Daily Archives: November 4, 2011

Paleolithic Diet Hits New Germany Restaurant

In May of this year a new restaurant in Germany called The Sauvage opened its doors after countless hours of work of transforming the establishment from a former brothel to a respectable eatery.  What sets this place apart from all the other trendy eating establishments in the country’s capital?  Its menu goes back to its roots; man’s roots that is.

The Sauvage is jumping on the bandwagon with a new diet that consists of eating nothing but organic foods.  This Paleolithic diet means the restaurant serves all natural grains, dairy, starches, and sugar.  Nothing processed passes through the Sauvage’s entrees.  It’s a great place for someone looking for a healthy meal when they’re out and about Germany.

Of course, the restaurant has not forgotten to cater to those who still crave some dessert or wine.  It offers “gluten- and sugar-free cakes” to keep up with its healthy regimen but still please those with a sweet tooth.

The Sauvage, which takes its name from the French word for ‘savage,’ claims to be the first of its kind in the restaurant business.  It even takes its dedication to the caveman style diet a step further by including a contemporary cave drawing backdrop and candle light ambience to give the impression of a real primitive setting.

UK to Launch Green Deal

Recently, the United Kingdom government passed a bill known as the Green Deal to correspond with the Energy Act.  What the legislation hopes to achieve is reduced energy consumption and savings for the people.  Many are skeptical of the practicality of these goals though.

The bill’s approach at appealing to all is moving to offer financial support to “householders, private landlords, and businesses” as a means to look economically alluring.  The points it hopes to improve upon are creating a new obligation for energy companies to help those who need it, facilitate a distribution of smart meters, make information on energy bills easier to understand, and grant the Coal Authority additional powers for the charge of certain services, among other things.

Part of the plan with the new legislation is to offer the installation of better insulation in households (heating bills are part of the energy consumption problem).  These installations can be pricy though, so the bill would have banks offer loans for the project.  The problem with this though is that most won’t find the idea of having to pay off a loan appealing.

According to the Guardian, the main problem with the loans is that they will be offered with interest at market rate, which at this time is currently at 8% interest.  Such a high interest rate will not seem worthwhile in the energy savings over the long run with the thought of having to pay that off over the course of more than twenty years.

The charges though do not lie on the individual, but on the property.  This means that when someone moves from a home that person is no longer responsible for the payments of that energy bill, including the loan and its interest rate.  This presents the other problem the bill faces.  It will appeal to those who do not own a home and move frequently, such as rental properties.  For the stable homeowner who stays in one place for an average of 12 years this plan does not seem like a smart idea.

The act is scheduled to be set in motion by the fall of next year.  According to some, the piece will “require over 50 pieces of secondary legislation.”  That means the government has a lot on their plate to get done before the act is set into play.