Blog of the Week

After an X Factor style comptition frenzy, 'Aroundtheworldin80dinners' won the coveted 'Manchester Evening News/The Mancunian Way' Blog of the Week (22nd April-29th April). I want to thank all my staff at 'Aroundtheworldin80dinners' Inc, Global Headquarters, Beijing, for all their hard work in making this possible and I hope this is the first of many 'BLOSCARS' to come.

After a gala dinner at the Baths Chippie in Chorlton, the party carried on long into the night. Readers can catch up with further reports at blogs.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/themancunianway

The Midland Hotel, Morecombe

It was the weekend after Easter when I took myself off to Morecombe and the lovingly restored Midland Hotel. God knows, Easter is not my favourite holiday as it always seems like 4 sundays in a row and I tend to spend it marking. So I too was in need of some loving restoration. The hotel is magnificent as it shines like a jewel in the rather shabby crown of the Morecombe seafront. I arranged lunch with Iwona, an old and dear friend from nearby Lancaster.

Lunch was a long affair over the glorious view of Morecombe Bay. I surfed and turfed on Red Snapper and Oxtail on a bed of mustard mash while my companion went for the Rajish curry.

I don't get to see Iwona often so it was good to catch up. The solid foundation of our friendship remains intact but it is always enjoyable to restore it to its former glory over a good lunch and fine company. On our way to walk off our indulgenes on the banks of Silverdale, we passed through Carnforth. It reminded that Iwona is my 'Ceila Johnson' and that our encounters are all too brief.

Artists not to lunch with (part 1)

Rene Magritte

Around the World in 45 dinners

Punjab

It was a rather drab Thursday, toward the end of a rather drab week. As usual I took myself off to see my therapist, which is always uplifting and I feel unburdened of those dark thoughts provoked by these uncertain times. In a happier mood, I went off the the excellent Surrealism show at the Whitworth. Ofcourse, Freudian theory is the life blood of that movement and the gallery is full of uncanny moments and uneasy images. I imagined taking my favourite Surrealist, Rene Magritte to lunch at South Indian eatery, the Punjab, just down the road.

We lunched on Keema dosas and Cobra beer. He told me of the heady days spent making the latent manifest and how much they all hated Dali. They felt the Spaniard was as relevent to the movement as a fish and resent his place in Art History as every school kid's wet dream of a surrealist. That reminded Rene of his fav joke-'How many surrealists does it take to change a light bulb? Fish!'. The food was as excellent as the imagined company, but don't tell my therapist.

Rene had the apple for dessert.

(almost) Instant Karma

Jati, RIP,

Reincarnation, Little Fusion.

The Year of the Ox

To all our valued readers may we at 'Aroundtheworldin80dinners' Global Headquarters, Beijing, wish you a very Happy Chinese New Year and may the Year of the Ox bring you good luck and good fortune.


XIN NIAN KUAI LE