Bad Times and Cat Food

Perhaps all is not quite gloom and doom. With economies tumbling all over the world, you would expect to see a different emphasis on food ads. But lo and behold, what did I see in the dailies the other day but a big ad about lobsters being the week’s key offering from an average supermarket in an average middle-income suburb. Comfort food?

Just goes to show, people are not tightening their belts where their culinary preferences are concerned. Perhaps that kitchen renovation has been put on hold, or that planned Christmas trip to Aruba is off the agenda ... but to live on a diet to match the economy … oh no!

Restaurant owners must be wondering ‘Will these bad times take their toll on the julbord (traditional Swedish Christmas smorgasbord, generally a seasonal treat from employer to employee)’. Judging by all the restaurant ads, the prices are still as exorbitant as in all previous years, so my guess is business will still be good.

Even our pets are not tightening their belts yet. A recent survey by a TV-program designed to draw attention to the quality of school lunches, discovered that cat food contains more nourishment than the average school lunch served to our kids. So now I know why the neighbours’ cat always has a smile on its chubby face and why little Tommy down the lane always has a lean and hungry look on his.