Happy Easter lovely people,
When a Marathon was renamed to a Snicker and Opal Fruits became Starbursts who would have known that this was the start of the end of the confectionary world as we knew it.
Russian caramels have now been banned (despite the fact they were the Kalashnikov of tooth decay). Sweetie cigarettes are counterfeit goods, only sold on the black market. We all rightly agreed that Empire Biscuits should be renamed McTitties (naughty). Matters have gotten worse, marketing has now reached religious sweet treats.
Our hot cross buns are very confused. They have now been given a ✔️ which has left many with a nervous twitch. Worse, Easter is no longer allowed in some supermarket sweety aisles with Gesture Eggs only available. Oh for the love of Mary, Joseph, all the Prophets and the wee lamb spare us.
We would normally be roasting lamb today which has been a staple of our Easter lunch at home for years. This culinary Passover tradition is delicious (serving as a special today at The Scottish Cafe and roast chicken at Contini George Street, if you’re hungry). I saw two kidneys in the butchers on Friday and decided to resurrect a classic and treat Victor with his favourite: steak pie. This could be equally controversial and sacrilegious for Nonna G.
Several of our team have been celebrating Ramadan – I admire their commitment and dedication to their beliefs. HR Emma has been supporting their wellbeing as fasting during daylight hours is a physical and mental challenge. While Victor and I are doing the Dr Mosley intermittent fasting to try and get into our summer wardrobe, yet we’ve no suggestion of renaming any Muslim tradition to match. I’ve also never met a Christian who wasn’t delighted if you celebrated any of their feasts, even if you’re a philistine. I’m disenfranchised from my Catholic faith but I do believe in its foundations. I now see the values like many as humanitarian; empathy, honesty, kindness and respect without the need to go to church on a Sunday. But each to their own. Equally, the community of faith can enrich lives, something that even research has shown benefits many, specifically during Covid.
Is the war on Gaza a religious war or is it for territorial or economic reasons? Religion in its truest forms, whatever the crede, should bring us together not divide us. When it doesn’t, this is the route of conflict and confusion. Sadly this war is showing us that religion doesn’t always bring a better world. If it did, my faith would be restored.
Christians have historically always been good at marketing. With a fall in popularity, is global commercialism simply doing a rebrand on Easter?
I’m cutting my hot cross bun to toast it with butter and homemade blood orange marmalade this morning and I’ll be breaking my Easter egg, not to share, but to eat half at lunch and half after dinner. Should we be sharing our confectionery? We don’t need to share everyone’s beliefs. We do need to value and respect other people’s faiths, whether we agree with them or not, provided they do no harm.
Wishing you all a lovely day, Happy Easter and maybe it is a better gesture to share our confectionery, without the unnecessary packaging.
