Misc ramblings

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Saturday, August 4



In the morning I went to the Royal Artillery Barracks to
watch shooting competitions. Jamie Lee Gray of Team USA
won a gold medal in women 50 meter 3 position rifle shooting. There is a
separate blog on this.



In the early evening I saw two beach volleyball matches.
What more can I say?



In an earlier blog I complained about the lack of traffic
direction signs and the stairs and escalators of the subway system which are
unfriendly to people with luggage, large packages, baby carriages, and so
forth. Here are some more grips.



In too many restrooms there are separate spigots for the hot
and cold water controls – you can't use both at the same time. Too often I have
placed my hands under the “hot” spigot, turned the handle, and then jerk my hands back as incredibly hot water comes pouring
out. Hasn't anyone heard about the McDonald's coffee incident? In the past the
two spigots were used in sync to fill a basin. Who has time to do this now?
Plumbing should be used that will mix the hot and cold water streams into a
single, moderate, comfortable stream.



The “walk on the left” and “walk on the
right” practice is inconsistent. Everyone in the USA knows that
good mannered folks walk on the right. However, this does not occur in the
subway. It doesn't help that at some stations the escalators going up are on
the right while in others they are on the left side of the escalator bank. The
worst thing that happens is when one is descending a stair case just as a
subway car has discharged its passengers. It's like running into a herd of
stampeding cattle. To get down the stairs you have to aggressively push your
way down, unfortunately, if folks do no move aside for you.



Folks, don't get me wrong: I hear many
apologetic “pardon me”s for situations that are so minor. But still, the rush
of folks in the subway stations is getting to me.



Eating in London during the
Olympics is hit and miss for me. What I want to avoid as much as possible is to
buy food at a games venue. There, a serving of fish and chips (and what I mean
is one big piece of fish and lots of French fries) or a sausage on bun will
cost 8.5 pounds, or about $14.70, A coke will go for 2.3 pounds or $3.70, about
two dollars more than the US price. At the local grocery store the coke costs
1.3 pounds or about $2.00.



Here are some meals that I have had:



(1) St Martin-in-the Fields dining in the
crypt. ¼ quarter roast chicken, red cabbage, potatoes, carrots (?), and bread
sauce: 8.25 pounds or $13.20. This place is re commended by virtually all London guide books.



(2) Indian Students YMCA. All you can eat
Indian food including chicken for 6 pounds or about $10. This is described as
being genuine Indian food with emphasis on Punjabi cuisine. It's not the
westernized food that you find at high end restaurants. Of the forty or so
folks eating there 36 were Indian (maybe some Pakistani's in the mix), three Caucasians,
and one non-Indian Asian.



(3) Meat pie and chips sold at a local
bakery: 3 pounds or $5.00



Often I go to the Marks and Spenser, which
seems to be “Whole Foods Lite” or a Prêt a Mange where I purchase a sandwich
and fruit salad for dinner. Throw in a bag of chips and a bottle of flavored
water and the meal adds up to about $15.

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Comments

[Joan Davis]

Have you been to any pubs? I don't know what they charge for food, but I hear that some pubs have very good food. Consider going. I think you might have an interesting experience.