The economic crisis is causing steep falls on stock exchanges, but some businesses are doing better than others. One of these is Tiffany's, the famous jewellery store that serves the ostentatious appetites of the rich and famous, the shares of which are doing very well.
One of the traditional signs of economic crisis is a rise in the price of gold, which is a traditional "hedge" against inflation. Unfortunately, there is a limit to how much gold a person can wear and it seems a shame to keep all that shiny stuff in a dark bank vault where nobody can see it. The solution is obvious. If you cannot wear the gold, then eat it!
In the period of the decline of the Roman Empire, the wealthy slave owners staged lavish banquets at which they consumed such delicacies as stuffed larks' tongues and pearls dissolved in wine. In the period of the senile decay of capitalism the super-rich have improved on their decadent Roman model. They eat gold, and drink it too.
In November of 2007, the restaurant Serendipity-3 celebrated its 50th anniversary with a "Golden opulence sundae", which is said to be the most expensive dessert ever produced, with 28 different kinds of chocolate covered with five grams of pure edible gold. This marvellous creation was the work of the chef, Stephen Bruce, and sold for the modest sum of 25,000 dollars (about 15,000 euros or a mere 12,500 pounds). This beat the previous record for a dessert which was only a thousand dollars.
For some years now Artesanos de Vino in Arquena, Valencia, have been selling a special cava (the EU bureaucrats do not allow them to call it champagne any more) which contains grains of 24-carat gold. Not to be beaten, Cointreau invented a cocktail containing the same stuff for the last Cannes Festival.
All this is not new, of course. In the past, kings like Louis XIV of France and Philip II of Spain included gold in their diet because they thought it would prolong their life, although it was not very successful in that respect. In the Middle Ages the alchemists believed that gold could cure illnesses. These beliefs are of great antiquity, dating at least from the Egyptian Pharaohs. They entered Europe, like so many other things, through the Arabs, who seem to have got them from India.
Is it true that gold is good for your health as well as your bank balance? Modern science has proved that (with the possible exception of arthritis) gold has no effect whatsoever on health. As a component of food it is quite tasteless. It is recognised by the EU as a food additive (colorant) and is duly listed as E-175.
In the early days of capitalism, the bourgeoisie was characterised by thrift and even miserliness. It was the old decadent feudal ruling class that went in for ostentation and luxury. Now, in the epoch of its decadence, the bourgeoisie flaunts its wealth in an obscene manner in a world where millions daily face death by starvation. This gross parasitism is a public admission that the capitalist class has outlived its usefulness and become a monstrous brake on progress and culture. It is rotten-ripe for overthrow.
