Customer service like nowhere else in the world

Flickr: Sushi, to-go

The Japanese, it seems, have some of the best customer service in the world. Like this awesome story from Kotaku chief editor Brian Ashcraft. The story starts out with his wife buying sushi in a department store, and found a bug in it.

She called up Hankyu and told them she bought sushi there and there was a bug in it. The person she spoke with apologized and then offered to refund our money — by immediately driving to our house after we gave him our address.

It gets more awesome from there on in. Read, customer service departments of the world, and realize what utter, epic fail you all represent.

[Link: Kotaku - No, I was wrong, THIS is the best service ever]

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Today’s WTF: Semen-based recipes

Prepare to be put off your food. Here comes a recipe book that’s not quite your average. It’s a cookbook that uses semen as a main ingredient in its dishes. Aside from the possibility of contracting any number of STDs, this book is dubious on a number of levels. Still, there are some gems of quotes to be found within its pages.

Like any other natural organic product, the quality of semen depends on the health of its producer…As long as the semen is fresh and properly harvested, there is little risk of contamination.

Properly harvested?? Mind you, I can probably think of a dozen improper ways of harvesting the…uhh…ingredient.

[Link: Lulu - Natural harvest -- thanks Deems!]

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Food for Thought

‘The big decisions in life are best made on a full stomach’, says this article in the Telegraph.

Skipping meals can lead to reduced levels of a brain chemical that helps to keep careless and impulsive behaviour in check. Equallly, a good meal can help prevent people behaving in a cranky, aggressive and unfair way by maintaining levels of serotonin, says a study by a Cambridge University team.

I know I definitely have those cranky episodes when I’m hungry and I’m fine once I’ve eaten something. I’m not sure how it affects my decision-making abilities but the next time I do any impulsive shopping, it’ll be good to blame it on my tummy!

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South African food in Ireland

Lately I’ve been really missing South African food. So much so that we ended up making a delicious gatsby for supper the other night. I also tried making a beef stew, but there’s some knack to it that I just don’t have. Probably I need to cook the beef longer.

So I’ve been lussing for biltong and droe wors and even rooibos tea. I didn’t used to drink tea much in SA, but now that we’re here, if I’m gonna drink tea, I’d rather it be rooibos.

The Irish (except for my hubby, whom I’ve converted) don’t really seem to favour biltong, though, so I had my doubts that I’d be able to find it in any butchery here. The reaction has often been one of puzzlement mixed with disgust – why would you want to snack on meat?! Obviously they haven’t tried the right biltong.

Then I had a brainwave – type “biltong” into google.ie and see what it comes up with. Lo and behold, I found a shop in Ireland that sells all kinds of South African food – from biltong, to Fritos, to All Gold peaches. I looked up their address on Google Maps, and as you can see in the picture below, they’re quite a bit west of the city centre, in a place called Kilcock. Yep, the name’s for real, and you say it exactly the way you think you do.

After a bit of further searching, I found another South African goods shop, this time a bit closer, in the city centre (where the green arrow points). So just a train ride from Balbriggan (where we stay) to the city centre, then a little walk from the station to the shop. I am quite pleased with my find, and looking forward to some yummy snacks Thank you Google!

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Today’s insanity: bread that looks like body parts

Thai bread artist Kittiwat Unarrom creates these really gruesome-looking breads that are made to resemble body parts. The bread is made from dough, raisins, cashews, and chocolate, and seems quite popular. Imagine hiding one of these in the family bread-bin!

However you look at it, it’s still cringe-worthy!

[Link: InventorSpot]

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What’s that bloody smell?

Sitting on the train, surrounded by soggy people I noticed something which got me thinking. Now, this is either the type of paper used in Ireland, or perhaps unknown components in the Irish rain, but damp newspapers smell like vomit!

While we are on this interesting topic I think just cooked popcorn smells like vomit too. But it’s strange how your sense of smell is linked to your taste yet in the case of popcorn it smells very different to how it tastes?? Does this mean we cannot trust these people that sniff wine, or what about people that enjoy the smell of their own gases – could this mean that this gas sniffer unknowingly makes all dishes with similar smells to the one they like, suddenly “Toad in the Hole” and especially “Bubble & Squeak” leave me thinking.

Now, do you have any taste, smell stories?

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Today’s Insanity: Crazy Asian Drinks

We all know that quite often, there’s a kind of “reality separation” between Asia and the West, and a good number of things that they take for granted don’t really make their way over to this side of the world. This includes things such as TV shows, novelties, and soft drinks. Sometimes, a soft drink brand available in the Western world is available in the East in flavors we’ve never dreamed of. For example, they have over 50 flavors of Fanta in Japan–out of a total of 70-odd Fanta flavors worldwide. The flavors include Kiwifruit, Muksrat Grape, and Amino Cider!

The chaps at No Apologies! Press decided to review a stack of soft drinks from Asia. What results is some of the funniest stuff you’ve read about soft drinks.

[Link: NA!P Presents Crazy Asian Drinks, but you can skip the index and start with Basil Seed Drink with Honey]

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On mammaries

Sameer and I went to the Field Museum – a natural history museum in Chicago – yesterday.  The exhibits were fantastic.  After oggling Sue the T-Rex for a bit, we went off and looked at the Ancient Americas exhibit. While in the Ancient Americas exhibit, I noted the pictures and models of women from ancient times, walking around and going about their work totally topless and I thought “Hmmm, seen that before.” As you know, in many African tribes, women still go topless.

Later on, we went to look at a photo exhibition of women’s rituals from around the world. While there, we came across a series of pictures of Swazi women at the annual Reed Dance, again topless. And here, one of the signs accompanying the pictures states that “In Swazi culture, breasts are associated with food, not sex.” and I though “A-ha! That makes perfect sense!”

We have some many people telling us that women who go around showing skin are asking for harassment but in certain cultures and certain times, women showed much more skin and went about their daily work without fear or reprisal or abuse.

So I ask, when did breasts become co-opted as exclusive symbols of sex and sexuality? I find it so strange that in some countries – the US in particular – people are so abhorrent of women who breastfeed their babies in public but they are quite happy to see breasts flashed around on billboards, in movies, or in porn. It’s a double standard that insinuates that breasts are for men’s pleasure and not for women’s purposes.

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