disappointing/several other things on my mind

[GUEST2008]

Hi

A man and a woman were eating dinner. The man stood up went to the sideboard and said:

This is one of Mrs Thatcher’s daintier dishes, cold
lobster soufflé, light as a feather.Do try a little. How very
disappointing! I ordered it especially – with, Imay tell you
– several other things on my mind.’ He helped himself
and, sitting down again, gave proof that it is possible to
eat and talk at the same time with ease and grace.

What was disappointing? She didn't want to eat this or he figured out that there's something lacking?

If he says: I ordered it with several other things on my mind he means that when he was ordering it he was also thinking of something else?

[5jj]

"This is one of Mrs Thatcher’s daintier dishes, cold lobster souffl, light as a feather.Do try a little. How very disappointing! I ordered it especially – with, I may tell you– several other things on my mind."

What was disappointing? .....It appears that the dish was not cold lobster soufflé.

If he says: "I ordered it with several other things on my mind" he means that when he was ordering it he was also thinking of something else?
Yes

5

[Mannysteps]

Not a teacher

My opinion:

He felt disappointing that, among other choices he considered, he had especially ordered Mrs Thatcher’s cold lobster soufflé, but it didn't figure among the dishes on the side board.

M.

[riquecohen]

Not a teacher

My opinion:

He felt disappointing disappointed that, among other choices he considered, he had especially ordered Mrs Thatcher’s cold lobster soufflé, but it didn't figure among the dishes on the side board.

M.

Henry

[Mannysteps]

Thanks Henry.

"He felt it disappointing..." excluding a "but"" further on would also do it?

M.

[GUEST2008]

How very disappointing! I ordered it especially – with, Imay tell you
– several other things on my mind.’

So it means, as Mannysteps suggested, that he could have ordered something else, some other dishes (other things on my mind), but he ordered cold lobster souffle and it wasn't there?

[riquecohen]

How very disappointing! I ordered it especially – with, Imay tell you
– several other things on my mind.’

So it means, as Mannysteps suggested, that he could have ordered something else, some other dishes (other things on my mind), but he ordered cold lobster souffle and it wasn't there? The way I read it was that he had other things on his mind, not necessarily related to the food, while he was placing the order. It's somewhat ambiguous and Mannysteps' suggestion may very well be a better interpretation.

Thanks Henry.

"He felt it disappointing..." excluding a "but"" further on would also do it? Yes, but you needn't exclude the "but."

M.

H.
Having given this further thought, it seems to me that the "other things on his mind" were not menu-related. If these other things had been related to the food, I think he would have said that he had had other things "in mind."

[GUEST2008]

"The way I read it was that he had other things on his mind, not necessarily related to the food, while he was placing the order. It's somewhat ambiguous and Mannysteps' suggestion may very well be a better interpretation."

Yes, maybe it's true, but then the word "especially" is strange to me here.

I ordered it thinking of something else. My mind was preoccupied with something else when I was placing the order, but so what?

As you said, I think it's ambiguous.

[riquecohen]

"The way I read it was that he had other things on his mind, not necessarily related to the food, while he was placing the order. It's somewhat ambiguous and Mannysteps' suggestion may very well be a better interpretation."

Yes, maybe it's true, but then the word "especially" is strange to me here.

I ordered it thinking of something else. My mind was preoccupied with something else when I was placing the order, but so what? So I became confused and perhaps I didn't order it after all.

As you said, I think it's ambiguous.

I've made an addendum to my last post. There might be a slight semantic difference bettween "on my mind" and "in mind."