Daily Lessons from Life 17 June 2009

"British navy captain bans 'devil's vegetable'
A British navy captain has banned Brussels sprouts from his ship. -Wed, Jun 17, 2009 AFP

LONDON - A British navy captain has banned Brussels sprouts from his ship and labelled them the "devil's vegetable", reports said Wednesday.

Commanding Officer Wayne Keble made the order to his 390-strong crew on HMS Bulwark because he "hates" the vegetable, the Daily Telegraph reported.

But he denied speculation that he brought in the ban because sprouts make the sailors suffer from flatulence in the cramped conditions on board.

Captain Keble said: "The only thing I have banned on board is Brussels sprouts. They are the devil's vegetable and the only thing I do not like, and the only thing I hate."

"Brussels sprouts are absolutely banned on board HMS Bulwark. I do not eat them so I do not know what the after-effects are." The distinctive smell of sprouts is caused by sulphur compounds released when cooked.


A spokesman for the Royal Navy and the Ministry of Defence said sprouts had only been banned from the captain's table. But a source on board the ship said he was "very serious" about the ban and refused to allow any sprouts on board. "This ban is no joke... The MoD can say what they like but Capt Keble runs the ship and he has categorically said that sprouts are banned," he said."

A little bit of comic relief for us today with this headline of a leader who hated Brussels Sprouts and banned them on his ship!!

Lessons for me are:

1. it is no joke when you are the leader and you can do what you like!! It is downright scary when you choose the food for your people!! I am not sure if this captain will listen to any of his people when the ship faced difficult decisions that he was not sure of!;

2. personally I would not serve under this Captain unless he seek my input on if Brussels Sprouts should be banned from his ship or not as I may happen to LOVE Brussels Sprouts!! To be deprived of my favourite vegetable just because one person did not like it does not go down well with an able and independent thinking man like me! ;-))

3. if this story is indeed true that the Captain has IGNORED what his superiors in the Navy and the Ministry of Defence said by banning the Brussels Sprout from his ship instead of just his table, he should be brought to court martial for disobeying order. A conduct unbecoming of an officer, leader!

While the story may appeared comic. It carries a deeper meaning if we read deeper into it. Leader must put their men's taste ahead of their especially if many of them like to have Brussels Sprout on their menus!! ^_@