Lunch And Politics

Lunch

This afternoon I went along as usual to the free lunch organised by the village each year for old age pensioners, to wish them the best for the new year and, by implication, thank them for services past to the village. As usual it was nothing like any analogous OAPs' lunch I have witnessed in the UK. After aperitifs of scotch, assorted reinforced wines and fruit juice accompanied by crisps, peanuts and “fougasse” (olive bread) there was an opening dish of lentils and foie gras. Red and white wine were available throughout the meal. The lentils and foie gras were followed by a mould of monkfish tails and rice in lime juice and then a casserole of young boar. Cheese, salad and chocolate cake with a fondant interior followed, the latter accompanied by a sparkling Clairette de Die, and, finally, the mayor came round with his own distillation of William pears to add to the coffee. The whole meal was served by the mayor and the village council. Music from a live group and dancing accompanied the meal. How does that compare to any free OAPs' lunch that anyone has witnessed in the UK (or elsewhere, for that matter?

I have been a part (grateful recipient) of this for some years now and have just come to wonder about the implications, particularly as neighbouring villages have a similar but much less generous tradition. Obviously, it shows respect for elderly people, as the Chinese do, but it also seems to me to imply a responsibility on newcomers to the village, who can't have contributed in the past, to do something for the village. I think, hope, I am doing that but the implication certainly serves to reinforce the strong sense of community that I feel here.

Politics

A couple of posts ago I attempted a post on an analysis of the domestic political implications of Brexit on the UK. I did offer myself a caveat by saying that I shouldn't meddle in politics as I was nowhere near enough to the ground but tried to reason. In hindsight I should have known that reason wasn't a player in this scenario. I didn't allow for a political leader who doesn't understand when prevarication, the normal gospel of politicians, is appropriate or one apparently bent on self-destruction, probably as a matter of principle. Anyway, mea culpa. In any future comments on UK politics I shall endeavour to allow for unreality. It's all around; I should have known.

Between servings of the aforementioned meal, which lasted some four hours, I jotted down some notes and decided that the Conservative party have the wrong name. They should be called the SPURIOUS party: Society for the Protection of Unicorns, Rogues, Idiocy, Oxymorons,the Uninformed and Screwballs. That will do for the moment. I have as yet no idea what the other political parties in the UK might alternatively be called, but I will work on it.