Two inspiring meals

No disrespect to Daffers but you do not have to go to “high on the hog” restaurants to have an enjoyable time.

On Monday I invited my Italian chiropodist to lunch at a local pizzeria. Trimming the Tickler toe nails might seem an unlikely spring board for a friendship but I have known Lana now for 3 years and despite thirty year age differential we get on well.

She was with a Italian partner for some 10 years. He went back to Italy for work. He met another girl, a relationship Lana discovered on Facebook, and she is now on her own in a foreign city.

I praised her for her resourcefulness. She is travelling to India to study yoga, she works hard in a spa with a loyal clientele.

She told me of how in a Thai restaurant she fell into a conversation with 2 ladies and a guy on his own.

The guy messaged her with the forward “What’s up this weekend?” She lost the message but eventually replied neutrally.

A Facebook investigation revealed he was on the point of marriage.

All this was of interest to me as it showed me how much the modern relationship is affected by social media. If any of our readers are interested in a relationship with an an industrious simpatica Italian girl, let me know.

Only genuine enquiries: this girl is not interested in casual sex. We had no alcohol and the final bill was £25.

Last night my cousin from New York Josh came to stay.

He likes a ruby (curry) so we went to the local Indian. Much of the conversation – on lifestyle, my late parents, Israel and the international Jewish diaspora – I will not share.

Josh has excellent social skills, always punching above his weight in terms of the people he befriends..

I outlined the Tickler theory of investment. This is that price earnings ratio and the mathematical criteria used by financial analysts are all very well but so is product. I gave him two examples.

The online fashion company ASOS (As Seen On Screen) has performed very well as it maximises the shift from high street to internet purchase whilst M & S and Next have performed poorly for failing to adapt.

I also referred to Fevertree, the company specialising in drink mixers that rode the crest in the popularity of premium gins like Hendricks.

Josh gave me a better example.

He had read all the letters from shareholders from Jeff Bezos of Amazon, the richest man in the world.

He is a visonary for taking a book company to the world wide global internet force it is today.

Josh said if he had bought £10,000 of Amazon shares 15  years ago he would be a billionaire.

This bill, again with no alcohol, came to £43. So in two nights I spent £68 and had two thoroughly enjoyable, diverse and stimulating evenings.