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What to eat, what not to eat, and what to say

by
08 May 2015

iStock

From Mr Richard Reid

Sir, - Canon Angela Tilby's commentary on our eating habits over the years (Comment, 24 April) makes interesting and nostalgic reading, but I would invoke Occam's razor in response to her conclusion that a reluctance to participate in surveys on eating habits arises from fragmentation and a decline in hospitality.

A much simpler and, in my view, adequate explanation is that, in the face of the torrent of official advice on eating - advice ranging from the reasonable to the frankly quixotic - many people will fear, possibly with justification, that their survey responses will lead to destructive criticism and a deluge of junk mail and calls.

I know many people, generous in their hospitality in their church communities and in their private lives, who would give short shrift to any such intrusion. A further column musing on our responsibility to share our secrets, and how far a generous spirit should go in verifying the questioner's credentials, would be welcome.

RICHARD REID
Fern Cottage, The Green
Stalham, Norwich NR12 9PU

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