Thursday, June 10, 2010

Keeping an eye on the cheese

I know there are hundreds of much more important issues to deal with, but I constantly see wordings that really annoy me. Often I try to say something, don't put it very well, lose my cool and achieve absolutely nothing. But this week was different.
            A wonderful new deli, Gamboni's, recently opened in Karori's Parkvale Road. It stocks a great selection of fresh, cut-to-order cheeses. But when I went in to have a look, the first thing I saw was a blackboard sign on the cheese counter that said, "A meal without cheese is like a beautiful woman with only one eye."
             I want to use this shop, I thought, but that's going to drive me away. The customers tend to be predominantly women. This saying wasn't created for them (except maybe to remind them that they'd better buy cheese for their man's dinner, and be quick about it). It was devised by a man for other men (in the long and unedifying tradition of lining up women with food). So I spoke nicely to the very charming proprietor, Tony Gamboni.
             "It's an old French saying", he said. "I'm sure it is", I said, "but I'd really like to see it say, 'A meal without cheese is like a handsome man with only one eye.' Just for a change." "Okay", he said, "I'll fix it".
             And he did. The next time I came in, the sign said "A meal without cheese is like a beautiful woman (or a handsome man) with only one eye."  Brilliant. And by the way, his cheese, and his freshly cut salami, are fantastic. Here's the Gorgonzola Dolce, fresh in today, and wonderful with ripe pears.

2 comments:

N said...

Oh Anne, I'll have to go by and buy some cheese when I'm back. I'm quite unaccountably pleased that you got him to change it - I'm quite sure nine people out of ten wouldn't have (even after promising!)
N

Plain Jane said...

Yay! Well done, Anne. And well done, Tony Gamboni.