Vegetarian Sausage!



If ever I see Joe Batty again...........

 Comrades,

I am extremely fortunate that I work in Ruskin in the last, glorious period before the final departure of the mighty cooking chief, Evelyn Shaw.

Here I am with Evelyn on the morning of the biggest strike in the UK since the general strike of 1926.

Surely this hero of the hob has singularly served the greatest number of radicals, trade unionists, anarchists, and general ne'er do wells than any other in the history of protest and social movements?

As Paul recalls below, much went on at Ruskin during our time that was either in the open, or otherwise hidden and carried out in clandestine fashion. Everyting of course, except that occured in Evelyn's sacred dining room walls - never passed her gaze or hearing.

One particular incident that did not pass her steely gaze was the site of the hapless Joe Batty wilfully dismissing her five star fry up (back in the 80's breakfast was glory) and, woe bedtide him, dismissing the plateful as 'crap'.

Well, as the last 'p' of that word passed his thin lips Evelyn was stood behind him, strong arms folded and a quizzical eye raised.

'Crap is it?' asked Evelyn. Of course this was a rhetorical question but Joe, being Joe, plunged further into the abyss he has creating by daring to suggest that Evelyn should consider buying vegetarian sausages.

At this point the air stood still, the clock stopped ticking, eyes dropped to the floor as all those in attendance waited to hear the scream of an adult male in the mighty grasp of our Irish heroine.

Alas Joe lived and he even went on to receive veggie sausage - a spurious commodity which, even to this day, is served at Ruskin.

I think that on that day Evelyn genuinely took pity on gibbering Joe and, rather than pressing his face into the cooker door, felt that her professional pride could, but only slightly, bend to allow Joe his vegetarian whimsy.

Many other such incidents have occured over the years and a few even during my time as a teacher at Ruskin.

When the College is sited at Headington alone from 2012 it will be to its detriment that Evelyn will not be heading the eatery.

I hope she can join us at the reunion - I am hoping too that Joe can make it........

In Solidarity

Ian