The strangest coffee brew ever
VALERIE Johnson and her family were intrigued by the photograph last Friday of the palm civet cat eating the coffee cherries in Java. They know about this and it's rather an alarming story.
They were given a packet of coffee by friends in Cape Town who brought it from London.
The blurb on the packet reads: "This is the rarest and definitely most extraordinary coffee in the world. It has been selected for us by the Common Palm Civet Cat. It prowls the Sumatran coffee plantations at night, choosing to eat only the finest, ripest cherries. The stones, (which eventually form the coffee beans), are then collected by cleaning through the droppings … Product of Sumatra, roasted in UK".
"At first we thought it was a fun thing, a joke," says Valerie. "But we were assured that it was real, very good coffee. We have two ounces of it in a vacuum-packed plastic packet. From the price, retailing at $20 an ounce, it is worth about R300. We haven't opened it yet.
"What we have done, after long, festive lunches, when the guests are really relaxed and having coffee, is produce the packet and pass it around, and enjoy the reactions of our friends.
"Then we would assure them they're not drinking Civet, just good old normal coffee."
Valerie is anxious about the volcano that has erupted in Sumatra and hopes the civets have escaped unharmed.
Parliamentary cricket
TALK in yesterday's column of being press-ganged into cricket reminds retired MP Geoff Oldfield of his debut for the parliamentary cricket team, many years ago, when he was press-ganged into playing wicketkeeper.
He had just arrived at parliament and was asked to turn out for the cricket side. Skipper was senior MP Hamilton Russell, who told him to put on the pads.
"But we're not batting."
"You're wicketkeeper."
Australia's wicketkeeper at the time was a man named Bert Oldfield, and Russell decided this qualified Geoff. He was to keep wicket for the parliamentary side for another 20 years or so, and he recalls a match against the press gallery in which Senator Bill Horak took six wickets in six balls. The MPs won the match fairly comfortably.
I myself remember playing for the press gallery against the parliamentary XI at the immaculately kept Fernwood ground with its gracious clubhouse. I'm sure we provided stiffer opposition in our day.
Some record
GEOFF Oldfield has a remarkable record in public life. He served four years in the old Natal Provincial Council before going to parliament for 23 years. Then he returned to the provincial council for four years as chairman, then he had another 20 years as a Durban city councillor.
I wonder if that has been equalled anywhere in the world.
No bets on
JOCKEYING for the election of a new leader of the British Labour Party continues, brothers David and Ed Milliband both of them among the contenders, Lord Mandleson weighing in wherever he can.
Will it be a continuation of New Labour or a lurch back to Old Labour?
Nobody seems to be placing so much as a spread bet or a spot bet – not like with the England-Pakistan cricket. Nor is anyone taking much interest.
It's the crisis in world cricket that's got the attention right now. This is serious.
Got the T-shirt
BUMPER sticker: "Seen it all. Done it all. Can't remember most of it."
Striking poetry
IAN GIBSON, poet laureate of Hillcrest, has produced a couple of stanzas on the public service strike.
Some "democratic" teachers on strike,
Went beyond exercising their right,
To a fair deal,
or grievance to heal,
By acting like thugs day and night.
There's something called industrial action,
Gives some, but not all, satisfaction;
Vavi's in his element,
Some citizens in torment,
Can't get help, like medical attention.
Tailpiece
TWO fellows are waiting to be interviewed for the same job. Both are wearing Cambridge ties, though one is otherwise a little scruffy.
"I say," says the well turned-out one. "Were you at Cambridge?"
"Yes."
"What did you do there?"
"I bought a tie."
Last word
I have found the best way to give advice to your children is to find out what they want and then advise them to do it.
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