Copyright? copywrong!

I read a very good article on a fellow Bloggers' (Northern Snippet, go check her out at: http://thepublandlady.blogspot.com) spot today and decided to leave a Comment.
Which I did........

15 Minutes later I was still writing, so decided to place the Comment as a Blog on mine instead...It was way too long to be a comment!
The Post written, entitled 'Hands Off Chef' discusses the Arrogance of some Chefs that feel their product is so unique and so amazing that they Copyright these dishes for fear of others gaining success and notoriety from it.

This did grate my nerves and I whole heartedly agree with Northern Snippet.
Below is my origional Comment.
Read Northerns' .........

http://thepublandlady.blogspot.com/2011/01/hands-off-chef.html

.....and then mine

Hello Northern Snippet!
Great Post, as always!

Here is my Comment in response to your fantastic article.

Chef's on the whole, get their ideas from cook books that are sold to the British public. They have a play, change a few bits round, then 'Tah-Dah!', they have created their own secret recipe! But, this has a few irk-isms for me........

1) These books are aimed at the Public to create in their homes using ingredients widely available. These books are not aimed at Chefs. (although there is nothing wrong with gaining inspiration from their peers, taking it and changing the salt used or swapping sweetcorn for peas is not exercising ones' talent or professional capabilities)
2) To then cover up the ingredients and copyright the Recipe makes no sense, after all, if someone dearly wants to be able to create that amazing dish that is one of the biggest forms of flattery you can get!
3) Look at the Menus....full of Allergy advice-contains Gluten, contains Soya, Contains Sultanas, contains Nuts and/or derivatives there of, contains sesame, contains food of a non ethical source, contains foods that may be Organic, contains...Ingredients!
These days we have to label the items contained therein for the fear of getting sued for not mentioning a product that may cause adverse effects on your consumers (I have recently taken to using Fennel & Dill Pollens in my cooking, a new Gastro-Ingredient that is versatile and amazing, but for fear of evoking Hay fever, I have added a (P) to the Menu!)
4) If all Cooks, Chefs and the like forbade others from using recipes then there would be no Classics that we grew up with which has stood the test of time, e.g. Shepherd's Pie, Steak & Kidney Pudding, Yorkshire Pudding, English Trifle etc, etc. There would also be a virtually indistinguishable line between what is considered copyright infringement and what is not, and this would have a severe domino affect on the whole Community.
5) We are not Gods of the food world...we are but humble masters of the art and therefore need to respect the medium in which we work and understand we do not own any of it.
6) If you really want to get your Ego rubbed and be recognised, do the same as me, write a bloody cook book, and Blog your cocky heart out!

The call of the Insomniac (or can't sleep, won't sleep)

09:00am

As I reach for my, what is it now? sixth Coffee of the morning? there is a quiet serenity to the uninhabited Kitchen.

Uninhabited except for me, sat in the corner with the notebook on top of an old, battered,  graffiti covered filing cabinet pouring through e-mails, checking the various up  and coming bookings and checking invoices for surges in prices due to the rise in fuel costs and the new V.A.T level.

One set of lights are on, creating a dulled glow at the far end of the Kitchen with a steady pulse as the phosphorous gradually awakens in the tubes, almost in perfect harmony with the whirs and hums from the ever vigilant fridges. I could quite easily allow my eyes to close and be lulled into a sweet doze, almost hypnotised by the sound and light show being played out just for me.

Why am I so tired? I have a mild case of Insomnia at the moment which I put down to a few reasons- an over active mind at night, thoughts about work (menus, costings, planning the next year), home (T Minus 8 weeks before De Ronne mk 4 makes an entrance, finances, DIY projects), and the new direction in which I am going at the moment with the Writing (Going much better than I expected, and things are really starting to happen).

So, for the past week (ish), I have been hitting the pillow at around 3am which is not a great idea when you have Children and are meant to be a responsible adult getting up at the early hours to start the day. But I have had a lot of expulsions during the small hours of a positive cranial persuasion which, on balance, makes the whole four hours slumber per night worthwhile.

By far the best idea has set me with an even harder challenge though, and with that comes the need to rationalise whether it would be too big a project to take on at this time, or work on it and place other tasks on the back burner.

 The idea is one that requires contacts of a high brow and influential nature, who in turn have contacts that can help realise its inception and aide me in bringing it into fruition.

It would involve various media sectors, Professionals of our industry from all over the country, Europe and beyond. It would need noted Practitioners, Peers and Associates to become part of the process which would set the whole standard required for what I believe to be a true historic moment in Catering (Wow, but true). And more importantly, it would need input from all Foodies...Be they critics, customers, growers, producers, suppliers, etcetera.

I used to say to my Students that always looked to do the minimal work with minimum effort, “If you set your standards and goals low, you will achieve them every time...But set them high and you have something worth trying for”. I am aiming high, maybe even punching above my weight, but I shall never know unless I give it some serious effort and a damn good crack at the whip. Wish me luck.

P.S. Never underestimate the uses of Kitchen utensils. Consider the humble wooden spoon. You can obviously utilise it to mix & stir, but if you cannot be bothered with cooking, simply write a number on it with a fat black pen and walk into your nearest Pub.