Big bird shunned for a curry... or maybe pizza
WILL you be having turkey for Christmas dinner? The tradition will be maintained in most houses where mum or grandma are hosting an extended family gathering that requires using stools and garden chairs to fit everyone round the table.
But the big bird is not the choice of everyone, according to a survey by sandwich chain Subway.
When they asked what festive dinners customers would prefer instead of turkey, they discovered Brits had acquired international taste buds and 23% said they would rather have a curry.
Steak got 18%, pizza also 18%, pasta had 13% and so did Chinese food. Fish and chips polled 12%, shepherd’s pie/cottage pie got 9%, jacket potato was 5% and beans on toast would suit 5% perfectly well.
I know friends who will again be dining at an Asian restaurant on Christmas Day and, let’s face it, there is nothing wrong with a baked potato or beans on toast in the right circumstances, although that would not be my choice on a day that manages to combine reflection and indulgence.
We will not be hosting a large gathering at our house. “I’ve done enough Christmases,” Maria said.
Instead, we’re having a Christmas breakfast for daughter Sian and her family. This is mainly because of the fame of my chilli tomato sauce, which turns bacon, egg and sausages into a gourmet delight. We will have an alternative vegetarian fry up for Sian and I am told Quorn can be palatable, with enough chilli sauce on top.
They will have departed by noon and Maria and I can settle down for the rest of the day in peaceful companionship in front of the TV, with a glass or two.
And what will we be having for dinner, taking into account my wife’s Italian heritage and my love of curry? Turkey with all the trimmings. available 24 hours a day. Back when my daughters were growing up, you watched one episode of Camberwick Green and had to wait until the following day for the next. That was when children’s TV was quality. Who can forget Pugh, Pugh, Barney McGrew, Cuthbert, Dibble and Grub?
The closest I had to a computer or tablet was a blackboard and chalk.
Children’s television was restricted to an hour at tea time in black and white with Muffin the Mule, Whirligig and Mr Pastry. From the age of eight I would tune in the radio every night at 6.45pm for Dick Barton Special Agent for real excitement.
With the demands of children and grandchildren covering a wide age span, I’ve absorbed enough juvenile programming to qualify for a doctorate in children’s drama and entertainment. Perhaps I should start wearing clown shoes and a red nose. It will probably prepare me nicely for second childhood and the chance to watch Masha and the
Bear in its original Russian and all 77 episodes of Mia and Me on a loop.