THE Ts OF MARRIAGE

I saw a programme about India's Hill Railways. At one point, a man who had been married for 28 years and whose obvious happiness was borne in the love he shared with his wife, said the following about marriage.

Marriage is about four Ts.

TRUST.

TOUCH.

TALK.

and

TIME.

True words. Simple. But simple things last.

PERSPECTIVE

These are three views of the same painting in our friend's house in Asthall, a painting which changes as you walk down the hall in much the same manner as the eyes which follow you around the room. It is all a matter of perspective, as explained Leonardo Da Vinci in his notebook. Mathematics. The brain. The vanishing point. Perspective.

PERSPECTIVE

Asthall
June 2014

THE ROAD AND THE CONCRETE: LOCKE. starring Tom Hardy

Where does a road lead? Away, especially if you have resolved not to turn back. Locke is a road movie, but a road movie unlike any you have seen before. One road, one man, one night. A journey inside the mind and heart of a man whose life is about to change forever. A road trip which hurtles unavoidably towards a denouement and proves that an action movie needn't have much action in order to be taut, compelling, and totally engaging.

Locke is a construction project manager responsible for pouring the foundation of gargantuan buildings. His character is like the concrete he pours; dense, slow, measured, and ultimately solid. Each pour is a complicated mix of materials, men, red tape, and timing, and there is no room for mistakes. Everything must be perfect. First time. Only time.  Except it isn't, of course. Humans are involved, with all their foibles. There is a crack in the edifice, and the crack has to do with a woman. Locke is leaving his job to attend the birth of a child he has fathered as the result of a one-night stand with an unstable older woman who has made her own choice. They don't know it yet, but he is leaving behind his wife and the two boys he adores. He is also quitting his job the night before the biggest non-nuclear project pour ever in Europe.

But you don't know this immediately (unless you have read this). All you know are the hands-free phone conversations that Locke (played immaculately by Tom Hardy in a mellifluous Welsh accent) has with his boss, his Irish tippler assistant Donal, his wife and kids, and the other woman. All you see is Locke's face and the reflections of the lights in the rain as the road draws him inexorably through the night towards London and an uncertain future.

Locke is faced with a perfect storm of unpalatable choices of his own creation. His dialogue with his wife (played admirably by Ruth Wilson), his other woman and his work colleagues are excruciating. And exhausting. The night rolls on. Locke has to decide. The road or concrete. Crack, or crack on.

A must see.

Five stars. 

THE DUCK AND THE SQUARE

THE THINKING MAN'S DUCK

Islington

May 2014

RED SQUARE

Burlington Vt

April 2014

THE CORRIDORS OF YOUR LIFE

I wrote this many years ago, for my friends John and Lynn Herbert. Our lives are intertwined.

I have dedicated this to my wife Christina, who has shown me after 34 years just what love means, and has taken me down the corridors of my heart.

And the music is by my son Toby, who has written so many songs that are etched on my heart, knowing that he too will open a door in the corridor of his life.

THE DIET

YOU MAY WANT TO SCALE BACK ON THAT DIET, SWEETHEART!

Burlington VT

April 2014

ISTANBUL (NOT CONSTANTINOPLE)

MEMORIES OF ISTANBUL (NOT CONSTANTINOPLE)

SELFIES

SELFIES

The family.

SELFIES ON YOUTUBE

DE GUSTIBUS

De gustibus non est disputandum.

Interesting wine labels in the Burlington Coop. 

DE GUSTIBUS

Burlington VT

Apr 2014

WHEN MISERY DOES INDEED LOVE COMPANY

A roundabout in Winooski Vermont is an unlikely place to find world class cuisine, one would think. Unless of course you have the practiced eye for interesting places my wife has, who spotted this gem on one of our daily pilgrimages into Burlington, where we were visiting our son. And what a spot!

Many years ago, Jon Landau of Rolling Stone wrote: I have seen the future of rock and roll and his name is Bruce Springsteen. In a strange kind of way, this creative eatery has broken the mold, and has built a new paradigm for a food lover's future. Descended from the experiences of seasoned food truck connoisseurs brother and sister Nathaniel and Laura Wade and friend/husband Aaron Josinsky, they have created a way of presenting food which is at the same time profoundly creative and somehow familiar. MLC (it has established itself enough to be referred to as an initial) describes itself on the sign: Luncheonette, Bar, Supper. An open plan kitchen/bar transforms itself from a jaw-dropping and reasonably priced purveyor of lunchtime sandwiches (for instance, a Reubenesque Dunnski or a take on fried chicken Frank's Buffalo Hot Sauce sandwich and the spectacular cholesterol-infused Filthy Fries which meld crispy fries, pork belly, parmesan dust and aïoli mayonnaise) into a highly, highly sophisticated restaurant at night. 

Misery Loves Company reminds me of two morphed tapas places which are favourites from my travels: Helsinki's Javintola Juuri ( which means root and spawned Sapas or Suomi Tapas) and London's The Shed, which has Mouthfuls, Fast Cooked and Slow Cooked tapas. MLC changes the format. You can either have small starters (Snacks $6-9), medium Plates ($12-15) or Full On Meat and Three ($38 up). The latter scared me off, until I saw the portions and realised this is feed-a-small-family fare and includes three generous side portions. But let's not quibble about the price. What price a lifetime memory?

Forgive me playing the Mr World Traveller foodie card.  This is astounding stuff. 

To wit, chicken wings marinated in fermented black beans and smoked in MLC's own smoker. Yubu cheese with fried soya milk film crisps (or some such, I got lost in the explanation by the voluble and friendly bartender). They make their own cheese, and the by-products are used as flavourings. For instance, in a dish called Aged Raw Beef, Brown Cheese, and Mustard Sprouts which had me scratching my head and wondering how the hell they do something so sublime, Chef Aaron explained. The brown cheese is whey from a Danish cheese they make which is reduced 90% to leave an acidic residue which they use instead of citrus. Yes, this IS rocket science. And art. And finger-as-squeegee food. We left not a single morsel. Not one.

  

So where does the misery come in? It seems the journey from food truck to restaurant has taken 11 years, and gaining this level of sophistication has been, well... Miserable with a capital M. Worth it if there is company to share the fruits of your labour with, I guess. There is a french saying which says: Pain is the art entering the apprentice. And make no mistake about this place. This is food art at the highest level. In Winooski, or anywhere for that matter.

Five stars.