DAVID ADAMS provides a round-up of some stories on the odder side of life…
G7 leaders at Bavaria’s Schloss Elmau, near Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany on 28th June. PICTURE: John MacDougall/Pool via Reuters
• You might recall Western leaders joking at the recent G7 summit about taking off their shirts to show they’re tougher than Vladimir Putin in a reference to the Russian President’s penchant for appearing topless as he enjoyed various athletic pursuits. Putin apparently took umbrage to such talk, telling reporters that, unlike him, Western leaders abused alcohol and didn’t participate in sport. “I don’t know how they wanted to get undressed, above or below the waist,” he was quoted as saying. “But I think it would be a disgusting sight in any case.”
Russian salad is seen in a menu at the NATO summit media centre restaurant in Madrid, Spain, on 28th June. PICTURE: Reuters/Sabine Siebold
• Meanwhile, the inclusion of a ‘Russian salad’ on the menu raised eyebrows at last week’s NATO meeting. The melange of peas, potatoes, carrots and mayonnaise is a staple on Spanish restaurant menus but its inclusion at the venue where the meeting was being held caused some consternation. “Russian salad at a NATO summit? I’m a little surprised by that choice of dish,” journalist Iñaki López told Spanish media outlet La Sexta. More diplomatic thought was applied to the menu served to visiting defence and foreign ministers at a banquet at the Baroque Santa Cruz Palace in Central Madrid earlier. Jose Andres, the Spanish chef featured in the Netflix series Chef’s Table who coordinated the meal, served the classic tapa but added “tomato dumplings” and re-christened it “Ukrainian salad” as he has done in his restaurants across Spain. – With SABINE SIEBOLD and BELEN CARRENO/Reuters
A screenshot of the home’s listing on the web.
• A house which has gone on the market in Oklahoma is attracting attention because of its resemblance to the home featured in the classic cartoon, The Jetsons. The Tulsa property, which features its own elevator and was built in 2005, comes with two bedrooms, three bathrooms and has windows featuring 360 degree views including what the listing says is a “breathtaking view of the Tulsa Skyline”. The ususual home has been listed by Chenowth & Cowen with an asking price of $US415,000.
