Tuesday 25 May 2010

Observations

Got up at around quarter to six. I didn't have to, I just felt like it. Set out for a morning walk. As I did so, I began to realise just how dull the world is at that time of the morning. Sure everything's fresh and bright, but it's just so desperately quiet. In fact it's not even that fresh - usually the litter from the previous night is still scattered around the pavement like a slag.

It wasn't until around quarter past eight that I rolled up Preston Street, a street which boasts around 40 dining establishments, including my favourite China China. A lot of the establishments have four and five star hygiene ratings according to the Scores on the Doors programme, so I have no excuse not to check them out. Despite being fairly observant on food hygiene, I hadn't actually heard about the Scores on the Doors programme until a friend (even more observant on food hygiene than me) pointed it out. Not only is the food less likely to be poisoned, but is likely to be better anyway, he claims, as the cleaner a place is the better organised it is, and the better organised it is the better the meal-preparation is likely to be.

The restaurants are almost exclusively international, with a high proportion of Far-Eastern and Middle-Eastern establishments. There are also a few classics, like Dig in the Ribs or the Aberdeen Steakhouse. Asides from some multicuisine takeaways near the top of the street (kebabs et al.) there is, by my counting, only one Italian restaurant. I was reminded of the cheerful title of a book I had once come across called 'Pizza, Pasta & Poker', with some smiling guy in a baseball cap at the front. "Hi, I'm living the (Italian-)American Dream!" He didn't actually say that, I made up those words myself. I haven't even looked inside the book let alone read it, so I am not sure whether the book itself echoes the sentiment I have attributed to it.

Will I read it? Probably not. There are dozens of books in this house I should like to read first, and my reading of them will probably spark an interest in further reading on some select subjects - I doubt poker will be one of these subjects.

I do like pizza though. And pasta. And poker!

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