Danny
Ah yes! I visited the 'Taj Mahal' (now with 'Intercontinental' tacked onto the name). To stay was out of my price bracket, but back in the early '80s, they did an excellent value buffet lunch. When I went, it was at the end of seven months of independent budget travel (back-packing) around India. The food was pretty, damned awful during those months... over-spicy, under-flavoured and dodgy nutrition (let alone unhygienic). So I looked forward very much to the prospective 'grand feast' at the Taj.
I, and my companion, made sure we were the first to go in at the starting time. Walking down the palm-fronded dining room, there before us, was something that almost brought tears to my eyes. The most sumptuous spread, beautifully garnished. Some was Indian cuisine, but most was Western. Plates of rare roast beef, golden roast chickens, fresh and colourful salads, mouth-watering desserts: mousses, trifles, bowls of whipped cream!
It was, of course, 'all-you-can-eat' and I'd skipped breakfast in order to get my full money's worth. However, the mistake I made was to overlook the fact that there's a delay between stuffing your face and actually feeling 'full'. Suffice it to say, I was in serious pain when I staggered slowly out of the dining room. In pain, but also heady with that euphoria you get when you fully indulge yourself in the most extreme of sensory pleasures!
MPN11
A touching tale, I agree. And one that can be fully appreciated by someone who knows what it is to be separated from their soul mate... at a period when they need them most.
Oh! And shame on your daughter! She takes you for granted now. But she'll be destroyed when you kick the bucket. (I speak from bitter experience... having lost a father... as you know.)