December 3rd, 2008

December 3, 2008 6:45 AM

Happy Birthday to me
Happy Birthday to me
It's still a couple of years before
I can start making that joke again.

Bonus content: the USA franchise of Pret A Manger wins this decade's award for the most worrying overuse of scare-quotes:

this UK-based chain serves up 'wholesome' sandwiches and salads that are a welcome 'change from the norm', 'gracious' counter folk and 'crisp, clean' setups add to the experience, and while a few lament the 'London prices', most say the rates are 'reasonable' given the 'quality'

4 Comments

By Dave on December 3, 2008 10:35 AM

Wow... that takes overuse of quotes to a whole new level.

...and yet, having eaten in a few of the London stores, I can completely agree that the 'wholesome' sandwiches are indeed 'reasonably' priced given the 'quality'.

By Lyth on December 3, 2008 5:11 PM

Happy Birthday, dearie.

By osfameron on December 3, 2008 7:03 PM

Are those actually scare quotes? They look like they could be pieced together from newspaper reviews or customer comments: certainly "change from the norm" and "gracious" are just odd enough that they might be from a real source rather than just scarequoted by an incompetent copywriter.

By Craig on December 4, 2008 4:21 AM

Actually, I think that's just a review from the Zagat guide. They piece together little 2 or 3 word quotes from the feedback forms they get, giving the strange sort of review they have here.

It is odd, but blame Zagat, not Pret A Manger.

Comments are no longer being accepted for this blog entry. If you really want to make your voice heard, you can always email me.

Previously: Holiday Snaps

Next: The Death of Christmas