it’s about oil

Today, I finally snapped.

Our Government is involved in an occupation of Iraq which is, to say the very least, of dubious legality, while the ongoing presence of ‘coalition’ forces in the region begins to resemble nothing more than the US legacy in Vietnam. And what’s it all about? Despite right-wing media protestations to the opposite, it’s all about the dark, gooey stuff.

This is how the story goes, at least as far as I’m concerned: Internationally, we’re facing a massive medium term oil crisis. Independent scientists predict that there will be a peaking of World oil production between 2010 and 2020. With this in mind, and with the US already a net importer of oil, so-called “Energy Security” plays a pivotal role in that country’s foreign policy, both in terms of of national security and economic stability. In the aftermath of 9/11 Donald Rumsfeld argued at a National Security Council meeting that an invasion of Iraq was necessary to secure oil reserves, a perceived necessity that gained even greater credence politically when the subsequent instability of the Venezuelan oil industry was considered. And that, in a very small nutshell, is why we’re there.

Basically, it’s a mess. So today, I decided to do something about it. I wrote a letter. To Pret A Manger.

I was very disappointed to discover today a ‘new’ version of the banana cake I’ve been eating almost daily for the last couple of years. Gone was the deliciously moist, even-textured masterpiece of before, to be replaced by a dryer, roughly-hewn impostor featuring a lot less icing and nuts. Nuts? I hate nuts! If I want nuts I’ll go and buy some – I certainly don’t expect them in my banana cake. Is it still a banana cake? Shouldn’t you be advertising it as a banana and nut cake? Or did honesty go out the window when McDonald’s purchased the company?

Within 45 minutes I had a reply:

Hi Fraser

Thanks for your email.

I am really sorry to hear about your disappointment with our New Banana Cake – I will pass on your comments to our Food Development Team for their consideration.

Thanks again for letting us know your thoughts!

Best wishes,

Charlotte

Suffice to say, I’ll keep you abreast of any further developments. I will make a difference.

10 Comments

  1. does McDonald’s really own Pret? thought it was only Starbucks.
    i’m outraged. good luck with the nut plight

  2. They own 33% of Pret, which is about 33% too much…

  3. Yeah, stick it to the man! (Or, in this case, lady. Ahem.)

  4. Your mind works in bizarre, disturbing and wonderful ways… :-D

  5. Go get ’em fraser!

    Nuts are the work of the devil-man.

    Mmmmm Banana cake

  6. Have you gone bananas? The only good cake is pound cake! Pound the heck out of them!

  7. Charlotte IS Donald Rumsfeld. Watch your back there.

  8. I don’t like banana’s in any shape, form or cake, good flavours for cake should include chocolate, rum, coffee and possibly another layer of chocolate.

    Being a posh Tyke, I’m also able to buy cake at Betty’s rather than the rather mass market Pret.

  9. Even one of the Pentagon “hawks” has admitted that the war was illegal.

    Hmmm…Banana cake….niiice!

  10. Damn! I googled you up and you started well. Then you moved from the negative energy to Big Macs. Stick to one subject. Can anyone dig out the briefing paper from 1998 where Rumsfeld, Cheney & cohorts exhort the ‘securing’ of the world Oil supplies?

1 Trackback

  1. blogjam (Trackback)