June Smorgasbord

We have several little nuggets for you this month. Thoughts on BP and the curious reaction of a select few Brits. A trip to the seaside town of Deal. And a foodie update.

Oil & Politics (or Aw, Tony Wants His Life Back...)

President Obama should stop being mean to BP. After all, how was BP to know that there would not be nearly enough shore birds, shrimp, oysters, turtles, and dolphins to soak up all that oil? BP could not have predicted the serious lack of wildlife necessary for absorption, could they? For goodness sake, the Americans should have regulated things a bit better so that there were more fluffy feathers around. And now Obama’s anti-British rhetoric (the part where Obama says that Tony’s attitude would get him shit-canned in an Obama company) is costing British investors a little of their money. Outrageous! Share value could not possbly have dropped due to the fact that BP slightly underestimated the amount of oil leaking from its well, or that BP’s efforts to cap the leak have not been made often or successfully. Couldn’t possibly be the millions of pounds worth of lost oil that weaken share price or the BP CEO’s perfectly understandable bout of throwing teddy from the pram and saying he wants his mommy or his life back or something. Or his finger pointing. That couldn’t possibly have made the markets doubt BP. It must be that anti-British Obama’s fault.

And the American public! What about that pack of whiners? I mean, here they are getting all this free oil washing up on their shores and they do nothing but complain. It’s just like them. First they started throwing all that perfectly good tea in the harbor a few years back and now they don’t even want BP’s gift of free oil. Well that just takes the biscuit doesn’t it? Clearly Obama is trying to take the focus away from the more important business of the World Cup games (um, soccer for those of you who don't immediately know what I mean. England is planning to win it).

Ah, well, what can be done? Today’s sarcasm moment was brought to you by BP. It seems there are growing cries from a few doddering old fools in the House of Lords, and some rich British CEO’s that President Obama’s rhetoric against BP equates to anti-British sentiment. They say he’s being unstatesman-like and that he is damaging our ‘special relationship.’ And he’s just being a big old meanie to poor Tony. At the same time, these people remind us that BP is a multi-national company, not specifically a British company.

Without wanting to wear out my welcome here in the UK, I have just the teensiest complaint. Listen, poppets, you can’t have your crumpets and eat them too. Either BP is a British company or it’s a multi-national. If it is a British company, then take your lumps without being crybabies. If it is a multi-national, then stop being so hyper-sensitive. And, to quote the venerable Mrs. Slocombe, I am unanimous in that!

Mollie Sugden as Mrs. Slocombe in Are You Being Served?
1970's Brit sitcom.

Deal

We took a day trip to the seaside town of Deal the other day. Somewhat near the little towns of Ham and Sandwich. Yes, really. There was a cold wind from the north or possibly the east whipping along the shore, but the rocks of the beach had been heated by the sun, so from the knees down, it was actually a warm wind. I found several holey stones. Always a good thing. We had a beer in a pub called the Ship Inn. Lovely, warm and inviting. Then a stroll along the high street which had a combination of boutique touristy shops and everyday chains. The high street seems to meet the needs of tourists and the locals, which I thought was charming. There was something about Deal in the paper recently which said that the high street was 'v glum.' I don't agree with that. Note: Brits will sometimes abbreviate very to v. I find that v endearing.

Deal shoreline

They're everywhere. I think the five second rule had long expired.

Yeah, buddy. Ciggies. 30p for a pack.

When in Deal, consider yourself politely warned against bad parking practices.

A garden path in Deal

Foodie Section

And now for a food update. I do enjoy bringing a bit of Tex-Mex sunshine to the table, as mexican-inspired food is not quite as prevalent here as in the States. Here's me showing off. Steak Burrito dinner with all the trimmings: pico, rice, beans, guacamole, rocket salad.

Before

After

Mmmmmmm.

That's it for now, folks. Stay tuned for a report from Southwest Scotland in a couple of weeks. We're headed up to a little town called Dalbeattie. Road trip!