For my weekly writing spot on this site, see the One-Minute Mystic, with a new meditation posted every Monday. Also see The Village, the story of Misty Longings, England's most beautiful village, posted episode by episode earlier this year.       A death in Greece     They say there's nothing like a Greek taverna, and very soon, if the big travel companies have their way, there may well be nothing like a Greek taverna. Do you remember that Greek holiday? Walking down the village high street, in the barmy evening air, looking at the various menus on offer from the colourful tavernas? Cherish the memory, because for many of restaurant owners, there's a new threat looming on the Aegean horizon: the all-inclusive holiday. 'We ran a restaurant for ten years in Lardos,' said one restaurateur on the island of Rhodes. 'Then a big travel firm brought up the hotel next door, offered all-inclusive deals and we had to close.' They moved their business to a village up the road, only to hear of similar plans there. There's much to be said for the all-inclusive holiday. At a time of tight personal budgets, they offer a cheap holiday in hot places and are most common in long-haul destinations such as Egypt, Tunisia, the Caribbean and Mexico where going out in the evening isn't always the best idea – or simply impossible. 'We went to Marsa Alam last year, on the Red Sea,' said a doctor from Reading. 'That was all-inclusive but it had to be. The hotel was a fortress in the desert and the nearest restaurant was across terrain that would have challenged Lawrence of Arabia. But would I want that for Greece? No, I come to Greece for the villages – and to be able to go out in the evening and taste.' It was three months ago that First Choice, the acknowledged leaders in all-inclusive travel, announced plans for expansion. But does it actually offer a cheaper holiday? One tourist from Manchester was doubtful. 'It was fine for the first three days,' he told me of his last all-inclusive trip in Spain. 'To be honest, we made the most of the free drink and food for the first three days. You go a bit mad when it's all just there. But after that, it became a bit repetitive and reminded me of school dinners and so we went out in the evening. It may have ended up as more expensive.' Not even the hotels are sold on the all-inclusive idea. Just as all-powerful supermarkets in England squeeze suppliers, so travel companies, in the cut-throat holiday market, squeeze the hotels with whom they enter into partnership. 'It's a bit like a pact with the devil,' said one hotel representative who wished to remain anonymous. 'The travel company pays us 15 euros a night – but charges the tourists 500 euros for the week. That includes the flight but is still a healthy profit. If we go all-inclusive, standards will go down. They'll want the hotel to provide more, but you can be sure they won't pay more for it.' So is yours a souvlaki or stuffed pepper? Choose soon. Barbarian school dinners are beating on the gates of Greece. More writings © Simon Parke