10th June 2007
Now, I'm a chemist by background. Not of the dispensing type. No, the kind what hangs about in labs making smelly compounds. I don't do it now, but I used to. The analytical techniques you are taught, and the stench of halogens, live with you always.
Back in the teaching labs, we used to play a version of hangman (you kids probably call it hangperson these days) where the mystery word was a chemical compound. See, chemistry really can be fun.
As a veterans of this specialist game, my mind was stimulated by a trip to More London recently.
'dim t' said the sign. 'Dimethyl sulphoxide', I guessed.
But then I realised that would be stupid. The letter 'i' has already been guessed, so it can't be a sulphoxide. Besides, international convention is to spell all sulfur compouds with an 'f' these days (pandering to the Americans).
After further investigation, it seemed my guess was even further out than I'd imagined. dim t, it seems, is a small-chain restaurant specialising in dim sum. I don't know what the chemical formula for dimsum is, but I would hope it doesn't include too much sulphur. Or indeed sulfur.
I went in to investigate.
Oh boy, I'll be going back, even if they don't like word games.
They really look after you. Customer service has been drilled into the staff to such an extent you could almost see the rawlplugs. When they forgot our drinks, the apologetic scene was like the Monty Python greasy fork sketch. We got the drinks for free, plus a complimentary bowl of upper-class prawn crackers.
It's hard to concentrate on what you're eating, when there's a gorgeous view of Tower Bridge out of the window, and you're still trying to construct hangman solutions for dim t.
But I guess I should mention the food. It wasn't half bad, though the seafood laksa lacked seafood.
In summary: Maybe they do like wordplay after all.