RACONTEUR-ESQUE SCRIBBLINGS

Someone has gone and copied one of the most versatile food ingredient - the humble, but absolutely awesome chicken egg. You give them a peek at your design, and *3 days later you see a copycat in the market, mass produced and sold at *98% cheaper than you ever meant it to be. They add melamine and nitrates into milk to kill children. They rocked the Olympics opening ceremony when they had the chance, though. And now, eggs... A few days ago, a housewife brought some eggs to the consumer association after finding something quite amiss with them while cooking, and they were found to be fakes. Now the **whole country is quite worried if they had accidentally consumed the fake eggs (allegedly made of chemicals) without noticing it. I know for a fact that I might probably dismiss the fact that the egg didn't smell like an egg, or had the wrong consistency as just a 'batch problem' if I wasn't aware of the fake eggs story. Who would even think of such a thing as a fake egg? ...

* "Use less garlic, there's no such thing as vampires" says a wise man, to the public via the local newspaper. No points for guessing that said wise man is a politician. Ahem. Actual article found here:   So apparently, the uncertain weather conditions in China has caused a massive reduction in the export of garlic, and while the demand remains the same (actually the demand has probably increased with it being Ramadan and all now where people are busy making extra stuff for the breaking of fast every evening, etc) which has led to an incredible increase in the price of garlic. And after all that, the only thing a hapless politician can advice is for us to use less garlic in our cooking. How constructive and forward thinking. Now, even with the limited knowledge of economics I have, I understand that there is probably no way that we can reduce the price of garlic, but you'd think that the Minister for Domestic Trade, Cooperative and Consumerism would have something ...

As the earth spins on it's axis in it's little corner in the milky way, things are happening, and as I see it, the world seems to be throwing one horror story on top of another on a plate and never bothered to decorate it with bits of tomatoes or parsley. Everything seems so serious and so bleak, from crashes to fires, and floods, and it worries me up to a certain extent . Seriously, what's going on? So while the earth and all the people in it struggle with each blow, is it wrong of me to think that the 'domestic' squabble between two very young singers was kind of funny (which led to the postponement of her concert here which would have broken a few hearts here and there, but still...) or even another story which was in a local tabloid some time ago about a man who threw his wife into a river? She survived, thankfully, but thinks her husband ought to be jailed because that was a terrible thing he did. I know for a fact that if it had been me who was thrown into ...