Table talk
At least the hole in the middle isn't bad for you
You probably already know that it is National Restaurant Week, you might even be aware it is National Sandwich Week, but perhaps not as many of you know that National Donut Week begins on Saturday. The doughnut, as some of us still prefer to spell it, has something of a mixed reputation. Thirty million a year are sold in schools and colleges, and more than 13 million in restaurants, but despite being Homer Simpson's favourite food it does not usually get the thumbs-up from dietitians. One press release on National Donut Week reads: "Healthcare and care homes may not be seen as the natural home of the sugary snack". Of course, the week may help to change such perceptions. As Woody Allen said in the film Sleeper: "That was back in the 20th century, when they thought doughnuts and cigarettes were bad for you."
Not the sort of punter you want dropping in
A US restaurant manager made a gruesome discovery when he arrived at work one morning last week - a pair of legs dangling from a ventilation duct in the ceiling. Atlanta police believe the owner of the legs - a 35-year-old man - was trying to break into the Caribbean Soul Cuisine restaurant and suffocated when he became stuck in the duct. Homocide Sgt Willie R Jackson said: "People do strange things in this day and time, and there must have been something in there he wanted bad enough."
Catering boss with an unpalatable problem
Catering manager Stephen Jones snores so loudly that it is threatening his future marriage plans. His fiancée has banished him from the couple's house so he has to sleep at his mum's. In a last-ditch attempt to stop his night noises, he has checked into a specialist clinic in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire. Jones said: "It may seem extreme, but it's a big problem. I love Catherine and desperately want to marry her. It's ruining my life." Sleep clinic boss Graham Carr-Smith commented: "Snoring can break up marriages. Hopefully Catherine and Graham will notice the effects and the next sound we hear will be wedding bells."
Can cook, can't act?
The London Academy of Radio, Film and TV is offering a two-day acting masterclass for aspiring TV chefs. Those who want to turn their prowess into TV cooking skills can learn how to prepare food while smouldering nonchalantly at the camera like Nigella, and film on location with shopkeepers, although chirpy cockney banter and scooter lessons are not included. Students will take away a video tape to impress producers and enjoy a talk by a guest celebrity chef.
Do not disturb and hold the 5am wake-up call
The Pope is to spend a night in a hotel for the first time in more than 20 years. He will stay at the £98-a-night Hotel Irshad in Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan. The Pope usually stays in monasteries or convents but there are no Roman Catholic monasteries in the overwhelmingly Muslim republic. John Paul II shunned the more pricey alternatives such as the Baku Hyatt Regency. It is understood the Hotel Irshad, which means "spiritual guide", was favoured because it is owned by a minister of religion.
