June 21, 2005

Wimbledon's Weapons of Mass Consumption

If you are planning to visit the All England Club during the Championships, hoping to dine on Henman Hill while you watch Tiger Tim declawed and defeated, sorry, but you'll have to leave your picnic hamper at home. Amidst all the champagne and posh food, you may be toting a weapon to perpetrate a terrorist act.

As reported in The Times,

Pam and Philip Newland, from Skegness, Lincolnshire, were angry at the new security measures. “We’re civilised people, you know. We’ve had to leave our wicker picnic hamper outside, and all our knives and forks, so we’re eating chicken in barbecue sauce, shelled prawns, Scotch eggs and salad with our hands,” Mrs Newland said.

“They even took our corkscrew so we can’t open our wine. I haven’t got the imagination to do anything nasty with a corkscrew but I’d have a go if they told me now.”

This means more people have to buy lunch from on-site caterers. Champagne is £10 a glass, and while a half-lobster will set you back £26, you can get Scottish salmon for £15.

Posted by david at June 21, 2005 10:08 PM
Comments

So they were told they couldn't bring in their picnic basket... but they let them bring in their food? And they freely decided to bring in their food and freely elected to eat it with their hands... and complain about it in the press?

mmm.

Yes, the measure seems bit tight - but no worse than the "security" that prevents most Americans from carrying food into a Cinema: the only real security is the security of the cinema to charge four week's pay for a box of snow caps. Of course, that certain security measure has been in place for decades at movie houses and baseball games and still, somehow, 9/11 happened.

Posted by: Huw Raphael at June 22, 2005 06:21 AM

Considering that they would have travelled some distance with the food and that either they came by public transportation and can't put it back in the car or if they have a car, it will spoil in the heat, it is not unreasonable that they would want to eat it. It is a bit different than the cinema, because there is the long tradition of bringing picnic baskets to the Championships. And tradition used to mean a lot in this country.

We have never had trouble with cinemas. Very occasionally Mrs H will want popcorn, but usually we stop by Tesco and stock up on sweets on the way. We've never had a jacket or purse searched.

Posted by: Dave at June 22, 2005 08:21 PM