We were sat outside in the fading light, enjoying a delicious meal at a local restaurant. I was busy shovelling a fruits de mer pizza into my mouth.
As another tentacle disappeared into my gob, my French friend commented on the contents of my meal: ‘English people eat some strange things’.
I looked at him, the setting sun glinting off my dark brown eyes.
I made the universal sound for a horse.
I made the universal sound for a frog.
I couldn’t make the universal sound for a snail as I’d forgotten about that one. Plus they aren’t very noisy.
Ha! I thought to myself, let’s see what my French pal comes back with now.
‘You know’ a voice piped up from my right ‘They eat crisp sandwiches in the UK’.
I looked at the owner of the voice, it was none other than the mother of my children, the light of my life, my moon and stars. Et tu Brute?
She then went on to describe, at length, how one makes a crisp sandwich, to the astonishment of my friend.
He looked at me aghast, asking with his eyes is this was true.
I held his gaze and said ‘The bread’s got to be white’, his mouth already yawning open, now stretched even further, coming within touching distance of the table.
‘And my favourite flavour is salt and vinegar*’ I added, without batting an eyelid.
I may have just lost a French friend.
*Actually it’s a toss-up between Seabrook’s Salt and Vinegar or Pickled Onion Flavour Monster Munch, but I think there are things that some people’s minds just can’t cope with.
