Day 2 How can you lose the breakfast room.

Day 2 How can you hide the breakfast room.

Morning comes early as I am programmed 3 hours ahead of local time. So up around 4:30 but not an issue shower shave as we need to be smart casual today. You never get a second chance to make a first impression (when did you last hear me say that J). Watch some of the world cup including a dismal performance by England against the USA and begin to regret picking England as likely winners. This speaks more of desire over reality but too late now my selections are in for the fantasy league. Note:- post world cup I can say I was not bottom of the league there were 5 people out of the 40 participants who were more adrift from reality than even I was. It was rightly called a Fantasy league.

Checking with reception as to where breakfast was being served I wandered across to the Buckingham suite to be confronted by an empty room. No food is a sign I take to mean breakfast is not being served no tables a sign that I am in the wrong place. Back to reception to check I took the correct route although given it was only across the room I doubt I got it wrong. The friendly receptionist was as confused as I and asked me to be seated whilst she finds out what was happening. I find it interesting that you would have a movable breakfast room is it not one of those sacrosanct things. Always the same place at the same time. I have never played hunt the breakfast.

I retract the last statement as we did have had a strange breakfast experience once at the Hermitage in Monte Carlo where Judi and I following signs for “petit déjeuner” we found ourselves in a room with a few other people and a buffet style breakfast all laid out. Fine not an issue to serve yourself although at their prices I had expected a little more. No small tables only large round ones and much to our annoyance people started to sit down with us and even try to engage us in conversation. Being English this is just not on, invading someone’s repast and actually talking to them is beyond the pale (explained for none UK residents here http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/64100.html ).

The fact that everyone else seemed to have an ID badge on should have been a sign for us that something was amiss. This coupled with the high dress code and the conversation being themed towards international investment should have been enough to point us to the fact that we had inadvertently wandered into a private breakfast meeting for bankers. (I just though everyone was well dressed for tourists). I insisted on a second cup of coffee to clear my head and to finish airing my views on the growth of china’s industrial output and Brazils growing position as an international player before Judi managed to drag me away to the correct location.

Finding the correct venue eventually our companions who have finished eating and have kindly hung around waiting for us asked why we were late and had we managed to avoid the private breakfast room where they nearly ended up.  We give our order to the waitress and although quite full force ourselves once more to stock up with food. (I was right about both China and Brazil though)

Back in Luton our search has ended as the receptionist having found where they had hidden breakfast sends us (Jo has arrived by now) to the correct location where we are informed that breakfast is not ready. It is 8:15 so it should be but what can you do so we wait. Once allowed in we settle on the “full English”. The English breakfast is one of those traditions which actually only exist in Hotels where it is still maintained with all its pomp and ceremony. the reality is nobody eats breakfasts like those anymore. It is a myth that anyone has the time or the energy to create these small feasts so early in the day or that people would have the desire to eat them.

They are reserved for hotels and possibly to impress guests you might have. Somerset Maugham suggested that “to eat well in England you should have breakfast three times a day”. Not sure what that would do to your cholesterol or your longevity though but I will try anything once.

 Thinking about it I am not even sure England has that much more to offer the world by way of cuisine. There are some high spots with Roast beef and low spots with jellied eels but maybe nothing really all encompassing. We do have a lot of things you can do with dried pig’s blood but not right now. I have just remembered Pork Pies so maybe there is still something the world has not yet had the opportunity to savor however I think by now these would never be allowed to be imported by any developed land as we have to disclose the content list which might limit their appeal.