« on: September 13, 2009, 01:42:04 PM »
Call me picky but aren't councils supposed to be doing important things instead of wasting time on stupidity like this.
The traditional suet pudding Spotted Dick has been renamed "Spotted Richard" at a council canteen - because customers keep making jokes.
The new name for the dessert, with another alternative Sultana Sponge, has appeared on the menu at Flintshire Council headquarters in Mold.
The council said catering staff made the decision after "immature comments" and it was not a policy decision.
But one councillor described the move as "political correctness gone mad".
Staff from the nearby court complex in Mold also use the council canteen.
Spotted Dick is a steamed suet pudding containing dried fruit, and is thought to have originated in the middle of the 19th Century.
The "spotted" part of the name refers to the currants, which resemble spots, and "Dick" is believed to derive from the word dough.
The council spokesman said: "The correct title for this dish is 'Spotted Dick.' However because of several immature comments from a few customers, catering staff renamed the dish 'Spotted Richard' or 'Sultana Sponge'.
"This was not a policy decision, canteen staff simply acted as they thought best to put an end to unwelcome and childish comments, albeit from a very small number of customers."
But Flintshire Councillor Klaus Armstrong-Braun criticised the ban on the original pudding name.
He said he had made an official complaint about the name change which he called "ludicrous" and said had cost money because a new label was needed for the food.
The councillor said the bosses who had made the decision would soon be "frightened of their own shadow".
"People make silly comments about everything in life, there is no need to change the name over it."
Logged
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