You’re all incredibly intelligent and well-read people of the world. I’m sure you’re aware of the (possibly apocryphal) story of the little packets of peanuts on American planes bearing the legend “May contain nuts”…. I don’t know for sure - I spent my flight to Duluth worrying how on earth I was going to manage to eat all four of the salted delicacies in just 2 hours….And why the hell I was going to Duluth, obviously.
Thankfully we don’t have that kind of idiocy in Britain, but we do have sensible warnings for the allergic amongst us on certain products where it might be difficult to work out exactly what the ingredients may contain. The butter on Virgin trains, for example:
Did you know that? Thank God they told me. And although I’m anything but a vegetarian, if I was, at least I’d know my mineral water was safe to drink….
YES!! We must alert the world to every obvious danger. Right! I’m off to the nearest beach to put up a “May contain jellyfish” sign. Question: Have we become so moronic that we need to be told that there’s milk in butter, and if so, is there someone out there thinking “But what the Hell is milk 1000712/B?”
devonboy, you got this all wrong.
“May contain jellyfish”? Sorry, that’s a waste of time. What you really really need is a sign “May contain H20″!
(goes away to google for story of politicians almost falling for hoax to ban H20 because it is a very dangerous substance…)
Armin, wasn’t it monohydrogen dioxide that was the problem?
Devonboy: It was the mineral water that got me. Gluten free? Suitable for vegetarians? Whould have thought it? It makes you worried that it doesn‘t say “Does not contain traces of nuts.”
The peanut thing is probably because peanuts are legumes and not nuts. Someone probably sued them.
Mupwangle: Oh, I bet you’re one of those people who insist tomatoes should be in the fruit section at the supermarket (I know I am)…….
Armin - guess the warning “May contain H20″ is a bit over the top but the natives are really worried about the amount of salt they are consuming. Was warned about the amount of same substance I put on my lunch sometime ago - right, as if that was the major concern when we were all eating CHIPS!
All health and asfatey p[eople should be taken out and shot - and that includes the ones who are suing the MET under health and saftey rules for shooting a Brazilian. Under health and saftey? I would have thought that shooting someone was pretty definitely neither health or safe - as far as the dead guy is concerned.
KingLear: They shot him 7 times in the head? Really? Surely they shot him a couple of times in the head and then a few more times into a bloody mess atop his shoulders….
Yes, it sounds callous, but I’ve always written in the “how would you like to die column: competent sniper - when I’m old but just about losing it and not expecting it.” I always envy my grandmother on this front: Electrocuted self at age 86 whilst using electric-powered chainsaw to cut down tree……..” Although I can now see the advantage of 2-stroke petrol motors as well…..
With reference to your grandmother’s death, have you read the Crow Road? Was it based on your family?
Anyhoo: I think King Lear lives in much closer proximity to Crow Road than I….
Mr Fact, you might have a point with the monohydrogen dioxide being the issue. Apart from the fact that it was Dihydrogen Monoxide.
Armin: That’s it! I’ll have to hand back my degrees now…….
It’s not just food, of course – here’s my response by means of a picture.
After a couple of days in the Kingdom partly spent idly flicking through the Daily Telegraph, I got the impression peanuts and other allergens are the biggest threat to British society, causing children to shrivel up on contact. (I suspect the McCann case will probably turn out to involve peanuts somewhere along the line).
I really liked this warning:
http://www.spiegel.de/kultur/zwiebelfisch/0,1518,grossbild-750778-436724,00.html