What’s Hot? 16/04
What’s hot this week?
Short answer: Going to the pub.
Long answer: LinkedIn joins the 21st century, Heineken offers haircuts, TikTok creates a wellness hub, and the ultimate food fight.
The one you need to see: London’s mediocre pubs
There’s one word on everyone’s lips this week: “Pub”. It’s a single word that simultaneously is both an answer and a question, as versatile as the establishments themselves – which can skip between being a dancefloor, a quasi-therapists office, a family dining table for Sunday lunch, and this week; a place of joyous reunion. We can’t help but imagine that the inside of every pub this weekend will be the exact same vibe as Hugh Grant’s airport speech in Love Actually, only with less hugging.
For those who failed to book a pub six weeks in advance , the FOMO must be unbearable. But fear not. The Fence Magazine has pulled together a list of London’s Most Mediocre Pubs, those that aren’t quite amazing enough to be fully booked, but still, arguably, better than a tinnie in the park. Read the ‘Europa League’ of pubs here.
The one we were waiting for: LinkedIn joins the 21st century
This week, LinkedIn added new job title options to help users address career gaps in their profiles. Job titles include “stay at home mum”, “stay at home dad” and “stay at home parent”. Previously, these periods would have appeared as large gaps on LinkedIn CVs, which would often instantly be questioned at an interview.
LinkedIn is also toying with further titles, including “parental leave”, “family care” and “sabbatical”. These tiny updates are so easy to implement but make a world of change to those who feel they have unexplained gaps in their career history.
The place you needed to be: Beer Barbers
YES, we are talking about the pub twice in this blog. It’s that exciting! Partially because of what’s happening this week, partially because we’ve missed socialising.
This week, the team at Heineken had a bright idea and offered the ultimate 2-4-1.A free haircut with the purchase of a Heineken in Bermondsey this week. As they put it themselves: Shear Genius.
The one to watch: TikTok Wellness Hub
The TikTok Wellness hub promises to help users “find inspiration, connect with creators, and discover real tips for better living.” Accessed within the app, the wellness hub has different categories including ‘fitness’, ‘food and nutrition’ and ‘life advice’. Clicking through takes you to advice, guides, and relevant TikTok influencers to follow.
TikTok has created the hub as part of its larger efforts to provide a more positive atmosphere for users, but the negative Nancy within me sees it as yet another way to explore, find and follow influencers. However, overall, this can only be a positive thing – in a world where half my FY page is “what I eat in a day in a calorie deficit” (yes, I know this is a problem of my own making), resources into food and nutrition can only be a good thing.
The one you have to see: Caterpillar court
It’s the ultimate food fight: Colin vs Cuthbert.
That’s right, Marks & Spencer has lodged an intellectual property right claim over Aldi’s near-identical caterpillar cake, Cuthbert. I feel that I can speak on this at an almost expert-level, as Fever’s official Caterpillar Correspondent -my friends and I have spent years rating and evaluating the various caterpillar cakes from UK supermarkets.
The question most people are asking is why Aldi? Why Cuthbert? Why not the others? To an expert, the answer is obvious, but I see why it may not be to the layman. Cuthbert is the only wannabe who also has a white chocolate 3D face (the others are either 2D printed icing or 3D icing). He’s near identical, and well, he’s supposed to be. It’s Aldi after all.
A whopping £2 less than M&S, he’s only £1 less than a Colin dessert pot (don’t get me started on those – I’ll buy a full price Colin and cram him into a jar myself, thanks).
If you would like to fully understand the issue and find out what could happen next, we would recommend watching Judge Rinder’s BBC interview.
Personally, though – who cares? I’m a Wiggles girl.
