Gouging out bone marrow, eviscerating duck and decapitating live lobster in a tiny, filthy kitchen soon perks her up, while an army of blog readers charmed by her insouciant and foul-mouthed approach to the Childs canon cheer her on even when the aspic fails to set.
As executives and officials here acknowledge when pressed, there barely exists a large company in China today that does not have hidden accounting, secret decision making, tiny salaries and lavish perks for managers, all of them invitations to greater financial impropriety.
Deep in the South American rainforest, katydids perk up their tiny ears to listen for the clicking of bats.
Cathy Paige, the vice president and general manager for the Northeast region for Manpower Inc., a large temporary-help service, said business in New York had been "perking up a tiny bit".
Rooms have tiny tube TVs, but include perks like balconies and free Wi-Fi, and the lobby offers quaint spaces for coffee and snacks.
The receptionist, a cute youngster in a big black blouse, a tiny gold hoop through her right ear, perked, "Hi," as I eased up to her command post.
And even in Silicon Valley, the number of employees who will take advantage of those perks may turn out to be tiny, in practice.
Their tiny market share is why state environmental officials offer buyers perks.
I perked up, and by the time we reached the tiny bustling fishing dock of Gelibolu, my spirits had rallied.
As does the Bullingdon itself, which remains what it always was: a university perk of those born posh and powerful - albeit just a tiny part of the actual business of getting on with being posh and powerful.
