“If you have the power to eat alone in a restaurant or sit alone in a cinema, then you can do anything in life” – Leonardo DiCaprio You know how in movies you see a girl, or guy, sitting at a bar, having a drink, alone – and it doesn’t seem weird, sad or creepy. …
The Duke’s Olives
“Where the olive tree no longer grows there is no real gastronomic civilization” – Unknown Today, 17 August, would’ve been my father’s 83rd birthday. If you’ve been following this blog from day one you may recall that my father (nicknamed “The Duke” by his children) gave me my first food memory, and many more. Long…
Life lessons from behind the grocery store counter
I like food where the guiding principle is you have three or four good ingredients, and the most important thing is to just not screw them up. Treat them with a little respect. – Anthony Bourdain Recently I’ve been on a search for alternative employment and through the rigorous interview process I’ve had pause for…
Offended: a foodie groupie by association
When I was about twelve, I used to think I must be a genius, but nobody’s noticed. If there is such a thing as a genius…I am one, and if there isn’t, I don’t care. – John Lennon If you were to know my mother you would know that she is not, remotely close, to the…
Autumn – a seasons tastes
“Food may not be the answer to world peace, but it’s a start.” – Anthony Bourdain It’s human nature to always want what we don’t have right? You have straight hair but you want it curly, you’re blonde but you want to be brunette, you’re short but you want to be tall. We’re the same…
Snail Mania
Without (culinary) art the crudeness of reality would be unbearable – George Bernard Shaw I must have been around 23 years old before I tried Escargot for the first time. I didn’t know what to expect and thankfully it was perfectly delightful but then what isn’t when it’s cooked in lashings of butter, garlic and…
The art of failing to make cheese
“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who…
Summer – a seasons tastes
Food is symbolic of love when words are inadequate – Alan D Wolfelt It’s quite clear that each season has it’s unique image and has been defined by these images probably since the dawn of time; winter – snow, summer – sun, autumn – leaves turning golden and spring – new blooms and fresh growth….
Trifle Wars
Revenge is a dish best served unexpectedly and from a distance – like a thrown trifle. – Frances Hardinge We had family friends growing up – they were English and every Boxing Day we would go to their home for a reboot of Christmas lunch. The wife, Di took the traditional aspects of Christmas lunch…
My kitchen garden
I used to visit and revisit it a dozen times a day, and stand in deep contemplation over my vegetable progeny with a love that nobody could share or conceive of who had never taken part in the process of creation. It was one of the most bewitching sights in the world to observe a…
I am a miser
“What greater evil could you wish a miser than long life?”― Syrus Publilius My friend recently laughed at me and said: “I take you to a fashion store, we roam around for hours and you purchase nothing. You take me to a deli and in minutes you’ve bought the entire shop”. I suppose I’m a selective…
A splash, a dash & a pinch 