Like most people, I have a mixed relationship with secrets.
On the one hand I love being in on one, and that slight feeling of superiority
it gives you. On the other, there’s the dawning realisation that in the food
and drink world, that slight feeling of superiority actually makes you look
like a bit of a pompous idiot. And of course, nobody likes NOT being in the
know. That’s the very worst of all.
Alas, last weekend I found myself taken to a restaurant that
not only had I never heard of, but that had been mentioned in the Guardian that
week as one of the best tips for the South West, and I hadn’t noticed! What a
double blow. I tried to point out to myself that having only lived in Bristol
since January, it’s probably OK that I’d never heard of it – and to be honest,
one of the best parts of living here is discovering new places all the time - however,
it didn’t help the feeling that I’d been missing out. And that is a little
irritating.
