Week 1 - Greg + Dan S
It’s happened, the first Greg Plus One dinner has officially taken place with Dan who is 32 and lives in Didsbury.
I picked Dan up from his and after a somewhat etherial amble through the snow-covered streets of Didsbury we arrived at Volta, a restaurant I have been to a few times, but which he had not. He chose it partly because of its three plates for £18 January deal, I wasn’t complaining.
I initially met Dan via mutual friends at Manchester Pride in 2024. We’ve hung out a few times, mostly in a group setting, so it was nice to catch up one on one.
Dan, or to give him his official title, Dermo Dan (there are so many Dans after all), is a dermatologist who works locally in Manchester. Dan’s family successfully ran several McDonald’s franchises and I asked if he’d ever considered / been encouraged to take them over. He said this wasn’t ever really discussed and that he knew from early on that this wasn’t the route for him. Medicine appealed to him as it blends science with human interaction and dermatology appealed in particular as, unlike many medical roles, you don’t have to work shifts. Dermatologists also apparently have the highest job satisfaction of all doctors. What strikes me about Dan is how considered his life decisions are. I like to think I’m an organised and logical person, but tend to take things as they come, particularly when it comes to work.
Being a doctor clearly offers a very structured career path which I feel suits other people’s temperament better than my own. I did an engineering degree with the ultimate intention of becoming and Air Incident Investigator. It didn’t take me long to realise that perhaps engineering wasn’t the career for me and my four year masters degree was swiftly re-planned to the three year bachelors version. I loved university and had an absolute blast, but the academic side of things definitely took second fiddle to my vibrant social life. My friend Amy and I recently discussed whether we’d do it again now if we had the opportunity and both concluded that we we’re probably too attached to our middle-aged comforts to go through it all again. After uni, a career found me rather than me finding it, or at least it felt that way. My first proper job was working for Marks & Spencer in direct marketing. I still remember going to their Richard Rogers designed HQ, Waterside House, for my first interview and being somewhat overwhelmed by its architectural prowess. I spent seven-and a-half years at M&S with each year seeming longer than the last and left feeling somewhat ground down by the bureaucracy that large organisations inevitably impose upon themselves and their hapless employees. Since then, I have either worked for smaller companies or myself. One thing I have learnt is that the key to a happy life is to not dwell on work too much. I used to lie awake at night mulling over (almost certainly inconsequential) matters of business. That rarely happens now and I feel all the better for it.
We decided to order the three plate deal three times and ended up with the following:
Cantabrian anchovies
Whipped feta & hazelnuts (one of my personal favourites)
Padron peppers
Halloumi, courgette & chilli salsa
Harissa glazed Tenderstem
Chargrilled leeks & whipped ricotta
Burrata, heritage tomato
Deep friend goats cheese
Pan fried cod & yellow curry
We also had a panna cotta each for pudding. I definitely ate more than Dan, but he was still very gracious when it came to splitting the bill.
Dan and I spoke a little about new year’s resolutions. I’m always inclined to shun making any, but feel myself falling into the same cliches year after year - get fit, lose weight, find love. This year, I launched this initiative and decided to substitute the occasional lunch for a (pretty disgusting) meal replacement drink (I’m sure I’ll get used to them). Dan is determined to find a man and is also considering doing a Tough Mudder (or similar) with our friend Jordan, something you’d struggle to convince me to participate in. I think one of my finest qualities is the ability to give up in the face of an insurmountable challenge and have no intention of dragging myself around a muddy obstacle course to receive a commemorative nylon t-shirt.
One of the highlights of the evening was when Dan showed me a Christmas Card that had been sent to his mother by a fellow member of her running club. All fairly standard stuff: Victoriana Santa, well-intentioned inscription, etc. That is, until you read the change of address message that had been included: “I have moved! Please address all future correspondence to: XXX HMP Belmarsh…”. I love the idea of someone going to the trouble of sending a Christmas card from their prison cell, but not as much as I love them using that as the mechanic to inform you that they are now in the slammer.
An excellent start to the Greg Plus One adventure, thank you Dan!
