Children

A couple of rantings, because, hell, why not?

1. Kids Don't Deserve Good Food (Apparently)

Why is it that, when in a restaurant/cafe/any eating-type place, the child's menu only ever seems to consist of burgers, chips, beans, sausages or some unidentifiable trash? What the hell is it with such small-minded thinking? How does this promote healthy eating?

Understand, I have no problem whatsoever with a child having a fair share of pizza, chips, whichever in the course of a week. Children love that sort of thing, for the most part. What I do resent is that the eating out experience is ruined for children straight off.

No matter what the restaurant; French, Italian, Grill, Mediterranean, Mexican, whatever-- it's always the same story. Burgers, chips, other bland things. How on earth does this teach children to enjoy the wealth of food and different cultures?

Of course, some children would always opt for chips over lasagne, or eschew coq au vin for pizza, but you know what? When I was a child, I remember seeing red at being forced to choose between Fun Bites and sausages, whilst the adults chose some exotic food. I have always loved different tastes-- I much prefer Spanish, French, Japanese and Caribbean cooking to bland British fare-- but it seems society feels that children can't think like this, and I'm sure I'm note the only one who ever felt slighted by that fact.

2. Cinemas.

Now, I understand fully that if a film is rated PG then there's a fair chance we're going to be sharing the audience with some children. If it's 12A as Mona Lisa Smile was (dear lord, that film) then, again, we'll see some children there, but hey-- they're with adults, right? They'll be well-behaved, right?

Wrong. The moments in the film that tried to reach some deeper place, and let's be frank here-- they were pretty far and few between-- were spoiled by some children of the 10-12 age group who realised that they needed to go to the loo every five minutes. Hence, we have them running up and down and up and down the stairs. Shouting. I sort of hoped one of them would just fall, but then that would have made for much crying and helped them achieve their goal in making it All About Them.

If cinemas refuse to provide the staff to stop people like this ruining the film for the rest of us, couldn't they at least impose an Adults-Only screening of a film say, a couple of days a week, or something? It's stuff like this that makes me further resent the overpriced £6.50 ticket.

If I were prime minister, right after pulling as far away from Dubya and as close to mainland Europe as possible, I'd force restaurants to adopt an alternative healthy menu for children and... I don't know... personally take troublesome brats from cinemas by the scruff of their necks.

Hmm... I think I'll stick with my dog for the moment.

AIM

I have very little idea about AIM-- I thought only people on AOL could use it, or something. squishypeanut told me, however, that I was an idiot.

So, you can now find me on AIM under 'Anglaise Rebness'. I would me most pleased to see you Friends-type people on there, and if you're not a Friend, I'll be Vaguely Puzzled But Also Pleased.