“Hmm, this needs a little bit of light” the light suddenly flashed on, it made them both flinch at the harsh light. “D-Da.Dad” David Dunn laughed slightly “Ah, my own son notices me, you still have the scars I gave you FREAK” Will got annoyed at that, he had noticed that Benji didn’t talk. Boy Girl is a great choice of single, with long-standing BTB collaborator Paul Conboy lending some nicely strung out vocals to the slowly rising bed of synths. It has enough club action and pop sheen to prove a hit, but the remixes put a little bit more fire into the song's belly. We’re going to do this a little different today. Detroit is in the building. Let’s give it up for Benji right here. You know he’s classic. That’s who I follow nowadays. Well, actually I follow these four. points to the ladies on the couch You can turn me down just a little bit. As we prepare our hearts for the Lord’s Table, would you open your Bible to Joshua chapter 2? Just a brief reminder of a great, great Old Testament account: Joshua, the leader of God’s people Israel.
RESTAURANT AGENT BENJI GIVES UP ANIMAL PRODUCTSAT BY CHLOE IN COVENT GARDEN
I breezed through ‘Veganuary’, unmoved by the increasingly popular notion that giving up meat and dairy could be the healthy way forward. I began to have my doubts, though, when I stepped into the lift one day only to hear a guy who looked like an ex-prop for Wales talking about tofu on toast. Could it be I was missing out?
So when it came to deciding where to review for this edition of Open, a vegan restaurant recently arrived from New York seemed the obvious choice. Located on Russell Street, just off Covent Garden’s Drury Lane, By Chloe is ideally placed for a pre-theatre bite to eat or half an hour’s respite from shopping. It’s counter service and getting to the counter to order is as easy as quinoa pie. The hard bit is getting a table. We got there at 6:30pm prompt to avoid queuing but on arrival found there was already a strong contingent of predominantly female customers circling for a place to land. I soon discovered that the only thing hangrier than me when I’m in need of sustenance is a Hangry Vegan (HV). After a brief altercation with an HV over some hanging basket seats (see picture) I decided to go and hover somewhere else until we successfully found a nice spot by the window.
Once seated I began to take in the surroundings. Most things are white of various different shades and textures which makes it feel light, bright and fresh; imagine McDonald’s with a 90s Philadelphia Cheese ad makeover. The splashes of colour come in the form of green plants, multi-coloured fabric and a fun ‘Guac Save the Queen’ neon sign hanging on one wall. At 7pm the lighting was lowered and the volume of the unfamiliar but good music was turned up. The scene was set for evening trade.
We decided to order a Quinoa Taco Salad, Mac’n’Cheese, the Classic Burger and some juices. At the counter we were given a buzzer. Five minutes later it buzzed and our food was ready for collection from the counter on sturdy metal trays.
The portions were a decent size; the Mac’n’Cheese was surprisingly rich and creamy with tasty shitake ‘bacon’ which was actually satisfyingly chewy salted mushrooms heaped on top of the pasta. The Quinoa Taco Salad was substantial with a spicy seitan and black bean mixture that did a pretty good job at pretending to be minced beef. The Classic Burger was very tasty but less surprising and definitely didn’t hit the spot in the same way a traditional bacon
double cheeseburger does.
We washed the whole lot down with a lemonade and a matcha tea – one was a bit sweet, the other slightly bitter. At just under £30 for two it wasn’t an expensive evening meal but I suspect if I were faced with the same bill for a quick lunch I would think differently.
My verdict? By Chloe might be free of animal products but it‘s a world away from the virtuous wholefood restaurants
of yesteryear. It’s the sort of place vegans can feel they are being indulgent without breaking the rules and the rest of us can gorge on ‘junk food’ and leave feeling smug, knowing we’ve done just a little bit to save the planet.
From Insecure’s 20-something women to the Muslim-American star of Ramy, Sunday’s Emmy line-up is an unprecedented showcase for people of colour.
But the television industry needs to take concrete action on pledges to nurture non-white writers and directors to ensure that the 2020 awards ceremony is not just a blip triggered by a summer of protests over systemic racism in the United States, observers say.
“I’m sure the last thing the Television Academy wanted was to have an ‘Emmys so white’ controversy in the middle of all that,” said Eric Deggans, TV critic for National Public Radio. “So I’m not surprised they paid special attention to the work of Black performers,” said Deggans, author of the 2012 book Race Baiter.
Record Emmy nominations for people of colour included nods for Kerry Washington (Little Fires Everywhere and American Son), Sandra Oh (Killing Eve), Billy Porter (Pose), Regina King (Watchmen), Issa Rae (Insecure) and Sterling K. Brown (This is Us and The Marvelous Mrs Maisel).
Watchmen, the superhero alternative reality drama infused with racial themes, led nominations with 26 nods.
Also Read | Emmys nominations 2020: Watchmen leads with 26 nods
Nominations open doors for other Blacks, Asians and Latinos and shape perceptions beyond the world of entertainment, said Rashad Robinson, president of social justice organization Color of Change.
“What these awards represent is the industry’s way of creating a system of letting people in, of creating access to jobs and opportunities,” Robinson said. “It dictates the stories we get to see in the world about who we are, and that has deep implications on the unwritten rules about how we are treated in hospitals, by judges and at schools.”
The Emmy nominees came from shows that were made before America began a painful cultural reckoning over racism this summer.
More are on their way, including the documentary Driving While Black, Woke about a Black cartoonist who has an encounter with police, the abolitionist drama The Good Lord Bird, and Enslaved about the history of the slave trade.
Robinson said that exciting as it is to see Black artists and stories break through, more structural changes such as inclusion riders, diversity in writers rooms and fully rounded characters are needed to ensure lasting change.
Also Read | Virtual Emmys: Less walking, talking, but beware the Wi-Fi
“It’s not enough to care. It’s not enough to be aware,” he said. “We have to have people willing to act and to make real changes.”
Deggans noted that Latinx talent is still largely overlooked at the Emmys, even though Latinos form America’s second largest ethnic group after whites.
“It’s regrettable that so much of the recognition fell on Black performers and there wasn’t a little bit more in regard to Latinx people especially,” said Deggans, noting that shows like Gentefied, Vida and One Day at a Time were largely overlooked.
Have A Marvelous Monday
“The cause of Latinx representation in Hollywood is a little further back – where Black people were, say, 10 years ago,” Deggans added.
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The Emmy Awards will be handed out on Sunday at a virtual ceremony televised on ABC.
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