Food For The Soul

My opinion has been canvassed again, this time on the thorny issue of standing out from the crowd:

Is it ever acceptable to do Tai Chi in the open in the UK?

Now I know very little about Tai Chi but believe it to be an ancient combination of martial art and yoga style relaxation, often practised at the crack of dawn in public squares by millions of Chinese. This is all well and good, as it is clearly forms part of their cultural framework and I'm all for this sort of thing being disseminated to far off lands.

However, I feel that alfresco Tai Chi in dear old blighty needs careful research and preparation. Many issues have to be considered but two stand head and shoulders above the rest: location and numbers. High up on Glastonbury Tor would be suitable, as would private gardens or maybe the beach; the middle of The Trafford Centre would be less acceptable; the public bar of some of our fine city centre pubs at closing time certainly would not do. As with so many things though, there is strength in numbers and I'm sure that the general public looks upon groups of Tai Chiers more kindly than individuals. The general public's opinion can go hang as far as I'm concerned but there you go; I was once informed by a former colleague that Madonna was too much of an individual, which is obviously the last thing you want in a pop star.

For another route to inner peace, music has always worked for me. Just been listening to the immortal Search And Destroy by Iggy and the Stooges from their classic Raw Power album. I will always be indebted to an old school friend, Mark Derby, for introducing me to this fabulous album. Indebted but slightly guilt ridden, Mark had a copy on cassette and for some bizarre reason absolutely hated it; I had a copy of some rubbish sub-Quo British boogie band and Mark thought it a fair swap. How could I refuse?

Over to you then. Tai Chi or Raw Power? The choice is yours.