No Outside Food

'No outside food!' - Looks like this Paramount might contest that claim.

It has been six months since my last confession. The Cheeky Chaps have remained regular visitors to the Paramount with freuqent purchase of Paramount product to be eaten as our midday meal. Usually, said purchases were made from Chef Wanka or (in the case of our nutty friend), Cockaido. Jelly would also partake on occasion of the odd dimmy from Chines. Mayonnaise is a less than usual Paramount purchaser, she tends to come on a full stomach. Often, she's also already eaten. In between these purhcases, the Cheeky Chaps have had occasion to bring outside food into the food court, that is, food not purchased from one of the outlets located within the Paramount Food Court. This takes the form of either:

i) Food made at home and brought in i.e. sandwich, leftovers [e.g. chip butties, tuna casserole, toad-in-the-hole, spotted dick, Grammy's scrapple, Cullen skink, braised faggots, boiled cock])
ii) Food purchased from a food provider located outside the Paramount Food Court and not, in any way, associated with the Paramount (a necessary distinction in the case of the Paramount Food Truck pictured above, no doubt).

Peanut and Butter doubted the existence of any sign informing patrons of this rule, but Jelly found a number of examples:

Butter has been absent for quite some time, grafting in the Eastern Suburbs, but has returned to the flock. I'm not sure if he's ever spent a brass razoo in the Paramount Food Court.

Today's meal, with Peanut, Butter and Jelly (hold the Mayo), was the second occasion where a particularly officious dishwasher ordered the ejection of the Cheeky Chaps from the Food Court with the words: 'No outside food!' The Cheeky Chaps ignored the humble dishwasher and took their business (food eating business (small 'b'), not money-spending business (big 'B')) and went over to the more accepting seating around the meek staff of Cockaido and Chine Express.

Worldwide, the no outside food phenomenon seems to be spreading rapidly. The reputable 'Carry On McGee carried this story, outraged by the 'no outside food inside' rules attacking the freedom of Australians. Nanny state!

Here are just some of the disturbing signs demonstrating the spread of 'no outside food' mania:

The legal case for 'no outside food inside' seems less than straightforward, even for cafes and restaurants where the food supplier owns or rents the premises. In the case of a food court, even one as high falutin' as The Paramount Food Court, it is even less clear. As this lengthy discussion attests, the Cheeky Chaps are not the first to query the legal basis for this ruling. The jury remains out, but the Cheeky Chaps, for one (or, rather, four), will not be evicted from our home by some dishpig. The Cheeeky Comrades will stand tall! And Triumph at all costs!