Tonight:
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The revelation that the late Chief Constable of Greater Manchester conducted affairs with at least 38 women in six years may, I suspect, be received rather differently by men than by women. I am sorry to say that the instinctive male reaction can best be summarised by the exclamation of a colleague. "Respect!" he said quietly.
Of course, in the end things did not turn out well for Mike Todd. The usual claim made in these cases that his private life need not have affected his professional competence won't wash this time. Pretty clearly, his mind wasn't wholly on the job - not the police job, anyway.
But then again, just as an administrative and management task, it's quite a performance. Mr Todd must have been, in some ways at least, a highly organised fellow. And it certainly shows drive and initiative, which we're always told is what's needed in leadership roles.
Is it impossible for any woman ever to admire such a feat? Perhaps - although in the greatest drama about adultery, Samuel Beckett's Play, the wife is quite admiring, in a way, on discovering the extent of her husband's infidelity. "There was no denying that he continued as assiduous as ever," she muses. "I confess my first feeling was one of wonderment. What a male!"
What a male! It all depends on how you say it. This week, lots of female columnists have been saying it very disgustedly about Gordon Ramsay after he was outed for alleged encounters with a "professional mistress" called Sarah Symonds, despite frequently advertising his happy marriage.
Male chefs have naturally been rather less critical. At the "Français of the Year" awards, one made the classic remark that it would never happen in France - the scandal, he meant - and another suggested that the publicity could only boost Ramsay's career.
I am not so sure about that. Having been to quite a few of his restaurants recently, and cooked from his recipes, I have come to the conclusion that Gordon Ramsay may not have very good taste - and taste is much more important when it comes to food than anything like technical brilliance or innovation.
Having had a quick look at Sarah Symonds's blog for mistresses, Pillow Talk, has made me even more certain that Gordon's taste is dodgy. In the run-up to Christmas last year, she told told her readers: "An Important Festive Note to Remember, Ladies: 'The only thing your man should be stuffing this season is the turkey, and YOU!'"
A slightly disturbing thought. Ramsay has published many recipes for turkey. I have not attempted any of them - but I did, one Christmas in France, carefully follow his recipe for a capon, only to find, many hours later, the end result was barely edible. It was then I lost confidence in him. Now, of course, I'd know better than to have tried that one. After all, as he explained, capons are "essentially castrated roosters". And what would he know about that?
Reader views (3)
Don't think he'd have packed in as many mistresses if he'd been a working single parent-it's only because someone else (ie the wife) is taking care of of the kids/home that these men can fit in all these affairs.
Why doesn't the writer wonder how many single parents fit so much into their lives: full time demanding jobs, looking after home/garden/bringing up kids with all that entails, trying to 'look good', trying to have a social life/keep up with friendships..and maybe fitting in one lover..'respect' huh?
- Suzy, Essex, 01/12/2008 16:11
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But you would still shag him Christina, wouldn't you?
- M, London, 01/12/2008 15:28
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I totally agree with this article (I too don't rate his recipe's). Gordon Ramsay is very overrated and after reading numerous interviews with him promoting himself as 'Mr Happy Familiy Man', I've come to the conclusion that he's not quite what I thought he was.
- Christina, Bedford, 01/12/2008 14:57
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