It’s been a while since my last post–events (principally the passing of a close grandparent) have distracted me from my duty to the blogosphere. The break makes you realize one clear connection between a blog and its pre-digital antecedent, the diary. In both cases, gaps in the entries often actually suggest heightened activity rather than […]
The restaurant owner in Treviso took a booking for what he thought was a baptismal celebration. Around 50 people dined in his exclusive restaurant, running up a bill of around
I got this recipe from the king of barbeques: if I tell you he lives in Ireland you will never believe me! During the winter, or on a rainy day, you can cook the kebabs under a very hot grill instead.They are delicious accompanied by a fresh garlic and mayo cucumber salad.(Franita in the Kitchen) […]
At the Three Monkeys Online Christmas party, we let the Irish sing, the Spaniards dance, and the Italians cook. Without casting aspersions on any of my colleagues' national cuisines, let me introduce you to yet another smashing Italian speciality: the cappelletti[Editor's note:a small filled pasta from the Romagna region]. This dish is not to be […]
This article was translated from the Italian orginal, available here It’s the dawn of an August morning, the fresh morning breeze and the sky dotted with grey clouds announce the coming monsoon. We find ourselves travelling, leaving the capital, normally chaotic and congested, but at this hour still sleeping. The suburbs of Delhi are the […]
Slow ripples of interest have been spreading about Blanche, a quintet from Detroit formed around the nucleus of Dan John Miller's songwriting. Some interest has come from the White Stripes connection – Miller played in Two Star Tabernacle, with the Stripes' Jack White, who guests on Blanche's debut album – but just as much interest […]
Ben Perri is coming down with a bad cold. “I'm good”, he says on meeting, in response to a formal “How's it going?”, then pauses, and admits “Actually, I feel like shit. I'm coming down with the flu or something”. For most singers, a couple of days in to a tour, this is bad news, […]
When getting ready for Christmas, decorations collected over the years come down from the attic to transform our house into a yuletide shrine. Ancient carol singers share the mantelpiece with a new holly wreath. The dining table becomes a winter wonderland, covered with Santas of different nationality, size and shape. Mixed in with the red-hatted […]
Did you count the magpies on your way to work this morning? Are you afraid of walking under a ladder? If the answer is yes some might say that you are superstitious. Although it is an assessment the experts are unlikely to agree with. Steve Roud, a folklorist who has written a book on the […]