Sunday, July 20, 2003 Tony Blair Eats Out 9:52:45 PM    Comment on this post! [] British Prime Minister Tony Blair, accompanied by his wife Cherie, waves to Japanese people as he leaves a pizza restaurant after chatting with a Japanese family in the fashionable district of Harajuku in Tokyo, July 19, 2003. Blair toured Harajuku after making a speech to Japanese business leaders. REUTERS/JMPA/Pool 9:39:53 PM    Comment on this post! [] So the British Prime Minister travels (not quite literally) halfway around the world to visit an exotic foreign country, and he goes out for pizza? What's up with that? Partly, I suppose, it's to show the flag, as it were, regarding British business, since the place he went to (Pizza Express) is in fact part of a British pizza chain. The mind boggles somewhat at the thought of authentic British Pizza--and you can insert your own Spotted Dick jokes here, thankyouverymuch--but I guess it must be something British expats miss. (For their benefit a few months ago, Pizza Express even put on live versions of the Channel 4 show Whose Line is It, Anyways? (seen in the US on the Comedy Central cable channel) featuring imported British comedians (though fans of the show may remember that most of the performers on the show seemed to have been imported from North America, but never mind). (There already scores of British-style pubs around, offering Guinness, Bass Ale, and other British brews on tap, as well as big-screen TVs showing Premier League Football (soccer, to you North Americans) games live at ungodly hours, so British expats are not exactly deprived.) Of course, Japanese pizza has its own mind-boggling qualities, since corn and mayonnaise are standard ingredients. in fact, it's hard to find Japanese pizza which doesn't have those ingredients. God, I suddenly miss North Beach Pizza.     9:27:06 PM    Comment on this post! []