Are you very skinny, very hungry and in London for Fashion Week? If so, you're in luck.
A restaurant popular with celebrities and fashionistas in the British capital is offering free food to skinny models who have come under attack for promoting a stick-thin image which critics says encourages eating disorders in young women, Reuters reported.
Bumpkin restaurant in trendy Notting Hill is offering models with a Body Mass Index (BMI) of less than 18 the opportunity to gorge on fish pies, lamb burgers, king prawns and scallops.
"If I could recommend a dish to a size zero model, it would be a charter pie containing leeks, chicken and bacon; it's enough to keep you warm and energized all day," Bumpkin general manager Dariush Nejad said in a statement on Monday.
The issue of size zero or "skinny models" has dogged fashion shows around the world after two anorexic Latin American models died last year and has been under the international spotlight during the spring fashion season in New York, Milan, Paris and London, which began on Sunday.
Madrid last year banned models with a BMI below 18 from taking part in fashion shows. BMI is a measure expressed as a ratio of weight to height. A BMI limit of 18 means a 5-foot-8 inch model must weigh at least 120 pounds (54 kg).
Models with a BMI of less than 18 who visit Bumpkin for lunch or dinner will be invited to select any food off the menu, simply by showing their modeling card which states if they are size zero, the restaurant said.
The restaurant boasts of its popularity with the London glitterati, saying recent visitors included fashion designer Stella McCartney, filmmaker Guy Ritchie, popstar Simon le Bon and his wife Yasmin.
Don't Kiss and Tell ... Seriously
BANGKOK, Thailand (AP) — A word of advice to young Thai lovers on Valentine's Day: No kissing in public.
Bangkok police say they plan to protect underage couples from the sting of Cupid's arrow, and will crack down on what is deemed to be "inappropriate" behavior.
Patrols will start after school hours in "high-risk areas," like public parks, shopping malls and restaurants and expand in the evening to include nightclubs, bars and so-called love motels, which rent small rooms for short periods of time, said Police Lt. Vorawat Amornviwat of the Metropolitan Police Bureau.
"If we find teenagers below 18 engaged in inappropriate behavior like kissing, we will give them warnings and report to their parents so they can pick them up," he said. "Alcohol is definitely a catalyst for this kind of behavior, so we will keep an eye on underage drinking."
The Metropolitan Police force has also asked nightclub and bar owners to help by turning away underage customers.
"These places are not meant for kids," he said, adding that Valentine's Day required extra vigilance "because they seem to be more vulnerable to sexual temptations on this particular night."
Hate Spending Money on Valentine's Day? Spend on 'Anti-V Day' Instead
CLEVELAND (AP) — For Lori Schwartz, a happy mom with a decade of wedded bliss under her belt, the greeting card featuring a bloodied, ripped out heart was perfect.
"It's Valentine's Day, so here's a card with a heart inside," it read. "I'd tell you whose it is, but the less you know, the better."
"My husband and I never get nice cards for each other. We're not into sentiments," Schwartz said while perusing an aisle of "anti-Valentine's Day" cards at an American Greetings Corp. store. "I expect to get something just as bad, but I may have one upped him this year."
Sensing a growing trend — and more potential customers — American Greetings has started a new line of expressions for lovers who'd rather be big goofs than big flirts. There are cards for singles not struck by Cupid's arrow and those with general disdain for Feb. 14, too.
From nightclub parties to bar-hopping bus tours for singles — and plenty of purposely loveless merchandise to go along with them — the anti-Valentine's Day crowd is proving to be an opportunity for some businesses.
"For everyone, Valentine's Day isn't just about hearts and roses," said Alana Campana, Valentine's Day program manager at Cleveland-based American Greetings. "It's really an unmet market."
Sunny Day Is Just an Illusion
BONDO, Switzerland (AP) — Local officials said Monday they are considering the construction of a giant mirror to light up this mountain village with 198 residents who are deprived of sunlight for three months each year.
The project would help illuminate parts of the southeastern Swiss town of Bondo that lie so deep in the Bregaglia Valley they do not receive any sunlight between December and February, said mayor Renzo Giovanoli, confirming a report in the daily Suedostschweiz.
"That would be added value for our town," Giovanoli said. "We came to a consensus at the village assembly that the study of the project should be further assessed so that we can decide on it in the summer."
The mirror would be similar to a 26-by-16 feet sheet of reflective steel installed last year in Viganella, an Italian town close to the Swiss border. Viganella, like Bondo, is dark during winter months because of its position at the bottom of a steep Alpine valley, blocked off from sunlight by the surrounding mountains.
The Viganella mirror, which follows the sun's path using a remote computer, cost $130,000.
On Sunday, Bondo residents are expected to see this winter's first rays of sunlight hit the town square.
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