Cruet Update

Thanks to all of you who commented on the Pop-up nozzle post with your ideas how to retrieve the scratched cruet bottle disappointment.

It reminded me of that 1970s BBC programme in which teams were each given a box of old toot - like a clothes peg, a toilet roll tube, a biro pen lid and an egg box - and given ambitious challenges like build a cantilever bridge. Then a team of "distinguished scientists" (one was a comedy German called Heinz with hair like Professor Patent Pending in Whacky Races) would give them marks out of 10 with a mark or two being available for how much "fun" (I use the expression in its loosest possible sense) their efforts were: it was all a bit like Masterchef with jubilee clips. So in that vein:-

Suze - the judges loved your first instinct to pay the fellow and damn his impudence and buy another cruet set. On your second attempt, we liked how you had applied yourself to the problem of improving the existing design of the cruet set so the oil and vinegar could be distinguished and we were impressed by the attention to detail exhibited by the nail varnish and masking tape suggestions.

Mary - redeploying the pop-up nozzle is something that has already been in the judges' mind lest there be a problem with oil/vinegar delivery once the cruet set is actually rolled out after paint issues have been resolved (and a morning's cruet induction training has been completed). Highly commended.

Kathie - coating the rings with a silicone application is a flash of genius although the judges felt it lacked practicality in terms of availability on the island of Flores. But the engineers at the Boeing Corporation - where issues with wing box attachments are delaying the first flight of the 787 Dreamliner - urgently need to hear from you!

Bob - the judges came close to awarding you the prize for the engineering simplicity of snipping the rings and extending them a bit (if you'll pardon the expression). Although we had slight reservations over the possibility of the silvery paint cracking off and the risk of the rings snapping off at the other end.

But in the end, the judges have decided ....

... you're ALL going home tonight because it's NONE of the above and we decided the best solution was to scrape all the paint off: half an hour's work with a Stanley Knife (craft knife, boxcutter) supplemented by a thumbnail.

Note how this expedient obviates the "which bottle is which" issue, it doesn't matter about residual chafing on the rings (Ooh!) and the whole ensemble remains functional and stylish. And - let me remind you - a snip at €3.30! In fact I was so pleased with the result, I took another picture as well:-


How "Year in Provence" does THAT look?!