Bar Miserable becomes Bar Cheerful

February 15, 2008 · Filed Under Milan - My Zone · 10 Comments 

Not too far from my house there is a bar, one of these early morning to early evening places where you can go for a coffee, lunch and an aperitif. I often stop off there for a coffee whilst out for a walk with the dog. In fact, I went there for a coffee quite often before we got the dog, such is my addiction to the short but potent Italian coffee.

Anyway, this bar was run by what I think was a family. There was mum, dad, son, and daughter. Well, there were four people and they were about the right age to have all been part of the same family, but we never really chatted so I don’t know. What I do know is that this group was about as happy as a camper in a thunderstorm. Boy, were they gloomy, much like the weather just before a storm. Never a smile, although the occasional grunt was uttered.

I have no idea what had reduced this bunch to the depths of near depression, but it must have been something pretty dire. Hence the nickname I coined for the place: ‘Bar Miserable’.

Talk about atmosphere, you would have a needed a chain saw, let alone a knife to have made some impression on it. Grim it was.

“But why did you go there?”, you may well be asking. And in answer, I would reply that the bar was such a gloomy place, with such miserable staff, that it fascinated me in a morbid kind of way. I suppose I was also curious to see for just how long they could have kept on being so downright down. Or maybe I just wanted to catch them on a happy day, although I never did.

Eventually though, I started going there less and less, as the absolute miserableness of the place was starting to get to me.

Well, not so long ago the grumpy group who ran bar miserable must have decided to hand over the place to another group of bar staff. I imagine it was either this, or one or other of the gloom mongers would have ended up as a serial killer.

One day I noticed the new faces behind the bar and decided to pop in for a coffee. Initially, the new staff managed to be much more friendly, but alas, this state of goodwill did not last long.

I think the reason for this was that the father, as I’ll refer to him, still had a hand in the running of the place. He was often to be seen serving at the till, looking, as ever pretty damn miserable.

After a time the place slowly, but surely, sank back into its previous state of abject miserableness. There must have been something in the air.

Recently, however, the management changed once more and, after an initial state of semi-gloom, the new staff have finally managed overcome the glumness which pervaded the place and it has started to perk up.

I’m not the only one to have noticed the change, and the place is now quite packed at lunchtimes, and in the evenings I sometimes take my little one there for an aperitif on the way back from school . The titbits laid out on the counter have improved immeasurably too. It is now distinctly less miserable than before.

Somewhat unsurprisingly, the father who ran the place has not been in evidence, and the new chap, who, it has to be said, appears to have a tendency towards grumpiness (’Could he be a relation?’, I ask myself), has even managed to raise a smile on more than one occasion.

The transformation, which has been slow and, I imagine, quite painful, has finally taken place. The mournful spirit which reigned over this bar seems to have been just about ousted and, I am pleased to say that it almost earns the nickname of Bar Cheerful. Well, it is about 1000% more cheerful than before.

Heck, you should have been there a couple of years ago, if only to have experienced the tension there. It would have been great place to have gone to when you felt that the world was against you. It certainly would have convinced you that you were right.

Still, those depressing times of old seem to be disappearing into the past.

Never, fear though, because another bar, which we popped into recently, has managed to successfully (?!) inherit the Bar Miserable title. More about this ‘friendly’ place, another time.

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The Typical 21st Century Work Day - possibly….

January 11, 2008 · Filed Under Work · 4 Comments 

While I could be wrong, I suspect that the average workday for many, especially those working with technology, may now go something like this:

09:00 amish Arrive at work.

09:05 amish Have a coffee/tea etc

09:10 amish Switch on computer

09:12 amish Check and reply to work related email

10:00 am Log in to Facebook.

01:00 pm Log out of Facebook and go to lunch.

02:00 pm Return from lunch and go for a coffee/tea with your colleagues.

02:30 pm Login to Flickr - upload a few photos, comment on some other photos, reply to comments on your own photos.

03:30 pm Log out of Flickr and go for a coffee/tea with colleagues.

04:00 pm Return to desk. Check email and reply, if really necessary.

04:15 pm Log in to personal blog and write a post about the heavy day you are having at work.

04:45 pm Log out of blog and into Facebook to kiss, punch, message, and play games with your ‘friends’.

05:30 pm Log out of Facebook and into bank account to pay that electricity bill that you should have set up a direct debit for years ago.

05:50 pm Log out of bank and check Hotmail, Yahoo, and Gmail accounts. Reply to emails and comments left on your blog. Log into Google Analytics and Adsense.

07:00 pm Log off Google Analytics and Adsense.  Switch off your computer and go home.

Of course, throughout the day you will have been answering the phone and thinking about the job someone employed you to do!

It’s a virtual world.

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Scottish/Italian Sunday lunch

October 7, 2007 · Filed Under Italian Food · 2 Comments 

Yes, I suppose mixing Scottish and Italian food is a bit odd, but that’s what we did today in sunny Milan when we finally got round to opening the tinned haggis which I had got from Alessandro the landlord of the 442 pub.

Now, as some may know, haggis is traditionally served with mashed potato and turnips, but not having the turnips, nor a potato masher, we resorted to the Italian purè as an acceptable alternative to mash. Our purè had cheese and ham mixed in, on the off-chance that out little one would not be a haggis fan.

While my other half found the haggis a bit odd, I thought it was fine, and it went very well with the purè. My other half went one better and started to eat her potion of haggis with Brie - which, I imagine, is not something that is done every day! Scottish purists may well have a minor heart attack upon hearing such sacrilege. However, I’m about to suggest something that the Scots would probably lynch me for, that is: How about trying haggis with polenta? I think the two would go together rather well, and would certainly make for a hearty winter repast.

Oh, and our little four year old earthquake would not even try the haggis, Brie or not. But, then again I think it would be true to say that haggis does not really have the most appetizing appearance. Still, I shall be asking Alessandro for another tin of haggis, in order that I can see what it is like with polenta. Talk about fusion cuisine.

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