Category: Fourre-tout

Last night I was watching an episode of “Julia and Jacques cooking at home” where the legendary twosome were demonstrating the proper way to make “Crêpes Suzette”.
It looked mouth watering and I was salivating like a basset begging for a hot dog.
But this dish (like many others alas) is now off-limits to me!
Sugar, Grand Marnier, Cognac… Those things that I took for granted in my youth are not allowed to touch my lips anymore.
Alas, alas, alas!

For the last thirty years I have been afflicted with Type 2 Diabetes and I have to follow a very strict diet to keep that condition from worsening.
Sugar, carbs, alcohol… Those devilish aphrodisiacs are now strictly verboten.
Like Tantalus, I am constantly exposed to tempting dishes, but not allowed to satisfy my cravings. Over my head hangs Damocles sword and if I overplay my hand it will some day come crashing down on little old me.

I check my blood glucose every day and my glucometer is quick to tell me if I have broken my sacred covenant with the medical establishment. If the readings are out of the recommended range, I feel remorseful about my careless behavior.
Like all addicts, I swear that I will forsake sugar and all its vicious cousins forever.

But I am only human, and once in a while I fall off the wagon and surrender to debauchery. I indulge in some deadly sins; I will drink booze and have a sugar fix under the table. I do it quickly so that those watching me won’t notice, but my glucometer (my medical ankle monitor) does.

In the morning it will accusingly produce damning figures, and demand that I change my evil ways. I promise, but the flesh is weak… especially when Satan (in the form of Jacques) baits me with such scrumptious dishes.
Damn you Jacques… I mean Satan.
Let me confess, and let me have the absolution. I won’t do it again (soon), I promise…

But it is extremely difficult for somebody who was born in the land of Escoffier to keep those promises. I will sin again I know, but you will have to forgive me because there is no greater sin than to abstain from foods that make the Gods themselves cry.

Alain

 

 

Most of us live in a bubble called the “comfort zone”. That’s where people and things are familiar, and where we feel most anxiety-free.

But changes are unavoidable, and the transition from the comfort of our bubble to some unknown territory can be difficult and stressful. It is therefore better to embrace a new paradigm early than to fight an angry and futile rear-guard battle.

For the last 2 or 3 years I have been using an Apple application to produce this website, but due to fact that this program will soon be obsolete, I have decided to migrate to another piece of software.

As I said, changes can be painful and I am now compelled to tackle an unfamiliar program and relearn once familiar routines. It is not easy and (like Saint Michael) I am struggling to tame the dragon.

But the most satisfying undertakings in life are self-taught; when you are not coerced to walk in step and when instead, you take it upon yourself to learn and master a new discipline.

That’s why at “la rentrée” (when people in France–including government- are returning home after a long summer vacation) this website will have a new look. It will be more functional, easier to navigate, and have among many new features an “archival” capability. It means that you will be able you to look at articles, editorials, etc. that were published in the past and are not accessible on this site anymore.

Mastering a new program can be an arduous task and I am still struggling with a few features. But I am an obstinate bastard and the recalcitrant components are falling in line one by one.

I hope that very shortly now you will be able to feast your eyes on my new blog.

In the meantime, share this site with your friends and keep comments and suggestions coming. It is always greatly appreciated.

Hasta la vista!

Alain

 

 

Glücklich, chanceux, lucky, afortunado, udashni…

The word “lucky” exists in most languages and has many disciples. People who believe and pray for happy accidents.

Luck is this indefinable quality that brings good fortune upon somebody by chance, rather than through one’s own deliberate actions.

Be it in sports, finance, love, war, being lucky is a blessing that few can do without. Being accomplished at something is good, but being lucky is definitely better. All successful people have one day been enormously lucky.

But luck is a fickle lady. She has to be wooed properly. One date is not sufficient to win her heart. If you want more luck, you have to be more proactive and be more willing to take chances. “Luck, like the old Trabant car, generally only works if you push it. “

In pétanque for instance, in order to win, it is better to take a chance on a risky shot rather than to concede a point, for Lady Luck smiles upon the audacious. If you miss your target the Lady might be willing to grant you a few bonus points just for trying.

And you cannot win at the lottery if you don’t buy a ticket.

Luck has also something to do with being in the right place at the right time.

Seneca (Roman philosopher), wrote, “Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.”

As an amateur photographer I try to always carry a camera with me, for you never know when the “one-in-a-thousand” shot is going to pop up. If a magnificent rainbow suddenly appears, you better be ready to bag it.

Like a flighty woman, Lady Luck will give you only a small window of opportunity to take advantage of her benevolent mood.

If you are not ready, you won’t be lucky.

To conclude:

“I believe in luck: how else can you explain the success of those you dislike?” Jean Cocteau

Alain

 

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