Beige

I was a tad apprehensive about my district meeting with work yesterday. I had emailed my manager to ask for a vegan meal but I was worried he had forgotten. When I got to the place where the meeting was to be held and saw that there was a big bag of crisps and chocolates etc. I asked Merv (my manager) had he remembered I was vegan and he nodded confidentally and said it was all sorted. I had visions of him delegating Sheffield branch staff to buy food, and after hearing about a vegan friend being offered fish by a chef, I wasn't confident they would be up to the task in hand.

The meeting was a heated one with everyone voicing an opinion on this that and the other, so I had forgotten all about lunch until Feraz (one of my work colleagues) came in from the kitchen and asked had I changed from vegetarian to vegan. Apparently the food was all out and him and a few others were wishing they had asked for vegan because my meal looked amazing. I went out to see everyone pouring over it. It really did look fabulous. I had a couple of rice cakes, a dip that looked (and tasted) like it was made with butternut squash with little crackers, a side salad of mixed greens/peppers/celery/nuts dressed in a balsamic vinegar and a strawberry fruit kebab on the side. It was absolutely fabulous! As I sat eating it, I laughed and said that everyone else's meal looked 'beige' in comparison, and they all agreed whole heartedly with me.

At the end of the meal Merv was noting things down and I heard someone ask could they have vegetarian pasta next time. Merv then looked up and said, "So, we now have 4 vegan meals for next meeting...any advance on that?". I found it very funny, especially considering I first thought I'd be treated like an alien because of my food choices. Bob, an unlikely advocate of something like vegan food, then came up and gave me a link for a "very good vegan website with recipes and items you can order... Revolution foods!"

Running is going well and I managed 40 minutes today. My foot feels better, but I think it will be a long time before it feels normal again.