Page Title

Synopsis.

So your girlfriend's a vegetarian? - A cooking diary on surviving a year with fussy eaters explores in a comic yet serious way the notion that everything we do revolves around food and drink. With so much of life decided around a dinner table, So your girlfriend's a vegetarian? not only lets the reader inside the minds of the average twenty-something but shows them what they're eating and drinking whilst their lives are changing. Through a light-hearted yet personal and introspective narrative, a year in the life of a 24 year old graduate working in London is described. In particular the novel focuses on the deepening relationship between the two protagonists, John and Jasmine and the lives of those around them.

Excerpt

She opened the door with a weak smile, I went to kiss her and found myself brushing cheek. We went through to her sitting room cum kitchen and sat on the sofa, awkwardly asking each other questions about our days. She seemed nervous. I felt nervous.

I hadn't been to Jazz's flat that many times so didn't know it that well. She lived alone so it was kinda small, the lounge and kitchen taking up the majority of the flat, with a small bedroom and ensuite off to the side. Decoration was sparse yet tasteful such as a vase of stylishly arranged flowers and twigs sitting in the old Victorian fireplace and an Edward Hopper print, you know the one of the lady in the bar, taking up the wall space facing the couch.

We were skating round the big elephant sitting in front of us, neither of us sure how to get the ball rolling. In the end she plunged in first

'John, this morning, last night, I don't know about you but that fight seemed different. Stuff came up I wasn't really aware of y'know.'

'Yeah, a lot of stuff I didn't know till it came out of my mouth.'

'But you meant what you said right?

'Yeah, but Jazz, I don't mean we can only see each other twice a week and no more, I just mean I want to have a bit of a life apart from you, that's all.'

'And you feel like I hold you back?'

'No, not at all, well, I don't think that's here or there, I just want to be able to spend time with my friends, or even on my own and not feel bad about it.

'But I don't make you feel bad about it J. I really don't. I want you to have a life outside of me because I want one too.'

'So why do I feel so suffocated then?'

'That's something you've got to work out I think, cause I really don't think I do that. 1 don't know why but you seem to have this opinion of me that if I'm not with you I'm crying my eyes out longing to see you. J, if I wanted a protector I would have married Julian. I don't. I want someone who wants to be around me, and who sees me as an equal, not someone they have to wrap up and keep in their pocket and. . . 'she stopped and sipped some water, psyching herself up. Oh God she was going to say it wasn't she? 'And I don't think you're that guy.'

Wow.

I did not see that coming. Now I needed the water.

'You, er, you're dumping me?'

Her eyes, though watery never left mine. She nodded. 'And you just decided that today?'

'Yes. This morning. You thought I'd bumped into you all last night on purpose. I don't think I've ever been so offended. That just sums it up J; you don't see me as an equal.

'But ' I had no idea what to say.

'J don't. It's over.'

I looked up at her 'I thought this was going somewhere amazing Jazz?'

That set her off, the tears began to roll. 'So did I J, so did I, until today. I'm not going to demean myself by being with someone who wants to see me twice a week so he doesn't get bored of me. I don't want to feel I can't see my boyfriend as I saw him last night and I don't want him to get pissed off. No, I'm better than that, and I wish you could see that, because if you could've, we might have had a future.' She looked down at the floor, 'John 1 think you should go before this becomes any harder than it already is.'

I stood up and walked to the other side of the room 'harder? You're so clinical and cold about this, how is it hard for you? You're dumping me!'

She shook her head, 'I'm not gonna rise to it J, I told you today's argument was different, we're not going to fight about this because I'm not going to change my mind. I've spent most of my life thinking I'm not good enough, and now that I think I am, I'm not gonna let you put me back there.'

'Jazz, you're making me out to be this kind of monster, I'm not trying to make you feel shit about yourself, or make you feel that you're not good enough, you are!'

'I know that J, I know you're not trying to hurt me or demean me, really I do, but this morning I realised we had no future, or no future that would be healthy for either of us. Instead of running away I'm facing up to it.' The tears began to fall again, 'and you probably won't believe me, but it's breaking my heart to do this J, and I'll probably regret it, but this is how it's got to be.' She trembled 'now please, go.'

She got up, walked past me, brushing my stomach with her hand, turned into her bedroom, closed the door and left my life.

Sunday March 19th 2006

So I've been eating a lot of soup this past week.

There's no fairytale ending to this I'm afraid. Jazz didn't come running down the street after me screaming about how she'd made a mistake. Jazz didn't call me at three o'clock that night as I was lying in my bed looking at the ceiling, tears slowly seeping out of my eyes and dampening the pillow. Jazz didn't come over during the week and crawl into my bed and wait for me to come home from work, even though I looked for her there every night. I went over and over what she'd said to me between the bar and us breaking up, and I realised that she hadn't been in touch with me because she was right. End of story. I'd been so preoccupied trying to work out if I wanted to be with her I just took it completely for granted that she wanted to be with me. It didn't even cross my mind that I could lose her over this.I tried to blame others. I blamed Rob for suggesting Jazz popped by on purpose but I knew it wasn't his fault. I blamed Tim for taking me pant shopping and making me talk about Jazz and getting it into my stupid head I wanted to see her less. I blamed myself. I lost her and she's right, if the person you're with wants to see you less then they don't have the right to see you at all.

Anyway, back to the soup.

I was raised as a liberal Jew which meant whenever 1 was ill or cold or tired or depressed my mum would make me chicken soup. As a baby I was quite seriously ill and allergic to pretty much everything and the only thing 1 could keep down was soup. Oh and Ribena. I think I associate soup with comfort so I've had a bowl of it most days this past week.

Homemade Italian Chicken Broth

Serves One

Ingredients:

One Chicken Breast

1 carrot

1 small onion

3 spring onions

Haifa potato

Handful of penne

Handful of mushrooms

Haifa can of Berlotti beans

About a litre of water

Parmesan, or whatever cheese if you don't have any

Black pepper, salt, oregano, rosemary, basil

2 chicken stocks, I vegetable stock

Method

Boil up the water, herbs and stock.

Add the diced potato and leave for around five minutes on high heat.

Add the onions, spring onions, carrots and pasta.

Few minutes later add the diced chicken breast, raw, to the pot.

Five minutes later add the mushrooms and the beans.

The beans are thick and help to thicken the broth.

About 6-8 minutes after you put the chicken in, the broth should be ready. Spoon out the

mixture into a bowl, ensuring that the liquid just about covers the chicken, potato etc in

the bowl. Remember it's a broth not a soup.

Grate shitloads of parmesan in to the bowl so it melts and covers the top.

Enjoy.