RANDOM REMINDER

Press, Volume CX, Issue 32391, 2 September 1970, Page 24

RANDOM REMINDER

SURPRISE PARTY

Notwithstanding the anxiety of young people to up anchor and travel the world, there are often firmer links with home and country than the globe trotters like to admit to. Thousands of young New Zealanders have shaken the dust of home from their feet and travelled overseas, many of them on very limited financial resources. Very often, the trip is preceded by months and years of rigorous saving. From Christchurch, two very industrious young men set out by ship for England and, like many others, they planned to work in England and make little dashes at the Continent when they could afford them. But the saving habit had

become so ingrained that even the elegant and romantic life aboard ship failed to part them from much of their hard-earned cash and so they discovered on their arrival that they could afford to buy a sound four-sleeper van. As they had included cars among their hobbies, they made the purchase and off they went. Through Denmark, Germany and France they travelled, enjoying all the little adventures which befall travellers, and it was only when they were in Italy that fate switched off its smile. They went out shopping in a supermarket in Rome and there they saw some most attractive canned beer, at an astonishingly low price. Commenting on what the

Common Market must mean to Europeans, and feeling strongly that it was. time that the Saturday evening was spent in more of a New Zealand than Continental fashion, they purchased a large quantity of the cans. The price was so right ... They settled down for their little party that night Eagerly they opened up a couple of the cans. The Italians brew palatable beer. But they had not read the small print very well. This was cooking—yes, cooking—beer. It had, to the Kiwi palate, a disgusting,taste. And it was not as if they had the opportunity, or skill, to practise the high arts of Italian cooking .. .