Table Talk
Festive fiasco
There was not much evidence of Christmas spirit at Poplar Primary School in the London borough of Merton. Caterer Initial had obviously not done its sums properly and 12 children were left with no Christmas lunch on the last day of term. They were offered a pudding to keep their hunger at bay until their £1.85 meals arrived. Alas, when they turned up at five past two in the afternoon, the bell had already gone for the end of term. Did Initial immediately offer a refund to the unlucky dozen? What do you think?
Thereby hangs a tail
The Malmaison in Manchester prides itself on accommodating guests' dogs and recently had 12 in residence along with dog beds and bowls. A new member of staff was taken aback when asked for the "dog count" by a manager. It transpired that the novice thought the manager was referring to three ladies who had checked in, the worse for wear and on the razzle with out-of-town footballers.
Rumble in the jungle
Last week Four Seasons opened the doors - or rather flaps - of its first all-inclusive tented camp. The company's third property in Thailand is located in the middle of the Thai jungle. Accessible only by riverboat, Four Seasons Tented Camp Golden Triangle nestles in the heart of the Golden Triangle where the borders of Thailand, Laos and Myanmar (Burma) converge.
Pointing the finger A Las Vegas couple who made headlines around the world with a restaurant scam involving a human fingertip and a bowl of chilli have been sentenced to prison terms of nine and 12 years. Anna Ayala and Jaime Plascencia admitted seeking to defraud the Wendy's restaurant chain when they visited a San José branch in March last year and subsequently went on national television to recount the supposed horror of finding the finger in their food. They filed a series of lawsuits and remained in negotiations for a cash settlement right up to their arrest. Both now acknowledge that they bought the fingertip from a friend who had lost it in an industrial accident and placed it in the chilli bowl themselves.
