Continuing my ekphrastic poetry series. The Enlightenment At the Thursday night dinner of philosophers,it was Voltaire, Innkeeper of Europe,(self-dubbed)who raised his handto quiet the debate betweenle père Adam, Laharpe,l’abbé Maurice, CondorcetDiderot and d’Alembertregarding the nature of truth and tolerance;separation of…
inspiration
A Haiku
I don’t know what it was about this boy’s face that caught my eye. Or maybe it was the apple on the floor? The half-eaten cake? That gesture which seems to declare, “Mine!”. I just tried to have fun with…
Still Life with Ham – A Poem
I love the challenge of ekphrastic poetry, responding to works of art with words. This is the start of a series of poetry posts, some more serious than others, in which I engage on food-related themes. I ensure all the…
Once upon a time …
The Pedigree of Honey
Finding value where you least expect it is always wonderful. Finding value and beauty in the small things, or the overlooked everyday things, is something I try to remember to do when I can, especially when life’s throwing a few…
Snaps for Salad!
I love stumbling upon excellent salads. Personally, I always prefer hot foods, even in warm weather (the European in me), but an excellent salad is enough to make me … Neither too lean, nor too complicated; tasty but not drowning…
Easy Spice Lamb Backstrap Dinner
Let’s talk about the two elephants in the room. Firstly, there’s no photo of the easy spice lamb backstrap dinner, only the lamb. I was photographing my plate while the meal was still warm, and trying to make it look…
Oranges and Sunsets Poems
Posting these purely for the love of oranges and sunsets. Brought to you by the colour orange. Oranges Come buy my fine oranges, sauce for your veal,And charming, when squeezed in a pot of brown ale;Well roasted, with sugar and…
Jelly Shots and A Poem
I’ve only made these once, and every time I see this photo, I’m reminded of Covid lockdowns. These red, white and blue jelly shots were a novelty treat, enjoyed in September, 2021, to mark a football match. Our city was…
Celebrating Citrus Haiku in the 1600s
Food and poetry go together. Like emotion and metaphor. Like appetisers and champagne. Like boogity-boogity-boogity-shooby-shoowop-shabop (name that tune!). I so much enjoyed celebrating melons in the 1600s, I’m doing it again, celebrating citrus haiku with Japanese poet, Basho. lemon flowersrecalling…
Celebrating Melons in the 1600s
Two themes I keep finding myself returning to on this site are simplicity, and finding beauty in the old, or everyday items we might otherwise overlook. Which is why I was so struck when I read this paragraph about Japan’s…
Afternoon Tea Revelation
When I was a child, my mother used to say to me (not unkindly), “Your eyes are too big for your stomach.” This was when I couldn’t finish something I’d served myself, especially ice-cream. I remember ice-cream headaches very well!…
