2nd Class

Today

As our financial situation strengthens, we've increased the standard that we apply to celebrations. None more than Valentine's where we now take it in turns to provide the feasting, thus adding a competitive element.

With this in mind Paul booked a weekend at our local posh hotel (The Charlton House) for the valentine weekend. We accepted that there'd be no dancing at looked forward to staying at this elegant hotel and being tourists in our own town.

What we weren't prepared for was the limited menu selection. In the past the CH has offered two menus; one veggie, the other standard and there has been variety, taste and excellent presentation.

The only veggie item on the main course menu was a warm salad of goat's cheese. I happen to dislike goat's cheese so the chef replaced it with some mozzarella. The meal itself was just put on the plate with no particular attention to presentation and style.

The next day I spoke to the duty manager "I really don't want to eat the same thing two days running", I said "can you help?" "Just ask and the chef will do what you want," she said airily.

This seemed too good to be true and it was. That night the waiter said that the menu changes daily and indeed it had with a hot main course containing - goat's cheese! I substituted a rather dull mozzarella salad instead. At least I didn't overeat.

In the morning we expressed our views. "This is hardly the cheapest place in town and the food was not only unimaginative, it was poorly presented. I feel like a second class citizen," I protested. They were very apologetic but I doubt whether anything will be done.

In My Day

Looking back I realise that I never much liked meat unless it was so overcooked or ersatz that it didn't really resemble meat.

By the time I was eighteen I had started to prefer to avoid meat altogether. When I worked as a waitress, the chef at one place was so appalled that I didn't eat meat that he gave me meaty food parcels to take home for the cat!

For quite a few years I hovered betwixt and between, sometimes, I think because I didn't really know how to cook appetising veggie meals. In my first year in Worthing I think I more or less lived on onion omelettes.

Paul gamely accepted whatever I cooked him; during the early vegetarian days that must have been far from easy.

So by the time we were at Rowan Avenue we were eating the full range of foods, meat and fish included. It was Becky who, at the age of four announced that she wasn't eating "dead animals" any more, that galvanised me into discovering the wonderful world of meat-free meals.

I trawl the cuisines of the world for amazing dishes and always pay attention to presentation, believing that we eat with our eyes as well at mouths.

While I fully accept that there are completely healthy people who never allow anything green past their lips, I secretly feel that meat is somehow unclean. What I don't feel is that I'm second class.