World Cup Platter

So, I am being dragged into World Cup fever despite myself. This always happens. I grump on about how boring football is, how over paid the players are, how jingoistic the whole enterprise is, all of which I completely believe, then receive an email saying a group of us are going to the pub to watch it on the big screen and think sod it it's an excuse to leave work early and am there cheering away with the rest of them. I have the will power of a slug and obviously would be no good in torture situations - they would just have to threaten me with being left out of a party and I would be spilling my guts, telling them everything they wanted to know. Although I will say that I secretly wanted Trinidad and Tobago to win last night as I always have this weird post-colonial guilt thing when we beat a country we formally brutally oppressed.

Anyway we were watching the game and at half time L and I decided to share a 'World Cup Platter' which is basically a heart attack on a plate (garlic bread, chicken stick thing, breaded mushrooms etc - I think the pub has bought in Tescos party food for the duration) so I went and ordered it and a pint. Half an hour later no sign of platter! Meanwhile D and J had ordered their food after us and it had arrived at least ten minutes before. They forgot us in effect. I went and asked two seperate people to chase our order and they both came back and said it would be 'two minutes.' In the end I went (with J acompanying me, though she shrank back!), and went up to the open kitchen area and collared a young boy. Our platter was under a hot plate thing. I said "that's my order isn't it" and he said yes. I then asked to speak to a manager. To cut a long story short, the manager (aged all of about 22!) said "well all I can do is apologise". I said "there's a lot more you can do than that. You can refund me my money." So she did! Not just for the food, but the pint as well!. I had no idea I could be so forceful. L might feel nostalgic to know I asked her if she thought a forty minute wait was acceptable and told her when she disbelieved me (she finally checked her till and had to acknowledge I was right about the wait) that she was being incredibly rude for daring to doubt my honesty.