Table Talk
Such shallot of scope for puns Vienna has a long and illustrious history of musical invention, so it's no surprise that it should produce the world's first - as far as we know - vegetable orchestra. This nine-piece is devoted to "the interpretation and reconstruction of electronic music with organic means", using vegetables as their sound sources. Vegetables are sculpted into flutes, marimbas and other percussive instruments, and they do a stunning version of Kraftwerk's Radioaktivitat. But are they serious, or just an arty joke (geddit)?
Work out with these not-so-dumbbells Help is at hand for those of you fed up with New Year abstinence. Wolverhampton & Dudley is inviting you to get fit while downing pints. The brewery has created dumbbells that fix on to beer bottles to give boozers a workout in the pub while supping Marston's Resolution ale. The dumbbells are part of a promotion that gives drinkers the chance to win a year's free gym membership.
Murphy's silver success at world finals
Compass chef Tony Murphy was honoured for his salt dough work at the recent World Culinary Olympic in Erfurt, Germany. He created two buffet centrepieces, a 3ft 6in Rastafarian busker complete with dreadlocks, hat and saxophone, and a bulldog wine waiter wearing a frilly shirt with a monocle, all sculpted from salt dough. He won two silver awards.
Oliver goes "cool" on the baked beans idea Jamie Oliver is eating humble pie following revelations that he received £15,000 from Heinz in return for putting something "cool" involving baked beans on the Fifteen menu. "£15,000 funds one student for a whole year. Am I going to do it? Of course I am," he reportedly said. What he didn't reckon on was that the deal included a marketing campaign by Heinz, complete with people dressed in bean suits. "Next thing I know we've got giant baked beans running across the restaurant and paparazzi outside shouting ‘Oliver's a wanker'," he continued. "I should have been brighter. Baked beans have absolutely no place in any restaurant with integrity."
