Fruit Machine Chat

maybe i'm a bit tired and emotional, so ignore this if you will.

i am £35 up today for very little industry or endeavour (not busy at work).

my father is just back from namibia and has told me that my gift is a hand-made duvet cover which cost him the equivalent of 75pence. call me a softie, but that epiphany has really rocked me. i had to hang up to gather my thoughts.

we can make 75p in a minute by pressing a screen. whichever poor sod made my bedding spent weeks sewing something i will probably never use (and being really busy at work) for a pay packet of 75p.

£35 is a vulgar sum for being able to do parlour games.

Agreed. And whilst 75p could buy a lot more in Namibia, it is a sobering thought.

Of course, it's also worth noting that the 35 notes, whilst a trifling some to most of us, would make a real difference to someone in Namibia.

Whilst not remotely in the same league, I'm just back from holiday in Egypt. Being the cultured person that I am, I ate in Pizza Hut a lot.

A large stuffed crust pizza was approx £4.99 (even with the poor exchange rate) compared to about £16 over here.

As we walked back to our hotel with it, we gave 4 slices to some shopkeepers, who informed us that nobody over there eats it because they can't afford to.

So whilse not remotely in the same league as earlier, again things which we take for granted such as a fiver for a pizza are almost a fantasy for lots of people.

The sad thing is that if you look at what your wearing today, unless you chaps are all Saville Rowers, then the chances are most of it was made by somebody being paid peanuts.

Old town in Prague. 6 people, starters & mains with loads of drinks. 33 euros. Mind you, not suitable for vegetarians.

WaterGate wrote:Old town in Prague. 6 people, starters & mains with loads of drinks. 33 euros. Mind you, not suitable for vegetarians.

Why what did you have? A whole pig killed to order or something?

Of course all of this is true.

I've long thought that playing SWPs (and it can only be worse with AWPs) to any degree of success does dull one's appreciation of the value of money: if one can walk into a pub and have a good chance of getting £20 or £30 out of a machine in the corner without too much effort one loses some of one's appreciation of the value of that money, which after all would be a very great deal for many people, even in the UK. Not sure there's anything that can be done about this mind you.

Just traditional stuff really. Mainly different types of pork with sauerkraut & various dumpling and the world's strongest beer @ 18%! Hmmmmmmmmmm going back soooon. Really fantastic VFM, but don't wonder into the touristy new town area. Very expensive in comparison. Also, as you'd think, very confusing fruit machines.

'A large stuffed crust pizza'.I wouldnt fancy eating it after its been stuffed.Nor the apple pie afterwards