‘Tis the Season for Erupting Towels (and Orders from the CDF)

At the weekend we visited a newly-opened small Italian restaurant called ‘Seasons’ in Portslade, which is a slightly less glamorous locale than its easterly neighbours of Hove and Brighton.

Although there seems to be more than the usual number of charity shops, fast food outlets, chemist’s shops, convenience stores, hairdressers and supermarkets in Station Road, Postslade, there is also a decent number of specialist and owner-trader shops – and it has not yet been swamped by student residents; in fact, it reminds me of London Road ten years ago (but that’s another story).   

Seasons Restaurant is smallish, about 50-60 covers, but it has received very positive reviews from Trip Advisor (94% of the 102 reviews in its first six months rated it ‘excellent’ or very good’.) While Trip Advisor is far from an infallible guide, the combined weight of positive voting and the modest prices are a persuasive combination.

The menu was extensive, the house wine quaffable and the single waiter was loudly chummy – even the cook stopped by our table to check everything was all right; he was on his way out the front door to have a smoke break in the street outside...

The food was good, seemingly fresh, well-cooked, generous proportions, but not delivered particularly promptly. In a nod to local tastes, the restaurant even offered a roast Sunday lunch – and the beef was quite tender, juicy and tasty, although it arrived swimming in gravy.

We had ordered mussels and langoustine so the usual finger-washing bowls arrived – accompanied by a large pill like nothing I had ever seen before. Was it a giant Alka-Seltzer? Surely not!

Looking closer, I saw the word ‘Towel’ printed on the side.

The waiter had to tell us what to do with it – dump it in the water – and voila, there appeared a decent sized wet towel.   

 

 

 

 

 

 

It was the first time that I’ve seen such a thing so I thought I would share it.  (Apparently, they are on sale in Bookers, one of the city’s cash and carry stores...).

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A couple of days ago, The Deacon’s Bench website   The Deacon's Bench(http://www.patheos.com/blogs/deaconsbench/2015/09/vatican-cracks-down-on-medjugorje-visionaries-prohibits-spreading-messages-in-local-parish/) copied a report from the Italian website Rorate Caeli.

This states that the CDF(Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith) had issued an order that ‘prohibited the Parish Priest, Fra Marinko Sakota and the six supposed visionaries who claim they have been seeing the “Gospa” for 34 years, from delivering testimonies or spreading the “messages” inside the Parish of Medjugorje.’

I have not seen this report on any other website; much of the current internet chatter concerns the Pope’s recent announcement of what is said to be an expedited annulment process, and the barring of transgender people as Godparents.

However, when we were on pilgrimage in Medjugorje, just three weeks ago, we were advised that the visionaries had ceased allowing pilgrims to attend when they allegedly received their messages, apparently so as not to prejudice the forthcoming decision from Rome. It may still be some weeks before Rome rules.