Some friends and I agreed to meet at the British Hotel in Valletta on the evening of Friday, September 24. All had prior and subsequent engagements and only a small repast was planned.

One was a major German industrialist with lesser interests in Malta, one an Austrian lawyer and financier and another, also Austrian and one of the five best options dealers in Europe.

My German companion pointed out that I had a dead fly in my tuna salad. I eventually succeeded in attracting the attention of the waiter and I discreetly told him, in Maltese, about this. His response was in Maltese to the effect: "What do you expect, dining in the open air. It must have landed on your plate while you were eating."

I was literally dumbstruck and said nothing. However, when my companions enquired, I was painfully ashamed, the more so when it was pointed out that the fly had been noticed as soon as the plate had been placed in front of me. Some jokes about giving me a French fly instead of French fries were cracked.

However, when the waiter was next near, I pointed out in English that, had he had the courtesy and sense to apologise for the mishap, I would have said no more. But because of his reaction, I intended to report him to the Malta Tourist Authority and to write to your good self. He promptly took out his wallet and waved his ID card under my nose and turning to the host said in English: "I know what he is after". Of course people will presume others would behave by their own standards of behaviour.

One of my companions, the host, suggested the manager be brought up. The manager apologised when he was told what happened. I pointed out that Malta depends on tourism and such primitive and uncivilised behaviour would only damage our tourist industry. I hope that the appropriate authorities will take appropriate action about this shameful episode.