July 2019 Newsletter

LIFE IN MEXICO

A very large man with a pair of earphones on his head is meandering around Valentina’s patio, slowly waving an electric wand around the tiles. Valentina is following closely behind.

Filled with a deep urge to snoop, I go next door. “What’s going on?”

Valentina holds up her water bill. “I got this yesterday – they’re charging me five thousand pesos!” She waves her cigarillo in the large man’s direction. “Wally is searching for a leak.”

Wally, ignoring us, slowly zeroes in on a corner of the patio. Bending over, he draws an X with a chalk. He then smashes a hole into the patio with a sledge hammer, lifting out pieces of cement until he exposes wet soil. Digging down with a trowel, he discovers a copper water pipe.

Valentina leans over and inspects the pipe. The end has been cut off, then loosely sealed with a cork and duct tape. “That’s what cost me five thousand pesos?”

“Welcome to Mexico,” says Wally.

RECIPES THAT APPEAR IN MY BOOKS

Florentine Steak

I first tried Florentine steak while Linda and I were visiting Florence. We went to a restaurant in the Piazza della Signoria, a spacious plaza lined with statues, including a copy of Michelangelo’s David.

The restaurant had a lovely outdoor seating area, and since it was spring, we opted to eat al fresco. While the steak was being prepared, our waiter brought out a salad made from fresh mozzarella cheese, thinly-sliced Roma tomatoes and fresh basil leaves, all sprinkled with extra-virgin olive oil and balsamic cream vinegar.

After we had eaten our salad, a chef in white apron and hat wheeled out a trolley containing the main course. The Porterhouse steak had been sprinkled with salt then grilled for five minutes a side until the juices began to flow. The chef had then let it rest for 15 minutes. At the table, he took out a large, thin knife and carved it into one-inch slices and placed them on a serving platter. Reaching beneath the trolley, he produced a bowl of grilled zucchini, porcini mushrooms and red bell peppers that had been marinated in olive oil and garlic. All of this was washed down with a bottle of red Tuscan wine. Delightful!

UPCOMING EVENTS

Runaway Bomb launch is set for August 9. You can pre-order on Amazon here;

Pre order Runaway Bomb on Amazon!

WINNER OF RUNAWAY BOMB GIVEAWAY

Congratulations to Wilma Slenders for winning the very first print copy of Runaway Bomb! Thank you everyone who signed up to my monthly newsletter and qualified for the draw; I’ll be holding more draws in the future for other books and gifts, so urge your friends to sign up as well.

BOOK REVIEW

Kitchen Confidential

By Anthony Bourdain.

Long before Tony Bourdain was renowned for hosting cooking shows, he was the head chef of Les Halles. He wrote a scandalous expose of the underbelly of haute cuisine in a piece for The New Yorker, which led to his career as an author when Bloomsbury published his memoir, Kitchen Confidential, in 2008. “There will be horror stories,” he promises in the prologue. “Heavy drinking, drugs, screwing in the dry-goods area, unappetizing revelations about bad food-handling and unsavory industry-wide practices.”

And then he delivered the goods in a raucous, obscene fashion. The chapter entitled ‘The Wilderness Years’ begins as follows. “It is one of the central ironies of my career that as soon as I got off heroin, things started getting really bad.” His advice to aspiring chefs in a commencement address; “Never call in sick. Except in cases of dismemberment, arterial bleeding, sucking chest wounds or the death of an immediate family member. “Granny dies? Bury her on your day off.”

His ability to stand in front of a camera and deliver a heartfelt opinion about everything from dog soup to genocide led to his hosting a number of TV series, including Parts Unknown, the highly acclaimed CNN production in which he toured off-the-beaten tracks in search of exotic meals and experiences.

I write this as the world is celebrating #Bourdainday, the 63^rd anniversary of his birth. On June 8, 2018, while in the throes of depression, Tony committed suicide. His friends, fans and admirers around the world want him to be remembered for his honesty, candor and humor. They also wish to bring the debilitating effects of depression out into the open so that those who endure it can seek help without suffering from the stigmas attached to mental health. Here’s to you, Tony.

MOVIE AND TV ADAPTATIONS THAT I LOVE

Big Little Lies

By Liane Moriarty

Produced by HBO.

I’ve been a big fan of Australian author Liane Moriarty for many years. Most of her books are set in Sydney, Australia, in which I had the privilege of spending some time several decades ago. She has an amazing ability to conjure up this beautiful city and populate it with unique, unforgettable characters. Without a doubt, Big Little Lies is my favourite of her books, with not only a murder mystery at the heart of the story, but also a unique narrative that flashes effortlessly back and forth in time.

When I heard that HBO was going to make a mini-series out of the book, I was, as always, concerned that the adaptation from page to screen would take a parlous turn. But the capable hands of creator David E. Kelley and actors Reese Witherspoon, Nicole Kidman and Shailene Woodley created an award-winning sensation. By all means, read the book (as well as all of Moriarty’s works); I heartily recommend the screen version, as well.