1st April - Spaghetti don't grow on trees

Probably the best, and one of the most famous food April Fools pranks, the bbc current affairs programme Panorama ran a report about the failure of the spaghetti crop. In a deadpan manner and grave posh bbc accent the reporter talked about how the mild winter and the "spaghetti weevil" had had a disastrous efect on the crop. People are seen picking what remained of the crop off the trees. Many viewers fell for it and indeed hundreds apparently rang up the bbc enquiring where could they buy a spag bush. You have to remeber this was 1957 and spaghetti was probably viewed as rather exotic and "foreign". You can have a look at the original tv report from way back in the 50s' at the BBC Panorama website
From a tourism perspective my favourite April fools was the 8 page special suplement published by the Guardian in 1977 devoted to the remote sun kissed islands of San Serriffe. Described in the report as "the idyllic holiday spot" we learnt all about its history, its geography, its culture. It prompted hundreds of enquiries to the Guardian. All very well if San Serriffe had actually existed. The whole thing had been dreamed up as an April fools hoax - the 2 islands: Upper Caisse and Lower Caisse (San Serriffe - sanserif.... geddit) being completely fictious. This and more this April fools at the wonderfully useless Museum of hoaxes

The Last Supper

Have a good easter everyone. The DIT Cathal Brugha St. library will reopen as normal with lates nights and Saturdays from wednesday 26th March.
One of the best books to arrive in the library recently is My Last supper by Melanie Dunea who has asked over 50 top chefs What would be their desired last meal on earth? who would cook it, where would they eat it, with who, and what music? So... who would begin with half kilo of osetra caviar, who choose singaporean street food? illegal game birds? rack of Boris? (he's a pig) with a salad of ears, wattle and cheeks, or a Krispy Kreme donut for dessert. and what about blowfish testicle pudding with 1000 year old balsamic anyone? Who would do their own cooking? who would drink guiness and who would invite Madonna, Alfred Hitchcock, and Ghandi?
So what would your order be?

Advance to GO

The Irish Times saturday travel supplement "GO" has been up and running a few weeks now and is starting to bed in nicely. It's a good mix more than just benign travel gossip and write ups from exotic palm lines beaches. In the last couple of issues theres been informative news pieces about the new classification system for our hotels, the need to attract more British tourists and why Dublin remains tops for our visitors. Features on Barcelona, Rwanda, Cambodia, Bejing for the Olympics and LIVERPOOL, (Ray Blanc take note) as well as various destinations in Ireland. The columists are good to; Marie Murray addressing the issue of "Why do we need to travel?" being particularily insightful.

Each week their Page 3 is given over to last minute deals in Ireland and abroad. Don't know if it's deliberate but it reads a bit like the Take 5 section in the property supplement showcasing what palacial property you could buy abroad for the same price as a 2 bed semi-d in dublin. Last week for instance you could have "3 nights self catering in Laois for 530euros" OR "7 nights in Majorca for 276e". "2 nights in Cork with treatment: 204euros" OR "Tenerife: from 249e". So just what is it that attracts people to Ireland? - the weather?

toooo sexy for your town

...what to make of celeb chef Raymond Blanc who's decided that Liverpool is not posh enough for his new restaurant.

Champagne Charlies

two colourful movers and shakers in Dublin in recent days. At the weekend for a tasting and promoting his premier cuvee was PierreTaittinger, of the champagne dynasty. Having lost control of the family business he recently bought it back for 660mill euros. He described the Irish as "elegant drinkers" and as for the champagne "...global demand is keeping prices reassuringly expensive." Thats v. reassuring. Another alpha male concerned with bubbles in this case property ones is US millionaire, speculator, investment guru Jim Rogers. In town for a speaking engagement he has relocated from America, sees China as the market to be in (he's having his children all learn Mandarin in preparation) the yen as the currency to back and commodoties such as coffee, sugar and cereals as ones to watch. He said "Agriculture is the place to be...food inflation would rise because inventories were at their lowest in 40 to 5o years in some cases." So when can we expect to see the DIT offer a degree programe in Food Science and Chinese.

The world on a plate

Last Saturday the whole of the Guardian travel section was devoted to a 100 food and drink themed holidays - what they called "Globe troughing" - Best food trails, best street food, best boozy breaks etcetc. Ireland manged 5 entries (i suppose that's not bad) . Under Veggie a mention for Cafe Paradiso in Cork. Under Rustic, making chesse at Corleggy Farmhouse in Cavan. Under Food Trails, Fabulous Food Trails, based in Ranelagh Dublin. Northern Ireland gets an entry as an Underrated Destination - see, it's not just all Ulster fries and steaks larger than your plate. And finally the best oysters are to be had, apparently, in the Shelbourne.

Once when in New York I visited the famous Central Station Oyster bar where they had more that 20 varieties of oysters on offer. The cheapest was $3. I aksed is that for 1 or 1/2 dozen? The barman looked at me and replied with typical New York derision. "Hey buster this is Manhattan."

you can't make an omlette without breaking eggs...

...was a famous sinister quote from Joseph Stalin. I don't know if he had any ambitions in the kitchen but one man moving in the other direction, from pantry to politics, is the new Prime minister of Thailand, Samak Sundaravej. He's a top chef in the country with his own TV cookery show "Tasting Grumbling" though it was taken off the air during the military crackdown late last year - imagine if that happened to Gordon Ramsey in the UK. I presume he hopes to get it back on the air now and rule the country with a frying pan in one hand and the ballot box in the other.

and what about elsewhere. Check out the Axis of evil cookbook by Gill Partington in the library to see what meals of mass destruction they're serving up in Iraq, Iran, North Korea and elsewhere

Conference of Tourism and Hospitality Research in Ireland

Shouldn't be advertising the opposition - no i suppose we're all profesional colleagues. The Institute of Technology Tralee will be hosting the 4th Conference of Tourism & Hospitality Research in Ireland on the 10th-11th June. The theme is Reflections: Irish Tourism & Hospitality - A Sucess Story?" (glad they put the ? in) and they have secured an impressive list of keynote speakers including professor and author John Tribe - we've 6 of his books here in the library, Claudia Green, Dir. of Hosp&Tourism @ Pace University, Eamoon McKeon, and Dick Spring. As this is the 4th i was curious to check out previous locations for this bash. Ulster, Waterford and Dundalk. Wot no Dublin? Full conference details from the website or Fiona Tobin in Tralee 066-7191811