bitful

Last Friday, when I read on Techmeme that the Encyclopaedia Britannica is giving out free one-year subscriptions to publishers, including bloggers, I contacted them straight away motivating my application, and did not think much of it.
Imagine my surprise when later that very day I received an email containing instructions on how to activate my free [...]

I recently saw an ad somewhere that said:
"Tesco prices. Waitrose quality. Ocado delivery."
After staying last weekend in Manchester with friends who spend a little more than I do on food - and tasting the difference it makes, I thought I'd give it a go.
Tonight Ocado delivered - groceries and promises.

Ocado matches Tesco prices on 3,500 [...]

Ho mangiato troppo a pranzo
I ate too much at lunch
Literally: '(I) have eaten too-much at lunch'.

My lunch usually consists of some chicken (pre-cooked and packed from the shop, or steamed or oven-roasted at home, no skin) and some cherry tomatoes (straight from the packet, unwashed, I probably have enough pesticides in me to kill all [...]

Oggi mangiamo uova e pancetta per colazione
Today we are having eggs and bacon for breakfast
Literally: 'Today (we) eat eggs and bacon for breakfast'

Do you want to get rid of that little bit of extra weight you put on at Christmas? You are still in time to turn into a gay man and book yourself on [...]

A typical salad from Cataluña. I had it several months ago on the last day in Sitges before leaving for the airport, but it is best eaten during the colder winter months (January and February in Cataluña).
Xató recipe at massrecipes.com
Serves 6.
Ingredients

2 Heads Curly endive
3 Garlic cloves
8 Almonds; peeled and toasted
1 Or more Sharp chili peppers [...]

It was not without apprehension that last Saturday I set off to go visit my mother in Italy. She had been ill for a while, was taken to hospital for six weeks of tests last spring, but they could not find anything wrong. She was ill again recently, and this time the local hospital sent [...]

I have already written about how two days into my holiday my mobile phone reset itself and all data was wiped out.
I saw this as a sign to let go and try not to make a note of absolutely everything, and also told myself that I might not need to keep a food diary any [...]

About one year ago Dr B. felt like making curry. He seldom cooks, so I welcomed the idea with enthusiasm and sent him off to the market.
He came back with two kilos of brown Basmati rice, made two curries in a week with some of it, then left me to go through the rest when [...]

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The contents of our fridge, originally uploaded by bitful.

I am considering buying a new compact digital camera for a forthcoming trip, and was not too impressed with anything that's on the market at the [...]

There was a time when I used to make this every Thursday night. Then Tesco's Healthy Eating ready meals made my cooking redundant.
The other night I offered to relieve Dr B.'s grumpiness and frustration at not sleeping much because of continuous calls from work (he is on 24-hour support until the end of the weekend) [...]

There seems to be a trend around to persuade people to stop eating reduced-calorie processed food and eat a pretty much everything in moderate amounts. You know it when it get to read about it in Metro (Wednesday's issue, page 11, I'll be damned if I ever manage find a Metro article online to link [...]

Another French-themed dinner last night, this time in honour of Bastille Day (and to reciprocate on two dinner invitations received well over two years ago - what took us so long?).
We had the baked camembert with home-made bread as a starter, and tarte Tatin for dessert (this time served with some gorgeous home-made cinnamon icecream [...]

British cuisine is quite special. Often, the name of the dish is the recipe itself. Cheese and beans on toast. Scones with clotted cream and strawberry jam.
Ok, I'll grant you these are not the most elaborate of recipes, but that's exactly why I'm so keen on them.
Today (or rather, on Thursday night, one of the [...]

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My waking-up goodies drawer, originally uploaded by bitful.

I have not had a Saturday morning lie-in since, well, I've never had one, and now that I need one I've prepared a drawer full of goodies [...]

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Cheap and grumpy, originally uploaded by bitful.

Blimey. A cameraphone photo I snapped at Wong Key last December has been selected for inclusion in the newly released third edition of the Schmap London Guide.
View my [...]

A few statements (I'd say facts, but I have no means to verify them) from the article Revealed: Why prices are rising faster in rip-off UK (thisislondon.co.uk, 30 May 2007):

"British consumers are suffering the biggest increases in food prices and energy bills of any major economy"
"Tesco and Asda have claimed that poor harvests and rising [...]

I like to record data and then I like to look at data. Sometimes I like to share data.
Just like I like to write down every single penny I spend, I also enjoy making a note of every single calorie that passes my lips. I then weigh myself every morning and in order to [...]

Ten days ago I watched the BBC's undercover investigation on lack of basic hygiene in supermarkets.
For the last ten days I have been living on hard-boiled eggs, canned tuna, rolled oats, and assorted fruit and vegetables. Anything with the least amount of human filth added to it.
I can now button up my skinny jeans. Without [...]

I have always enjoyed the convenience of supermarket food. However, I have lately started reading labels a bit more thoroughly than just the calories content, and I did not like what I saw.
The other night I got stuck in watching Whistleblower on BBC1 against my better judgement:
For six months, two BBC reporters worked undercover to [...]

We are in the middle of British Sandwich Week 2007.
Unfortunately, we are also in the middle of our 'ZOMFG we only have three weeks to squeeze back into last year's swimsuits' week. There's no way I'm buying a larger size. I mean, my trunks were loose last year!
I know a sandwich can be a very [...]

Today the French are electing their new president. I hope they make a good and wise choice (hint: she would be France's first female president), I fear they won't.
Update: the French elected Sarkozy instead.
In their honour, here is a simplified version of my favourite dessert. I made it last night to celebrate one year exactly [...]

A few weeks ago I got into the habit of picking up a Del Monte ice smoothie on the way to work every morning. The perfect refreshment after a stifling tube journey.
'Only 96 calories', it says on the packaging, as well as 'No artificial colours, flavours, preservatives or sweeteners'. Well, they had me at '96 [...]

My ex-flatmate is coming to dinner tonight.
My ex-flatmate is a chef. I should therefore probably be all stressed out and produce a repeat performance of our recent overcomplicated dinnerparty that was not particularly successful taste-wise.
Maybe I should worry, but I don't. You see, I lived with that man for two and a half years and [...]

I always happily give away any pretense of privacy and let people access my data for a quid or two.
It is therefore hardly surprising that I always, always use my Tesco ClubCard, even when I but a stick of chewing-gum at a gas station. Then, every three months Tesco points turn up on my doorstep [...]

I always find that whenever I put together a meal with the only few ingredients I can find at home, it turns out quite well.
So on Friday night, after a short but hard week at work, the last thing I wanted to do was to fight for a trolley at Tesco. I knew we had [...]

Three days ago (April 5th) was Dr B.'s birthday and I made him a cake in the shape of a Dalek.
By coincidence a few days earlier I had come across a BBC Blue Peter Dalek cake recipe that was just perfect, as it involved no cooking. All you have to do is stick a couple [...]

I have received an email from New Yorker K. who googled 'coffee with a straw' and found my post about coffee which mentions my inability to drink coffee through a coffee shop sipping lid without burning my palate/dribbling/staining my shirt, and therefore always stick a straw through it.
Not only did K. feel less isolated (she [...]

We recently acquired a new dining table (our first) and can now finally have people over for proper sit-down meals.
As a first dinner party, I insisted that the five friends who helped us move come round. We are very grateful to them and pulled all the stops to make this a memorable dinner.
We dusted off [...]

I have given up eating between 11pm and 7am for Lent.
I forgot to update last week, or better there was nothing to update. Week four went without a glitch.
Not so week five, I'm afraid. It was all going well until, on Monday night, I was feeling a bit tense and in need to wind down, [...]

I have given up eating between 11pm and 7am for Lent.
Week three of my abstinence from food at night is now complete. Pretty uneventful if you ask me, even boring. So this is how normal people live. Yawn.
The only highlight was last Saturday. I was up at 2am, no idea why, but I decided [...]