish button. The page counter does not collect any personal data. More info: https://theconversation.com/republishing-guidelines --></p> <p><span><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/lucas-thompson-1261087">Lucas Thompson</a>, Lecturer, Department of English, <em><a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-sydney-841">University of Sydney</a></em></span></p> <p>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/liked-netflixs-the-chair-here-are-4-moving-funny-novels-set-in-english-departments-170110">original article</a>.</p> <p><em>Image: Netflix</em></p>

TV

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Roger Federer's rare spat with chair umpire

<div class="post_body_wrapper"> <div class="post-body-container"> <div class="post_body"> <div class="body_text redactor-styles redactor-in"> <p>In a move that surprised fans, tennis legend Roger Federer blew up at an umpire at the French Open.</p> <p>He was furious as he was handed a time violation for taking too long between points and took out his anger on the chair umpire and his opponent Marin Cilic.</p> <p>"Marin, am I playing too slow?" Federer asked, to which Cilic responded he was.</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr">Need subtitles for this masterpiece. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RogerFederer?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#RogerFederer</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RolandGarros?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#RolandGarros</a> <a href="https://t.co/uHdcN1dPHt">pic.twitter.com/uHdcN1dPHt</a></p> — Divyanshu 🙂 (@tweetsbydivyu) <a href="https://twitter.com/tweetsbydivyu/status/1400469489800540163?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 3, 2021</a></blockquote> <p>Federer tried arguing that he was not used to handling his own towel due to coronavirus to the chair umpire.</p> <p>"I understand the rule," Federer protested to Cilic.</p> <p>"I'm going from one corner to the next trying to get my towel. I'm not doing it on purpose."</p> <p>He was still frustrated by the end of the argument, saying he will stay still.</p> <p>"I don't even dare to go my towel anymore," he said to Joseph.</p> <p>The dispute lasted several minutes, but Federer won the match with 6-2 2-6 7-6 (4) 6-2.</p> <p>Federer spoke about the "misunderstanding" to the press after the match.</p> <p>The argument started as Federer was serving, with the rules of tennis insisting that the receiver play to the speed of the server.</p> <p>"I just feel like it was a misunderstanding on many levels," Federer added.</p> <p>"I didn't feel like I was playing particularly slow, and with the towels, quite honestly, if I want to go to the towel, now I can't go to the towel anymore, it's okay, I get it.</p> <p>"I understand playing to the server's pace, I have done it in hundreds of matches, and I always feel like I don't make my opponent wait very much, but clearly Marin wanted to go faster."</p> <p>Federer was surprised by his strong performance as he said that he couldn't have lasted more than two hours against his opponent.</p> <p>"I didn't think I could play at this level for two hours against Marin," Federer said.</p> <p>"I finished by serving really well. It shows I have something in reserve, I have some energy left and that's really good for my confidence."</p> </div> </div> </div> </div>

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“I’m not playing”: Kyrgios loses it at chair umpire

<p><span>Nick Kyrgios has kicked off the tennis season by storming off the court and calling the chair umpire a “smarta***” after being awarded a time violation during Wednesday night’s game against Harry Bourchier.</span><br /><br /><span>Kyrgios repeatedly complained about the limited time he had between serves during his second set of the Murray River Open clash.</span><br /><br /><span>COVID-19 restrictions have prohibited ball kids from bringing towels to players between points, meaning Kyrgios was forced to retrieve the towel himself.</span><br /><br /><span>The Australian firecracker lost his temper when the chair umpire Nacho Forcadell called a time violation towards the end of the set.</span><br /><br /><span>“Bro, I just started serving,” Kyrgios said.</span><br /><br /><span>“I was in my motion, what are you talking about?</span><br /><br /><span>“I’m not playing, I’m not playing.”</span><br /><br /><span>The Melbourne spectators could be seen laughing as Kyrgios made his way to the bench in frustration.</span><br /><br /><span>The 25-year-old continued to argue with Forcadell, and claimed that he’d already started his service motion when the clock struck zero.</span><br /><br /><span>“I’m not f***ing moving. It’s like you guys do it to just be funny,” Kyrgios said.</span><br /><br /><span>“Bro, I was serving. Why’d you have to call it?</span><br /><br /><span>“Because the tennis is about the umpires, right? They come to see you. You’re an extra. You’re an extra for all of us.”</span></p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr">This is ridiculous especially when you compare it to other players on tour like Nadal and Djokovic. <br /><br />Kyrgios is one of the quicker servers on tour 😂<br /><br /><a href="https://t.co/6xAhG9wy5b">pic.twitter.com/6xAhG9wy5b</a></p> — Lachlan McKirdy (@LMcKirdy7) <a href="https://twitter.com/LMcKirdy7/status/1356888859175358464?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 3, 2021</a></blockquote> <p><br /><span>Replays showed that Kyrgios was undeniably into his service motion when the violation was called.</span><br /><br /><span>While speaking with court supervisor Cedric Mourier, Kyrgios could not hide his anger towards the chair umpire.</span><br /><br /><span>“I saw the clock … I’m pulling my serve here and he called a time violation,” Kyrgios said.</span><br /><br /><span>“Tennis isn’t about him (the chair umpire). He’s an extra to make all this s**t go smoothly, so why is he doing this?</span><br /><br /><span>“I have to walk back and forth to get my towel now, so he’s a smarta*** and calls it? And now I have to get fined for it, but I was playing by the rules.”</span><br /><br /><span>Kyrgios reluctantly agreed to finish the match.</span><br /><br /><span>“Do I get fined for that, yes or no?” Kyrgios asked.</span><br /><br /><span>“I’ve lost enough money to these peanuts.”</span><br /><br /><span>Kyrgios eventually claimed a 6-2 7-6 victory after saving several set points to qualify for the round of 16.</span><br /><br /><span>Next, he will face Croatia’s Borna Coric.</span><br /><br /><span>“I definitely feel at home playing at the Aus Open,” Kyrgios said after the match.</span><br /><br /><span>“I love it here, it’s my favourite tournament of the year.</span><br /><br /><span>“I thought that the level (Bourchier) brought in the second set was very high. He was serving really, really well and he started getting on to a couple of my serves.</span><br /><br /><span>“I’m actually pretty happy with the way I played today.</span><br /><br /><span>“A tough one tomorrow, but first I have a dinner and some wine to drink.”</span></p>

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Jacinda Ardern shows off thrifty item in dining room tour

<p><span>Sometimes, we seem to think we know everything about public figures, but it turns out until yesterday, we didn’t know Jacinda Ardern was a serious thrifter.</span></p> <p><span>During a Facebook Live video yesterday, the Prime Minister of New Zealand started off the live stream but giving a tour of her dining room, which she said was “pretty stock standard, really” despite living at Premier House, the PM’s official residence.</span></p> <p><span>“It’s just a table with some of the features that usually you find in a family home – chalkboard,” Ardern said, gesturing to a chalkboard behind her that had some scrawlings from (we assume) her two-year-old daughter Neve.</span></p> <p><span>However, Ardern showed off an “unusual” feature in her dining room, as she revealed her chairs lived a life before she got her hands on them. </span></p> <p style="text-align: center;"><span><img style="width: 500px; height: 330.173775671406px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7836759/screen-shot-2020-07-01-at-110755-am.png" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/35e256186ae44ac59de43d2be0d97c1e" /></span></p> <p><span>“Probably the one unusual piece of furniture that is here, I’ll share this with you,” she explained, gesturing to the red leather chairs.</span></p> <p><span>“These are the old Cabinet chairs from back in the day.</span></p> <p><span>“We of course make sure that nothing goes to waste so they’ve been recycled and they’re now our dining room chairs.”</span></p> <p><span>She was quick to admit the chairs weren’t the most comfortable, which is most likely why she added a cushion.</span></p> <p><span>“Not always the most comfortable,” she said, “which perhaps back in the day may have kept Cabinet meetings short.”</span></p> <p><span>Ardern appeared on Facebook to discuss the latest coronavirus developments for New Zealand. </span></p> <p><span>Like Australia, New Zealand was successful at flattening the curve of coronavirus cases early on but has faced challenges as restrictions lifted.</span></p> <p><span>While she had previously declared New Zealand coronavirus-free, a recent spate of cases thanks to travellers has seen her under increased pressure to keep the country’s borders closed.</span></p> <p><span>Speaking to reporters, Arden said opening New Zealand’s borders was “dangerous” and shouldn’t be considered until coronavirus cases drop around the world.</span></p> <p><span>“Any suggestion of borders opening at this point, frankly, is dangerous and I don’t think we should put New Zealand in that position,” she said.</span></p> <p><span>However Ms Ardern was open to the idea of travel between New Zealand and COVID-19-free Australian states, but it would be a matter for Australia when it opened its borders to international travel.</span></p> <p><span>“Ultimately, it’s up to Australia to decide whether or not they’ll go for a whole country approach or a state-by-state approach,” she said.</span></p> <p><span>“Obviously, where there is community outbreak, that is a no-go for New Zealand.</span></p> <p><span>“Where they have border controls in place and where they’ve had no community transmissions for sustained periods of time … that may be a different scenario.”</span></p>

Home & Garden

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Room where a disabled woman sat in a chair for "12 months" revealed

<p>The room where disabled woman Ann Marie Smith police allege was slowly left to die has been seen for the first time.</p> <p>Detectives are now appealing for public help as Ann's friends are in shock and "regret".</p> <p>Police believe that Ann had been living in the same chair for 12 months.</p> <p>"The state of the house when police arrived, the state of Ann when she was taken to hospital, it was obvious that she'd been neglected," Detective Senior Sergeant Phil Neagle said to <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/ann-marie-smith-room-revealed-as-investigation-into-death-continues/63bb57db-13ae-4b63-b701-6b381c5c4c54" target="_blank" class="_e75a791d-denali-editor-page-rtflink"><em>9news</em></a>.</p> <p>Ann had cerebral palsy and died at the age of 54 after being rushed to hospital semi-conscious.</p> <p><img style="width: 500px; height:281.25px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7836627/chair-disabled-lady-2.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/483a680a97174ff89e7ed90338d458dc" /></p> <p><img style="width: 500px; height:281.25px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7836628/chair-disabled-lady.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/2b71e477caed42b7810764731f0c11a9" /></p> <div class="body_text "> <p>One of Ann's oldest friends is among those who are helping police piece together her life.</p> <p>"She was always my friends, (although) I hadn't spoken to her," she said.</p> <p>"That's been the hardest part, I just feel so guilty, you always think what if?"</p> <p>"She was loved and it hurts to hear comments, (like) where were her family and friends, and you do have friends that you don't see all the time," she said.</p> <p>Friends say Ann rarely left her home in recent years but was in regular contact with them via social media and text messages.</p> <p>Ann's carer Rosemary Maione is now at the centre of the police investigation.</p> <p>Rosemary was employed by Integrity Care SA, but has since been sacked.</p> <p>"We're examining the level of care provided by the carer as well as by the care provider," Senior Sergeant Neagle said.</p> <p>Detectives are also investigating<span> </span><a rel="noopener" href="https://o60.me/RZH4zp" target="_blank">missing jewellery and money</a><span> </span>as well as the alleged misuse of Ann's car.</p> <p><em>Photo credits: </em><em><a rel="noopener" href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/ann-marie-smith-room-revealed-as-investigation-into-death-continues/63bb57db-13ae-4b63-b701-6b381c5c4c54" target="_blank" class="_e75a791d-denali-editor-page-rtflink">9news</a></em></p> </div>

Legal

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Dining with Dolly Parton: Sir Billy Connolly shares his bucket list

<p>Sir Billy Connolly has revealed the people he would like to have at his dream dinner party.</p> <p>In a recent interview with <em><a href="https://www.sundaypost.com/fp/dining-with-dolly-parton-sir-billy-connolly-reveals-his-fantasy-dinner-party-guests/">The Sunday Post</a></em>, the Scottish comedian said his fantasy guest list, featuring both alive and deceased figures, includes country musician Dolly Parton.</p> <p>“I had a brilliant experience seeing Dolly in Glasgow, being swept along with thousands in the crowd and no one recognised me,” he said.</p> <p>“No one could see me until a little girl shouted: ‘Look! Its Billy Connolly!’ She came and gave me a big cuddle. She was wonderful. I met her again in a shop and she did the same thing.”</p> <p>Another singer he would like to invite is Bob Dylan, who created his favourite album <em>Blonde On Blonde</em>.</p> <p>Other famous figures in Connolly’s wish list are authors Charles Dickens and Iris Murdoch as well as artists John Byrne and David Hockney.</p> <p>Byrne, who is an old friend of the Big Yin, paid tribute to the comedian with <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-39947883">a portrait in the 1970s and another in 2017</a>.</p> <p>The 77-year-old went public with his Parkinson’s diagnosis in 2013 and <a href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/news/news/billy-connolly-quits-stand-up-comedy-amid-parkinson-s-diagnosis">retired five years later</a>. He is now working as an artist.</p>

Retirement Life

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Sorry, not sorry: Djokovic speaks out on patting chair umpire's feet

<p>Novak Djokovic has apologised for touching the umpire during his Australian Open final match on Sunday night.</p> <p>The Serb initially defended his decision to tap official Damien Dumusois twice on the foot, describing it as “a nice, really friendly touch”, but expressed his regret on Monday.</p> <p>“In a professional sport, things happen that obviously you’re not proud of,” Djokovic said.</p> <p>“Sometimes you do things that you’re not happy with and you go through different emotions, you go through ups and downs.</p> <p>“Of course, I’m not happy that I touched the chair umpire. And I’m sorry if I offended him or anybody else.</p> <p>“But in the heat of the battle, some decisions that he makes or some decision that happens just distracts you and sets you off the balance a little bit.”</p> <p>According to the official grand slam rule book, Djokovic could be charged with a fine of up to AU$30,000 for the action.</p> <p>“Players shall not at any time physically abuse any official, opponent, spectator or other person within the precincts of the tournament site,” the rules state. “Violation of this section shall subject a player to a fine up to US$20,000 [AU$30,000] for each violation.”</p> <p>In the post-match press conference, Djokovic said he did not believe he overstepped the mark. “For touching his shoe? I mean, I didn’t know that’s completely forbidden,” he said after securing his 6-4, 4-6, 2-6, 6-3, 6-4 against Dominic Thiem.</p> <p>“I thought it was a nice, really friendly touch. I wasn’t aggressive with him in terms of physical abuse.”</p>

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These are the world’s best fine dining restaurants

<p>It serves contemporary European cuisine inside a Beijing historical temple dating back to the Qing Dynasty.</p> <p>And now, TRB Hutong has won the title of best fine dining restaurant in the world, coming on top of the 2019 Travellers’ Choice list based on <span>millions of reviews and ratings left by <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/TravelersChoice-Restaurants-cFineDining-g1" target="_blank">TripAdvisor</a> users over the past year</span>.</p> <p>The Beijing restaurant, which charges 688RMB (AU$143 or NZ$155 or SG$134) for a five-course menu, was first opened in 2012. Since then, it has earned various accolades, including Restaurant of the Year awards from<em> The Beijinger </em>and <em>Time Out</em>.</p> <p>“Charismatic GM and former sommelier Ignace Lecleir takes pains to make every guest feel like a VIP, and the regular arrivals of complimentary amuse bouche ensures nobody leaves unsatisfied,” the verdict read, according to <span><a href="https://edition.cnn.com/travel/article/tripadvisor-worlds-best-restaurants-2019/index.html"><em>CNN Travel</em></a></span>.</p> <p>Coming in second place was France’s Epicure, a three Michelin star restaurant headed by acclaimed chef Eric Frechon. Ristorante Ville Crespi in Italy grabbed the third spot, with the reviews noting its “creative, delicious and unique dining experience”.</p> <p><strong>The world’s best fine dining restaurants in 2019 according to TripAdvisor</strong></p> <ol> <li>TRB Hutong, Beijing, China</li> <li>Epicure, Paris, France</li> <li>Ristorante Villa Crespi, Orta San Giulio, Italy</li> <li>Restaurante Benazuza, Cancun, Mexico</li> <li>The Jane, Antwerp, Belgium</li> <li>Le Brouillarta, Saint-Jean-de-Luz, France</li> <li>David's Kitchen, Chiang Mai, Thailand</li> <li>El Celler de Can Roca, Girona, Spain</li> <li>Aramburu, Buenos Aires, Argentina</li> <li>Adam's, Birmingham, United Kingdom</li> </ol>

International Travel

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MasterChef’s Matt Preston shares 5 gripes about dining out in Australia

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Matt Preston has been a judge on MasterChef for 11 years, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t immune to gripes about dining out. He shared his thoughts with </span><a href="https://www.delicious.com.au/food-files/news-articles/article/matt-preston-shares-10-gripes-dining-out/xeymtohz"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Delicious</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> and mentioned his top 5 pet peeves when he dines out for a meal.  </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“I love eating out. Well, I just love eating – in, out, wherever,” Preston said. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“But a few things occasionally bug me about cafés and restaurants. My sister gets narky about a beautiful Instagrammable breakfast loaded with flowers and pomegranate seeds, but the things that make me mad are far more infuriating.”</span></p> <p><strong>1. Designer restaurants</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Preston maintains that design isn’t about a “picture in a magazine” but should focus solely on the experience of the diner.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“If the room is too dark to see the food and too noisy to hear what the other side of the table is saying, then the fit-out has failed. Well, unless you want to go with boring, ugly friends who you don’t want to see or hear,” he says with a laugh.</span></p> <p><strong>2. Edison bulbs</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Edison bulbs look like the ones in the photo below.</span></p> <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/Bz8XLCHFqAn/" data-instgrm-version="12"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="margin: 8px 0 0 0; padding: 0 4px;"><a style="color: #000; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/Bz8XLCHFqAn/" target="_blank">💡💡💡🌿♻️💃 . . . . . #ViejaEddie #lamparas #Deco #decoracionindustrial #decovintage #livingroomideas #Iluminacion #Argentina #lightsdesign #interioresdesign #filamentodecarbono #plantasyflores #edisonbulbs #foto #arquitectura #estudioarquitectura #arquitecturainterior #industriallamps #ladrillovisto #interiorismo #homify #houzz #lamparapared #cordobaargentina #patagoniaargentina #norteargentino #rosario #mendoza #buenosairesciudad #argentina</a></p> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;">A post shared by <a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/vieja_eddie/" target="_blank"> Lámparas Vieja Eddie</a> (@vieja_eddie) on Jul 15, 2019 at 8:54am PDT</p> </div> </blockquote> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">It’s safe to say that Preston isn’t a fan of them at all. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Surely these are past their use-by date, along with their dangly cloth-wrapped cords. How about going back to LED downlights, wall conches, chandeliers or even candles for a change?”</span></p> <p><strong>3. Evaporating waiters</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Due to his extensive experience within the hospitality industry, Preston has experienced a decent waiter or two in his time. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“It’s not that hard. We’ve had our dessert and you’ve delivered the coffees. This means the meal is coming to an end; the final act of the evening is about to unfold,” Preston gripes.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Isn’t it obvious we’ll want our bill? This is the good bit of the evening for the restaurant when the bill gets paid and the waitstaff discover whether you’re going to stiff them for the tip, so why do they seem to disappear at the end of the evening? Just bring the bill, take our money and we can all go home.”</span></p> <p><strong>4. Expensive food that isn’t delicious</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">This is something that Preston says he “shouldn’t have to get mad about”.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Aren’t chefs always telling us they’re in the flavour biz-er-ness? Now, I love experimental cookery as much as the next pretentious food wanker, but if you want me to be your guinea pig, serve your prototypes on a cut-price menu like Ben Shewry used to do at Attica on Tuesday nights. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Every chef (apart from maybe a dozen trailblazers around the world like Central’s Virgilio Martinez, Noma’s René Redzepi or Massimo Bottura) should run every new dish through the same prism – if it’s not delicious it ain’t going on the menu.”</span></p> <p><strong>5. No reservations at a restaurant</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Admittedly, this is a gripe that is felt amongst many.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Is it really that hard to take some bookings for those who need to get a babysitter or have to travel to eat at your place?” Preston explained. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Surely you want to give those people reassurance they can eat at your place? Oh, and don’t try and sell it like it’s a benefit to us the customer – that is the height of hide.”</span></p>

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