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What does a “smacked cucumber” look like? What is a “rutabaga”? Why does a “spiny caldereta” sound so threatening? Is “blackened” just a fancy word for “burnt”? These are some of the many questions diners have to grapple with when they look at a menu in some restaurants these days. But Britons are a shy bunch who would rather curl up in a ball and disappear than actually have to utter these queries out loud to a waiter. I would know – my husband is one of 41 per cent of diners who would choose to google an unfamiliar menu term under the table instead of asking for clarification, according to recent research from reservation service Resy. Whenever me and my husband come across an obscure word on a menu, my suggestion of asking the waiting staff to explain is swiftly shot down by the appearance of his phone, followed by a muttered definition from a search engine. Navigating a menu has become harder in recent years. It’s not just the use of lesser-known techniques, nor the use of alternative words for common ingredients (a rutabaga is a turnip and a cep is a porcini or pennybun mushroom, by the way). With Covid came menus only available via QR code, a development that’s now the bane of eating out – some restaurants still use them. It means having to point our stupid camera phones at stupid, alien-looking squares and scroll through the menu in stupid silence, as if we need to be even more enslaved to our devices than we already are. And then, if menus do get printed, they’re impossible to see because restaurants insist on turning their lights down lower and lower. Or they print the text in smaller and smaller typeface, making it a struggle to read even with 20/20 vision – which I haven’t had since I was 10. I’ll never forget trying to read the menu at the ever-trendy Smoking Goat in Shoreditch in 2019, me and five of my companions sat squinting in the dark with our phone torches on. Going to a restaurant should be a relatively easy endeavour, an experience free of stress and embarrassment. But recent menu trends might be off-putting to the customer, says Gavin Rankin of the Mayfair-based French brasserie restaurant Bellamy’s. “Restaurant menus are supposed to seduce you, to persuade you,” he tells me. “There’s a tendency now to list vegetables or ingredients nobody’s ever heard of, but I don’t like it and people don’t like having to ask questions about what something is because it makes them feel foolish. Restaurants aren’t out to humiliate the diner.” Descriptors that give an idea of texture or flavour are important, but they don’t have to be complicated. It’s definitely possible to achieve a balance between having your menu be stylish and still informative Hugh Richard Wright, restaurant PR But could it be a good thing for menus to spark conversation between a diner and the restaurant? When I ask Rankin this, he blows a raspberry down the phone line, though not rudely – just in exasperation. “There’s something a bit… aggressive about it,” he says. “You can see on some menus they are deliberately choosing to list things that will force people to ask. Keep it simple, in my opinion. It’s different if you’re trying a really unfamiliar cuisine, but not when you go to an English or French restaurant. You should be able to look at a menu and be happy to eat 90 per cent of it with pleasure.” I’m someone who’s quite happy to have a chinwag with the waiter and ask questions about a menu. I also like it when a menu provides the opportunity to learn something new. But Rankin is right in pointing out that many diners don’t like asking questions at all, and menus shouldn’t force a diner into having to enquire about every single item. Hugh Richard Wright, leading restaurant PR and man-about-town with years of eating and consulting experience under his belt, says restaurants need to be mindful of striking the right balance with their menus. “A menu is more than just a list of dishes,” he says. “It should tempt you and excite you, so the descriptions should be tantalising. A menu that makes you want to have a conversation with your server is nice but it’s a balance. You don’t want to have everything explained to you and to go through every dish asking, ‘What’s this, what’s that’. That’s what a lot of places get wrong.” He adds that a menu should give the diner a “realistic impression of what you’re getting on your plate” – a reasonable enough expectation that some restaurants have foregone in favour of just listing ingredients. “For example, ‘pork, leek, kumquat’. It should describe how the pork is cooked. Is it pulled pork? Or roasted? Descriptors that give an idea of texture or flavour are important, but they don’t have to be complicated. It’s definitely possible to achieve a balance between having your menu be stylish and still informative.” David Paw, international editor at Resy, advises that we shouldn’t be put off by a sparse menu. “It may be deliberate,” he says. “The restaurant is setting up the chance for a guest and the front of house staff to engage in a dialogue. I lean into these moments as opportunities to have a chat about ingredients, techniques, and the kitchen’s creative process. I’d encourage diners to always try to ask for more information. Even frequent diners are always learning and expanding their food vocabulary.” It comes down to what kind of experience we’re looking for when we dine out. For some, like Paw and myself, it’s fun and exciting to come across new things on a menu. But for many, given that eating out nowadays is much more of a pricey indulgence than it used to be, relaxation is key, not being challenged. This isn’t to say that every single restaurant should acquiesce to simplicity, but it would be no small potatoes to consider ways to make a diner feel less like they need a thesaurus before sitting down. It doesn’t diminish a fine restaurant to make its menu more accessible – instead, it would make it so much more appealing, bringing incredible food to the many instead of the few. That said, we go to restaurants to eat food we wouldn’t normally cook ourselves, and often food that we’re not familiar with. There is so much joy to be had in allowing new flavours and textures to colour your palate, and the culinary world has never been more creative or diverse than it is right now. So in a time where suspicion of anything unfamiliar is rife, perhaps it would do us all some good to try something new on our plates. Next time you’re stuck, ask your waiter for assistance. I promise they won’t bite. Read More Best burgers in London: Where to eat top patties in the city Why ‘chain’ restaurant shouldn’t be a dirty word Three ramen recipes to change your life Best burgers in London: Where to eat top patties in the city Why ‘chain’ restaurant shouldn’t be a dirty word Three ramen recipes to change your life

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Kim Kardashian has announced the launch of a Skims bra with faux nipples wi a cheeky skit on Instagram. On 27 October, the Skims founder told her followers that the shapewear brand was launching the Ultimate Nipple Bra on 31 October, a new twist on the brand’s push-up bra that has “a built-in, faux nipple for shock factor”. In an Instagram video, Kardashian began the playful campaign by saying: “The Earth’s temperature is getting hotter and hotter. The sea levels are rising. The ice sheets are shrinking. And I’m not a scientist, but I do believe everyone can use their skillset to do their part.” “That’s why I’m introducing a brand-new bra with a built-in nipple, so no matter how hot it is, you’ll always look cold,” she continued. The reality TV star can be seen pointing to a detailed diagram of the bra and modelling it beneath neutral-hued Skims separates. The mogul then sat on a desk and tossed her hair back, telling viewers: “Some days are hard, but these nipples are harder. And unlike these icebergs, these aren’t going anywhere.” In her caption, Kardashian revealed that some of the money earned from the fashion drop will be donated to a good cause. “In addition to our investment in advancing carbon removal, Skims is proud to donate 10 per cent of sales from our Skims Ultimate Nipple Bra, as a one-time donation, to @1percentftp - a global network with thousands of businesses and environmental organisations working together to support people and the planet.” While the concept of the campaign was certainly original, it appeared to be a bit of a headscratcher for some people in the comment section. One Instagram user joked: “For a second I thought it was an April Fools but it’s October lol.” “I thought this was a joke,” someone else added, while another chimed in: “Kind of a slap in the face to our current climate crisis but okay.” Meanwhile, others praised the product’s inclusivity, noting that it would empower breast cancer survivors. Someone shared: “Women who have suffered from breast cancer and want that extra boost of confidence are going to appreciate this so much.” Another person commented: “I’ve just battled breast cancer and lost my right breast so for me this is genius! Can’t wait to get one.” One person suggested that if people really wanted their nipples to have a perkier look, they should “get them pierced” instead. Someone else praised Kardashian’s marketing strategy, noting: “Got to give it to you girl, you’re a marketing genius.” The latest campaign is one of many new launches for Skims in the past few weeks. Most recently, Kardashian recruited athletes such as Neymar Jr, Nick Bosa, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to model a Skims menswear line in a viral, much-talked-about campaign. “The expansion into the menswear space is a major milestone for the brand, and a testament to Skims’ commitment to providing solutions for everybody,” Kardashian said in a statement. “I am incredibly excited about this next chapter for Skims and cannot wait for everyone to experience our amazing range of products.” Read More Why Kim Kardashian didn’t take Karl Lagerfeld’s cat to the Met Gala ‘A healthier addiction than drugs’: How Elton John got hooked on photography ‘Ozempic is exposing holes in the body positivity movement’ Why Kim Kardashian didn’t take Karl Lagerfeld’s cat to the Met Gala ‘A healthier addiction than drugs’: How Elton John got hooked on photography ‘Ozempic is exposing holes in the body positivity movement’

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Kim Kardashian initially planned on attending the 2023 Met Gala with a very unusual plus one – the late Karl Lagerfeld’s cat, Choupette. During an episode of The Kardashians, the 43-year-old reality star made the revelation about who she’d be attending the fashion extravaganza with. “I am going to the Met with Karl Lagerfeld’s cat as my date, and I’m so excited,” she said while on a trip to Paris, documented before the 2023 New York event which was in honour of Lagerfeld. While she said her trip to Paris gave her the “perfect” opportunity to “come and meet Choupette”, she confessed that she was “nervous” about that introduction. “I feel like I’m going on a blind date,” she added. As she reflected on her time working with the late fashion designer, she also acknowledged what “an honour it is to bring his baby” to the Met Gala. As Choupette was brought over to Kardashian, she gently petted the animal and called her “beautiful”. However, Choupette started to hiss at Kardashian, who responded by moving her hand away. “It’s OK, I act like that sometimes too,” she added. Kardashian also acknowledged that the cat may take some time to cosy up to her. “I think Choupette is playing hard to get,” she said during a confessional interview. “Maybe she just has to warm up, you know?” After The Kardashians star described the pet as “feisty” when they were meeting, she also shared her concerns about Choupette not being comfortable around her at all. “Choupette is really key to my whole vibe for the Met Gala this year,” she added during the confessional interview. “So if we don’t vibe, I don’t know what I’m gonna do. I just hope she warms up to me…cause this wouldn’t be cute.” When Kardashian tried to pet Choupette, and said “please don’t bite me,” the cat once again hissed at her. “Choupette, can I touch you?” the reality star asked, while gently putting her hand toward the pet. “Okay, we’ll chill.” After the cat proceeded to hiss at Kardashian multiple times, the KKW Beauty founder made her decision. “I’m getting a little bit nervous, and I think I just fully wanna pivot,” she said. “There’s so many factors that I think could be negative, especially with the cameras and the people, even if she’s scared of the camera and not me.” She added: “I don’t think it’s fair for Choupette. So I think I realised really quickly that…Choupette, we’re not a match. So I am not bringing her to the Met.” When Kardashian had the opportunity to actually hold the cat in her arms, Choupette once again hissed at her. Back in April, Kardashian shared her first selfie on Instagram with the cat. “Had a date with @choupetteofficiel in Paris. We then spent some time at @karllagerfeld’s office to get a little inspiration for the Met,” she wrote in the caption. Although the Keeping Up With The Kardashians star didn’t bring Lagerfeld’s cat to the fashion event this year, she did walk the red carpet in an extravagant outfit. For the occasion, she wore a nude bodysuit and was covered head-to-toe in a series of pearl necklaces. The look – which was designed by Schiaparelli’s creative director, Daniel Roseberry – was also completed with a white, floor-length coat. To follow the theme of the Met Gala, many famous faces honoured Lagerfeld by dressing up as Choupette, as actor Jared Leto wore a giant white fluffy cat costume. Doja Cat also wore cat-inspired prosthetics on her face, cat-eye make-up, and a diamond hanging on her forehead. Read More Geri Halliwell says Spice Girls fan Kim Kardashian would be called ‘Smart Spice’ Kourtney Kardashian jokes about rows with Kim in birthday message North West announces she has dyslexia during a TikTok livestream Kim Kardashian ‘scared out of her mind’ to tell Kanye West about male nanny The blunt text Kanye West got from Julia Fox when he tried to get her to sign an NDA ‘A healthier addiction than drugs’: How Elton John got hooked on photography