Posts by Mark Easterbrook

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  • Island Life: The Grouse is done to a…,

    I meant "prefer", not "prepare", but it still kind of makes sense. Kind of.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 265 posts Report

  • Island Life: The Grouse is done to a…,

    Or if you prepare seabirds, the Tern's been done grouse, mate.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 265 posts Report

  • Hard News: Food Show 08,

    I'm 5+ pages too late, but am wading in to defend Whangarei and the North in general. A Whangarei bar/cafe named Barfly was serving great Allpress coffee in about 1999. And in about 1998, I had amazing coffee in the tiny town of Rawene on the Hokianga.

    Viva la Taniwha!

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 265 posts Report

  • Hard News: Improving quality by cutting service,

    This one's live on the Herald site right now:


    Funeral service theft 'extremely low' - police


    What a relief. I thought I ran a high risk of having something stolen at the next funeral service I attend. But apparently, that's highly unlikely.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 265 posts Report

  • Hard News: A night on the town with Mr Slack,

    Congratulations to you and all the other contributers on PA, Russell. There would be a big hole in my day without you guys.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 265 posts Report

  • Island Life: Supertooth,

    I had the pleasure a few months ago of going to a proper grown up restaurant with proper grown up staff, the kind who have made this their career.

    Our waiter was a chap in his 40s. Our wine waiter was possibly in his 50s. Both were brilliant. The ability I admired the most was their sensitivity to the appropriate level of familiarity and humour. They let you lead them - starting formal and, as we got progressively cheekier, doing the same.

    By the end of the evening the waiter and I were hiding around a corner, in stitches, discussing the resemblance between a guest at another table and a character from Meet the Feebles.

    Now that's a class above.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 265 posts Report

  • Hard News: Slumpy Cashflow,

    Based on my experience, high density housing can actually help create a better "sense of community" because of the spaces you're required to share.

    When I lived in an old apartment building in the city a few years ago, we had far more to do with our neighbours than we do now, because we would meet in the laundry, at the mailboxes, in the lift, waiting outside for a taxi etc.

    Similarly, my first house was the original home on a massive section that had been subdivided. There were 9 houses that shared our driveway, and we got to know all of the occupants because, when we were out in the garden, or on our verandah, we would see them and talk to the as they collected their mail, took out the bins, came home from school etc.

    It also goes a long way towards exposing people to 'different' neighbours. We had a large Maori family, two very traditional Indian family and one very modern one, a Chinese Jehovah's Witness family, a group of fairly wealthy Asian students, a middle-aged Pakeha couple...and we all got along well, and got to see a bit of 'other' ways of living.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 265 posts Report

  • Hard News: What the people want to hear,

    2008 is shaping up to be the year New Zealand got a new hairstyle - "I just felt like a change".

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 265 posts Report

  • Hard News: A thing that rarely ends well,

    Can we make RB Auckland's Honorary Consul to Wellington?

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 265 posts Report

  • Hard News: A thing that rarely ends well,

    Not Consul for Morrocco, Joanna.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 265 posts Report

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