M. Parsnip's Dinner

At his restaurant in Stratford, celebrated chef Monsieur Hywell Parsnip has developed what he calls 'the ultimate in high concept food'. "The anticipation is always better than the meal, no?" he rants. "The portrait always better than the sitter. The bread is always better than the butter. So pah! I say. The food, she is the weak link in this chain. Let it be gone! So I empty my larder, my fridges. I turn out my stores into the garbage. Ha! Now my kitchen is incorruptible, yes? Now I sell only the concept of food. Come to my restaurant and I will serve you the idea of pasta, the notion of sun-ripened tomatoes, the brief insubstantial momentary thought of steak tartare. In this way, we cannot disappoint, no?"

Surprisingly, since announcing this new approach to cuisine, M. Parsnip's restaurant has enjoyed a surge of popularity. It seems that his customers have also bought into the theory of a dining experience which transcends simple sustenance.

"Yes, yes, this is good," M. Parsnip enthuses. "At last, we have broken free of the bonds of mere flavour, no? Also, there are zero calories and it saves on the washing up."