Milky Bar Poll Results

So it's been decided.....and the members of Pulse have selected BORIS JOHNSON as their Milky Bar kidult! It was a close run thing with Owen Wilson coming in a very close 2nd and Simon Pegg 3rd. Not one person thought that Gary Barlow or Jedward would be suitable!

We gave the best post though to someone who didn't even vote for Boris - and that person is gainsboroughgirl for her witty reasoning behind her Owen Wilson decision.

This was sooo hard! Torn between Boris and Owen Wilson. I can see Boris mumbling about ' this new raisin thingy' with 'biscuity bits' eating one as he jumps a red light (hurdle) riding on his London bicycle (horse); his blonde hair flying; his Nestle (vote for me) T shirt billowing as he calls out to his fellow Londoners (cowboy friends) in an effort to gain their vote 'The Oyster Cards (Milky Bars) are on me!' Nevertheless, MMR asks a serious question (?) and serius issues require serious responses. One must be phlegmatic and face the fact that there could be a conflict of interest here- it is entirely possible that Boris's hair inspired Nestle many years ago and he is in fact the Managing Director or one of his pseudo royal relatives have a hand in the chocolate tin. So, I find myself voting for Owen Wilson, with his obvious cowboy connections, his blonde hair, his boyish eyes and innocent *** eyed look- just right for some gawky yet loveable glasses. Would the accent be a problem? Who owns Nestle? Well, the cowboy theme would make sure we don't necessarily need an English accent for our adult Mikybar kid. So, Owen Wilson it is then. One caveat please, he really needs Jackie Chan in there as his side kick. Sorry Boris, if you weren't Mayor, I might have voted for you in the modern satirical take on the man who needs his milk to stay on his horse..

Many thanks to all of you who commented and voted! We will get gainsboroughgirl's voucher out as soon as possible!

Wednesday 1st September

Post of the week time! From a very long "shortlist" this week we chose Chattybird's post on online shopping

"I was a bit sceptical about online food shopping at first, thinking it would be fine for stuff like washing powder and catfood but not so good for fresh food. Then a couple of years ago I was ill and couldn't get out to the shops so I gave it a go. Obviously there will be differences between the different supermarkets and I have only ever used Tesco so I can't comment on the others, but I have rarely had a bad experience. I realise too that even different branches of the same store will probably have different standards but my local Tesco is definitely one of the good ones. The best aspect of the whole experience is the friendliness and helpfulness of the delivery drivers. We have a long, twisty drive that's too narrow for the delivery vans, so the boxes have to brought down on a barrow. With only one exception, the drivers have cheerfully done this in all weathers, even recently when we have been having an extension built and rain turned the whole site into a sea of wet mud, and access to the house was difficult with scaffolding, etc. The one time I got a miserable driver (he grumphed on about getting all the lousy drops) I never saw him again so I guess he either left or got the sack. There is very seldom a problem with any of the fresh food. The staff appear to have been trained to pick the sort of quality they would want for themselves. Sometimes when they send you an item near its use-by date there is a note on the delivery slip and you get it free. When items are substituted and a more expensive product is sent you only pay for the cheaper one. If there's anything you're not happy with you can send it back and a refund is processed quickly. At first sight the delivery charge might seem a bit steep, but I live six miles from the nearest store so, with the price of petrol these days, I think it's pretty good value. I also try to pick the cheaper slots on weekdays although this is obviously no good for people who are out at work all day; the big advantage for them would be saving time. There are so many advantages. No being unable to find a parking space near the shop, no struggling round with a wonky-wheeled trolley avoiding the unruly children and people blocking up the aisles standing there chatting. No queuing at the checkout while the person in front of you can't remember their PIN number or tries to redeem hundreds of out-of-date vouchers! No lugging heavy items into the trolley, lugging them out again to put them on the conveyor belt then putting them all back again, struggling across the car park to put them in the boot of the car, walking all the way back with the trolley in the rain then unloading them all again when you get home! The website experience is very smooth. Regular purchases are stored in your 'favourites' so shopping is quick and easy and the list serves as a reminder of any items you might have forgotten. Special offers are highlighted so you don't miss them, and when you get to the checkout the site will offer you cheaper alternatives that you can either accept or reject with a click of the mouse. Payment is very secure. Best of all is the fact that I can do my shopping from the comfort of my office chair with a cup of coffee or glass of wine to hand, depending on the time of day. And when was the last time you went to the supermarket in your dressing gown and slippers? In the rare event of a problem I send a quick email to customer services who always respond quickly with a refund. I even got an apologetic phone call once, on a Sunday! In nearly three years I have only had one serious problem. We were having visitors at Easter and I ordered a free-range turkey. When the delivery arrived the turkey was unavailable and they had substituted it with ZILCH! It should have been pretty obvious that this was for a special meal, so surely they should have sent something. While not ideal, I would have accepted a frozen turkey, a couple of large chickens, or even a leg of lamb - so long as I had something to serve to my guests on Easter Sunday. So, I had to go to the store on one of the busiest days of the year, completely defeating the object of the delivery. I did get an apology, a refund of the delivery charge, and a £10 voucher so that went some way to easing the pain. So, I'm a definte online convert and only go to the supermarket nowadays when I need cashback or the car needs petrol. I'd recommend anybody to give it a try - you might be pleasantly surprised. "

A great post I'm sure you'll agree. We had 5 or 6 posts on our radar this week so was very tough to choose!

Wednesday 25th August

Post of the week time (sorry it's late this week!) This week we've chosen thomo as our winner from the free milk thread!

"On reading the opening post my first reaction was, I agree free milk should be stopped. The country is in trouble and money does have to be saved in as many ways as possible. My initial reasoning for it to be stopped were Every child than can tolerate it gets it, regardless of their parents income, regardless of how their diet is at home, surely some of these bottles are not needed. A lot of money could be saved if it was given only after means testing? Then I read on and thought some more. Calcium is very important in growing children,it is something they must have and in thinking more I realised, means tested would be useless as all too often money has nothing to do with peoples diets. There are many parents who have very little but would ensure their children got all what they needed, and there are many parents with more than enough that wouldnt and vice versa for the two examples. Children are our future and because of that I feel we are all responsible for their health, education and general well being and so on thinking more I feel my initial reaction was wrong. Free milk should stay and there should also be a choice of fruit or something for those that carnt tolerate it. I also liked the idea of a water break, this could maybe be brought into the afternoon break as there are far too many children who dont know what a glass of water tastes like as they fill up on fizzy drinks "

This week looks even more difficult with opinions coming in everywhere! Great to see so please keep it up!

Tuesday 17th August

Post of the week time! This week we've chosen Madkat as our winner!

"Thats the thing though, it isnt just this country that experiences price rises, we are unaware of it happening in other affluent countries because we dont live there or hear about it in our news. All we hear is what is relevent to the country we are in. A lot of our goods are imported for our consumption, so if you think about it, price rises must be in place in other countries that provide us with raw goods, for the knock on affect to hit us as consumers in this country. Yes there are countries in the world that have a lower cost of living than we do, but when you look at the lifestyle of those countries as a whole, everything is relative to there economic climate. We are fortunate to live in the country we do with the availability of choice to us, but I think so many of us take it for granted because it is always there. It is inevitable that food prices will continue to rise, but that is part of life i'm afraid. There are periods where prices are relatively stable, but then as soon as they begin to rise again there is uproar about it. Everything in the world is increasing in prices, oil, transportation, storage etc that has such a huge effect on the prices of goods we all purchase. Not only within this country, but within countries that we get goods imported from. Every link in the chain that is involved in us as consumers being able to have the choice we have, experiences price rises, which inevitably end up with us as consumers paying that little bit more."

Congrats again to all! Keeping these decisions tough for us!

Moderator Information

Hi guys, firstly many apologies that this has taken so very long to declare, but we'd like to happily announce that (in no particular order) Madkat and Chattybird have agreed to take on a modship role for us on here. We hope you will continue to make their jobs nice and easy and try not to be too deferential towards them. Hopefully this will continue to make things tick over nicely and make the whole site a pleasant place to visit. We plan on sending out a FAQ document very soon to you all so hopefully this will clear up any other questions you may have as well!

Monday 9th August

Post of the week time! And this week (after much heated debate in Pulse HQ) we've given the award to Chattybird for for her travelling story in Hungary

"Many years ago, in another life, my (then) husband and I - who were young and poor - went on our 'Europe on 50p a day ' tour. I'm not joking, we both workrd for the railway industry so travel was free and we spent very little for three weeks and visited many countries, seeing more of them than we would have on organised holidays. We quickly discovered that railway station restaurants offered really good value meals so, on the night we left Budapest on the overnight train to Dubrovnik we decided to use our remaining Hungarian Forints (worthless once you left the country) on a meal at Budapest Main Station. I'm pretty clued-up on European languages but the menu, in Serbo-Croat, was a bit of a challenge to say the least! For the starter there was something that was obviously some sort of soup - no problem. For the main course it was clear that goulash would be a hearty casserole, no problem. Then the waiter arrived for us to order dessets - problem! I had already identified something on the third section of the menu that, in any language, could only translate into something to do with chocolate. I confidently poointrd to it and ordered two, only to be told that it was 'off''. Not recognising anything else, I pointed to the next item on the list and ordered two. So far so good, I thought until the waiter brought us two dishes of sauerkraut!!! We ate them. If this if of interest I could tell so many more stories of eating on a few pence a day in Europe in the 1970's. Let me know if you would like to hear more. "

Our "shortlist" this week was anything but short! So thanks for all the excellent posts, particularly MadKat's on food prices and rose's on salt levels in foods to name but two!

Monday 2nd August

It's another Monday already - and another post of the week competition! This week's winning post has gone to Particleman for his interesting thread on what makes food natural

"Just because something is natural does not mean that it is good, safe or healthy. Herbs are natural but they are also drugs when used in the diagnosis, treatment, or prevention of a disease. The chemicals which comprise synthetic drugs are natural. Some plants are lethal even though they are natural. But if you die from eating a lethal but natural plant, you will not be said to have died of natural causes. Ditto, if you die from being bitten by a poisonous snake whose venom is quite natural. If you die from lung cancer caused by smoking tobacco, a natural plant, you will, however, be said to have died of natural causes. Eating meat might be a natural act, but eating cooked meat is unnatural. Most sauces put on meat are made with both natural and artificial ingredients. Salt is natural, but some healthy people avoid salt like the plague. In fact, ultimately everything which is made is comprised of nothing but natural atoms, molecules, elements, or substances. So, if everything is basically natural, why do some people, such as the naturopaths, make such a big fuss about using only what is natural? Such an obsession seems unhealthy, but it helps one avoid having to ask difficult questions about whether something really is good, safe or healthy. All you need to know is that something is "natural" and you don't have to think about its value."

We thought the resulting debate from this was very interesting as well and really enjoyed reading it! Many thanks to all who contributed/are contributing to it (please don't let us tell you to finish!).

Monday 26th July

This week we have chosen DRGD's post on Brits to be hit with Junk food tax as the post of the week. For anyone that missed it, here it is

"I don't have a problem with this as I am someone who eats healthy food, although I am sure I am probably in the minority. After all with the huge deficit we have at the moment if this tax could go to reducing that without raising the income taxes I already have to pay then I am all for it. I like the occasional bar of chocolate and packet of crisps but I would certainly think twice about it if the price was increased by 15 to 20 pence. I don't understand the argument about poorer families being worse off. There are plenty of cost effective alternatives out there that aren't classed as junk food. It is down to the individual and head of families to decide if they feel that junk food is the preferred option for them because they are too lazy to learn how to prepare more wholesome food. A vegetable casserole, can be a healthy and affordable option offering valuable nutrients for a fraction of the price of feeding a family of four at a fast food joint. I personally believe that obesity is a result of poor food choices and lack of exercise. Lack of money and time are not a viable excuse"

Many congratulations DRGD. Thanks so much for all your great posts this week, keep it up and next week it could be you!

Tuesday 20th July

Post of the Week competition

This week we have chosen craigy123456789's post on being fed up of being told what to do as the post of the week.

"I thought we live our lives the way we want to? We make our own decisions in life no matter good or bad. I am so sick of seeing and hearing all the crap about having to eat healthily and how to do it. If we want to we will, if we don't we won't. Yes i need to lose weight but so sick of hearing that we should eat and drink this and shouldn't have this or that. Such an item contains % of this and that. Im bored of it all. Anyone else feel the same?"

Many congratulations craigy123456789. There were plenty of topics for us to look at this week and some good strong opinions (exactly what we like!)

Tuesday 13th July

Post of the Week competition

This week we have chosen siouxieq2010's topic on "The Daftest Mistake you've made while cooking" as the post of the week (hopefully she won't mind us highlighting it!)

"I have made two that I can remember. The first was many years ago when I had just started cooking. I had put a Heinz sponge pudding on to cook, back when you still popped them in a pan of boiling water. We were eating our main course when there was a terrific "bang" from the kitchen. We all dashed in to find sponge pudding on the ceiling, the floor, the walls, well just about everywhere. I had forgotten to turn the heat down once it had started boiling and of course, it boiled dry and the tin exploded! Mum was not amused!

Another time I put a jacket potato in the microwave and forgot to pierce it, so that also exploded violently, almost taking the microwave with it.

Not quite as bad as the Polish gentleman at work who put his dinner in the microwave still wrapped in the foil! That nearly took the canteen with it! "

Many congratulations siouxieq2010. We also liked the topic on tipping at restaurants, and the running debates on GM foods and additives, so please keep them up!

Monday 5th July

Post of the Week competition

This week the winner of the Post of the Week competition is....... Mollygirl with their post on favourite ice cream flavours

"Really, where can you get a lot of flavours? Not from any supermarket around Wiltshire that I've been able to find. Go into even a silly little shop back home in Florida and they'll have more flavours than the super Tesco in Trowbridge that I no longer shop at. Where's the Butter Pecan, the Rocky Road? Where are all the insanely lovely choices I can make at my local Publix back in Florida? Here we have a few Ben and Jerry's to choose from, two or three Haagen Daaz, and the usual chocolate, strawberry and vanilla of the store brand. I miss the days of having a huge choice in the freezer, make myself an ice cream cone, and chill out. I wish we had a huge selection without having to sell a kidney to fund it at one of the specialist shops. "

Many congratulations Mollygirl - again there was a tough decision at Pulse HQ with a lot of very good posts to choose from! Please keep it up!

Tuesday 29th June

Post of the Week competition

It's that time of the week again, and this week MadKat has been chosen as the post of the week for her comment on the 21st of June on the topic "Why do we eat foods we know are not good for our own personal health?”

"Hiya Ozz ... i personally think it is the mindset that we have all personally adopted as we have grown older that puts us all in this predicement. Yes there are people who suffer from certain medical conditions or allergies/intolerances that do have to avoid certain foods at all costs. Then at the other end of the spectrum is people, maybe like myself, who know that certain foods or ingredients etc arent good for us yet still continue to have them in our diet. The society that we live in we are never going to be able to get away from the fast food/convenience food culture. I personally tend not to eat these kinds of foods, but I do have a weakness for crisps and chocolate etc which has been continuously drummed in to us over the years are not good for us as consumers. I think for these trends to change, and for people to start taking a more avtice role in controlling there consumption of these types of foods, that the manufacturers NEED to be more aware and play a more active role in reducing the bad things that are put in to proudcts, the availability of high fat/calorie foods, and make the cost of healthier foods come down so that that are more accessible for people on lower incomes who have to rely on foods that arent so good for them. "

Congratulations to MadKat and your prize will be sent out very soon. There were some very good contenders once more this week. We particularly liked the Innocent thread started by fruitydumpling as well which had some very interesting stuff throughout!