And another thing...

It was with no small degree of mirth that I read of the latest example of equine intrusion into our pampered western diets. I hasten to add that I respect the love of some people for the trusty steed and the revulsion they feel for the consumption thereof. That said, a number of things struck me about this case.

The horse meat had been identified in a processed meal the nutritional content of which is probably not too different to the packaging whence it came. I wonder how many of us could honestly hold our hand up to being able to differentiate with any reliability between horse and beef?

A few years ago, I was holidaying with my wife and we decided to sail over to Sardinia for a few weeks. I was rather surprised when I first encountered the meat counter in the butcher's shop because it was more difficult to find meat which wasn't horse. Hence, as stereotypical carnivores, we gorged on horse for a fortnight and jolly nice it was too if a trifle sweet in comparison to beef. I a lasagne though, I would defy anyone to spot the difference.

The late, great Sir Clement Freud who had the most extraordinary of lives, opened a restaurant after the second world war which prospered for a number of years. In the immediate aftermath of the war, things were tight to put it mildly and people made do with what they had. On one of the first nights, one of the diners complimented Clement on the meat and asked what it was. In his trademark laconic style, Clement informed him that the meat was horse. Because everybody always assumed that Clement was joking, the diners roared with laughter and continued with their meal. It was horse.

It was with no depth of fascination that I noted that a scientist has come up with the largest prime number hitherto known. This reminded me of the eternal quest to define pi during my school years in the late 70s and early 80s. It is strange to me that the concept of infinity proves so troublesome to some people. Isn't it nice to think that some things just go on and on with no end? Even though Keele Spine sometimes aspires to this on Friday afternoons, I am pleased that it remains finite albeit a little long...