- Fat Duck Reopens
“I am delighted that the health protection agency and the local environmental health office have given us the all clear to open the restaurant,” Fat Duck owner Blumenthal said in a statement. “Obviously we are overjoyed to be able to get back to business as normal”
Business as normal isn’t quite the expression I would use. As I mentioned in my previous story, The Fat Duck, known for its chef’s wildly creative entrees such snail porridge and bacon-and-egg ice cream, was initially closed at the end of February pending investigations by environmental health officers after more than 40 people became ill. Soon afterwards hundreds more came forward complaining of the same symptomssome 400 in all. Now The Health Protection Agency has given The Fat Duck the all-clear despite confessing they still don’t know what caused a mysterious outbreak which rendered 400 diners ill. In fact, they’re still investigating the cause of these reported illnesses and a final report isn’t expected for another couple of weeks. I’m just as excited as any other appreciative foodie to see the Andy Warhol of molecular cuisine back in the kitchen, but how can an all-clear be given when a battery of test results are still outstanding? And how do you interview and evaluate 400 victims, then collate the information you’ve gathered in only two weeks?
Health officials obviously haven’t a clue what may have spawned these bizarre illnesses; they’re still in the process of eliminating possible causes. “As a precaution,”writes The Independent, “the chef has taken all oysters, langoustine, mussels and other shellfish ” which are notorious for causing food poisoning ” off the menu.”This was done at the health department’s request. “So far, no one source has been identified,” the Health Protection Agency reports. “Results of some tests are still awaited and the detailed questioning of people who reported illness is likely to continue for some weeks in order to build a more complete picture”
The Guardian‘s Tim Hayward suggests the estimated 400 people who reported becoming ill did so because they’re all vying for a free meal. And what of the original 40 customers who called over a three-week period to report getting sick? Hayward has pretty much laughed them off as frauds. “First-person testimony appeared from dozens of diners,”he writes, “who’d suffered symptom so terrible, disturbing and embarrassing that they’d failed to report them to any medical professional.”By the way, television sports presenter Jim Rosenthal and millionaire boxing promoter Frank Warren were among the 40 diners who called in and reported becoming ill.
I wonder how Hayward knows 40 individuals failed to contact a medical professional. Did he call them all, or did they all call him? I doubt their names, addresses, and phone numbers were made public.
A reader of Hayward’s piece shares my skepticism regarding Hayward’s journalistic objectivity:
“This whole episode has revealed a real hypocrisy in the cosy world of food journalism, especially here at the guardian. Has there been any critical questioning of Heston or have any questions put to related professionals written about here, or even any actual journalism of note? Not for one second do I believe this same behaviour would be extended to any other chef or restaurant or chain. If a chain were to poison 400 people (no need for quotes) you would rightly rip them apart”
Yet another Guardian reader writes:
“What a disgraceful article – Tim Hayward cosying up to his pal. Mr Hayward might not be so smug and self satisfied if he had suffered like me and my guests for the last 3 weeks. Vomiting – nausea – headaches – flu like symptoms – lethargy- diarrhoea -you name it, we’ve had it. Despite his public protestations, Mr Blumenthal has not seen fit to contact any of us. Neither has there been any suggestion of a refund or an invitation to return to his establishment. We notice that all shellfish have been removed from his menu – so it’s is not ‘business as normal’ as the press release states. Free meals are not top of our list and we have had medical treatment. The Guardian’s sycophantic coverage of this story has been journalistically bankrupt – the Independent has left you trailing. By the way we have also heard nothing from the Environmental Health Authority. Mr Hayward remove your head from Mr Blumenthal’s backside and do your journalistic job”
As unfortunate as it may be for Mr. Blumenthal to have to suspend operations, lose money and risk further tarnishing his reputation, it is the job of health officials to guard and protect the health of the public at large, the public they represent, the public that pays their salaries. Unless more than 400 members of the public have joined in a conspirital effort to slander Blumenthal’s restaurant, health officials have an obligation to exhaust all efforts in determining the source of these freak illnesses before opening The Fat Duck’s doors.
Related articles
- ‘Hundreds May Have Fallen Ill At Fat Duck’ (news.sky.com)
- Hundreds Sick After Dining at Heston Blumenthal’s Fat Duck Restaurant (shoppingblog.com)
- Fat Duck sickness toll rises to 400 (guardian.co.uk)
- 400 Fat Duck guests complain they have are ‘food poison’ victims (telegraph.co.uk)