August 4, 2009: Commanders of warships have considerable authority while at sea. Sometimes this power takes odd turns. For example, the captain of HMS Bulwark, a Royal Navy destroyer, has banned Brussels sprouts from his ship. The British press got hold of this story as they pursued a rumor that the Bulwark's skipper had banned fried food from the ship. This turned out not to be true. Only Brussels sprouts were banned. The Royal Navy, when asked about this, commented that the captain of a warship has the authority to ban some things from his ship and, besides, Brussels sprouts had only been banned from the Captain's Table (where he, and some of his officers, ate.) But when reporters queried members of the crew, they were told that Brussels sprouts were, indeed, banned from the entire ship. The captain (Wayne Keble) when asked about this, responded by calling Brussels sprouts "the devil's vegetable" and the only thing he hated. The HMS Bulwark is currently operating in the Pacific, free of Brussels sprouts.
There will always be an England.
