intothepot

Italy - You've been Tangoed

2008-04-15T12:28:00.010+01:00

The phone rang yesterday afternoon and when I picked up the voice on the other end was my Mum. She sounded terrible. I thought someone had died. “Berlusconi's winning” she said.

It's a sad day for Italian politics when the man the Italian nation chooses to vote for has been constantly linked to allegations of corruption, advises women worried about their financial future to marry his son, calls his opponent a 'recycled Stalinist' and has a hideously orange face (but the last part's not important in running the country I suppose, but it is ridiculous isn't it?).

The problem is, Italians are worried about their future. Italy now has the lowest wages as well as the lowest birth rate, growth rates and levels of foreign investment in Europe along with unemployment which is low at 6 per cent, but rises to 10 per cent for those aged 15 to 24. A recent survey indicated that 53% of Italians feel worse than ever.

The man the Italians could've had in power was praised for his message for the criminal syndicates: 'Don't vote for us, because we will destroy the forces that prevent development in the South.' That may well be, but if the Italians are struggling economically, they want reassurance that things will get better economically. During his campaign, Berlusconi vowed to slash taxes and boost the economy. In stark contrast Romano Prodi's government raised taxes and collapsed only after 20 months.

There is a similar quandary with the 2008 elections for the Mayor of London. Who to vote for on 1^st May? The right wing gaffe-prone buffoon that is Boris Johnson or Ken Livingstone who successfully introduced congestion charges in London and who clearly has the Londoner's best interest at heart - but who has also been accused of corruption and wasting tax payers' money.

So as much as I hate to say it, I can understand why the Italians voted Berlusconi in. There just isn't a decent alternative. If you were in their situation, what would you do?

Just can't give it up

2008-02-26T19:51:00.001Z

I know I said I wouldn't be back on here until I'd finished my novel. I lied. The truth is, I probably would have finished it by now but I've put in on the backburner once again to study for a teaching Diploma which I should hopefully have finished by August. That means I'll be able to get back to the novel of which I've already written 32,743 words (62 pages).

Its been over a year since I've written anything properly and the whole time I've felt there was something missing. The truth is, I love writing and I've missed it. So I'm going to be back with a weekly post or two to keep me going. I have had to fight the urge to post the odd rambling on here but whilst reading an article on Delia Smith in The Observer Food Monthly, the urge was just too strong to resist. Here it is below.

Let's NOT be having you Delia

2008-02-26T19:39:00.006Z

It’s not home-made Nigel. Assembling a mixture of ready-diced onions, Aunt Bessie’s Homestyle instant mash with some mince does not constitute home-made. I am in case you were wondering, referring to Nigel Slater’s recent comments in defence of Delia’s new ‘cookery’ book How to Cheat at Cooking.

I have nothing against her book per se. I am a big fan of Delia, I always have been. Whenever I’ve needed a good reliable recipe for the old classics like boeuf bourguignon and cottage pie, I always bypass the likes of Gordon and Jamie and reach for Delia. Her Bolognese sauce recipe is by far the best I’ve ever come across and one which I’ve strictly adhered to over the years.

There is nothing wrong with cheating – cutting corners in cookery is almost a necessary evil, given the busy lifestyles of most people today. Come home late, stick a Waitrose Madras in the microwave for twenty minutes, wait for the ping. Job done. You can’t expect everyone to come home late from work and start faffing around with complicated recipes.

Everyone knows that the sale of cookbooks has risen in recent years. Rather ironically though as it would appear more and more people are buying ready meals. So it’s pretty obvious that people like the idea of cooking, but simply haven’t got the time.

So Delia, as astute as she is, spots this gap in the market and releases a book with pre-orders beating rival cooks Nigella and Jamie in the battle for sales.

So what do I dislike so vehemently about this book? Delia’s strength has always been showing you the right way to do things. Remember in her How to Cook series where she lovingly showed us how to boil an egg correctly? Now she’s telling us to buy tinned mince! And frozen chargrilled aubergine slices! Come on Delia. How can you go back on your principles so quickly? Not only that, but she’s also telling us which brands to buy. Makes you wonder doesn’t it?

So to make a shepherd’s pie ‘new Delia’ style, I need to buy diced onions, tinned mince and instant mash which I then assemble myself. What exactly is the difference between this and buying it already prepared? What I’m saying here is if you’re going to cheat, you might as well go the whole hog and buy it ready made. Is there really anybody out there who would cook a dish as she recommends and claim to have actually cooked it themselves?

Not only has she gone back on her principles, but she’s attacked Jamie Oliver and Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall for even daring to suggest that we shouldn’t eat battery-reared hens. She’s more concerned with the fact that it’s more important that poverty stricken children get the right nutrition. Since when has it been a requirement to eat battery chicken to stay healthy?

But Delia doesn’t want to get into politics. “I don’t do organic because I’m a cook – I can’t get into the politics of food because I don’t have the knowledge and I don’t have the background.” That’s right Delia, you don’t have the knowledge. To make her own dishes, she has to read her own recipes – which she has been known to have got wrong. I don’t know about you, but this proves to me that she hasn’t got a natural feel for cooking. Anyone with a passion for cooking will tell you, it’s all to do with feeling, instinct and simply knowing what’s right apart from of course, patisserie, where exact measures are required.

At least there is one advantage to cooking with recipes from her new book. What to do it it all goes wrong? Blame it on Delia.

11 men worth breaking the silence for...

2007-05-24T10:45:00.001+01:00

Grazie ragazzi!

A short break

2007-01-18T17:21:00.000Z

I'm taking a short break from blogging for a while to concentrate on my writing.

Whilst I love the world of blogging and have enjoyed the company of my cyber-friends, it's been a distraction. I find myself constantly checking on my ever growing list of favourites to leave comments and exchange pleasantries.

This is how it goes:

Write two lines of novel, check blogger, write two lines of novel, check blogger. At this rate my book will be completed in fifteen years time!

It's sad but I gotta do it. I've got to immerse myself completely for now, but I'll be back in a few months time. It's going to be hard and needless to say, I'll miss you all. As a famous writer once said ' I love being a writer. What I can't stand is the paperwork'.

A question about aubergines

2007-01-08T18:00:00.000Z

Often the best dishes come from things you have hanging around in the fridge and need using up. I made stuffed aubergines last week from a few ingredients that were rapidly approaching their sell by date. OK so I can't take all the credit, I had seen a similar recipe somewhere but you can pretty much stuff anything you want into an aubergine as long as it's edible.

What you need for 2 people:

2 x aubergines
3 x good quality sausages
10 x cherry tomatoes finely chopped
2 x Garlic cloves finely chopped
1 x chilli finely chopped
a handful of breadcrumbs
a good handful of parmesan
5 torn basil leaves
Olive Oil
Salt
Black pepper

Fry the onion, garlic and chilli. Once the onion is softened, take the sausagemeat out of the skin and add to the pan and fry. When the sausagemeat is cooked, add the tomatoes. Scoop out the flesh of the aubergine and fry in a separate pan. When everything is cooked, mix together adding a handful of breadcrumbs, parmesan, salt, pepper and basil. Put some olive oil over the aubergine shells, fill with the mixture then cook in the oven at 180c for about half an hour.

The question is this: Do you really need to salt the aubergines first? I always used to do it as I was told it reduces bitterness, but have recently discovered (after a bout of laziness when I couldn't be bothered to do it) that it doesn't really make any difference. I've since read that apparently these days, the bitterness is bred out of the aubergine so salting isn't necessary. It is however when frying. As the aubergine contains almost 90% water, when fried, the water escapes and is replaced by oil. So that would explain why I get through almost a whole bottle of olive oil when I make parmigiana!

Roy Ayers Ubiquity @The Jazz Cafe, Camden Town

2007-01-06T00:01:00.000Z

You know when people talk about what they'd like to do before they die? Seeing Roy Ayers was one of them. We saw the jazz funk man last Friday during his annual residency at the Jazz Cafe and it was amazing.

It was our first time at The Jazz Cafe. It was slightly disappointing at first as I expected something a little more classy but instead we were greeted by a scruffy venue with a few couches in the corner. Maybe I was expecting something a bit more like Ronnie Scott's. We got there early to have a drink and we sat on the couches by the entrance which are so close together that when it began to fill up, people had to climb over each other to get to the bar/toilet. Forty five minutes before he was due to start we made our way to the front of the stage. As people started to fill the main area, it felt more like a real music venue. Small enough to feel intimate and big enough to create a great atmosphere. There are also two bars in the main area making it easy to nip through the crowds and get a drink.

I first heard Roy Ayer's voice on Masters At Work latin/jazz/salsa project Nuyorican Soul (1997) which includes the song 'Sweet Tears'. He started playing his trademark vibraphone when he was five years old which was given to him by famous vibes player Lionel Hampton. You'd still think he was five the way he plays them now at the age of sixty six!

The gig was fantastic and he performed classics such as "Everybody Love the Sunshine", "We live in Brooklyn" and "Searching". He performed a couple of unknown songs towards the end and the atmosphere seemed to flatten, but nevertheless it was an fantastic experience. As the gig ended and his band members waved CDs around we contemplated waiting for his autograph until a big Italian guy leaped on the stage and grabbed Roy Ayers to have his picture taken. We decided it was time to leave. On the whole it was a great night only spoiled by the fact that on several occasions throughout the gig we had to push our way through the crowd to go to the toilet. That's what you get for drinking beer. Next gig I think I'll stick to the shorts.

Natale

2006-12-29T17:11:00.000Z

I hope you all had a lovely Christmas and lots of nice things to eat. I didn't really eat much this Christmas but I still had that constant bloated feeling nevertheless. It must be all the lack of air from staying indoors for so long watching endless repeats of The Two Ronnies. Why does Christmas day feel like the longest day ever? What do we do that's so different to normal?

I often spend Sundays at my parent's house and we sit around, have dinner, watch TV etc and it feels like a normal day. The board games rarely come out. Why do they always make an appearance on Christmas day in houses throughout the land? Why is it that at Christmas people feel naked without a drink perpetually clamped to their hand? And stuff themselves silly with nuts and various nibbles despite the fact they feel close to vomiting? Who knows. But that's Christmas.

I had four Christmases this year and enjoyed them all. The first was Sunday evening at M's aunties house as his Grandma was off to Ireland for Christmas. We exchanged presents and had a delicious starter of prosciutto, mozzarella and rocket followed by Delia's Boeuf Bourguignon, cheese and biscuits, coffee and grappa. Thursday evening M & I had our own Christmas at home and opened our pressies over Cava followed by homemade Beef Wellington. On Christmas Eve at my parents' we had various antipasti followed by roast beef and roasted winter vegetables. On Christmas day itself we had a bottle of Prosecco followed by a traditional Christmas dinner which I just love. Prawn cocktail, turkey and all the trimmings; potatoes roasted in goose fat, leeks in cheese sauce, carrots and swede, parsnips in honey, pigs in blankets (sausages wrapped in bacon) and the star of the show, sausagemeat stuffing.

We couldn't manage any Christmas pudding until 10 O'clock (which I don't even really like, but always have anyway). We didn't even have room for any panettone so we had it for breakfast instead. Then finally Boxing Day at M's parents for a delicious turkey and ham pie with all the trimmings. Even Casper enjoys Christmas as he always gets a treat of a prawn in exchange for a photo with the Christmas hat.

The exchanging of presents is my favourite part of Christmas. Seeing people's faces as the paper is ripped off to reveal something you spent hours agonising over and traipsing the streets for is worth every minute. And receiving lovely pressies too of course. I got some lovely pressies this year. Here are some of the best ones:

From my parents, a handbag and a cute little Alessi wine stopper for those unfinished bottles of wine (which, er, is a rare occurrence in our house but it looks cute anyway).

From M, some great DVDs including Tsotsi, Coffy and the fantastic comedy series Look around You. Cds, Gwen Stefani and The second album from The Magic Numbers which I'm not sure about at the moment – certainly not as good as the first but might need a few more listens.

I hope next year's Christmas will be as good as this one but next year I must remember to do a new background for my Mum's nativity. At the moment she's still using the same one I made when I was 8! Enjoy the rest of the holidays everyone and have a great New Year!

The perfect spaghetti bolognese?

2006-12-12T23:40:00.000Z

We've seen him attempt to produce the perfect bangers and mash, the perfect pizza and the perfect roast chicken. Tonight's episode of Heston Blumenthal's In Search of Perfection was the one I'd been looking forward to the most - the perfect spaghetti bolognese. I sneered at the thought and even said to my Mum 'I bet it's not as good as mine'. Yeah ok, so I'm a bit arrogant. But my ragu is damn good if I may say so myself. It's based on Delia Smith's but with a few extra additions like carrots, celery and milk.

Famous for his snail porridge and bacon and egg ice cream, Heston's restaurant The Fat Duck in Bray was voted best restaurant in the world in 2005 and the previous year it was awarded its third Michelin star. Not bad.

He's been described as a 'culinary alchemist' for his innovative style of cooking. His scientific approach to food involves researching molecular compounds of dishes in order to understand flavour. The lengths he goes to with his dishes seem totally ridiculous. Everything he cooks seem to involve slow cooking, plunging in water, cooking again, measuring the temperature with an expensive themometre and cooking again. But I wouldn't mind trying some of his dishes. He puts a lot of effort into it and he always uses the best ingredients.

Tonight's episode however had me in shock. It must have had every Italian in the country recoilling in horror. Here's a brief description of what he did.

Fry onion, carrots, celery, brown oxtail. Deglaze pan with white wine, add together and cook for six hours.

Meanwhile make a tomato compote. Fry onions and garlic, then add skinned and deseeded tomatoes. Put coriander seeds, cloves and star anise in a muslin and add to compote. Next add Worcester sauce, tobasco, ketchup, sherry vinegar, thyme, bay leaf and Thai fish sauce. Cook for 1 hour.
Fry the compote in olive oil, drain, add to ragu and cook for another 2 hours. Just before serving, add tarragon, parsley and celery leaves. Season to taste, add more sherry vinegar and butter.

At this point he wraps the cooked spaghetti around a meat fork, snips of the excess bits and puts it on a plate with the sauce on top - it looked more like a kebab of spaghetti that the simple dish it's supposed to be!

This recipe should be about simplicity - a simple process using simple ingredients. I can understand the use of star anise to a certain point as it's supposed to enhance the flavour of the meat. But fish sauce? Coriander seeds?

I find him irritating, but there's something likeable about this guy. I'd love to eat his mashed potato which he cooks first in the skin. I'd jump at the chance to try his roasted chicken, cooked for 4 hours to perfection. He has 3 Michelin stars and there has to be a reason.

But I'm sceptical about this bolognese recipe. I like the idea of cooking it for a long time, and I'm not against adding a few unorthodox ingredients like a bit of Worcester sauce for example. But I don't like the idea of adding Asian and Thai ingredients to a classic Italian dish.

I love his passion for food and the lengths he goes to in order to find perfection. He even went to Italy to find the restaurant that made the best bolognese in Bologna.

I hope he keeps on doing what he's doing, but I really would ask him to do one thing - lay off the Italian food.

In Praise of....

2006-12-07T15:01:00.000Z

....the Kotlet

Or Cotoletta alla milanese as we like to call it in Italy and from where it's thought to have originated. Milan to be precise and I think it's about time Milan got some credit.

The Austrians call it Weiener Schnitzel, the Poles Kotlet Schabowy. Even the Japanese like it too and call it Tonkatsu. It's popular in Sweden, Australia and Korea. They have a version called Milanesas in Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay and other Latin American countries such as Mexico and Brazil. It seems everyone has a version!

It's basically more or less the thing everywhere. Meat coated in eggs and breadcrumbs and then fried - the only thing that changes is the meat. Some use beef, veal, chicken or pork and the original cotoletta alla Milanese has to be veal with the bone in. In Austria there are fast food chains that serve mostly schnitzels. Now that's my kind of fast food.

Mike will often ask me what I fancy for dinner and I'll usually say the same thing. Its great comfort food in the winter served with sweet potato mash and great in the summer with a salad. On our trip to Poland last year we had it at least three times. It's unavoidable really as it's one of Poland's national dishes which you'll find on almost every menu. My family in Italy often have it on a Sunday with pattatine fritte (homemade fries) in summer and in winter.

We had it last night with sweet potato mash and ratatouille. It's so easy to make. You just need to bash out the meat until it's nice and flat, dip in a beaten egg, then breadcrumbs and fry.

Understatement of the Year

2006-12-05T13:35:00.000Z

Rose West: 'I was never a good parent'

The Sun has reported today that serial killer Rose West has broken off all contact with her three remaining children in a letter she wrote from jail in the summer.

West (53) had kept in touch with her surviving children Mae, Anne-Marie and Stephen despite the fact that she was jailed in 1995 for killing 10 young women with husband Fred. Their victims included her own daughter Heather (16) and stepdaughter Charmaine (8) who were buried in the cellar of their home.

It is thought that West decided to cut all ties when daughter Mae began asking questions about the murders.

In the letter she apologised and said 'I cannot be something different now. Too much has happened and too much damage has been done'. She ended the letter by saying 'I truly do not have the skills to be a parent and although I am sad and ashamed of this it is something that has to be accepted.'

I think it's safe to say that parenting skills are definitely not her strongest point.

I wonder if Kathy Burke's character in Gimme Gimme Gimme was based on Rose West?

A Greek tragedy comes to an end

2006-11-30T14:24:00.000Z

Oh spare me the tears.

Remember my post from exactly two months ago with these very words?

"Looking back, the whole episode was actually quite funny and I can console myself with the fact that in a few months time, the "Greek Restaurant" sign will probably be replaced with a "To Let".

Well would you believe it! It's up for sale.

Red Road (2006)

2006-11-24T15:29:00.000Z

Cert 18

On a tough Glaswegian housing estate where grim tower blocks dominate the skyline, Jackie (Kate Dickie), a CCTV operator, spends her day watching multi-screen footage of people going about their business from her multitude of cameras. All seems pretty normal until she spots a man from her past who we eventually learn was involved in the death of her husband and child. Jackie soon becomes obssessed with Clyde, played by Tony Curran, and begins to follow him with revenge in mind.

Red Road, the Cannes jury prize-winning thriller also won five awards at the Scottish Baftas, including best actress for Kate Dickie, best actor for Tony Curran, best Screenplay and best film. Andrea Arnold picked up awards for best director and best screenplay.

Red Road was Arnold's feature-length debut, having previously won an Oscar for her short film Wasp in 2003. She caused controversy when she forewent the traditional thank you speech, declaring the win as "the dog's bollocks".

Likened to Michael Haneke's style of atmoshpere and tension, Red Road builds gently. It feeds us information gradually which makes the film seem slow at times, but this only adds to the intensity. The wordless scenes where Jackie spies on Clyde make the atmosphere uncomfortable but at the same time compelling as Jackie's camera pans in on her pray. The extremely raw and graphic sex scene between Jackie and Clyde is not only disturbing for the seedy surrounding of Clyde's bedroom, but for the fact that Jackie actually seems to enjoy it.

The ending is slightly unsatisfying, but Red Road is still an intelligent thriller with gritty and realistic acting from the two lead performances - a fine debut.

a.c.t's back in the kitchen...

2006-11-17T15:01:00.000Z

....check it our over at Beggar's Banquet

Should they stay or should they go?

2006-10-27T15:58:00.000+01:00

Oh how I love the month of March. Beautiful spring flowers begin to appear, signaling the beginning of Spring with summer just round the corner.

It is also the month I was born. Nothing wrong with that, of course because I get lots of lovely presents. It is bad however, because I've been cursed with having the star sign of Pisces - the most indecisive of all the astrological signs. This trait has been an affliction for as long as I can remember. Don't even bother asking me to make a decision about anything, because I just can't. Now I'm not one to usually believe in this mumbo jumbo, but 'indecisive and complacent' is what they call our kind and indecisive and complacent is what I am.

Which brings me to my point. I had a pair of green Converse All Star when I was 14 and I loved them. I bought a black pair last week, took them home, tried them on and decided I didn't like them. So back to the shop they went. The whole of the next week was spent staring lovingly at peoples' canvas clad feet whilst asking myself why they looked better on everyone else. And why they made me look like a clown? I spent an hour trying on various shades of khaki yesterday and then decided against them. Today I decided it had gone too far and I bought the above pair. I love them. I love the colour. I' m sitting here as I type with one shoe on, exhausted after having tried them on with almost every item in my wardrobe. Something is telling me no, yet I know if I took them back, I would want them again.

Is it because everybody else seems to have them? I don't know. I need your help dear bloggers. Do you like them? Are they cool? But ultimately I want to know, should they stay or should they go? I have until tomorrow afternoon to decide so the decision is in your hands.

Tales from Lisbon # 3 -The Beach & things that live in the sea

2006-10-16T13:43:00.000+01:00

Oceanário de Lisboa

If you like sea life, a visit to Europe's largest Oceanarium is an absolute must. It's inhabited by 16,000 animals and plants and based around four smaller aquaria, displaying the fauna and flora of the Atlantic, the Pacific, the Indian Ocean and Antarctic. We spent hours with our noses pressed against the glass, entranced by menacing sharks, enormous tunas, cute penguins and cuddly Otters. The central tank is visible throughout the Oceanarium and holds an incredible 4 million litres of water.

The Beach

We went to the beach three times in the week that we stayed and we were spoilt for choice. There are some great beaches in Lisbon, only a 30-40 minute train ride from the Cais do Sodré station in the centre. On our first trip to the beach, we visited Cacsais, a popular tourist resort and former fishing port, it has several small beaches in and around town and lots of lovely shops and restaurants.

For our last two visits,we opted for Estoril. As soon as you step off the train, you walk through a tunnel and you're on the beach. I prefered the fact that there were virtually no shops, only a handful of restaurants and bars along the beach giving it more of a sense of isolation.
Estoril is famous for its casino, the inspiration for the casino gambling scene and title for the Ian Fleming's novel 'Casino Royale'.

I couldn't resist taking a photo of the man behind us wearing white socks.

He should have been wearing these

A Perfect Sunday

2006-10-09T14:20:00.000+01:00

Sunday is the most miserable day of the week for most. A constant reminder that Monday is fast approaching - back to work and no more lie-ins. The only way to get over it is to prolong the weekend with some lovely food, lots of drink and a good film.

Yesterday I made bruschetta with tomatoes and garlic, roast beef, roast potatoes and a rocket salad with red onions and pine nuts.

Bruschetta con pomodoro

For the bruschetta topping, I chopped some fresh tomatoes out of my Mum's garden, garlic, olive oil, basil, salt and pepper. It'll probably be the last time I'll be using fresh tomatoes until next summer even though they'll be selling them all year round in the supermarkets.

Roast Potatoes with rosemary

I always boil the potatoes first and then shake them around in the pan before I roast them so they break up and get nice and fluffy on the outside (great little tip from Jamie Oliver). Put them in a roasting tin with olive oil, plenty of salt, a sprig of rosemary and some some whole garlic gloves. Roast for an hour and a half to two hours until crispy.

Green salad with rocket, red onion and toasted pinenuts

Cut a large red onion into six and fry in plenty of olive oil until soft. Mix with the salad, toasted pinenuts and balsamic vinegar.

Is there really anything better than a roast and a nice bottle of red on a Sunday afternoon?

Tales from Lisbon # 2 -About Town

2006-10-03T13:50:00.000+01:00

Lisbon has hundreds of museums from military to puppets, tiles to electricity but we didn't set foot in a single one. Apart from the fact that the weather was too nice to be stuck indoors in a stuffy old building, Lisbon is the kind of city you can just walk around with no particular destination in mind. We explored the whole city on foot, only occasionally jumping on a tram when too exhausted to tackle the steep hills. And Lisbon is very hilly. On our first night, the funicular to the Barrio Alto was out of order so we foolishly walked all the way to the top - it was so steep that with each step I took I thought I was going to slide back down again.

Our hotel was in a perfect position between the two main squares Restauradores and Rossio. The road which we had to walk down to get everywhere was full of touristy restaurants - you know, the ones with pictures of food and the menu in 10 different languages? Brushing aside the menus which were constantly shoved in our faces by over zealous waiters was like swatting flies. We spent many a happy hour looking for a good restaurant, preferably full of locals. We'd trawl the streets diving into the odd bar for a capirinhia and continue our mission. Unfortunately for being so fastidious, there is a price to pay. The food would probably always be good but the menu indecipherable. I thought I'd easily get by knowing Italian and a bit of Spanish but I was wrong. Some of the words sound nothing like the foreign languages I was more accustomed to using. For example, ementa is menu, frango is chicken, jantar, dinner, mexilhao, mussel, lula, squid, fiambre, ham, bife, steak but not necessarily beef. Huh? We would spend the first 10 minutes passing the trusty Time Out guide (open on the menu page) under the table to each other.

The chances of a romantic tete - a - tete in these places were slim as the tables were always pushed so far together you could be forgiven for mistaking your neighbour's plate for your own. It was in the restaurants that I noticed how similar the Portuguese are to the Italians. Hunched over their food they would chatter noisily and gesticulate animatedly whilst tackling their food. We had to almost shout across the table to be heard.

One thing I always try to do in a foreign country is speak as little English as possible. We found the first couple of days slighly intimidating, but by day three I was speaking confidently in a hybrid of Italian, Spanish and Portuguese - people seemed to understand me and that's the main thing.

The number 28 creeps up the hill...

...to Sé Catedral

Torre de Belem

Rossio Square

Largo do Carmo

Castelo São Jorge from Restauradores

Elevador de Bica

A Greek Tragedy

2006-09-30T13:04:00.000+01:00

The sight of a new restaurant popping up always brings a certain amount of excitement to our house. Finsbury Park is already a culinary melting pot with cuisine from various parts of the globe; Caribbean, Indian, Turkish, Chinese, Columbian, Thai, good ol' fish and chips and even an Ethiopian which we're yet to try. As yesterday was pay day, I thought I'd treat us to a takeaway from the new Greek place down the road. We spent ages poring over the menu, in stitches over the ridiculous typos and descriptions. Some of the menu gaffes were as follows:

Green Olives Special crack, tsakkistes
Lamb Kleftiko Slow cooked beef in the oven
Dolmades Vine leaves staffed with mince pork
Tavas Traditional Cyprus dish consisted of meat cubes, chopped potatoes, onionomatoes, and onions

We thought we'd phone ahead and order but after finding the number constantly engaged for more than fifteen minutes (I joked that one of the chefs would be on the phone to one of their relatives in Greece), I decided to walk down there myself. The first thing I noticed as I walked into the restaurant was that it was empty, bar one table which I realised was occupied by the staff. When I mentioned the phone being engaged, guilty looks were exchanged - turns out I was right after all. I ordered Lamb Kleftiko with roast potatoes for Mike and Lamb Souvla for me which they didn't have, so I had to settle for Lamb Cutlets instead. They told me it would take half an hour which made me wonder who long it would take if the restaurant was busy.

I went back half an hour later to find the restarant still empty of customers, while all five staff attended to our food. I got home and left Mike to open the boxes of food while I washed my hands. I heard a loud gasp coming from the kitchen so I shouted "what's it like?" Silence. I shouted the same question again to which Mike replied "Oh my God". I hurried to the kitchen where two polystyrene boxes lay open containing something which was supposed to be food. Mine was three scraggy bits of lamb with a few soggy chips and Mike's was two scraggy bits of lamb with four boiled potatoes. I'd paid £14.50 for this!? I immediately put my coat back on and trudged back to the restaurant a third time while Mike went to get pizza. I refused to let him come with me, my track record of receiving refunds about 100% so I was feeling confident.

What happened next was a bit of a blur. To put it mildly, my request for a refund did not go down well. When I told them that the potatoes were not roasted but boiled, it went down even less well. Arguments ensued, insults exchanged. "Are you a chef?" one of them asked me. "Are you Greek?". I certainly am neither, but could give their overpriced tat a run for it's money. At one point, the 'chef' threatened to call the police and screamed "I been a chef for twelve years" as she hysterically punched random numbers into the phone. I phoned Mike to tell him what was going on and when I'd finished speaking to him one of them asked me "Who sent you?". I didn't know what to say to this ridiculous question. I told them I wasn't surprised that their restaurant was empty on a Friday night and that this was no way to treat a customer. I left with a bruised ego and an empty wallet. Mike spotted the steam coming out of my ears down the end of road before he saw me. I threatened to take the 'roast potato' to Trading Standards.

Do those potatoes look roasted to you?

The next day is a different story - I've learnt my lesson. I should have recognised that the poor attention to detail on the menu would extend itself to the food. If a restaurant can't be bothered to make an effort with the minor details then they just can't be bothered. I've realised that their hysterical reaction was because they knew they were a sinking ship. Looking back, the whole episode was actually quite funny and I can console myself with the fact that in a few months time, the "Greek Restaurant" sign will probably be replaced with a "To Let".

Romios Magirion - 21 Crouch Hill, London N4 4AP
Rating: 0/10

What's Cookin'?

2006-09-27T11:07:00.000+01:00

Head on over to the Beggar's Banquet to find out.

Tales from Lisbon # 1 - Back in the Saddle

2006-09-20T11:17:00.000+01:00

Welcome to part one of three in my short series of holiday tales.

After my fishbone nightmare, I couldn't even look at a fish the same way for about a month - I felt betrayed. I'd always considered myself a foodie; experimental and daring in my quest for the ultimate food hit. So to be put off by a mere fishbone stuck in the throat was more than I could take. If only I could have said I'd had a near death experience after eating Fogu, the notorious Japanese Blowfish. Instead, I forlornly had to explain to friends and colleagues that it had resulted from eating boring old fish and chips in a mediocre pub. So I wasn't going to let it beat me.

As soon as we arrived in Lisbon, we dropped off our bags at the hotel and began the first of many searches to find a good restaurant. We had decided to try a recommended local neighbourhood restaurant and I was really looking forward to my first foray with fish again. The menu was in Portuguese so we struggled to work out what everything was and eventually beaten by hunger, decided to take our chances and order the famous baccalaut. My plate arrived with a piece of salt cod swimming in a sauce adorned with rings of onions and slices of egg. I smiled politely at the waitress. I wasn't going to be put off. After all, looks aren't everything are they? I cut off a piece and put it in my mouth. "What's it like?" Mike asked me. "A bit salty" I replied. A bit salty!! I felt as though I'd just swallowed a bucket of seawater. I didn't want to put a dampner on our first day so I played it down. Afterwards we both admitted it was pretty grim.

So my first experience with fish in Portugal wasn't the best, although it did get better. Over the next seven days we tried prawns, lobster, cockles, mussels, sardines. Boar, rabbit, prawns, pork, spit roasted chicken and chips, chips, chips, chips and chips. On some evenings we had rice on the plate with chips. That made a nice change.

The Sardines were delicious but a bit of an ordeal.

We ordered them overlooking the sea in the lovely coastal town of Estorill. They arrived whole and we had to chop the heads off and remove the bones and guts of twelve of them. At this point I was feeling very nervous......It took lots of chewing and lots of beer to wash it down but we got there in the end.

Before

After

Our favourite area of Lisbon was the Barrio Alto. Packed full of restaurants and cool bars, it's far the best area to go out in the evening. We went there in the daytime and only had a few scrawny cats for company. But in the evening it was completely unrecognisable. It looked as though the residents had their doors wide open, until we looked inside and saw yet another funky little bar. We sipped Caipirinhas and wandered through the packed streets listening to soulful Portuguese Fado music drift through the windows.

Caipirinha, the traditional Brazilian drink prepared with cachaça our favourite cocktail. We never paid more than €5 and we even found a bar that did it for €2, so we drank as much as we could knowing how much it costs back home. If you can get hold of a bottle of cachaça, it's worth making at home.

INGREDIENTS
1 lime quartered
1 tablespoon of sugar
A liberal slug of cachaça
1 Cup of ice cubes

PREPARE:
Place the lime and sugar in the bottom of a glass.
Using a rolling pin , crush and mash the limes until all the juice has been extracted.
If you have an ice-crushing machine, consider yourself lucky. Otherwise, put the ice cubes in a plastic bag and bash with a hammer until crushed. Pour the cachaça over the ice. Stir well.

Diagnosis: Fishbone

2006-08-09T09:32:00.000+01:00

Thanks to all the people who have been asking where I was. I haven't been on holiday, just taking a short break from blogging to concentrate on writing short stories as blogging has been dominating my life of late. Monday was such an eventful day however, I just couldn't resist writing about it.

We both had the day off, so decided to spend a day at the seaside in Whistable, Kent. We started the day with a lovely walk along the beach followed by a visit to Wheelers Oyster Bar where we sampled 1/2 dozen Whistable oysters followed by 1/2 dozen Scottish oysters. By the time we left, the rain had started to come down heavily, so we retreated into the nearest pub and read the papers over a pint. Feeling hungry again, we found a pub which did fish and chips. Our food arrived and I discarded a couple of bones towards the end. I sighed with satisfaction and contemplated my final mouthful of fish when I felt a bone stuck in the back of my throat. I leapt off my stool almost knocking a man over who was standing at the games machine behind me. I spent the next 15 minutes heaving and retching in the toilets trying to get the damn thing out of my throat, but it wasn't budging. We decided to find the nearest Boots and ask their advice. Mike eventually went to the counter on his own as I refused to go with him - I felt mortally embarrassed about saying that I had a fishbone stuck in my throat. The idea seemed comical and tantamount to saying "I slipped on a banana skin". I told him I'd wait nearby and he said "what do you want me to tell them, that my girlfriend is standing by the Rimmel?". It was a fair point and I started to laugh and then almost immediately ran outside and demanded that he go in by himself. I was hysterical and started crying.

They pointed us in the direction of the health clinic which was ten minutes away. We must have looked ridiculous walking down the street, me red-eyed, gulping water, Mike slapping my back. We arrived at the clinic and they saw me straight away. The nurse looked in my throat, said she couldn't see it, told me to eat some bread and sent me away. I was relieved to know I was out of danger. I slept most of the way home, exhausted from coughing. When we arrived home, I looked in the mirror and noticed the offending bone sticking out to the right of my tonsil. Panic struck and we decided to go the hospital to have it removed. I only had to wait half an hour and didn't even open the book I had sitting on my lap. The entertainment came in the form of a certain 'celebrity' with a busted nose who was waiting to be seen and it wasn't the first time his nose had got him into trouble. I was seen by a doctor who attempted to remove the bone with long tweezers. Just as he was about to grab it, I gagged and the bone was lost. I waited for him while he went to get a second opinion - I was thinking about getting home in time to watch my favourite Australian comedy, Kath and Kim. It wasn't to be. They told me I had to go to the ear, nose and throat hospital and this is where the real horror began.

We walked through the doors of the hospital and went to reception. The first thing I noticed was a 1960s style digital date/ clock on the wall. The furniture was hideously dated. We went up in a creaky lift, through dark corridors to Ward B where we were greeted by a very strange doctor. He had a maniacal look about him and when he spoke, he sounded like he had inhaled helium. As he examined my notes, I looked out of the corner of my eye to see an elderly person's 'tube' being emptied into a plastic cup. I tried to ignore the groans and ruffles of knees rubbing against starched sheets but I couldn't and it was making me feel more and more uncomfortable.

The doctor who was accompanied by a nurse escorted me in the staff lift to the next floor and Mike was told sternly to take the stairs. As I rode up in the creaky lift, I had images of the doors opening onto a deserted corridor and being escorted to an abandoned operating theatre and subjected to hours of horrific medical experiments. I was told to sit in a dentist type chair whilst I watched the doctor strap a ridiculously large circle shaped mirror to his head. His eye peered at me through a hole in the middle - he looked like a demented Cyclops. I opened my mouth and stuck my tongue out whilst he prodded it with an L-shaped metal instrument. I flinched from the pain but the doctor ignored it and continued to prod. The fishbone was nowhere to be seen. Puzzled as to the whereabouts of the bone, the doctor told me he would like to inspect more closely with a camera which would involve sticking a tube up my nose which - in his words - 'isn't very nice'. I felt sick and broke out in a cold sweat. I protested and told them that I'd really rather not. The doctor said that it would be a shame not too, seeing as I'd gone all that way. I couldn't help feeling that he wanted to do it for the sake of it. I was thinking that it couldn't have been that important if the nurse in the clinic had sent me home earlier on. He warned me that if the bone got stuck in my throat, it could cause an abscess. I was starting to consider it more seriously now, so I asked him what the camera felt like, to which he replied in the most ridiculous feminine voice, 'I don't know, I've never had it done'. That decided it for me if nothing else had. I'm sure a caveman would have had more people skills. I offered a compromise by saying that if I felt the slightest pain I would go back and have it done the next day. We left at 11.00 in the evening, the fishbone mystery unsolved and my nostrils still intact. Thankfully my throat has felt fine since.

This couldn't have happened at a worse time. I have exactly one month to go before visiting Lisbon, one of the seafood capitals of Europe. At the moment, the thought of sardines and baccalau makes me shiver and I don't think I ever want to see cod again. I did have food poisoning once from eating salmon and that didn't put me off for life, so hopefully I'll be over it soon. There is however, a valuable lesson to be learned out of all of this - if you get a fishbone stuck in your throat, don't bother going to hospital.

Five Things.....

2006-07-24T21:49:00.000+01:00

Tag, I'm it! Compliments of Susan in Italy

Five Things in my Freezer

1. A jar of freshly frozen basil
2. Half a baguette
3. Soft scoop ice-cream
4. Frozen peas
5. Ice cubes of course

Five Things in my Closet

1. 5 pairs of flip flops
2. Tiger - my scraggy old toy that I've had since I was 4
3. A photo album of Australia
4. My massive winter parka that takes up half of the wardrobe
5. Football shirts - Italy/Arsenal

Five Things in my Car

I don't have one, hurrah!

Five Things in my Purse (I think this means handbag - if a purse is a handbag in the US, then what's a purse?)

1. Foldable hairbrush
2. Lip gloss
3. Keys
4. Random bits of useless paper/receipts
5. My purse (Susan has a purse within a purse)

And the Lucky Five .........

1. * (Asterisk) at A Blog about Nowt
2. Hang the DJ at oohisay
3. Martha at Notions on Being
4. Red at Red-Letter Day
5. Spangly Princess at er, Spangly Princess

'You're invited to the party of the decade....'

2006-07-21T10:41:00.000+01:00

....and it was the best party I've been to in some time. If you've never heard of Dave Chappelle (as I hadn't) he's one of the funniest and apparently, richest comedians in the US. Dave Chappelle's Bloc Party, directed by Michel Gondry of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, follows the comedian around his home town of Ohio and New York as he organises a free concert in Brooklyn. He invites just about everyone he sees managing to persuade a black college marching band, white people, old people and middle aged women who all find it very difficult to resist his charm. The concert was free and all concert goers were told to meet at a secret location in Chinatown, where they were taken by bus to the concert location in Brooklyn, which was also a secret.

The music is amazing and I think it's a winner even if you don't like hip hop, with performances from Kanye West, Erykah Badu, Mos Def, Common, The Roots and Jill Scott amongst others. Hip Hop somehow sounds ten times better when it's live and accompanied by live instruments. The aggressiveness is somehow toned down by the live music.

One of the best moments for me was during a performance by Erykah Badu when her huge afro threatens to blow off in the wind and she rips it off leaving her looking vulnerable and almost a different person in her short cropped hair. It contradicted the image of her as a (sometimes too) serious performer. The highlight however was when The Roots performed 'You Got Me' accompanied by Jill Scott and Erykah Badu, two of the best female voices around.

The film would have done well to finish at that point, as the disappointment for me came with an appearance from a reunion of The Fugees singing together for the first time in seven years. Lauren Hill singing 'Killing me Softly' was indeed heart-rendering, but I just felt that the concert was slightly tarnished by ending with a hugely commercial band.

Overall, it's a perfect mix of visual delight, great music, backstage interviews and brilliant humour. It reminded me of Spike Lee's 'Do the Right Thing' whilst making me want to go to New York there and then. Jamie Bernard from New York Daily News sums it up perfectly: "Once in a great while there's a movie that's so funny, infectious and welcoming - a movie that makes you feel so good about America and the people in it - you just want to climb inside the screen and live there."

Recipe of the week # 8 - Spaghetti Aglio Olio e Pepperoncino con cipolla

2006-07-19T11:36:00.000+01:00

Spaghetti with garlic, oil, chilli and onions

We arrived back late on Sunday night hungry and tired after visiting my parents in Leicester. The coach was delayed so by the time we got back it was too late to cook anything elaborate so this was the obvious choice; spaghetti, chili and olive oil is something we always have in the house. It's the quickest pasta dish to make, rarely found on a restaurant menu for its simplicity and one of my favourites as pasta is the main ingredient. It's great comfort food, great after a night out, wel,l great anytime really.
The sauce is delicate and complements the spaghetti - I hate it when pasta is served drowned in a sauce. I think this is something that people often don't understand.

Although it's not part of the traditional recipe, I use an onion which works really well and gives extra flavour. The use of Parmesan cheese has sometimes been a bone of contention in our family as I like it, whereas my Italian family say it doesn't go. I can't see why it doesn't, it's not fish is it?

Despite this dishes simplicity, it can be quite easy to get wrong. The pasta should be good quality, preferably De Cecco or Barilla which is my personal favourite as it's the pasta my Nonna always used. It should be served al dente and the garlic shouldn't be burnt or it will give it a bitter taste. The final result is pasta heaven; every spaghetti strand will be coated with delicious flavoured oil. Here's my version:

What you need:

Spaghetti
1 x finely sliced onion
Olive oil
1 x finely chopped fresh red chilli (you can also use dried)
2 x finely sliced cloves garlic

Cook the spaghetti in boiling salted water. Meanwhile fry the onion and garlic until slightly browned along with the chili in about half a cup of olive oil (I don't know the exact measurement but the oil should be enough to generously coat the spaghetti). Drain the pasta and mix with the sauce. The more you cook this, you'll probably come up with your own modifications depending on your taste.

30 years on and still a classic....

2006-07-14T10:38:00.000+01:00

Today marks the 30th anniversary re-release of director Martin Scorsese's cult classic Taxi Driver. It explores the mentally unstable, lonely, Vietnam war Veteran cab driver Travis Bickle (De Niro) as he becomes obsessed with office worker (Cybill Shepherd) and tries to rescue 12-year old prostitute Iris (Jodie Foster) from her pimp (Harvey Keitel). Foster who had previously worked for Scorsese on Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore (1974), underwent psychological tests to see if she could cope with being in the film. The film is accompanied by a memorable sleazy saxophone score by Bernard Herrmann who also provided the music for Kill Bill Vol 1, Psycho and Vertigo which stays in my mind for days after I've watched it.

Paul Schrader the scriptwriter was interviewed in London recently and talked about how he was 26 and penniless when he wrote the script. "At the time I wrote it, I was in a rather low and bad place," Schrader says. "I had broken with Pauline [Kael], I had broken with my wife, I had broken with the woman I left my wife for, I had broken with the American Film Institute and I was in debt." Amazing how out of such a depressed mind, came something so brilliant, so genius.

The film caused controversy when on March 30 1981, John Hinckley Jr, who had become obsessed with the film and had been stalking Foster, attempted to assassinate US president Ronald Reagan in a bid to impress her. The day Reagan was actually shot, Schrader, Scorsese and De Niro were questioned by the FBI. Schrader admits to lying to them as he had asked his secretary to throw away a letter he had previously received from Hinkley asking if he could meet Foster.

Although the film was nominated for four Academy Awards nominations (without recognition for director Scorsese, screenwriter Paul Schrader, or cinematographer Michael Chapman), Best Picture, Best Actor (Robert De Niro), Best Supporting Actress (Jodie Foster), and Best Original Score (Bernard Herrmann) - all were unrewarded. Even if it didn't impress the judges, it will always be an Oscar winner in my mind.

Recipe of the week # 7 - Roast Sea Bass with Capers and Lemon

2006-07-12T12:30:00.000+01:00

As I've mentioned before, we've been having a lot of fish recently as the fishmonger is only a few steps away. Everytime I walk past, I stare through the window and watch the glassy eyes staring back at me as I contemplate which fish to try next. Fish is so summery, it reminds me of Italian holidays where we'd watch my Uncle's brother from the beach as he'd catch grey mullet from the pier and eat his catches that same day, and Thailand where delicious big red snappers were grilled on an open barbecue.

This recipe by Giorgio Locatelli is one of the best fish dishes I've ever had. It's so fragrant with the amazing flavours of bay leaf and lemon accompanied by capers.

I couldn't stand the site of capers until recently, but now I love them. I didn't mind them in salsa tonnata (tuna sauce usually an accompaniment to veal) where they're whizzed up into a sauce and you can't see them, but these little green things on their own made me feel rather queasy. I tried them again recently in a Puttanesca Sauce and now I love them.

I was dying to try sea bass after seeing Gordon Ramsey hold one aloft on The F-Word, declaring it a delicacy, extraordinary, robust and delicate. I wasn't disappointed, it really was all of those things.

2006-07-10T08:43:00.000+01:00

A.C.T has just finished reading....

2006-07-08T10:12:00.000+01:00

Will Self must have been on drugs when he wrote this brilliantly bizarre collection of short stories. I spent the whole time trying to read this book on the tube with it on my lap or with my hand over the cover so as not to invite strange looks from my fellow commuters.

The cover is taken from a piece of art called Little Death (Castrated) currently at the Tate Modern where a pink dildo, connected to a brain by a white tube, balances precariously on a piece of wood. The book cover has since changed to a more disappointing sober design with a car and a beach. I definitely prefer this one, despite it making for uncomfortable reading.

"Story for Europe", about a two year old toddler from London who speaks only business German, and "Flytopia" about a man that rejects his wife for a group of insects are just a couple of examples of the absurdly hilarious stories in this book.

He goes against all the rules of contemporary writing; his stories are splattered with adverbs, and repetiton. His use of metaphors and imagery are sometimes over the top, but it doesn't matter because it works. He also seems to have a penchant for certain words like 'myriad' and uses different characters called Dave throughout. Absurdly , several of the characters also seem to enjoy lounging around in 'terry-toweling' .

My favourite story is "caring, sharing", set in future New York where adults' emotional needs are met by placid, childlike giants called 'Emotos', although there are not what they seem. The final story "The Nonce Prize", a follow on from the opening story, is a chilling tale about a black crack dealer framed for the murder of a child, the victim of pederasts. The scene where the child is found dismembered, dressed only in a Toy Story T-shirt is both brutal and shocking. If you still have the stomach to carry on reading, the main character's struggle to win a short story prize is moving and at times very funny. The final twist is totally unexpected and will leave you wanting to read more.

Recipe of the week # 6 - Mike's homemade burgers

2006-07-05T16:19:00.000+01:00

I'm not exaggerating when I say that these burgers are ten times better than the disgusting ones get in a supermarket. Unhealthy and stuffed full of every ingredient other than meat, when you cook them it leaves you and your kitchen stinking like a roadside cafe`. If everyone knew how simple they were to make, I'm sure they would never buy another value burger again.

How to make them:

500 g beef mince
1/2 Onion
1 egg
a handful of breadcrumbs
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Salt & Pepper to taste

Mix all the ingredients together with your hands in a bowl and make into flat burger shapes. If the consistency is too wet, add a few more breadcrumbs. The mixture should stick together easily without falling apart. If you don't have a George Foreman grill already, you should definitely get one as they take literally 5 minutes. If you haven't, then grill them under a normal grill. That's all there is to it.

A.C.T has just finished reading....

2006-07-01T14:00:00.000+01:00

The Blue-Eyed Salaryman, an engaging account of an Irish man's experiences in a Japanese company has only fuelled my fascination with this strange and intriguing country. Subservise films such as Visitor Q and Ichi The Killer portray the Japanese as a violent, weird and subversive race, but these films only sctratch the surface.

Niall Murtagh spent years travelling around the world, sleeping in parks and travelling from Casablanca to Martinique for four months on a cement yacht. When he got the opportunity to study on a foreign student programme, he went back to Japan and then studied for a phD at the Tokyo Institute of Technology. After that, he went to work for Mistubishi, one of the oldest and most traditional corporations in Japan.

Salaryman is a Japanese term for white-collar worker and is associated with long working hours, low prestige in the corporate hierachy and sometimes even death from overwork. It has obvious negative connotations; one of my Japanese students who is a lawyer recently sneered at the idea of being a salaryman. The female equivalent is an OL (Office Lady).

When Murtagh started work, he was amazed by the huge rule book that he, and every new Mistubishi employee had to read. He learnt amongst other things, that good employees do not walk around with their hands in their pockets and each employee, man or woman, has a 'man-number' which should be worn at all times.

Murtagh who is called 'Murata' by his Japanese colleagues, struggled at first to get used to the bizarre rules when he was told he couldn't cycle to work unless he had a permit and then was reprimanded when he was spotted by a security guard leaving it round the corner of the building. Music marks the end of the working day, with another song marking the beginning of overtime. He was once even told off for sitting in the wrong place on a business lunch as the youngest or lowest in command should always sit nearest to the door.

When a colleague invited him for dinner, it was planned 10 weeks in advance with the following note:

Schedule for Murata-san's visit to my house
Date: 25 April
Time: 5.00pm
Meeting Place:Okurayama Station. Please wait at the central exit
If it is fine, we will walk for ten minutes to my house.
If it is raining, I will pick you up in my car.
Visiting time: 5.10 to 8.50
Return to station by 9.00
Catch 9.04 train.

However, they do enjoy themselves once in a while with an afterwork konpa where they apparently get absolutely sloshed, let off steam and talk about things they wouldn't normally dream of talking about at work. "You can say almost anything at a konpa because all will be forgotten the next morning".

My Japanese student always greets me with a stern "Hello (insert name here)" and a 'let's get down to business' attitude, but halfway through the lesson when he feels more relaxed, he opens up and starts talking animatedly about other things, usually football. I'm fascinated by this behaviour and find it endearing. It's almost English in a way, but a bit more exaggerated in the way that we can't seem to be honest without a few drinks down our necks.

Murtagh had only intended to work for Mistubishi for a short period but eventually he married a Japanese girl and ended up staying and working as a salaryman for 14 years. I'd love to visit Japan one day and spend months travelling around, although it'd be a real culture shock and would take me a while to get used to their ways. Bowing to people and not being able to blow my nose in public might be a bit strange, but I could certainly get used to slurping my noodles very loudly.

2006-06-28T08:24:00.000+01:00

The Weasel Returns to the Wood

I've had a bit of a shock this morning. I turned on my computer and as usual, looked through my favourite blogs. It's always the first thing I do. To my surprise, Wrinkled Weasel has decided that due to lack of comments he has finished blogging for good. As his entry was written at 11.44pm, I'm hoping he'd had a few too many whiskys and will change his mind.

I am really disappointed. I enjoyed reading his posts which are funny, witty, on occasions even serious, but they always made me smile. And that's the whole point surely? I know that there are only a few of us that read it and comment but we certainly were not doing it out of charity, we were doing it because we liked his posts.
On the other hand, I do understand his point about comments making us feel wanted. Wrinkled Weasel was one of the first people to comment on my blog when I first started out and it gave me encouragement and made me feel that someone out there was reading me.

Serious stuff aside, the real reason why I'm so disappointed is that I still haven't received the album 'Cheesy Continental Hits' as I was the winner of the crisp competition back in April. However, due to WW making inappropriate comments about my undergarments, I declined the prize and so it went to somebody else. After it all blew over and we made friends again, WW promised me I could still have it. I'm still waiting.

Blogging isn't always necessarily about gaining readership however, it's about expressing yourself, your opinions, your thoughts. Weasel, if you're reading this, I urge you to come back. You will be missed.

2006-06-27T00:20:00.000+01:00

Good Karma?

I wore my Italy shirt for the first time in the tournament yesterday and I was scared I'd brought them bad luck. As the end of the game neared, I really thought I'd jinxed them until Grosso won a penalty and I breathed a sigh of relief.

I love this shirt. It's by far the classiest design and it's the one the Azzurri wore in the world cup in 2002 when they lost unfairly to South Korea, then coached by Guus Hiddink.

Guus Hiddink is now the coach of Australia and according to him, "If you see the replay, there is no doubt (Grosso's fall) wasn't a penalty." Really?

Remember this?

What goes around, comes around.

2006-06-23T15:43:00.000+01:00

Recipe of the Week # 5
Asparagus and Courgette Frittata

That's asparagus and zucchini to our American friends.
I've decided that we should eat vegetarian at least once a week as we eat far too much meat. It's not that I think meat is bad in any way, I just don't think it's necessary to have it every day. There are loads of delicious vegetarian things, once of my favourites being parmiggiana which I'll probably write about soon. We've also been eating a lot more fish recently as we can get great fresh squid amongst other fish from our local fishmonger. Mike beat me to the recipe of the week with a Brazilian Moqueca - a delicious fish stew, so this recipe of the week limps in at second place.

This frittata is great as it's so versatile. Sometimes I put mushrooms in, red peppers or spinach and if you fancy a bit of meat, bacon is great too.

Serves 2
What you need:

5 Eggs
1 Onion
1 Medium potato cut into small cubes
7 Asparagus
1 Courgette
Parmesan
Olive oil
Salt
Pepper

Cook the asparagus in boiling water and set aside to cool. In the meantime, gently fry the onions in olive oil then add the potato and courgette and fry until soft. In a bowl, whisk the eggs, salt and pepper and add a good handful of parmesan. Chop the asparagus into small pieces and add to the pan. Add the egg mixture and cook on a medium heat for a about 10 minutes. Add some more parmesan to the top and put the pan under the grill until slightly browned on top. Serve with a green salad.

2006-06-23T11:46:00.000+01:00

"Just call me Dylan. Mister Dog sounds pretty stupid."

I shifted uncomfortably in my seat and peered sheepishly over the pages to find what seemed like hundreds of pairs of eyes staring in my direction. A grown woman reading a comic? Had I have been in Italy of course, nobody would've batted an eyelid as I was reading Dylan Dog, one of the most popular comics in Italy.

Created by author and journalist
Tiziano S clavi, the comic made its debut in October 1986 with ' L'alba dei morti viventi' (Dawn of the Living Dead). The stories are intelligent and funny, appealing to both adults and children. A cross between Magnum P.I. and the X-files, Dylan Dog is an 'investigator of nightmares' taking on cases of the inexplicable and paranormal, often having to deal with serial killers, werewolves, vampires, zombies and even pink killer bunnies. The first artist to work on him was Claudio Villa basing his looks on actor Rupert Everett and his name comes from Sclavi's passion for Welsh poet Dylan Thomas.

Dylan is a teetotal ex-cop and ladies man who always makes time for a romance during an investigation. He drives a Beetle, plays the clarinet and makes model ships at 7 Craven Road, London (homage to director Wes Craven) where he lives with his assistant Groucho. Dylan suffers from Claustrophobia, and vertigo and is afraid of flying. In every series, he wears the same red shirt, black jacket and blue jeans which he bought several sets of after his wife died.

Groucho was once a Groucho Marx impersonator and his character became his own personality. He makes the tea, reminds his boss when their finances are bad and always annoys Dylan (and his clients) with his bad jokes.

Another character who makes a regular appearance is Inspector Bloch, Dylan's boss when he worked for Scotland Yard. Bloch is like a Father figure to Dylan. They often work together on cases but Bloch being more rational than Dylan, often disregards his supernatural explanations.

My favourite issue is called Johnny Freak about a boy found abandoned with his limbs and organs missing. Dylan befriends the boy who is mute and can only communicate through drawings to try and solve the mystery. A story of absolute horror unfolds as Dylan discovers the truth. It's a really sad story, touching in many ways and I can read it over and over again.

In 1999, Dark Horse comics gave North Americans a rare treat by teaming up with Italian publisher Sergio Bonelli to translate and publish six issues of Dylan Dog (along with other titles Martin Mystere and Nathan Never, also popular in Italy.

"Dawn of the Living Dead" (No. 1, March 1999)
"Johnny Freak" (No. 2, April 1999)
"Memories From the Invisible World" (No. 3, May 1999)
"The Return of the Monster" (No. 4, June 1999)
"Morgana" (No. 5, July 1999)
"After Midnight" (No. 6, August 1999)

They're not the best as Groucho became 'Felix' and lost his moustache - they did this to make him look less like Groucho Marx; a shame, as that was part of his appeal. But it does give English speakers the opportunity to get lost in Dylan Dog's surreal world where policeman are still called bobbies. They're apparently really hard to get hold of, but if you can, give them a try. You won't regret it.

Thanks to The Thrilling Detective for info on UK issues.

2006-06-21T10:04:00.000+01:00

Recipe of the Week # 4

Tandoori-style chicken with vegetable pullao rice

This dish is traditionally cooked in a tandoor (clay oven) popular in northern India and Pakistan. In case you haven't got around to installing one yet, the oven will do. I used this recipe from Madhur Jaffrey, the Delia Smith of Indian cooking. I really like her and find her comforting - she reminds me of my Mum. Sometimes you'll find tandoori chicken has a bright red colour which often comes from artificial food colouring. The chicken is marinated in yogurt and various spices. This recipe tells you to marinate it for 8 - 24 hours but a couple of hours is fine if you haven't got the time. It's so simple to make and perfect if you've got some chicken in the fridge and fancy something a bit different.
We've been cooking a lot more Indian food lately and it's surprisingly not as complicated as people think. Once you have all the spices in stock, it's fairly straight forward.

The pullao rice I made to accompany it is traditionally from Northern India and can also be spelt pulao, pilaf or pillaf. The great thing about this rice is you can use any vegetables you want.

Potato and Mushroom Pullao

One cup of basmati rice
Groundnut oil
1/2 tsp brown mustard seed
1 medium finely chopped potato
7 medium finely chopped mushrooms
1/2 tsp ground turmeric
1/2 tsp garam masala
1/2 tsp very finely grated fresh root ginger
Salt
1/2 pint water

Heat the oil in a pan and add the mustard seeds. As soon as they begin to pop add the onion and fry until translucent, then add the potato, mushrooms, turmeric, garam masala and ginger and cook for about 5 minutes. Add the rice and the salt. Cook the rice, stirring for 2 minutes. Add the water and bring to the boil. Cover the pan with a lid then turn the heat to very low and cook for 25 minutes.

Serve with the tandoori chicken and naan bread.

2006-06-12T13:13:00.000+01:00

An Impossible Dream

I've come across this Visited Countries Map on various blogs, a great idea and amazing to see how little I've travelled (when I thought I'd travelled a lot). Ask most people what they would do if they won the lottery, the typical answer would usually be: buy a big house with a gym and pool, buy a new car etc. How boring is that? I can't think of anything better than leaving it all behind to travel the world. I'd love to be able to visit every country in the world before I die but, alas, I guess that's an impossibility unless I win the lottery tomorrow. I love visiting new countries. I can't think of anything more exciting than seeing new places, sampling new food and discovering new cultures.

Here are the countries I've visited:

Italy, France, Monaco, Spain, Denmark, Sweden, Croatia, Slovenia, Poland,Thailand, Australia, Singapore, United Arab Emirates, Oman, The Vatican (the smallest independent state) and San Marino (the world's second smallest republic). Sixteen countries sounds pretty impressive I must admit, but it amounts to a mere tiny 6% of the world. I won't bore you with the details of every country so I'm going to outline a few trips which really stand out for me:

First trip abroad - Lyon, France
My first trip abroad was actually Italy but at 6 months old I was too young to remember so we'll turn to France's capital of gastronomy where I spent two weeks whilst studying for my A-Level. It was my first time away from my family for a long period and was a fantastic experience (apart from the distinct lack of hygiene from my host family). I worked as a waitress in a Pizzeria for a week which was superb and I'll never forget the chef's Creme Caramel which was to die for. I also experienced my first taste of Kronenbourg - I drank a mini keg on the ferry on the way home and remember feeling distinctly queasy.
By the time I came back I was fluent. Now I've forgotten most of it but can still remember the odd useful phrase like 'Quel pu!' and 'Ou est le sapone?'.

My favourite city - Siena, Italy
I was here on my ERASMUS year abroad for a year with my mate Toni. Two British students with a big appetite for drinking and socialising in the most beautiful city in the world - perfect! I think we attended about two lectures while we were there - most of the time the classrooms were spilling out into the corridors so we couldn't even get in - and all we had to do was a dissitation at the end about our experiences. We made loads of friends - Italians and English, and sampled all the bars, pizzerias and generally anywhere you could socialise. We went back in August for the famous Palio di Siena, the bareback horse race around the piazza which is probably one of the most amazing spectacles in Europe. Siena is even more special to me as my boyfriend Mike was also at the Palio at the same time, and this was before we even knew each other.

Country I most want to return to - Thailand
Maybe it was the culture shock with it being my first visit to a country outside of Europe, but the impact of the heat and humidity when I first went out of the air conditioned airport and the smell of Bangkok is something I'll never forget. I visited the temples of Bangkok, travelled north on the train and saw the bridge on the river Kwai, took a boat to a couple of the islands where I got my divers license. The sea was the most inviting blue I've ever seen, the vegetation luscious and green and in every city, the food was amazing.

Most special holiday - Poland
We went to Krakow and Warsaw for five days and was our first holiday together. Both cities are lovely in different ways. We spent our days walking around, exploring, visiting places including the Salt Mines of Krakow and always began our evenings the same way with a shot of Zubrowka before heading out for dinner to sample some hearty Polish food. Our trip is also memorable as we were there when the Pope died and witnessed a whole nation in mourning.

By the beginning of next year I'll be able to add Portugal to the list (as we are going in September) and hopefully Germany (with a trip to Berlin around Christmas time). Other countries I really want to visit are Japan and Brazil so I'd better start saving.

create your own visited countries map

2006-06-11T21:06:00.000+01:00

Recipe of the Week # 3

Lamb Koftas with tabbouleh and tzatziki dip

The first time we had these koftas they were so good, we've had them almost every week since. They are a kind of meatball mixed with various spices, popular in Turkey and the middle east.
The word 'kofta' is derived from the Persian "koffteh", which means 'pounded meat' and can be found in various shapes and forms depending on the country. This combination of
middle eastern and mediterranean flavours makes for a perfect summer dinner.

Lamb koftas
500 g lamb mince
4 x wooden skewers
1/2 white onion
1 x tablespoon curry powder
1 x tablespoon cumin
1/2 tablespoon chili powder

Soak the skewers in cold water to prevent them from burning under the grill. Finely chop the onion and mix with the mince and spices. Shape them into cylinders and put the skewers through the centre. Grill them for about 15 minutes turning frequently.

Tabbouleh
1/4 packet bulgar wheat
1/4 red onion
1/4 cucumber
4 x cherry tomatoes
4 x sun dried tomatoes
1/2 lemon
Fresh mint
Fresh coriander
Olive oil
Salt

Soak the tabbouleh in boiling water for about 10 minutes or until soft and wait until cool. Chop the red onion, cucumber, tomatoes and sundried tomatoes and add to the bulgar wheat. Add the chopped herbs, olive oil and some oil from the sun dried tomatoes, salt and then mix it all together. Put it in the fridge to cool.

Tzatziki
200g tub greek/natural yogurt
1/4 cucumber
1 x clove garlic
1/4 lemon
Fresh mint
Salt

Peel and grate the cucumber, finely chop the garlic and the mint
and mix with the yogurt. Finally add the lemon juice and a bit of salt.

Serve it all with warm pitta or Turkish bread, a green salad and
or course, a glass of red wine.

2006-06-06T10:33:00.000+01:00

A.C.T has just finished reading.....

My first crack at a Haruki Murakami novel was the precursor to this one called A wild sheep chase. I'd barely finished reading it when I felt totally compelled to read the next one. I don't think I've ever thought about a book so much after I've finished reading one.
The story is about a nameless character who goes in search of an ex-girlfriend 'Kiki' who vanishes without a trace. Along the way he is drawn to the mysterious Dolphin Hotel and encounters various strange and interesting characters; the sheep man, a one armed poet, a depressed 13 year old girl with psychic powers and a prostitute who is murdered. Set in Japan, it's got all the elements of a perfect novel. It's funny, touching and imaginative. The images are so vivid you want to touch them and the characters are so likeable you want to know them.

I was almost tempted to pick up another of his novels after reading this one but I loved the story so much I didn't want it to be tainted by something too similar. I don't think there's any chance of that happening with Chuck Palahniuk's Choke about a sex addict who pretends to choke on food in restaurants to get money. It certainly won't be pleasant, but those vivid images of Tokyo won't go away that easily.

Recipe of the week # 2 - An offally good ragu bolognese sauce

2006-06-04T21:15:00.000+01:00

Sorry for the terrible pun, but I just couldn't resist. This gem of a recipe from Delia Smith is one of my favourite things to cook. It is time consuming as it takes quite a while to prepare and it needs to be cooked for about 3 hours but it's worth every minute. The secret of this recipe is chicken livers which gives it a perfect velvety texture and cooking it for a long time intensifies the flavours. I always add extra vegetables such as carrot and celery, and sometimes I add mushrooms or red peppers. Once I've added all the ingredients, just before putting it in the oven, I give it a quick whizz in the food processor to make it a smoother consistency. Serve it with spaghetti al dente, some crusty bread, lots of parmesan and of course, a glass of red wine. I made extra and saved some of the sauce to make a lasagne the following day.

2006-06-02T15:15:00.000+01:00

My Favourite Most Embarrassing /Crap Films

Here is a list of my ten favourite crap/embarrassing films. Some of them have been slated by reviewers, at times the acting is so bad it makes you cringe and in some cases the dialogue so cheesy you need a cracker to go with it, but I love 'em all the same. I'm really proud of our film collection at home which is full of stylish films, art-house films, Japanese horror films, gangster classics and war epics but everybody secretly loves and needs an embarrassing crap film or two in their collection. These films all mean something to me, mainly because I first saw them when I was young and watching them now makes me smile. Sharon Stone appears in three of them funnily enough. I think she's so underrated and we need to see a lot more of her, especially after her superb performance in Casino. Here they are in no particular order:

* The Specialist (1994) - Sylvester Stallone and Sharon Stone star in this silly film with a dumb plot. A high action thriller with lots of explosions and over the top 'baddie' performances from the like of James Woods.
Most memorable scene - The Stone and Stallone nude shower scene with Stallone's ridiculously pumped up biceps has got to be the most un-sexy scene of all time, but very amusing.

* Point Break (1991) - Littered with mistakes and factual errors with a cheesy dialogue to boot. I love this film - I used to watch it over and over again whilst fantasising about Keanu Reeves in a wetsuit and wanting to be a surfer chick.
Cheesiest lines - Johhny Utah: Surfin's the source man...swear to God Ben Harp: You're a real blue flame special, aren't you, son? Young, dumb and full of come, I know. What I don't know is how you got assigned here. Guess we must just have ourselves an asshole shortage, huh?

* Breakin' a.k.a Breakdance (1984) This is one of my favourite films of all time. Jazz dancer Kelly meets street dancers Turbo and Ozone and together they enter a dance competition to show the world that breakdancing is just as groundbreaking as anything else . Along the way they impressive the street crowds with their amazing breakdancing moves accompanied by an amazing 80's hip hop soundtrack. The acting is at times wooden as the cast were all dancers and not actors, but as a result the dance scenes are fantastic. It even featured on this site Badmovies.org.
Useless Trivia - In the first dance scene, Jean-Claude Van Damme makes his first ever on-screen appearance as a man in the crowd clapping to the music.
Most memorable scene - Dance scene where a kid on crutches busts some amazing moves surrounded by a cheering and clapping street crowd.

* Dirty Dancing (1987) - This is a film which I could watch over and over again, and I did when I was a teenager. Set in a family camp in the summer of 1963, Baby falls in love with dance teacher Johnny Castle played by Patrick Swayze and he teaches her how to dance.
Cheesiest line - Nobody puts baby in a corner.
Useless Trivia - A few of the scenes were improvised - in the scene where Johnny and Baby are practicing dancing and she keeps laughing when he runs his arm down hers, it was not part of the scene, she was actually laughing and his frustration was genuine.

* Basic Instinct (1992) It's been described as sleazy, amoral and worryingly entertaining which is probably what it is. Cop Nick Curran (Michael Douglas) becomes involved with suspect Catherine Trammell (Sharon Stone) which later to obsession with a bit of murder, bondage-style sex and drugs along the way.
Most memorable scene - Probably one of the most famous scenes in cinema history where Sharon Stone reveals all by uncrossing her legs seductively to a room full of police officers.

* Footloose (1984) - Kevin Bacon plays rebellious city boy Ren in a Protestant backwater town where rock music and dancing is banned. Sarah Jessica Parker also makes one of her first appearances. It's a totally absurd storyline but the choreography and music are great.
Most memorable scene - Ren has a game of "Chicken" with the tough guy boyfriend of his love interest Ariel (Lori Singer). They drive tractors at each other and Ren wins.

* Sliver (1993) - Voyeurism is the order of the day in this glossy sex-thriller starting Sharon Stone and William Baldwin. Based on the novel by Ira Levin (the author of Rosemary's baby), the acting is ordinary and I can't put my finger on why I like it. The last time I saw it was about 7 years ago and I liked it but I may have been drunk.
Useless trivia - The producer of the film initially wanted Roman Polanski to direct the film. Since Polanski can't return to the United States, they planned on having a second unit director shoot some footage of New York, whilst Polanski would direct the film in Paris.

* K-9 (1989) - Detective Tom Dooley (James Belushi) enlists the help of a police dog to catch a criminal. It's a typical 80s cop v drug baron movie aimed at kids with loads of dog disobedience jokes (good if you're a kid and you like dogs). The scene where Jerry Lee (the dog) nearly dies had me in floods of tears whenever I watched it.
Most memorable scene - Jerry Lee pretends to be dead whilst Dooley sits by his bedside talking about how much he'll miss him etc. Whenever he looks away, Jerry Lee opens one eye and closes it again when he looks backs. Er I was a kid remember.

* Carry On Behind (1975) No film list is complete without a Carry On film. It scored 3.4 out of 10 on the IMDB site - I've never seen a film score so low. But who cares, I love it. It's jam packed with the usual smutty jokes for which the Carry On series is famous. It was a tough decision to make as I love most of the Carry On series but Professors Vrooshka and Crump just tipped the scale.
Most memorable scene - The film comes to a climax with a sinking caravan site, a striptease accidentally booked instead of a cabaret with freshly painted chairs that cause mayhem - all this accompanied by constant innuendos - an absolute classic.

2006-05-31T11:05:00.000+01:00

Our Strange Neighbours

Voices drifted through my head at sporadic intervals as I lay there in a semi-state of consciousness. Mike nudged me and I woke up from our afternoon nap to learn that the voices were real. Listen he whispered as we both sat up on our elbows and strained to hear the booming male voice coming from upstairs, periodically interrupted by a female voice. It was hard to decipher what they were saying but the aggression in the man's voice was apparent as he became louder and louder. We looked at each other puzzled and I instinctively went to the front door, opened it and poked my head around the stairs to try and hear better. This is a much better place to stand I thought to myself as the conversation was much clearer although occasionally drowned out by the passing traffic. Mike came to the door and urged me back inside but I couldn't pull myself away - he eventually gave in and joined me at the door. Snippets of conversation drifted down the stairs....

'I thought we agreed to be honest with each other,' said the man.
Sounds of unfathomable protest from the girl - apparently her name was Ania, she sounded Eastern European.
Occasional words drifted through.... ashtray......Isabella
'Of all the places to go to........there are one hundred and one bars and you had to go to that one,' he shouted. The girl protested, but was interrupted. I wanted to hear her side of the story but he wouldn't let her speak.

I thought about the terrible Europap music that we'd had to put up over the last couple of weeks - one evening it was so loud that Mike went upstairs to ask them to turn it down but they didn't come to the door. It happened again and this time the door opened slowly with a girl cowering behind it.

'I only wanted to give you my number.' At last! a full sentence from Ania.
'Don't lie to me,' he screamed. 'I thought we agreed to be honest'. Other incomprehensible words, then 'my girlfiend found out'.
I turned round to find that Mike had gone back inside. Must have had enough I thought to myself, so I went back in to find him standing on the bed listening through the ceiling. This was too good to miss. I went back outside.

'George knows,' he said.
'GOD I HATE GREEKS,' she shouted.
'Don't be like that,' the man said gently. I found the softness in his voice disturbing and strangely odd and wandered if the good cop bad cop was something he was doing on purpose or if he was mentally disturbed. I pictured a tall, tanned, slighly balding man in his early thirties with a crazed expression on his face not too dissimilar to Jack Nicholson's in The Shining. I imagined Ania, a blonde fragile teenager, scared, innocent, helpless.

After twenty minutes we decided to call it a day and closed the door. Ten minutes later we heard loud noises again, this time they were not voices but other sounds - crashing, running, jumping. Was he hitting her? Was she running away?

At around midnight as we were getting ready for bed, we heard more voices through the ceiling. This time it was singing. We didn't have to strain to listen to his voice this time as it was so clear he might as well have been in the room with us. It sounded like he was singing in Turkish or Arabic - it sounded haunting, almost demented.

I've been mulling it over in my mind ever since and have failed to reach a conclusion. One thing I am certain of though - we won't be knocking on their door again in a hurry to ask them to turn their music down.

2006-05-29T21:08:00.000+01:00

Recipe of the week # 1

Prawn and Monkfish in curry coconut herb sauce

This is the first entry in my new series of recipes of the week.
When I originally started my blog it was supposed to be about food, as you can see from my first ever entry (hence the title). Somehow though as I've continued writing, I've gradually started to go off on tangents and write about other stuff which I really like as well - a bit of variety is always good I think. As a result, my blog has become a bit of everything now, so intothepot ain't such a bad title after all as all the stuff I write about is going, well, intothepot; the pot being my blog I suppose.

We had a think about the best meal we've had all week and this week's was cooked by my boyfriend Mike - a delicious curry with monkfish and prawns. Unfortunately I had to steal a picture from somewhere else as the camera is completely buggered (as you can see here from these freaky pictures) - the curry did look very similar to the one in the picture except the chilies weren't quite placed in the same strategic way and our plates are white not red. The monkfish was delicious, a really meaty fish which is ideal for curries and was accompanied by onion bargies and a cold bottle of Kingfisher.

2006-05-26T13:15:00.000+01:00

The Best Thing I Heard Yesterday

I was sitting on the train on the way home from work when a song of old filled the carriages. I couldn't believe my ears....it was the best ringtone I've ever heard....then I realised what it was. It was the theme tune to the 80s sitcom Terry and June. If you haven't heard it you can hear it here - it's quintessentially British in every way and the kind of tune that would fill my heart with joy if I was abroad and feeling homesick. I exchanged glances with the man opposite as he was trying desperately to conceal a smile. I then began to think about other classic British TV theme tunes which would make great ringtones: The Good Life, Call my Bluff, Dad's Army, Man About The House...

2006-05-22T23:06:00.000+01:00

I HAVE BEEN: Tagged... by * (Asterik) and I tag Wrinkled Weasel, Hang the DJ and Spangly Princess

I AM: Who I say I am.
I WANT: To visit every country in the world.
I HATE: People who talk too much.
I MISS: My Grandma.
I FEAR: Being disliked.
I HEAR: My alarm go off every friggin' morning.
I WONDER: Why people eat Dolmio.
I REGRET: Pissing my money up the wall at University.
I AM NOT: At all bad in the kitchen.
I DANCE: A lot when I'm doing the cleaning.
I SING: Along to just about everything.
I SEE: The computer screen.
I CRY: When I'm angry.
I AM NOT ALWAYS: Confident when people think I am.
I MAKE WITH MY HANDS: A perfect semi circle to hold my glass with.
I WRITE: Less than I would like.
I CONFUSE: My students.
I NEED: A holiday.
I SHOULD: Be more patient.
I START: Lots of things...
I FINISH:..only the ones that mean a lot to me.

2006-05-22T22:15:00.000+01:00

I've finally been Humped

2006-05-20T13:38:00.000+01:00

A Perfect Saturday

I've been complaining recently about the fact that for the last few weeks we've been having great weather during the week and then it's rained all weekend. It's been depressing me as I've sat staring out of the window at the grey skies pining for a bit of sunshine. But last night I thought sod it and we planned a film Saturday which will involve a film at the cinema and a film later on at home.
Saturday morning for us is the best part of the week - we usually get up, have coffee and pastries and read the papers with Saturday Kitchen on in the backround.

So we've decided to watch The King this afternoon with Gael Garcia Bernal which promises to be good with the star of Amores Perros , The Motorcycle Diares and Y tu mamá también . Going to the cinema is one of my favourite things as we always sneak in food and a big bottle of beer to keep up going. Who else thinks it's uncivilised not to be able to buy beer in the cinema?

This evening I'm going to cook Spaghetti alla Puttanesca which literally means Whore's Spaghetti, so called because it's easy and quick to make saving the, er, extremely busy ladies time I suppose. I love this pasta as it combines so many of my favourite ingredients which include tomatoes, black olives, chilies and anchovies (it also has capers I'm not so keen on but I had them a long time ago so I'm going to give them another go.)

After dinner, we'll pull our favourite Ikea Armchairs (really they are great and you can rock in them) up to the TV and settle down to watch a film with a coffee and brandy - a habit my boyfriend has got me into as I didn't like Brandy before (in terms of alcoholic drinks that I don't like that only leaves Whisky, but it'll take some doing to make me like that.)

So have a great weekend eveyone and don't let the rain get you down. Oh dear, the sun's just come out.

2006-05-11T14:07:00.000+01:00

Five Reasons Why I love London (because it's so similar to Italy)

I lived in London for a year in 1999 but for various reasons moved back to Leicester. During these 6 years I found myself craving the company of the big smoke. Sardine tin tubes, bumper to bumper traffic and exorbitant rent did not deter me from wanting to reside in this superbly intoxicating city. I always seem to find myself bumping into people from my past. I bumped into an old friend from school the other day in the Tescos next to my house (I had to make excuses for my chavy attire - I was wearing tracky bottoms and had just nipped out thinking I wouldn't see anyone I know) and bizzarely ran into a friend I'd lost touch with from Dubai in the college where I work. Anyway, that aside, I've realised that the reason why I prefer to live in London over any other city in the UK is because it's so similar to Italy for the following reasons:

1. People don't queue for buses in Italy and neither do they here. It's generally a mad scramble with elbows aloft, walking sticks waving and whatever else people can get their hands on to use and prod in the general direction of other people trying to get on - you can even sneakily jump the queue if you time it right and join it at the opposite side just as the doors open and nobody says a word. In Leicester (my home town) people stand in a perfect line and if anyone ever tries to jump it someone will always complain. I think it's a ridiculous sight to see people standing in line like soldiers on parade. I don't see non-queuing as rudeness, just common sense - it should be every man for himself, although I would offer old Doris a seat if she didn't have one. My cousin in Milan offered her seat to an elderly looking lady once to which the woman snapped 'Ma pensi che sono cosi vecchia' - 'Do you think I'm that old'. She hasn't offered her seat to anyone since.

2. People wear sunglasses in all weathers. In you were to wear sunglasses in winter in any other city, you'd probably get the same reaction as if you were to wear a BNP T-shirt in Brixton. Not that I don't think people who wear sunglasses in winter aren't complete arseholes, I just like what it represents - the fact that people can do whatever they want (although this is slightly contradictory as Italians are probably one of the nations that conform the most in terms of fashion).

3. The pizzas in London are decent. Just a short walk from my flat there's Pizzeria Pappagone, La Porchetta and Pizza Delique. When I go to Pappagone I sometimes forget I'm in England - the staff are all Italian and the pizza is to die for - a gigantic melt in the mouth disk topped with delicious fresh ingredients such as artichokes, parma ham and buffalo mozzarella. Outside of London there are some ok pizza chains but the base is usually akin to cardboard and the cheese a 'watered down' version replacing most of the mozzarella with cheddar. I feel sick.

4. Cafes with outside tables. Soho is one of my favourite places in the summer - I remember taking a friend there last year on Saturday morning and having breakfast at Bar Italia. We sat outside in the sunshine and sipped (albeit expensive) coffee. You just don't get that cosmopolitan atmosphere anywhere else. Some British cities are trying, although a couple of steel tables next to the roadside just doesn't cut it.

5. Vespas. And plenty of them. Whenever I hear that beautiful sound of the engine (which I do quite a lot in London) it inspires nothing but pure nostalgia.

2006-05-03T10:26:00.000+01:00

Top 100 Films

A great little idea stolen from * (asterik). The following is a list of the top 100 films voted for by the viewers of IMDB. The ones in bold are the ones I've seen. I'm always looking for new films to watch so I'm going to slowly make my way through the whole list and try to watch the ones I haven't seen yet. There are a few too many Lord of the Rings if you ask me and I can't believe there's not a Carry On film in sight.

1. The Godfather (1972)
2. The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
3. The Godfather: Part II (1974)
4. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)
5. Shichinin no samurai (1954)
6. Casablanca (1942)
7. Schindler's List (1993)
8. Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
9. Pulp Fiction (1994)
10. Star Wars (1977)
11. Buono, il brutto, il cattivo, Il (1966)
12. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975)
13. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
14. Rear Window (1954)
15. The Usual Suspects (1995)
16. Cidade de Deus (2002)
17. Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
18. 12 Angry Men (1957)
19. The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)
20. Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964)
21. Citizen Kane (1941)
22. Psycho (1960)
23. Goodfellas (1990)
24. Memento (2000)
25. North by Northwest (1959)
26. C'era una volta il West (1968)
27. The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
28. Lawrence of Arabia (1962)
29. Fabuleux destin d'Amélie Poulain, Le (2001)
30. It's a Wonderful Life (1946)
31. Sunset Blvd. (1950)
32. American Beauty (1999)
33. Fight Club (1999)
34. The Matrix (1999)
35. Vertigo (1958)
36. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)
37. Taxi Driver (1976)
38. Apocalypse Now (1979)
39. Paths of Glory (1957)
40. To Kill a Mockingbird (1962)
41. Se7en (1995)
42. Untergang, Der (2004)
43. The Pianist (2002)
44. Chinatown (1974)
45. Léon (1994)
46. Sen to Chihiro no kamikakushi (2001)
47. The Third Man (1949)
48. American History X (1998)
49. Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975)
50. Hotel Rwanda (2004)
51. Boot, Das (1981)
52.The Maltese Falcon (1941)
53. Requiem for a Dream (2000)
54. L.A. Confidential (1997)
55. The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957)
56. The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948)
57. Alien (1979)
58. A Clockwork Orange (1971)
59. Sin City (2005)
60. M (1931)
61. Rashômon (1950)
62. Million Dollar Baby (2004)
63. Modern Times (1936)
64. Reservoir Dogs (1992)
65. Metropolis (1927)
66. Saving Private Ryan (1998)
67. Singin' in the Rain (1952)
68.The Shining (1980)
69. Raging Bull (1980)
70. The Manchurian Candidate (1962)
71. All About Eve (1950)
72. Some Like It Hot (1959)
73. Double Indemnity (1944)
74. Vita è bella, La (1997)
75. Aliens (1986)
76. The Great Escape (1963)
77. Rebecca (1940)
78. Touch of Evil (1958)
79. Amadeus (1984)
80. 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
81. The Sting (1973)
82. The Incredibles (2004)
83. Jaws (1975)
84. Crash (2004)
85. Strangers on a Train (1951)
86. On the Waterfront (1954)
87. Batman Begins (2005)
88. Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003)
89. City Lights (1931)
90. The Apartment (1960)
91. Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939)
92. The Wizard of Oz (1939)
93. Forrest Gump (1994)
94. Braveheart (1995)
95. Blade Runner (1982)
96. Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)
97. Donnie Darko (2001)
98. Nuovo cinema Paradiso (1989)
99. Finding Nemo (2003)
100. Ran

2006-04-27T15:16:00.000+01:00

A Merky Decision

German ref Markus Merk sure has pissed a lot of people off in the past, but this just tops it off. His decision to disallow Shevchenko's goal last night meant that Barcelona have gone through to the finals of the Champions League. Nobody seems to understand why Sheva's goal didn't stand and looking at the replays, it's clear that there wasn't any foul committed. What does it have to take before video technology is introduced for big decisions like penalties and disallowed goals? It works in rugby so why can't it work in football?

In an interview I found from last year, Merk was asked "What's the worst decision you've ever made in a match?" to which he replied "There isn't really a big one. Plenty of small ones though because just as players and managers make mistakes, so do referees." Surely that's evidence enough to do something about it.

2006-04-22T19:51:00.000+01:00

Saturday 18.45 Stroud Green Road, Finsbury Park

These pictures were taken from the roof of our flat as violence erupted in Finsbury Park. Police gathered outside The White Lion of Mortimer as glass objects were thrown onto the street. The trouble seemed to be caused by football fans who had been drinking all day following the North London Derby.

More police arrive in riot vans....

.....and go back to their vans for riot shields

An injured man walks past

2006-04-20T12:29:00.000+01:00

Vote for the next mafia boss

Since the arrest of mafia boss Bernando 'the Bulldozer' Provenzano on April 11, the post for "boss of all bosses" of the Sicilian mafia has become vacant.

Cosa Nostra has recently been turned into a party, Grande Famiglia Italiana (Big Italian Family). Their preamble states that 'being Italian means being a part of a big family. Italians are drawn together by a deep sense of family bonds, including values such as dignity, freedom, brotherhood and participation. Today these values are being threatened by an incapable political class. Grande Famiglia Italiana is dedicated to embracing them with love'.

One of Sicily's most senior anti-mafia prosecutors has warned that there may be a war inside Cosa Nostra yesterday if its leaders failed to agree on a successor. We must do everything in our power to stop this from happening.

Visitors to Votaprovenzano can choose between the following two candidates:

46-year-old Matteo Messina 'Diabolik' Denaro, known as the 'playboy boss' because of his love of the high life. Born in Trapani, he developed a brilliant head for business at the tender age of 7 seizing the opportunity to organise a catering service as there was no canteen at school.

His rival is Salvatore 'White Fox' Lo Piccolo, 63, an old-style boss from Palermo and lover of the simple life. Some of his best qualities include being a wise mediator and has maintained a tight relationship with the American cousins.

Please remember - it's your vote that counts.

2006-04-19T11:53:00.000+01:00

Get off my Land

Leafing through the pages of the Evening Standard last night via horror stories of abandoned puppies and DJs earning £56 a minute, I came across the article about three squatters who have occupied a house in Kennington next door to Commons Leader Geoff Hoon. My first thoughts were that they would be uneducated, dirty old drunks, but how wrong I was. One is a Spanish teacher with a BA in media studies, another is a barman with a degree in Cinematography and the third is studying for a Bsc in environmental management at Birkbeck.

When I was 16, I was an ideal candidate for the Young Conservatives ranting and raving about lazy arsed dole-bludgers and teenage mothers getting themselves up the duff to get on the housing list, but I'm becoming decidedly more lefty as I get older. The house they've claimed as their own has been unoccupied for the past 18 months and if they stay for more than 12 years, they can legally claim it as their own, so who can blame them? They've cleaned it up, brought in furniture and they pay all the bills. One of them is in the process of getting an education, but how can they be expected to pay exorbitant London rent fees and study at the same time?
On the other hand, the law stipulates that the owner would have to obtain a court order to get them removed – I don't particularly agree with this and if I was a landlord I wouldn't be at all happy. Why should you have to fight to win back something that is rightfully yours? But if that's the law as it stands then people are bound to take advantage.
When the time comes to buy a house, it won't be windows of property agencies I'll be browsing, it'll be this.

2006-04-11T11:18:00.000+01:00

When'sa your Dolmio Day?

I'm still sitting here bleary-eyed waiting for the Italian general election results. At 6am this morning the situation was that Romano Prodi had won most of the votes in the lower house. Almost five hours later, the situation is exactly the same. Prodi is celebrating victory, but Berlusconi is contesting and asking for a recount which could take all day. This debacle is typical of Italian politics, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed for Prodi. Not that his nine party coalition - ranging from communists to Catholics – inspires a lot of confidence, but he does seem to be a nice chap and good on him if he manages to keep the corrupt foul mouthed businessman at bay.

I was off last week and whilst doing some writing at home, ITV's This Morning was on in the background. At every advert, the Dolmio family appeared with their zany antics, including Papa Dolmo mimicking a TV presenter. Dolmio is sponsoring Britain's number one daytime show for nine months. A Masterfoods spokesman said that they hoped to reach the target audience of busy mums' at the time of day when meals are planned – God help the kids of this country.
Have you ever tasted this stuff? It bares absolutely no resemblance to a pasta sauce you'd get in Italy and I think it's shocking that it's being promoted as a traditional Italian product. If you go on the website, there is a section titled 'ask Mama'. If they're claiming to be so authentic, at least get the spelling right (it should be 'Mamma'.) At the end of their adverts, you'll even notice the 'blink and you'll miss it' Made in Holland. One of the snippets on This Morning is a scene where the plastic puppets are sitting around the table with steaming plates of spaghetti with bolognese sauce. Papa says “one, two, three, four” and they begin the race to finish first. The reality would be “one, two, three, four” find the dog first.....
I thought that this country was becoming more culinary aware – some of the best chefs and restaurants in Britain are British – quite an achievement considering the fact that some of the best chefs from all over the world have made a home here. If Mums have got time to be watching This Morning, I'm sure they could whip up a quick pasta sauce from scratch – it really doesn't take that long.

2006-04-05T10:27:00.000+01:00

Milan through to semi-finals

The San Siro was a alive with joy last night as the Rossoneri displayed superb resilience in coming back to knock Olympique Lyonnaise out of the Champions League. I watched most of the second half from behind my red and black scalf and as the 88th minute approached, I began to accept the fact that we were out of the competition until Pippo Inzaghi woke me from my trance-like state bundling the ball over the line. Victory happened so quickly as Andriy Shevchenko scored his 52nd goal in the Champions League in the first minute of stoppage time, making him the highest scorer in European history. Admittedly, Lyon did play better - for most of the game, it looked as though Milan's hearts were not in it, but they fought back and that's what Milan do best.

Andriy Shevchenko has revealed that he wants to stay at Milan: ‘You never know what’s going to happen in football, but my objective is to remain with Milan for the rest of my life.’ Dream on Abramovich.

2006-03-28T15:56:00.000+01:00

Foul birds and fair game

I woke up with a very sore head on Monday morning after our Sunday afternoon celebrations. We weren’t actually celebrating anything at all, just prolonging the weekend and warding off the Sunday evening
blues. Several gin & tonics – with Bombay Saphire brought back from duty free at Milan airport - and a bottle of wine accompanied the roasted Guinea Fowl – not a good idea as I was starting a new job on Monday teaching a Japanese business man. I recall smoking a sheesha later on in the evening – with the pipe which I brought back from Dubai – and watching an episode of the A-Team. The only thing I recall is BA Baracus calling Murdock a fool several times and an exploding Chinese restaurant. We both woke up on the settee in the early hours and went to bed. In The morning I woke up feeling so hungover that a visit from the grim reaper would have been more than welcome. I saw a pile of clothes on the floor, unstuck my tongue from the roof of my mouth and contemplated not going to work. I brushed my teeth and immediately puked several times – something which I haven’t done since my teens. Who said rock and roll’s dead?

The Guinea Fowl was delicious - I used a River Café recipe using vermouth, milk and a large lemon inserted into the parson’s nose. This delicious bird only cost 2.99 which makes me wonder why people prefer to eat tasteless supermarket chickens injected with water. When I was growing up the Sunday roast was usually a pheasant shot by my Grandad which I've mentioned in a previous post. I've got such happy memories of going out with him, flat cap and rifle over his shoulder, patrolling the grounds for a glimse of the beautifully coloured birds. He would also shoot rabbits through the letterbox (far more humane than transporting them in cramped conditions to the abbatoir - I hasten to add before the animal rights people get on their high horse). This all happened at Rangemoor Hall, a grade II listed stately home just outside Burton-on-Trent where my Grandad was once the caretaker - Robbie Williams has apparently put in a bid for a wing which has been converted into luxury apartments selling at a cool 1.5 million.

Back on the subject of meat, at Christmas we had goose which was delicious - the remains looked like something out of a horror film - and much nicer than a dry old Turkey which most people seem to eat only once a year. Another one of my favourite dishes is my Dad’s venison stew – he soaks the venison overnight in a bottle of red wine making the meat so tender it melts in your mouth. People really should experiment a bit more with meat. I’ve decided I want to sabotage most supermarket chickens in favour of free range, corn fed or Marks & Spencers Oakham free range chicken from the fine county of Leicestershire where I was born. Let’s see just how long it lasts……

2006-03-22T14:46:00.000Z

A Turkish Delight

Turkish food is fast becoming one of my favourites. Influenced by both European and Asian cooking, it is one of the most varied cuisines in the world. The combination of meat, fish, salad, rice and pitta, preceded by meze is delicious and healthy. Apparently there are over 100 ways to cook aubergines (my favourite vegetable) so I’m looking forward to eventually tasting them all. I’m going to an Anatolian restaurant Tas Pide next week to try their version of pizza.

I ‘celebrated’ getting a year older at the weekend with a group of friends at the excellent Efes 2. Tasteless décor, live Turkish music and belly dancing are an unlikely combination for a great night out, but the food is amazing. We were greeted at the door by a waiter with a moustache to rival Tom Selleck’s and were lead down gloomy stairs to our table. We ordered house wine and Efes beers and waited for our menus which seemed to take a long time as a few waiters preferred to huddle in the corner apparently discussing something. One of the waiters eventually approached me and asked if we wanted the set menu. Since no one seemed interested in a desert or tea/coffee, I politely declined which seemed to annoy him so he asked me again. I would have liked to have said to him in Turkish “which part of no ‘we don’t want the set menu’ don’t you understand” but alas, my knowledge of Turkish doesn’t stretch that far. At this point we realised that he must have been told by his boss to persuade the gullable pissed group to go for the set menu.

Half demolished Yojurti main course

When the starters of mixed mezes did arrive, the only disappointment was that they weren’t as big as they had been on previous visits - we embarrassingly told everyone to order this to share. It proved to be enough though as the main courses were pretty big. The plates of meze consisted of delicious hummus and various spicy dips served with warm pitta. The piece de resistance however was the Arnavut Cigeri, pieces of liver and onions cooked in paprika which provoked mixed reactions – you either love liver or you hate it. I also ate some of a friend's kidney (from his plate) which at the time I said I liked – I was just showing off. When it comes to eating internal organs, I draw the line at liver.

Turkish live entertainment

For the main course I ordered yogurti which was a tasty mixture of different Koftas with salad, yogurt and pitta bread. As we were eating, the live music started. It sounded fantastic and the singer showed wonderful vocal talent hitting high and low notes effortlessly. Waiters dragged a few of us up to dance but none stayed on the dancefloor longer than 10 seconds as we hadn’t quite had enough wine. The belly dancer appeared after a while and danced around the room whilst Turkish looking extras from Goodfellas tucked 10 pound notes into her skirt. Suddenly the bill appeared which we hadn’t asked for – a shame since we probably would’ve stayed a bit longer and had a few more drinks.

Waiters try to get the girls to dance

2006-03-08T12:26:00.000Z

Burberry and Berlusconi

I’ve just got back from five days in Milan as a visit to my Grandma was long overdue. We had a great time, exploring the bars of the trendy Brera area, watching AC Milan snatch a 3-0 win in the last 15 minutes at the superb San Siro and sniggering at the old women tottering along with pooches and dead racoons on their backs. When I was little I loved Italy and everything about it but as I’m becoming older, I’m becoming more cynical about what I believed was once a perfect country – it would seem the rose tinted specs are clearing. This is the country that claims to be the fashion capital of the world – what I see now is a bunch of clones dressed in black wearing sunglasses in all weathers clutching matching Louis Vuitton bags. The chav phenomena clearly hasn’t reached Italy yet either as Burberry still have a booming business.

Milanese baby chavs can shop here

With the Italian elections looming you can’t turn a corner without seeing an election poster with Berlusconi’s orange face grinning back at you. The right coalition government are trying to grab every opportunity to stay in power with last minute appeals declaring ‘no to homosexual marriages, no to immigrants’ and ‘what kind of life would it be if the left got in?’ A much better one I would say.

This is the country that has given us some of the best food and wine in the world, reliable cheap transport and a good education system. Yet ignorance still prevails. I was shocked to hear my 20 year old cousin declare that all the Albanians should be sent back to their own country as it’s not her problem. Fair enough, the crime rate in Milan has escalated since the immigrants started coming but even if they do rape, steal and generally cause trouble - as is the common view -surely it’s not as simple as just sending them back. It’s scary hearing a young person with such blinkered racist views. What ever happened to charity? This is the home of the head of the Catholic church after all. It seems obvious to me that the problem is rife because the immigrants aren’t offered enough jobs and help. If you visit Italy you’ll admire the warmth and hospitality of the people, their sense of humour and good spirit - with this in mind, it surprises me to hear such bigoted opinions. Don’t get me wrong, I still love this country despite all its faults but I can’t understand why Italians can’t think for themselves. Surely its obvious that the right wing government is inciting hatred and racism and if something isn’t done soon I dread to think what will happen. Is Italy moving back towards a fascist state?