Author Archives: chiefprick
Enough With the Bouillabaise Already
Remember the old Mary Tyler Moore show? One of the running gags was Mary’s disastrous dinner party skills, often involving a failed dish of Veal Prince Orloff (which, it turns out, actually exists). Well, we’ve found our Mary for the … Continue reading
Here’s A Tip
Pick up the latest issue of the Spectator Australia – the one with Arthur Philip on the cover. I’ve got a piece in there defending George Calombaris and calling for an American-style tipping system in Australian restaurants. I’ll post a … Continue reading
The Reuben Chronicles
It seems I’m not the only one looking for a good Reuben in Sydney. Ms Darlinghurst has just discovered another Reuben specialty shop, this time in Surry Hills, and she rates it. Yet, as she admits, it is not really … Continue reading
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Penalty Kick
It’s been a busy week so I haven’t had a chance to weigh in on George Calombaris’s comments about the penalty rates restaurants have to pay staff on evenings and weekends. I normally don’t have time for Calombaris — or … Continue reading
Moore is Less
As a native New Yorker, when Michael Moore opened up his “Reuben & Moore” sandwich bar in the new Westfield on Pitt Street, I couldn’t have been more excited. I love Reubens, and the website even promised that the outlet … Continue reading
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Sheehan all wet
The often-sensible Paul Sheehan has fallen for the old “virtual water” canard: If you enjoyed a cup of coffee this morning, it might interest you to know it took 140 litres of water to produce that cup. Such a simple … Continue reading
The Oyster Bar
I grew up in a household where it was taken as an article of religious faith that one never, ever cooked an oyster. But I have married — or at least partnered — into a family of Mornayers, and as … Continue reading
Asleep at the whale
Well, well, whale, what have we here? Australian environmental activists who boarded the whaling security ship Shonan Maru No 2. risk being sent to prison in Japan, according to Tokyo’s Institute of Cetacean Research. The three men evaded defences overnight … Continue reading
Not So Sweet
The Age, March 8, 2009: Alcopops tax a success: research Alcopops sales dropped by 29 per cent following the introduction of the federal government’s tax hike on ready-to-drink alcoholic beverages in April, new figures reveal. The data, released by the … Continue reading
Prick With A Fork 
Comment is Free
I’ve got a comment piece in today’s Sun-Herald all about toilet paper, democracy, and why robust, vigorous debate in newspaper and opinion sites’ comment threads are actually a sign of a healthy polis. Ironically, there is no facility to comment … Continue reading →