Would you drink your coffee from an avocado or a carrot?

You’d either have to drink it fast or get it iced…

I think the term ‘fruit cup’ has already been used for another purpose, John.

I suppose we could genetically engineer vegetables to improve their value as drinking vessels, Lauren. No waste if they are eaten and at least biodegradable if they are not. Introducing some sort of handle would be useful and then we can get John to advise us on where to hold our small finger as a matter of etiquette.

Absolutely marvelous Wavechange although the subtlety might be lost here ? I am sure Monsanto will be able to easily oblige you in growing a handle on vegetables it provides seed for ( patent strictly enforced worldwide ) , but when you grow that sixth finger on your hand will it be —OMG ! – or OMG ?

I am not sure about six fingers, but I have often thought five would be useful, the fifth possibly joining the palm of the hand opposite the thumb. It should be able to rotate 300 degrees and be fully articulated; it would be about 125 mm long on an average male and, if possible, have an extra eye on the end of it. With these two extra digits we would be able to do and see a lot more with our hands. Evolution is a wonderful thing but I wish it would get a move on.

It’s important to publish ideas that could benefit people, Duncan. That prevents them being patented, so they can be shared for the common good. Some examples of genetic engineering have proved very worthwhile. Producing ‘human insulin’ in yeast has helped many diabetics, yet the development was rightly highly questionable when the process was being developed. We are right to ask difficult questions when we are concerned about how science is used commercially.

John – Don’t expect evolution to help when the design of mobile phones keeps changing.

Have you read up on Monsanto,s patented seeds Wavechange ? , taken US farmers to court even if it blows onto their adjacent fields–and WON, taken the Indian Government to court –but LOST , its legal department is bigger than many countries legal departments enforces its use of its patented seeds ruthlessly on every country it sells its seeds to , dont go by the flashy adverts I have documented case after documented case where many US farmers were driven out of business because they had a few of the crop drifting over from Monsanto crops . I have a large portfolio on them is anybody wants to argue the case . Book after book has been written about them they block the planting of normal seeds in land previously used by their seeds , many African/South American countries very angry at this take-over of our food supply but of course the US/UK/EU love them so my words mean nothing.

I understand the science but I’m very out of date about current concerns. Commercial exploitation is all around us.

Malcolm you have presented a technical reply on the merits of Patents I dont have an argument with that , if that is what you picked up from my post then I have worded it wrongly . The truth is that its much,much more than that in Monsanto,s case , its the forced control of agriculture of entire countries by copyrighting a food product , not one that is some kind of recipe but a basic human food product . If you want I will go into all the connivance/control/ forceful use of a basic mainstay product to force out others which are natural by NATURAL design so that a whole country can be held to ransom as far as its food supply is concerned . Its not nice reading ,HMG wont like it , Which wont like it but it is the 24 Karat TRUTH !

Malcolm – Even if you don’t mind third world farmers being exploited, you might question what you have said when you are told that a drug that could prolong your life or ease your suffering cannot be prescribed because the NHS cannot afford to pay for it. There is plenty of innovation going on in our universities and research institutes without financial reward.

Do you believe all the information that Monsanto published concerning the safety of Roundup. I’m not so sure. Maybe we should get back to the trivial subject of drinking coffee out of fruit & veg because it’s something we can all understand.

Absolutely RIGHT ! Wavechange and again I can quote actual actions by Big Pharmacy USA to impose their will on Africa /South America /Australia/New Zealand BUT not India who told them where to go when 10,000 of Indian citizens were dying from the high price of US drugs. what do you think is helping to bring down the NHS ?? US drug prices , and yes I can prove that too. Malcolm dont you realise I have millions of British citizens agreeing with me ? on another website of where I am a member – THREE MILLION support what I said and thats just the one website. I have full details direct from the USA from investigating organisations of whom I am in constant contact supplying real NON-fake news on actual concrete events /statistics /etc . I may s**g off the USA in its foreign policy but I think extremely highly of it in its OPEN government of allowing its citizens to get at the real truth not HMG “official statements “

I have only known one person who needed a drug that was not available on the NHS, and he obtained it privately.

Anyway, that’s my last off-topic comment on the matter. 🙁

Well said, Malcolm. There is an art in pouring tea from a cup into the saucer and it requires practice in order to avoid the tea going all over the place but not in the saucer. To start with the spoon needs to be placed in the cup. The cup should be positioned over the edge of the saucer [or even beyond the edge] and gently tilted. Since a cup does not have a spout, the tea will run down the side of the cup and, if the cup is positioned correctly, the tea will fall into the bowl of the saucer. At this point the cloth cap can be deployed to waft cooler air across the saucer, and it is also acceptable to blow onto the saucer if the tea is too hot. Then, holding the teacup in one hand, the saucer can be lifted by the other hand to the lips so that ritual slurping can commence. Good hand-eye coordination is required at this point to ensure that both the saucer and the teacup remain horizontal while the saucer is drained and the cup held steady; this is why it is best not to overfill the saucer. After a few sips, the cooler tea in the saucer can now be reintroduced to the hot tea in the cup, the saucer put back on the table, the cup placed on the saucer, the spoon used to stir the tea in the cup, and then placed in the saucer. Unless the tea in the cup is still too hot, all further consumption should be from the cup, not the saucer, and biscuit dunking is now permitted. When the cup is empty it is polite to smack the lips no more than twice and say a few words of appreciation in the appropriate dialect. Don’t try this in Betty’s or Harriet’s Tea rooms – at entry level it is best to choose a place with vinyl table covers or even bare Formica – the bus station cafe is a recommended establishment. Don’t forget that your whippet might like to have a small slurp from the saucer as well but paws should be kept off the table at all times. Before rising from the table replace the cloth cap on the back or side of the head according to local traditions.