February 25, 2010 Manuel 25 Comments
Yesterday I wore bright blue socks with pictures of robots on them under a pair of comfortable yet beaten brown shoes, blue jeans, well they were once blue now they are now grey/blue with ragged hems, and a four year old black shirt with a flowery print on it that is at least one size too small to cover the drumlin like dome that is my portly shame. The whole ensemble was topped of with a bally black sweater that may or may not have had toothpaste on it. The stain was never identified due to lack of interest on my behalf. There was no belt employed to keep the jeans over my posterior not because I was making some sort of statement but due rather to forgetfulness. This came back to haunt, not me, but the young woman who happened to walk past me whilst I was bent over in Tescos groping about for a fresh loaf of bread.
My style, for want of a better word, could be described as middle aged gardener chic.
I’m telling you this because of my recent appearance in The Sunday Times Style Magazine. That’s right The Style Magazine, not the food section not the tragic lives section nor the obituaries nor even the fat ones to watch out for section. The Times has a Fat Ones to Watch Out for section right? Obviously they chose me as I am a stylish man about town, heh. I mean the way I walk with a slight stoop and the ever so stylish way my sweaters lift to reveal my hairy largess must have impressed somebody right?
Or maybe not.
I was more than a touched chuffed to come home from another Sunday afternoon at work, a day mostly spent gossiping with Waiter Chum the Younger and occasional plate schlepping, and find a comment on the blog from chum Medbh that read, “Manuel, your blog’s featured in the Sunday Times Style mag section on Irish foodie blogs. Yay!”
Yay indeed. I yay’d for an age until Little Miss Manuel arrived in with the papers only to find that it wasn’t in the bloody Norther edition and only in the southern edition. Why must there be two editions for such a small island? Why Rupert? Why? What are you trying to hide from us?
Anyhoo, Medbh was kind enough to send me it.
And here it is…

Obviously I had to google, “acerbic” just to make sure it wasn’t college talk for fat. I am, as I’m sure you understand very chuffed about this. They’re right, your second mention in the Sunday Times is so much better than your first. Thanks to whoever saw fit to include me, your soup shall be spit free and all sarcastic comments about your choice of wine will be withheld.
Heh…
Acerbic eh, middle aged gardener chic, Sunday Times Style Magazine Manuel the Waiter, Well Done Fillet
Well done, Manuel! You stylin’ waiter, you!
a woo hoo….I feel v stylish right now in food covered sweat pants and Futureheads t-shirt
well done, sugar! well done! xoxoxoxo
ta ta Savannah!
They mustn’t have been reading it on a day when I commented, lucky for you.
Much deserved praise, and you wuz robbed at the awards last year. Sorry Sweary, but you’d have to agree yourself.
Always the Bridesmaid, never the bride…
ach it’s all good. yeah the commenters got a mention too…
[walks away mumbling-steal my glory will they]
ha
Score!! A thick juicy slab of much deserved well done fillet props. Mucho besos from California. xoxo
cheers Penelope!
Aye well, like Green Day, I’d heard of you before you were famous.
P.s That photo doesn’t look anything like you so I’m going to sue you for the chic quantity of 12.5% for emotional trauma.
P.p.s Put a Captcha on your comments.
congratulations! i’ll check to see if my irish boytoy is in dublin… and tell him “SEE! I TOLD YOU I KNOW OTHER CLEVER IRISH PEOPLE!”
“the mysterious Manuel”
Can’t you see?
They’re likening you to James Bond!
(wipes away a tear)…. So proud!!
I know, I know, you couldn’t have done it without me.
I’m touched. And I’ll accept your fawning with the gracious air of humbleness you’ve come to expect. My envelope of used notes is in the post, yes?
(well done you old bugger!)
(and can I borrow your shirt? it sounds ace.)
Great!
nicely done but…2 issues on an island that size? wtf?
Oh and for the love of god can someone somewhere PLEASE help or make him win something this year fed up listening when he comes home that he hasn’t and lets face it he bloody well deserves to!!!!
Well done that man.
middle aged gardener chic…hehe, nicking that!
Middle-aged gardener chic is so hot right now. That’s totally awesome – but how weird that you couldn’t get it in the Northern ST!
And congratulations on your long-list – it’s a pleasure to be featured in the same list as such an acerbic wit as yourself
PS I had to look up acerbic too. Thought it may have been connected to aerobics. Like aerobically using adjectives? I can has languajez?
Congratulations Manuel! Well done you!
Congratulations! Well deserved indeed.
Pretty cool. But now the pressure’s on. You’ve got to live up to the titles “acerbic” and “well-informed”.
What, you haven’t used “acerbic” whilst describing a vintage to some arsehole?
Congrats!
And 2 issues? Segregation, I tell you!
Glad it got there!
I was wondering if I had put it in the correct bag at An Post.
Could be an omen for the Blog Awards?
oh Medbh I have given up on the world of competitive blogging…I blog now only for the craic and the hits….I need the numbers…obsessed me? just a little