Defamation Storm in a Limoncello Oyster Shell

Put away the Casey Donovan CDs, it's not over yet. Despite what you may read in the papers, this week's High Court decision in the Coco Roco limoncello-oyster-car-crash food critic defamation case is just the main course in a drawn out legal saga. Just desserts have yet to be served. The courts will now have to decide whether Evans and Fairfax are protected by a defence like "truth" or "fair comment" (or something like that... I'm no defamation expert). So, for now, there's no need to panic. But if they lose the next round, and you're a food blogger, you should probably hide all your assets behind a nice, thick layer of offshore trusts, or move to Mallorca.

There has never been much argument that a punter reading Matthew Evans' review might conclude that the food was unpalatable (he said most of it was), or that some of the service was bad (ditto). All the High Court said was that it's OK for a bunch of judges to override the jury's opinion that these things were not defamatory (ie, damaging to somebody's reputation), and substitute their own opinion that they were.

The only dissenting view came from Kirby (outnumbered 6:1 unfortunately), who reckoned it was a bad idea for judges to be shoving their culinary opinions down people's throats:

Astonishing as it may seem, judges may occasionally lack a sense of irony or humour. Some may undervalue "free speech" or sometimes even feel hostility to a "free press". In such matters, therefore, there is safety in the numbers of a jury.

Astonishing, indeed.

Unknown Bald Fat Man Blogs About Breakfast

I was thinking of dressing up as a lady, but in the end I had to make do with a fat suit and a strategically placed Mart 130 menu. Actually, that's not a fat suit. I really am that fat. Eating eggs benedict for two years will do that to you. Anyway, the idea with this very ugly photo was to make sure that I remain a nobody, so that sneaky cafe owners don't start giving me special treatment and free food, and I'm not embroiled in an eggs-for-comment scandal. For those who missed it, Tuesday's Herald-Sun had a food-blogger article and launched Ed's new column. For those who read it, no, I don't have syphilis. I am alive and well. Just a bit fat.

Piadina Slow Food, Melbourne

I'm sorry, but this is one fad I'm not sucked in by. The piadina bubble of 2006. A culinary yo-yo and rubik's cube all rolled (or folded) into one. Anyone still eating this stuff in 2008 will probably be wearing leg-warmers and an oversized "choose life" t-shirt. Or maybe a hypercolour t-shirt? Or both.



Do you get the impression that I was less than impressed by my breakfast at Piadina Slow Food, 57 Lonsdale Street (backing onto Punch Lane), Melbourne, Tel +61 3 9662 2277?

Well you're right. It was a dud.

I ordered the scrambled egg, parmesan and spinach piadina with bacon, and it arrived looking very much like a burrito (nicely rolled up). The problem was, there was no parmesan (none that my humble taste buds could detect), and some genius decided to soil the whole thing with za'atar [I originally moaned about dukkah, but I have since been corrected]. It was gross. Maybe some people like eggs and za'atar. I don't. It tasted like someone had swept greasy lawn clippings and dirt into my breakfast. And I really hate it when "bonus" ingredients are added without warning (ie, not listed on the menu). I ate half and gave up.

OK, got that off my chest.

So, why is everyone else raving about PSF? It is a buzzy little venue, particularly if you score a booth. They do serve a decent cappucino, from BunCoffee in Byron Bay (although at lunch time they have an annoying rule that coffee can only be ordered at the same time as you order your food, supposedly to hurry things along... slow food, not slow eating). And, for lunch, the slow food options are really very good.

For a different perspective (ie, rave review), try Ukelele, Mellie or the Matt Preston piadina puff piece for Epicure.

12/20 "flat bread fad"