TURNING THE OTHER CHEEK

 

In the face of significant unfair, and untrue, criticism about one’s actions, or alleged lack of them, the natural reaction is to fight back.

I have always been a fighter and, as a result, have landed myself in hot water on many occasions as a result of it.

When it comes to politics, I believe that if you choose to put your head above the parapet, you are fair game. We see plenty of examples of this on a daily basis. What bothers me though, is that the righteous stance taken by those who scream and shout loudest, is almost always done with the intention, not of pointing out or correcting the error of their ways, but with the intention of gathering the support of the chattering classes, whether justified or not.

We must always be aware of the hidden agenda and be willing to look beyond the pithy statements issued by those who should know better.

Locally, in recent weeks there has been considerable attention paid to several key issues in relation to the future of our schools and local government. Naturally, any decision that is taken (which will not be by me) will not find favour with everyone. Those who are unhappy are of course keen to express their displeasure, but what is unacceptable is that when their behaviour and tone are so intimidating that those with differing views feel afraid to express a contrary view. Fuelled by ready access to social media this is nothing short of bullying and is unacceptable. All too often those who wade-in with both guns blazing, do so from a position of ignorance, merely using the situation as a point scoring exercise. What is interesting though, is that in the midst of this manufactured hysteria, those who are most keen to be seen and heard have until now, when there is political capital to be gained, have shown precious little interest, or knowledge, in the matter, and even more importantly, are least likely to be affected.

Those of us in full receipt of the facts know this all too well.

When considering a response to such public comments there can be a tendency to retaliate, but this just plays into their hands, providing momentum for them to continue to disburse their viewpoint.

The proverb, ‘those who live in glass houses should not throw stones’ comes to mind. None of us are perfect, and we are all vulnerable to criticism, which is why I am choosing to turn the other cheek. Those who need to know the truth do, and will be able to make their own judgments; in as much as any of us have the right to pass judgment on others.

TOXIC TALK

 

Rightly or wrongly, I took the decision some years ago to stop reading newspapers, or to listen to the news. To be honest, the main reason was that I just did not have the time. I felt that if the topic were important enough, its content would find its way to me somehow. In addition, I found that much of what was said or reported was inaccurate, repetition or irrelevant; little more than gossip.

At that point social media had not yet taken hold in quite the way in which it has since.

There are of course benefits to using social media in as much as it gives the man on the street a voice, and rightly so. There is also the counter argument that those who choose to use social media to get their message across often choose to do so in an inappropriate and counter-productive way.

The term trolling, ‘creating discord on the Internet by starting quarrels or upsetting people by posting inflammatory messages in an online community; someone who purposely says something controversial in order to get a rise out of other users’, first came into use in the early 1990s, and we hear often of those who have been victims of it.

What we are dealing with here is basically little more than tittle-tattle, rumour or hearsay, driven by those who have their own agenda. What is not made at all clear in their communications, these throw away lines and off-the-cuff remarks born out of ignorance, is where they have obtained their information from, how accurate it might be, and what their purpose is in exposing it to the public domain.

Such gossips are fuelled by casual, unconstrained conversation or reports about other people, typically involving details that are not confirmed as being true

By indulging in such conversations we are buying into the views of others who have their own agendas, and feel justified in making comment with no hard facts to back up their assertions. Sadly, we have seen much of this locally in recent weeks and months, particularly in a political context, which is to be expected as the battle lines are drawn. As members of the public, we owe it to ourselves to treat such comments with the disdain they deserve, challenge their veracity and, for an accurate account of events, go straight to the source. It is funny how the people that know the least about us always have the most to say. Shoring up their own insecurity and feelings of worthlessness at the expense of others perhaps?

FOOD TO MAKE YOU CRY

Food has been my passion, almost an obsession, for as long as I can remember. Even as a council flat kid, with a single parent, living on the bread line, we still found a way to indulge in ‘good’ food. Once I started working, and in those days, you were given 25p luncheon vouchers, I used to save them up until we had enough to eat out at a ‘posh’ restaurant. This was almost 50 years ago, at a time when ready meals were largely just a distant dream. I cannot recall any household from that time where food was not cooked from scratch each day, the leftovers used the following day to eke out a meagre budget. A time when tinned salmon, asparagus and strawberries were considered the height of luxury, and yes, olive oil was bought in tiny bottles from the chemist.

Many years later, once I started cooking for a living, and living the high life, in California, Chicago and New York, I spent every spare moment, and every spare penny, on exploring the restaurants in the neighbourhood. Big cities lend themselves to a diversity of cuisine that small rural areas cannot quite manage. In addition to the ubiquitous Chinese and Indian establishments, I indulged in Tibetan, Ethiopian, Russian, Hungarian, Turkish food; anything out of the ordinary, all the while spending my working day doing what I could to promote British food, which had a bad rap. Deservedly so at that time.

In New York, although I worked long hours (and still do) cooking for HM Ambassador to the UN, my free time, when the UN was not in session, was plentiful, enabling me to travel further afield. Living rent free in a Manhattan apartment, I had plenty of disposable income.

At last count I must have eaten over 20,000 meals in a wide variety of enterprises; everything from street food in Morocco, Guatemala, Cuba and India, to high end, world famous restaurants with a host of Michelin stars to their name.

During lockdown I have been reading a lot about food and travel, preferring such books to fiction, although I have not been best pleased about the need to use Amazon to feed my habit. Attempting to keep to a reasonable budget, I often select books and add them to a wish list in case I should win the lottery (no chance, as I don’t do it) and can justify the purchase. A few weeks ago, I inadvertently pressed the ‘buy’ button to find that I had ordered over £200 worth of books, by mistake. When it came to rectifying my error, Amazon refused to play ball. May the money grabbing, tax avoiding, business get its just desserts.

Hence, on a bright sunny morning, almost spring like, I find myself opening a weighty ‘coffee table’ tome ‘The French Laundry, per se’ by Thomas Keller, costing a whopping great £54!

Within minutes I went from resenting the expenditure to re-living the two most exceptional meals I have ever eaten, a vegetarian meal at The French Laundry in California in 1995, and more recently, a 13-course lunch at per se in New York, the latter costing the equivalent of a month’s mortgage payment, at £250 a head. A true carnivore, I once again opted for the vegetarian option to maximise the number of dishes I could taste, as my dining companion insisted on the main meat and fish inspired menu. Suffice to say we are no longer dating.

How could one meal cost so much, and was it worth it? The short answer is yes, every single penny. What made the experience so remarkable was not just the food but everything from the hand-written personalised menu to the calm, but unstuffy, ambience, the exceptional discreet and unassuming service (from a Glaswegian), the topping up of Champagne at regular intervals, and a visit to the kitchen.

It is as if they are aware of the effort that diners go to in order to have this experience and want to make sure it is a truly memorable one. Here I have a confession to make. I do not have a very big appetite, and to accommodate so many, albeit miniature, courses I did what the Romans used to do….. My other overriding memory is of attempting to steal some of the hand made chocolates that arrived in a four-tiered coffre, only for our waiter to say ‘There is no need to do that madam’ before handing me a bag full!

In reading about Thomas Keller’s experience of setting up his restaurants, what comes across clearly is the tireless dedication of those who work for him, his focus on inspiring and mentoring them to achieve their best, his strong relationship with his purveyors, and the fact that the guest always comes first.

In the face of so many mediocre restaurants, where the only thing that matters is cutting costs and making huge profits, it was enough to make me cry.

St Patrick’s Day – The Wearing of the Green

 

I have always felt that it is most unfortunate that St. Patrick’s Day is associated with the colour green; a colour that for me, conjures up vegetables and other healthy stuff. Not my scene at all.

However, further exploration this year has revealed, in startling truth, the reason behind this, amply demonstrated in the Irish Street ballad, The Wearing of the Green (reprinted below). The ballad laments the troubles and repression of the ordinary farm labourer, and those gentry whose allegiance lay with Irish freedom fighters, whether they were Catholic or Protestant, and all others who were prepared to lay down their lives for the wearing of the green.

Wearing the colour green at the time, whether it be a sprig of shamrock or a green sash, showed solidarity with the freedom fighters, so was banned. In addition, shamrock was not allowed to grow on Irish ground by law, the penalty being that those guilty of having it found on their land would be hanged. This, despite the fact that shamrock grew wild.

However, in March 1900, on hearing of the Irish Regiment’s success in the Boer War, Queen Victoria sent this message: “I have heard with deepest concern of the heavy losses by my brave Irish soldiers. Her Majesty the Queen is pleased to order that in future on Saint Patrick’s Day all ranks of her Irish Regiments will wear a sprig of shamrock on their headdress in honour of their gallantry.” To this day a member of the royal family presents shamrock to the members of the Irish Guards regiment of the British Army on St Patrick’s Day.



The Wearing of the Green

I met with Napper Tandy and he took me by the hand

And he said: “how’s poor old Ireland and what way does she stand?”

She’s the most distressful country that ever yet was seen

For they’re hanging men and women there for the wearin’ o’ the green.

So if the colour we must be England’s cruel red

Let it remind us of the blood that Irish men have shed.

And pull the shamrock from your hat and throw it on the sod

But never fear, twill take root there, though underfoot ’tis trod.

When laws can make the blades of grass from growing as they grow

And when the leaves in summer-time their colour dare not show,

Then I will change the colour, too, I wear in my caubeen,

But till that day, please God, I’ll stick to the wearin’ o’ the green.



During my time living and cooking in Ireland I don’t recall the occasion being celebrated with quite the same fervour as I experienced in New York, where every year there would be a huge parade. Traditionally, this saint’s day, one of religious observance, was commemorated in Ireland modestly, culminating in a feast.

However, in the face of their ill treatment, ex-patriot Irish Catholics in the USA began to throw huge parties on the 17th March (which also happens to be my mother’s birthday) to celebrate and demonstrate their pride in their heritage.

The New York City St. Patrick’s Day Parade was first held in 1762, fourteen years before the signing of the Declaration of Independence. It remains the world’s oldest and largest parade and was initiated by a band of homesick, Irish ex-patriots and Irish military members serving with the British Army, who were stationed in the colonies in New York. They felt free to speak Irish, wear green, sing Irish songs and play the pipes to Irish tunes that were meaningful to them.



St. Patrick's revellers thought wearing green made one invisible to leprechauns, who would pinch anyone they could see. People began pinching those who didn't wear green as a reminder that leprechauns would sneak up and pinch green-abstainers.

When it comes to celebratory drinks, although there are several drinks that are naturally green, I am not a fan of drink, or food, being dyed.

I like my alcohol to pack a punch, so my top pick would be Absinthe. Not cheap, at around £40 a bottle, it can be up to 70%abv. (compared with normal spirit strength of 40%abv.). Served straight in small measures over ice, it is definitely not for quaffing.

The Obituary Cocktail, made with gin and a dash of dry vermouth and absinthe, served chilled in a martini glass, is sufficiently potent that, were you to drink enough of it, it might well be the last drink you imbibe!

Likewise, green Chartreuse, also around the same price, and 55%abv., is a lovely after-dinner drink, served well chilled. It is the only liqueur which is naturally green and made to a secret monastic recipe from Carthusian monks. First made in 1737, it contains a blend of 130 plants and flowers.

Crème de Menthe, known as a ‘sticky green’, is ideal if you are in the mood for a sweet mint drink. To mix it up a bit there lots of cocktail recipes available.

You can of course perk up your drinks by adding green fruits such as lime, kiwi, green apple or grapes, and also cucumber, which all make a good garnish.

Quite one of my favourite ‘green’ cocktails is the Ritz Fizz, which is really simple to make. Put a dash of Blue Curaçao and an equal amount of Amaretto in the bottom of a champagne flute and top up with bubbly for a sparkly, translucent green, festive drink.

To celebrate St. Patrick’s Day however it really does not have to be green; Black Velvet, made from equal parts Guinness and Champagne is surprisingly delicious.

Last, but not least, according to legend St. Patrick drove snakes out of Ireland, so you could always resort to Snakebite, equal parts lager and cider. Not for me though.

In the words of Pat Maloney - "Whether I drink often or just once in a while; I'm always sure to raise a glass to the dear old Emerald Isle."

 

PRICE OF A TIPPLE

 

Wine connoisseur Linda Vijeh sets out to explode

the myth that expensive vintages are better

Article as seen in Somerset Living Magazine, March 2021, Food & Drink

I have been interested in wine for as long as I can remember. As far back as the 1970s, in my early twenties and newly-wed, we liked to entertain regularly and, eager to impress our friends, would often seek to buy a ‘special’ bottle of wine.

At a time when supermarkets as we know them today were still in their infancy, this meant a visit to the off-licence. 

Interestingly, during Covid-19 lockdown, although pubs, restaurants and bars were forced to close, off-licences have been considered to be essential businesses and allowed to stay open to sell alcohol for home consumption. 

The mistake many of us make in wanting to up our game, and impress others, is to spend more without considering whether or not we are actually getting a ‘better’ bottle of wine for the price we are paying.

All too often when buying wine, the first consideration is price, and much as I hate to say it, how pretty the label looks! 

This is only natural, as most of us have a budget, and this year in particular has seen many of us tightening our belts. 

Over 40 years after my first foray into wine consumption, I now find that the majority of

my long-standing friends are also wine lovers. When we get together it is fun to encourage them to bring along interesting finds so that we can open several bottles and compare them. Comparative tastings are a really good way to explore the various attributes of different wines. 

As a wine tutor I hold regular wine tastings to give as many people as possible the opportunity to

try something out of the norm, often with surprising results. The important thing is not to allow the

price to sway you towards thinking that it relates to the quality of the wine.

When it comes to the making and selling of wine there are many factors that need to be taken into account, including the cost of the land, labour, processing, storing, marketing, shipping and, of course, tax.

There is a mountain of evidence from blind tastings that consistently disprove the myth that expensive wines are better wines. 

For everyday drinking there is no reason to spend a fortune on a bottle of wine to enjoy it. When it comes to wine competitions, where wine makers are keen to demonstrate how many awards they have won, these are usually organised on the basis of a grape variety and the year of vintage.

Personally, I get a great deal of pleasure in finding a superb wine at a bargain price and in my years as a judge, I have found that the average person tends to prefer less expensive wines, because in general they are more approachable.

Some of us can subconsciously be influenced in allowing the quality of a wine to be predetermined by the price. “You get what you pay for” is not necessarily true when it comes to wine.

In a recent blind tasting, wine experts described what was thought to be an expensive wine as ‘excellent,’ ‘full,’ ‘complex,’ and ‘balanced.’ By contrast, the inexpensive wine was found to be ‘flat,’ ‘simple,’ ‘faulty,’ and ‘weak.’ Unknown to them however, both wines were actually the same!

So why do we expect more expensive wine to taste better than less expensive wine? It is purely psychological. I have heard of one wine maker who was struggling to sell his wine at £30 a bottle, but by tripling the price of the same wine to over £100, it sold out!

As with all consumer goods, what really dictates the price of a wine is simply supply and demand. The extent to which celebrities endorse a wine, in addition to press coverage and advertising, can all have a significant influence. In this respect social media has had a huge impact on our buying decisions.

To avoid falling victim to the myth that expensive wines are better wines, do your research, learn what you like and identify your favourite grape varieties, regions, and wine style. Finding a wine that you enjoy at a great price is the way to achieve a memorable wine experience.

THE DANGERS OF HOARDING

In recent years I have been contacted by local residents, church officials, and the fire brigade, in relation to concerns over residents who hoard, and as a result of which, are putting themselves, and others, at serious risk of harm.

The people concerned have often been private reclusive types living alone, or those living in sheltered accommodation.

I admit to being a bit of a hoarder myself, but regular house moves prompt a good old clear out, and being confined to home as a result of Covid-19 has given me the opportunity to tidy up.

As outsiders, of course we have no right to intrude on how others lead their lives. The reason I raise this subject though is that the real danger of hoarding became all too real for me this week when the death of a dear friend from New York, who I had spoken to just a few weeks ago, made front page headlines.

This was the report on ABC News –

‘An 80-year-old woman is dead after flames tore through her apartment in the East Village.
early Friday morning on East 5th Street. The victim was found unconscious and badly burned inside a 7th floor apartment filled with clutter. Firefighters say the fire is not suspicious. Officials said the 80-year-old victim appeared to be hoarder and had a large amount of clutter in her apartment. Two firefighters sustained minor injuries battling the blaze. The woman's cat was unaccounted for following the fire.’

What a terrible, terrible way to die.

Extreme clutter and unsafe and unsanitary conditions hamper the desire of retaining a level of independence for the hoarder and is not something that many family members, friends or carers can anticipate. It is a relatively common disorder among the elderly and gets progressively worse with age; as many as 6% of the population aged 55 or older fall victim to its perils.

As we get older, many of us face a dramatic decline in the quality and frequency of our social interactions. This often leaves people feeling lonely and separated from the outside world, leading to behaviour that helps them to cope with isolation and depression.

In some cases, this can revolve around accumulating “things”, everything from clothes and knickknacks to food, and even animals.

Up to 13% of older adults experiencing depression report severe compulsive hoarding. People with a hoarding disorder are also likely to experience other mental health conditions, such as depression, anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder, alcohol dependence and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

Other risks include fire hazards, poor hygiene and nutrition, and poor sanitary conditions.

Where there are also age-related mobility issues, this increases the risk of trips and fall-related injuries. In extreme circumstances hoarding can result in eviction, especially for those in rented accommodation.

In addressing the treatment of hoarding, enabling the person to form a trusting relationship with a significant other, which may be a friend, relative or carer, or even a social worker, is crucial. To encourage them to de-clutter they need to feel in control so that they can better handle alterations to their home environment without experiencing extreme distress.

FOUR IN A BED - IN MY OPINION

 

We all have opinions, and we are all entitled to express them. Since being confined to home, no hardship for me, I have taken to watching what can really only be described as junk TV. Rather than invest in producing interesting programmes, it seems that the plethora of channels available to us, even for those, like me, who choose not to pay for TV over and above the licence fee, resort to reality shows, quiz programmes, and the endless viewing of so-called celebrities, most of whom I have never heard of, as they tour the world, taking advantage of the freebies on offer in a bid to boost their flagging careers. Do I sound disparaging? Yes, I do. A natural reaction to the continued dumbing-down of broadcasting as we once knew it.

As a professional hotel and restaurant inspector for over 25 years, I have been casting my beady eyes on the popular ‘Four in a Bed’ series, in which B&B owners pull each other’s establishments apart in an effort to become winners on the basis of ‘Value for Money’. This is not what happens, and in the name of good TV we see a good deal of game playing and jockeying for position. To be honest, the behaviour of some contestants would deter me from wanting to spend my hard-earned cash on lining their greedy pockets.

The first thing I learnt as an inspector is the ability to be objective rather than subjective in making my assessment. It is not whether or not I personally like a place that counts; more a matter of how what they offer, and the price they charge, relates to their target market, and the location. Up market country piles with award winning restaurants and stunning views naturally attract higher levels of revenue and, dare I say it, a different sort of customer, than your average terraced property in Torquay or Blackpool, popular for hen nights.

If staying somewhere situated in the centre of town, near to local facilities and attractions, of course there will be some noise; it is the price you pay for convenience. There is a world of difference when paying a couple of hundred quid for a night in a ‘luxury’ room to forking out £50, including breakfast, in a budget establishment.

As the rival B&B owners of Four in a Bed busy themselves nit-picking, in their attempt to find the merest speck of dust or stray hair, I find myself shouting at the screen in frustration. This is not what a professional would do.

In any area of the hospitality industry there are two key elements. What level of service is provided and, to my mind at least, more importantly, how it is delivered. In any industry that involves human interaction things are bound to go wrong. What counts is how the situation is dealt with.

The deal breakers for me are being able to rest my weary limbs in complete silence, total light exclusion, blankets rather than a duvet, feather pillows, a bath rather than a shower, and, if I am paying through the nose, freshly squeezed orange juice, decent toast, and spanking fresh eggs at breakfast.

We all want different things from our stays away from home. Where establishments fall at the first hurdle is in raising guests’ expectations beyond what they are able to deliver. As a frequent visitor to Bath one of my favourite places has rooms which are barely big enough in which to swing the proverbial cat, have only a shower and no window. What is not provided is made up for in the superb location, the staff who are friendly and accommodating, and the free cheese and wine offered every evening from 5-8pm, all for under £45 a night. By contrast, the recent programme on The Dorchester Hotel in London, billed as one of the greatest hotels in the world, brought back vivid memories of the time I ran up a bill of £3,000 there in a 48-hour period, and where my experience was so dismal I vowed never to darken the doors again.