“Shellfish are the prime cause of the decline of morals and the adaptation of an extravagant lifestyle. Indeed of the whole realm of Nature the sea is in many ways the most harmful to the stomach, with its great variety of dishes and tasty fish.” – Pliny the Elder It was the age of Pisces,… Read More Fish Gotta Swim…
“If we will be quiet and ready enough, we shall find compensation in every disappointment.” – Henry David Thoreau Really, disappointing is not the correct word, as in order to be disappointed, you must have had a level of expectation which exceeded the outcome. And, in the case of these two mini-reviews, I had no… Read More Disappointing Duo
“But, my dear sirs, when peace does come, you may call on me for any thing. Then will I share with you the last cracker, and watch with you to shield your homes and families against danger from every quarter.” – General William Tecumseh Sherman Is there really anyone out there who doesn’t snack on… Read More Give Us This Day Our Vegan Bread
“Yet traditional Chilean food, although simple, has a medley of flavors, influenced by the vast diversity of plant foods and products that are naturally available. And this is all thanks to it’s varying landscape and the cultures of the native Chileans, most prominently, the Mapuches.” Danielle E. Alvarez, Lonely Planet While most of the world… Read More Chillin’ with Chile
“Ambivalence dominates the Argentines’ self-identity. Depending on the political climate of the times and the dominant ideological orientations, residents of this country oscillate between an identity stressing commonalities with other Latin-American nations; a shared history of four centuries of Spanish rule; and an identity highlighting the uniqueness of this nation, an alleged Europeanized cosmopolitan national… Read More An Empanada to Beat
“I desire a monarch for our state; but I desire one worthy of the honor which he would receive in commanding us; that is to say, I wish a greater man than Prince John of Portugal ; and I wish a monarch who would rule us only.” – Juan Martín de Pueyrredón, Supreme Director, in… Read More The Supremes – Track 6
“Who has given the wind wisdom, Lent the air a tongue so lightsome, Ready speech to the yard’s rowan, And the small birds’ tender bevy?” (from All Seemed to Be Speaking, Speaking, by Johan Ludvig Runeberg, translated by C.E. Tallquist) One of the things I like about our historical themes is that I get to… Read More Poet’s Tart
A few folk have contacted me recently and noted that I seem to have stopped posting any kind of tasting notes about wines or beers. Trust me, I haven’t given up on drinking, though I probably taste far fewer of either than I used to. Part of it, I suppose, is that Henry borderline doesn’t… Read More Drinks in the House