In early 1939, Sir Henry Drummond – explorer, entrepreneur and creator of the Dancing Henry Almanac – emerged from his library after conducting a seven year study of the planet Earth and announced to the world that four things were essential to our continuing success as a race: higher oceans to promote water sports; better national youth programs, along the lines of those flourishing in Germany; slinkies; and an inter-dimensional hotel. Though few would dispute the wisdom of the first three propositions, the latter caused no small debate when Sir Henry first announced his findings during a lecture at the Tewkesbury Institute of Global Policy and Town Hall.
He recommended that a global committee of all (civilised) commonwealth nations be appointed in order to create a hotel suitable for inter-dimensional travellers. Located at a key juncture in the space-time slipstream it would allow guests to seamlessly exit their own universe and slip into another one in order to experience for the first time the awesome effects of existing on another dimensional plane, and to do a spot of sightseeing. Drummond suggested that the main feature of the hotel would be an inter-dimensional restaurant which would serve local cuisine from every known universe to guests and paying customers alike (non-paying customers would not be served, Sir Henry was at pains to point out). When one objectionable member of the assembly rose to his feet and pronounced the endeavour to be absurd on the grounds that no inter-dimensional travellers had ever been known to visit our universe, Sir Henry simply retorted that this was probably because there was nowhere for them to eat.
After applying for planning permission from the mayor of Llandanelli, a Welsh village directly beneath the area of space in which Drummond proposed to tear a hole in the universe to be used as a catering hatch, he enlisted renowned chef Francois Souffe Sr to design a menu suitable for beings from every corner of the multiverse, and ordered four-hundred thousand embroidered napkins. Sadly the events of 1939 caused Sir Henry to abandon his vision of achieving solidarity with creatures from all nations in all dimensions, as the release of the film The Wizard of Oz convinced him that opening portals into other worlds could only result in an influx of dangerous eccentrics, and led to a fear of munchkins that would haunt him to his dying day.
Today, all that survives of Sir Henry Drummond’s grand vision for an Inter-Dimensional Hotel are some of the menu concepts created by Monsieur Souffe. These offer us a fascinating insight into the culinary preferences of other universes, and the Drummond Archives are proud to present them to you as a tantalising glimpse of what might have been…
