Reading Roars!

It was Taste of Malaysia time at the London Street-based Global Cafe again a few days ago, and this time I was a happy participant, rather than observer. Picking a table in the middle of the cafe, I very quickly made my way to the paper plates, my stomach growling as the buffet smells hit my nostrils, while my partner patiently waited for her turn.

Scooping a little something of each, a bit of this rice, a bit of that rice, a bit of chilli chicken, a bit of Beef Redang, I was beginning to wonder whether I was perhaps overdoing it a little. My near-buckling plate was feeling heavy and I really didn’t want to lose control. A dropped a few prawn crackers on top.

Back at the table, I piggily attacked the beef first, partly because I was so very hungry but also because it seemed the most “Malaysian” to me, if that makes sense. The first mouthful took me back to Georgetown (though not literally, of course). The warm and sticky afternoon (it was the hottest day of the year) made it feel more authentic, as I imagined myself to be once more in Malaysia, eating bits and bobs for breakfast with some very interesting flavours.

Something - a very important thing - was missing, however: liquid refreshment. There were no Malaysian drinks available, but the cafe bar did offer a strong range of fruit juices. I chose a very tropical Passion Fruit drink to take the heat out of the meal a little (in Malaysia, I had beverages like fresh Starfruit juice - stunningly delicious).

A chap with an acoustic guitar, meanwhile, kept us entertained with smooth sounding Malaysian songs, making the event a cultural, rather than simply gastronomic experience.

Still hungry, I filled and finished another plate. Bloated, I sat back against the chair and tried to concentrate on my partner’s words. I really had to get moving. Before we left, we stopped to buy some goodies: 3 jars, containing Nasi Goreng, Satay and Sweet Chilli sauces, all for a super £2!

Taste of Malaysia will be returning on 13 May 2007. I’m told that the live entertainment will be more lively then, so worth checking out.

I was on the Thames Valley Park bus this morning, in a pre-coffee daze, when I caught a few interesting words on the radio “Reading..survey..worst..[inaudible]“. I shrugged my shoulders.

Later, I was IM’ing a friend and former Reading resident, now living in Thailand, and he told me that, according to a Daily Mail article he’d read, the town has worsened. Intrigued, and remembering what I had heard on the bus, I went straight to a trusted news source on the web, the BBC.

And there it was: Reading named worst for families. It was right on the BBC homepage, as one of the most e-mailed articles. Most interesting.

I will reproduce the first four paragraphs of the BBC article:

A Berkshire town has been named the worst place in Britain to bring up a family, according to a new survey.

The Reader’s Digest poll asked 1,000 parents to list the things that make for a family-friendly environment.

The researchers then ranked places on how they scored against the criteria - which included crime rates, good local hospitals and affordable housing.

Reading was last in 408th place, while Oxford was 399th. The Scottish district of East Dunbartonshire came top.

Reading was last in 408th place. 408th. What utter nonsense is this? Time for some scorn-heaping.

I accept that Reading isn’t perfect, nor even great. But it’s a very strong town. Exceptionally strong in some areas. A Reader’s Digest spokesperson said that “community” was vital, and mentioned “safe streets, strong schools and thriving towns”.

Well, you can put a big, fat tick next to “strong schools” in Reading. Put more than one tick, if you like, for we have more than one first-class school in the town. Kendrick, anyone? It’s the best grammar school in the country. How about the Abbey School? Reading Blue Coat School? Reading School? I guess these stunningly successful schools aren’t right for today’s families. Pity. And how about higher education? We have two universities in Reading.

Reading feels safe, or safer, to me. I was brought up in the town and it has always felt safe. There are idiots who drink too much and like a bit of a scrap, but you get that in all places, right? Reading is CCTV heaven and now we’re even getting talking cameras, to make sure that people behave in the town centre.

The Reader’s Digest says “family friendly”, I say “Microsoft”. I know, because I’m there 5 days a week, and I tell you, this Reading-based technology giant is so family friendly, it’s beautiful. People there are passionate about the stuff they do, but they also know when to switch off and spend time with the kids. Or they bring their kids to work. That, Reader’s Digest readers, is rather special.

No jobless mummies and daddies in the town, either, as we have a very low unemployment rate of just 2.3%, and as the BBC article again points out, the average worker pockets £22,560 a year, “well above the national average”. I think that’s what you might call characteristic of a “thriving town”.

And look at the community/family friendly activities in Reading! The nearby Adventure Dolphin Centre (Pangbourne) is great for kids (and adults, too, though I did feel odd at the rock-climbing class standing next to 12 year olds), offering pursuits such as kayaking on the Thames, climbing, abseiling, mountain biking - and the list goes on. Then there’s swimming, watching a family movie at Vue, celebrating a birthday at a local restaurant, attending Premiership football, visiting Reading Museum, moshing at Reading Festival…

Kids can run amok in the countryside around Reading, where they can also gently feed the horses or watch llamas graze. We have some of the most beautiful hills and meadows in the country (on a par with the Peak District, I heard recently). And our country pubs aren’t bad, either. The young ‘uns can have their crisps and play on the swings.

A minor point, perhaps, but we have generally better weather down South, meaning happier faces and more hours of playing in the sunshine.

The people I know who were brought up in Reading are happy, stable and successful. My friends, whose academic abilities varied at school, are all doing ok, leading healthy, balanced lifestyles.

I’ve had my say. The following is what others think of the survey:

• Reading is an excellent place to bring up a family and it is hard to take a study seriously that does not recognise this. We would also question the methodology of this survey [Jo Lovelock, Deputy Leader of Reading Borough Council]
• …from a poll of 1,612 people across the country, which means on average they only surveyed 3 people from each town. Maybe they misread “reading” for “Reading” when asked the question “do you like Reading?” [worker]
• Considering its a Reader’s Digest poll you could understand their confusion. [worker]
• But the most polls conducted by Mori ec. only ever survey about 1000 people across the Uk and on that basis we all get told what the nation “thinks” about various issues. I’ve always thought this to be very suspect. IMHO. [worker]

I’m not a great runner, unless I’m running to catch the bus and then I’m sprinting very quickly (though not elegantly, perhaps). For those thinking of taking up the pursuit and wishing to avoid exorbitant gym fees, I recommend taking a look at a cracking new (and very web 2.0) site called Map My Run.

Quite simply, Map My Run allows users to plot running routes on a map, and these could be anywhere in the world, making it useful for existing runners (excluding myself) or potential runners (excluding myself) to locate trails. Usefully, routes are rated by other users.

Powered by Google, the site’s maps can be seen in satellite and hybrid views, and users can put down icons such as Start (useful, that), Aid, Water, Bath (not to be confused with the city), Stop (equally useful), and Pub (made up by myself, but worth adding to the site?).

Reading has a staggering 238 routes on Map My Run, led in distance by the Downs and Chilterns Circular (a bonkers 64.08 miles, quite possibly not all in one go). Other paths include the amusingly labelled “mums to Grandmas” and “Mums to Dads”, “Pangbourne - Reading bike” (erm, excuse me, this site is for runners, walkers and joggers only) and “To Pete’s”.

So if, unlike me, you want to do something sporty this weekend, actively rather than passively, how about donning a pair of trainers and jogging all the way to Pete’s place? There might be a beer waiting…

Finally, I would like to wish my esteemed colleague Robbie Upcroft, who has not had a drink in two months, all the best in the London Marathon. Robbie recently ran in the Reading Half Marathon (would a half marathon therefore be a “mara”?), completing the course in 01:44:16. Good luck Robbie, and think of the Fosters at the end of the tunnel…

BBC Berkshire is inviting readers to submit their magic moments from Reading FC’s sparkling first season in the Premiership (despite that the season isn’t over yet).

It’s a tricky one, but the “moment” I’d suggest has to be Reading’s recent comeback against Man United (who are excelling domestically and in Europe this season) at the Madejski. What a fight. Something that Roma were not able to achieve last night, in response to a similar onslaught.

Afterthought: it was an FA Cup, rather than league, game. Can we bend the rules a little?

I was eagerly looking forward to the Easter weekend clash beween Reading and Liverpool (less so the game with Charlton), who just a couple of days earlier had trounced a poor PSV in the Champions League. I admire the managerial minds of both Coppell and Benitez, both deeply immersed in the mechanics of the game and somewhat modest, too.

I dashed to The Turks, but alas they were broadcasting the rugby. I sped to the Three Guineas, past O’Neills, but again it was the oval, not round, ball that was on the big screen. I did catch the score, however, on a different monitor, and it was Rafa’s Reds, minus midfield maestro Xabi Alonso but with the magisterial Mascherano, who were ahead, through Spanish defender Alvaro Arbeloa.

Disappointed, I returned home and slumped in front of the computer, to follow the game online.
I was, naturally, delighted when Reading bounced back early in the second half, with Brynjar Gunnarsson whipping the ball into the goal from the right.

Unfortunately, Dirk Kuyt rose high in the 86th minute to score and restore Liverpool’s lead, all the way to the final whistle.

A pity, but still not a bad result for Reading against the 2005 European Champions.

As for goal footage, thank goodness for YouTube (despite the foreign commentary).

Recently, I launched a Reading-themed portal (I’m not a Reading addict, honest). Preferring to keep things simple, I named the portal, ahem, ReadingPortal.

Now, before you all rush to Google this site, I must warn you that it really isn’t that good (not enough time in the day, you see). So, the reason I’m writing this now is because I’m looking for someone who would like to work on this projectette with me, in partnership (shared revenues). The objective is to make this a highly popular portal with Reading Netizens (and, of course, advertisers/commercial partners).

If you’re interested, please contact me with a brief proposal. You can visit the site now (please excuse me while I duck behind the sofa).

Things are hotting up! The latin spirit will be making a return to Reading’s LV Lounge, located at 10-12 King St in the town centre (curiously, Google Maps places this venue in the heart of Stratfield Mortimer). Another big party will be held on 14 April (doors open at 8pm).

Entrance is a fiver, and for that you get a free Sangria and free Salsa for beginners (that Sangria should help calm your nerves, then).