There comes a time in every lady’s life when she approaches
a birthday with a zero in it. Social convention dictates you should shy away
from this, laughingly claim to be 21 again, resort to makeovers and lies to
hide the shocking fact of your age.
I am forced to admit, darling reader, that when I started to
think of my forthcoming birthday I felt mostly shame. Shame at being so old in
a culture that prizes youth. Shame.
This lasted all of about twenty minutes until I worked out
what I was feeling and why, whereupon it transformed to something a lot more
rageful.
Why should I feel shame because of my age? I have survived a
lot to get here and I am proud of who I am now. More importantly, I like the person I am now.
So, I have no shame in saying: I turned 39 this week, and am
already plotting for when I turn 40 next year.
Of course, accepting this gives rise to the question: how
should one celebrate such a momentous event? I mean, given the number of times
over the years I thought I would never get here, the event deserves a damn fine
celebration.
I could have a party, of course. Hire a venue and collect my
friends around me. But I have no particular fondness for large social
gatherings. I would much rather have dinner with friends – and there are so
many places that I am longing to eat at.
And this thought, my dears, gave rise to the idea: to eat at
forty notable restaurants in the year to either side of my birthday, and to do
so with my friends and the people I love most in the world.
I’ve already made a start – even if I cheated slightly and
started a little early. I have been to Story, Dinner, and Trishna, and I will
review those over the next few days, and I have a list of 26 or so more places
I want to go. However, this leaves another 14 spaces, so I will throw this out
there. Is there anywhere you think I should go? Where would you go if you had
the chance? And who would you go with? And do you prefer to celebrate
birthdays? Or do you hide from the aging process?
