Oh, just jumping from subject to subject again

I got up feeling pretty good today.

That's probably one of the biggest turn off lines for the beginning of a blog entry, isn't it? It would usually be followed by " ... but then I went to class and jamelia is like she heard that brad has been saying things behind my back about how he likes britney better and he is just so fake and so i said so i care why? and she said you so do and i said i so do not but really i do because i think i love him he is just so gorgeous and now i dont know what to do ..."

Phew. Glad it's not a blog like that then.

Instead, it's the sort of blog that WHAM!, out of nowhere, suddenly asks: "whatever happened to powdered coffee?"

And come to that, gravy powder?

I can remember a time when instant coffee was powder. Then, some bright spark invented granules, and for a while you could buy both, except I think the granules were a teeny bit more expensive. And I've now realised that in the mainstream supermarkets* you can't buy powder any more, and I suspect that you haven't been able to for a long time.

The thing that I can't quite get: what is so much more appetising about a granule than a powder? I mean, I'm sure a granule is actually just powder in flocculated lumps - which means they've had to make the powder first, and then treat it to granule it up. Which makes it, logically, even more processed? (I suppose it could be the other way round: they used to grind up granules to make powder, but I don't think so).

Is it that coffee powder looks a bit, well, chemically? Nature doesn't make food in powders, I suppose, so granular food maybe looks a bit more appetising. And a slightly darker colour, less, well, shit-coloured. But you really wouldn't have thought that this was enough to do away with powder altogether, would you? I mean, you can't get curry granules (this is now my idea and you can't nick it and I may make my fortune in curry granules so there) or custard granules (ditto) or instant soup granules (ditto), can you?

Consumers are strange.

Aren't we?

In other news, the LOML voted for Mark Ramprakash on Strictly Come Dancing last week. I fear for her.

Talking of which, Matt Dawson is becoming a right meeja whore, isn't he? I mean, respect for the William Webb Ellis trophy and all that, but the insidious rise into the rarified heights of famous-for-being-famousness is noticeable. It started reasonably enough - Question of Sport is a solid, sensible sort of place for a successful rugby ex. One Jordan out of ten, say. Slightly weird move up to win Sleb Master Chef, mmm, maybe three Jordans, and then all of sudden prancing round in sparkly kecks and unfeasibly shiny shoes for Brucey and Vernon Kay's missus. A full eight Jordans out of ten. Any guesses on where he's going next? Jeez. I wish I had his bank balance, though, huh. He might be desperate for the money, I suppose. Maybe he's got a ferocious crack habit or a massive gambling debt with the Triads.**

Merry stuff to you and yours, anyhow. See you soon.


*I'm far too middly classy to go to Aldi or Lidl. I'm sure you understand.
**I said 'maybe'. This is therefore not an allegation of any sort, I don't think. So don't sue. Please.