to throw my toys out of the pram just a little bit... <trivial!>

[lastnightIwenttoManderley]

I have a big birthday coming up... My parents are recently divorced and my dad has suggested meeting up the ebefore my birthday for lunch with him and his girlfriend. They live about 2hrs from us and so the plan was to meet halfway.

I looked at a couple of restaurants in that area and found one I really liked the look of - especially as it's a Sunday we're meeting and so many restaurants only offer a roast on Sunday. Don't get me wrong, I like a roast, but I wanted something a bit more special. Suggested it to my dad and he said 'yup that sounds good'. I also pointed out how I'd tried to find a place that didn't only offer roasts. A week later he says to me 'oh, I booked a table at xxx

I am a bit on the fence; if he's paying and you don't actively mind a roast then I wouldn't want to be pushy about it. Is he really funny about his food must be X kind of thing?

Hasn't said whether he's paying or not...and the price is essentially the same.

I'm generally pretty relaxed but a part of me just wants to jump up and down, stamping my feet and shouting like a spoilt child 'but it's MMMYYY birthday' like a 5 yr old! well aware this is unreasonable!

I agree with OP, it's really nice on your birthday, to go to a restaurant of your choice and YANBU at all.

Do what we'd all do. Stamp your feet and wail about the injustice and proclaim that every mouthful will taste of bitter, bitter resentment; then go for your meal, have a nice time and thank your dad profusely.

Fwiw I'm with you, I'm not particularly fussed on roast dinners and would definitely be disappointed at having one for my birthday. I have however sat smiling through many a minging carvery with XPiLs.

Fuck knows!

Mine could navigate the entire north east of Wales by carveries alone. They were entranced by the heady aroma of dried out meat and claggy vegetables

YANBU. Roasts are shit.

Yanbu to feel like throwing a tantrum, but why didn't you book the one you wanted yourself when you first chose it and he agreed?

If someone is taking me out for my birthday, I think I should be able to choose where we go. If it was just some random day, and your dad called up and asked you to go out to dinner, you would be unreasonable to complain about the restaurant.

What's up with restaurants only serving roast on Sundays?

No restaurant or pub carvery - sorry, not carvery - roast can possibly be as good as a home roast simply because it has to be cooked in such bulk and kept warm.

What sort of restaurant did you suggest? Was it forrin muck?

Alpaca because he said he would so I thought 'ok!'

Countess No forrin muck in the slightest (though I doubt even that would be a problem). Just nice, well cooked, British food. That isn't a roast.

Agree though, one reason why I would hate to go out for a roast is it's quite a personal thing! Every family has their own funny quirks and traditions associated with it.

Carveries in particular are my idea of hell...something that apparently was once meet and overcooked veg...all it needs is a hostess trolley! ;)

*meat!!!! Damn autocorrect...