Waiter!There's a hallmark on my garlic bread
Forget ham, pineapple and sweet corn - pizza restaurant Petite Delice in Germany has added gold to its list of toppings. You can now order a specially created pizza finished with crème fraîche, pàté and 22-carat gold, a mini version of which will set you back about £30. Chef Ernst-Wilhelm Klevinghaus assured diners that it was harmless "and doesn't taste of anything". At £30 you might be wondering: "What's the point?"
The pen is mightier than a tin of peaches
Army barracks in the UK have reported an influx of gifts donated by the public to troops in Iraq. Boxes of chocolates and tinned desserts are among items that have been arriving at such a rate that the Army has been forced to act, requesting well-wishers to send written messages of support instead. As well as posing a security threat, the gifts could not be transported as the Army's focus was on delivering essential supplies. A spokesman said: "Thanks, but our troops already have adequate food, clothing and welfare items."
Wannabes eat at service station!Hold the presses!
Only two weeks after Donny Osmond enjoyed a coffee at Welcome Break, members of Fame Academy just couldn't resist something to eat at the company's new Food Connection outlet at Charnock Richard on the M6 at Chorley. The northbound site had been open for just 30 minutes when the singers, en route to a concert in Glasgow, popped in to become some of its first customers. Manager Paula Dempsey said: "We were all excited about the opening and the visit of Fame Academy was the icing on the cake."
Cautionary tale of Two Old Bags and some postcards
James Humphreys, manager of the Orient-Express Northern Belle once received a complaint from two elderly ladies on the train because the on-board souvenir shop had no postcards. On a second trip, the ladies were disappointed again to find no postcards, so at the next stop, Humphreys rushed out to WH Smith to buy some. Back on the train, he shouted, rather rashly: "Right! Who's going to give the old bags the postcards?" He didn't notice they were standing next to him. "Who said that?" they demanded. At first he denied it. After a comic round of denials that took in the whole crew, he finally owned up. But the faux pas had a heart-warming outcome. The two dears now know every staff member and have been on every trip the Northern Belle makes. "They send me little thank-you notes, signed 'The Two Old Bags'," says Humphreys, his eyes welling up.
Sars outbreak forces rapid rethink on slogan
Hong Kong, which has been badly hit by the deadly Sars virus that puts its victims on hospital respirators, has withdrawn its new tourism advertising slogan: "Hong Kong will take your breath away." Simon Clennell, assistant manager of the tourism board, said last week: "As soon as the Sars outbreak began, we realised, obviously, that it would be pretty embarrassing."
Production times meant that the slogan had appeared in some magazines since the Sars outbreak began last month, but where possible the tourism board replaced it with another slogan: "There's no place like Hong Kong."