From the last week or so

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Some pictures from the Hyde Park Winter Wonderland. I did a photo story on a German couple from Bavaria that run a German wooden toy stand at the festival. They live up in Edinburgh and come down to London for the month-and-a-half-long event every year.

Hooray Food Class

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My ANT 400 Food and Identity class had a field trip to the Fuller's Griffin Brewery, and we took a tour of the complex. Fuller’s is perhaps best known as the brewer of London Pride, the United Kingdom's leading premium cask ale. At the end of the tour, all their products were featured in a taste-testing session, and the size of the test samples were quite generous.

More Business Story

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I found a sweet company for my business story, Howarth, which specializes in woodwind instruments. I usually struggle at communicating with complete strangers, but as I have a bit of woodwind history of my own, I could at least talk to them about something. The people working there were so nice and allowed me to walk around and take pictures of their daily operations.

Ughhh business story

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In search of a business story, I went to James Smith & Sons, a 170ish-year-old umbrella and walking stick company. They make and sell their products right in the building. What I didn't realize is that they would be extremely rude people. I asked if I could take pictures of the store and if I could get down to the basement where they manufactured the umbrellas. They said it was fine, but that I could take pictures of the customers or employees. But, I kind of needed those pictures for the business story. I asked if there was any way, but then whatever guy I was talking to kind of flipped out and said he was busy and couldn't talk. Even though there was only one other customer in the store. If anyone feels like dishing out about £400 for an umbrella though, this is the shop for you. How are these people still in business?
Hand-made decorations on the 'crook handle' (technical term) on a few umbrellas. Tacky decorations definitely worth the extra £380 or so.