The Sign.....

I saw the sign....Ace of Base Connived to Damage our Ears with their sugary helping of Scandinavian pop. An international hit, this peaked at the dizzy heights of the UK charts at number 2, kept off the top spot by Mariah Carey and some forgettable ballady lullaby.
The sign in question was depicted as the Egypytian Ankh, the ancient symbol of life, a favourable portent often displayed alongside innumerable Egyptian deities as they shone down their radiance upon mankind.

Another portent radiantly beaming into our collective consciousness are the food gradings of the Auckland Council. Based on a system of inspection and compliance to legislation and best practice, these gradings are awarded to food establishments so that the public can be informed before purchase.. They range from A Gold star (excellent in every conceivable way) through A, B , D and then E (yikes!). Oddly there is no C grade, to avoid it being thought of as a passing grade.

So this weekend, feeling somewhat inspired by the Queens's Jubilee I decided to venture out and celebrate with a cake, of the cream variety. My good efforts towards weight loss have been progressing well and seen a minor reduction in overall mass. After 2 weeks of salad a spot of indulgence was needed.

So off I trotted to my favourite bakery in our seaside suburb, safe and secure in the knowledge that this particular establishment had a respectable A grade. From a transplant point of view, it is imperative to only frequent A graded businesses and we are under strict instructions from our renal doctors.
In order to prevent organ rejection, we take immuno suppression tablets, which basically reduce the body's own defence system so it tolerates the new parts, instead of sending attack cells to kill off the foreign invasion.
This means that we are more susceptible to infection and disease, including food poisoning which recent studies suggest cause 10-12,000 deaths per year in the US alone. Figures for the more vulnerable, including transplant recipients are much higher.

Because of this we take care in choosing A rated food outlets, and sticking with them.

Thus it was with a sense of surprise that my usual A rated eatery was now displaying a B sign!!

Bother and Confustication! What on earth had happened?
Instead of pristine fresh ingredients carefully and lovingly hand-crafted under hermetically sealed hospital-like hygienic conditions had they now cut corners and were using cuts of rancid possum, marinated in cat vomit, slowly heated under a hot light bulb, and served up in a couple of pig troughs?

Well no actually, it seems the ownership had changed and during the last council inspection some of the established practices were undergoing familiarisation and transition.

The food looked the same, the serving staff and uniforms were the same, all aspects remained unchanged, bar the food rating sign. I was tempted by the moist fancies seductively displayed and even went so far as to fumble in pocket  for some spare change, just like the Greek government.

But rules are rules for a reason, and 40 years of diabetic obedience to rules resurged and I had to force myself  to walk away.

I am sure their cakes remain hygienic and fit for consumption, but alas until their rating changes upwards this eatery will stay on my banned list. Better err on the side of caution. Hospital food is not nearly as tempting....

So I went home instead celebrated the jubilee with a nice cup of Tetley's and a Marmite butty, a little mouthful of England down here in the colonies. After all I've never heard of anyone being injuriously affected by England's favourite spread and the national cuppa!