Bone Curry

They have done it again;  the team who gave us such breakfast breakthroughs as:

cold creamed sweetcorn on bread,

the nouvelle cuisine Lonely Egg Marooned On An Expanse Of Plate,

'French toast' with the merest rumour of egg on bread with character,

the solitary breakfast scone,

and so much more.

Dishes to make the naked chef blush and Gordon Ramsey loose off a string of envious expletives. 

Caterers extraordinaire, Stuffem, feeding the oft unreasonable residents of several homes for senior citizens  - of thee I sing.

You have heard of boneless meat dishes, yes? In a mother-of-creativity twist, our celebrated chefs unveiled the meatless bone dish. Modestly called a 'mild lamb curry', this dish was actually the first bone curry in culinary history.

Ah, the joy of searching through a haystack of bones to find the needle of meat. What a sight all those interestingly shaped bones made on cleaned plates. A sight to gladden the heart of a hungry German Shepherd.

Some ungrateful souls complained. Some philosophical observers observed that they ought, instead, to be grateful for a meal at the low prices that they were paying. A wise, thoughtful, considerate observation, except for the following considerations:

1. Stuffem tendered for the job and named their price. The senior citizens did not twist their arms.

2. I doubt that their tender included such clauses as: 'For the price, we shall provide food of poor quality...'

3. Since when did low price absolve the provider of the duty to give of their best? To give value for money? Since when did it  entitle said provider to treat customers with contempt and indifference?

4. There are many organizations that also provide services and products at low price,  yet operate with a spirit of excellence. But one of many examples is the vegetarian restaurant in Durban, with a sterling reputation maintained through generations, for quality food at surprisingly low prices.

5. Would the philosophers happily accept mouldy bread, for example, supplied by a smiling baker, pointing to the low, special price?

Gratitude is earned in business.

Respect is a response to professionalism and courtesy - concepts mysteriously absent from Stuffem's lexicon.

The Stuffem saga begs two questions:

1. Has it become acceptable, commonplace,  in South Africa for businesses to supply inferior products and services and expect gratitude and 'a fair day's pay' for a pathetic day's work? That rot, unchecked, will destroy us as a nation.

2. Is this example symptomatic of an attitude displayed from government through all levels of service and administration, namely that senior citizens are third class citizens to be patronized, bullied and generally shunted aside, until they (sigh of relief), cease to share space with the superior classes? That diminishes us all and shames us as a nation.

Doubtless, though, Stuffem, like the heart in the theme song from the Titanic movie, will go on and on...

Footnote: This morning Stuffem served a mafia scone for breakfast. These distantly resemble normal scones but are used by mafia enforcers as weights around the ankles of those they send to "sleep with the fishes".