“I feel the end approaching. Quick, bring me my dessert, coffee and liqueur.”
Yesterday I actually went through all the Christmas gifts I’ve bought and made a list. I haven’t yet checked it twice, but I do have an idea what I need. It was quite a surprise to find out I have finished six people. The stuff I bought in Ghana put me over the top, but I still have to get the guys and the little ones small surprises. Everyone gets a small bag of surprises and a big gift from me. Finding surprises for the guys is never easy. I’m thinking I need to peruse the aisles at the hardware store.
The weather is chilly today. The breeze is enough to drop more leaves and needles. I figure they are like the myth of Sisyphus broadly interpreted.
The fall days seem to meld together. When I wake up, my first thought sometimes is wondering what day it is. Usually I try remembering the yesterdays which gives me the hints I need. The date is on my computer or I’d never figure that out. Before I retired, days had an identity. Now they are just lumped together. I can do what I want when I want. No more worrying about school nights or waking up at ungodly hours.
I’m going out to dinner tonight to Karoo’s, a South African restaurant. The meats, the spices and the sauces are quite different from Ghanaian food. My favorites are the curried meat loaf served with rice and chutney and peri peri chicken served in a sauce of tomato, chilies, onions and ginger. A pomegranate cosmopolitan is usually the best start to the meal. I think no dessert but then can’t resist ordering Melkert, a custard tart, which is so light it makes ordering dessert defensible as if it ever needed a defense.
Explore posts in the same categories: Musings, UncategorizedTags: melding days, Melktert, myth of Sisyphus, pomegranate cosmopolitan
Both comments and pings are currently closed.
November 10, 2016 at 2:46 pm
I was listening to the BBC on the way to work (A program called More or less) and they were discussing the validity of the statement that the world spends three times as much on ice cream than humanitarian aid. The source was an Oxfam document.
They concluded that this could be a serious underestimate but doesn’t include domestic assistance. The bottom line is that people think that countries spend much more they really do on helping others. The US actually spends around 0.6%
None of this really lifted my general funk. I am hoping sun, books, a little alcohol and the lovely people of Mexico lift my spirits. I am dreading the idea that I need to be an apologist.
November 10, 2016 at 4:35 pm
My Dear Hedley,
I can totally believe that. Around here in the summer there are quite a few ice cream shops which open for the season, and they are always busy. It is disgraceful!
People have become more concerned about themselves and their families. I think it may be a reaction to the bust of 2008, and no one wants to be caught again.
I envy you that trip. I no longer watch the news, and I read only international news in the papers. Maybe I should go back to Ghana. I remember when I lived there I didn’t know what was going on at home, and that was fine with me.
November 10, 2016 at 4:04 pm
Today the temperature finally is beginning to feel like fall. I still haven’t had to wear a jacket.
Today is my 31st anniversary. That is not a total of previous marriages but just one. Last night we went out to eat a Brazilian barbecue restaurant. We both walked out in a meat daze but it was excellent. I’m a carnivore at heart and when I go I eat very little of the sides and lots of the meat. The only item that the restaurants in Brazil offer that they don’t offer here is the hump of the steer. It’s not my favorite because it’s kind of gamey.
I have never eaten African food at all and I’m not sure that there is a South African restaurant in Dallas. Is the South African food from the indigenous people or the food of either the British or the Boors?
I’ve been on a staycation all week and I’m ready to return to work on Monday. I find myself checking my email at work while at home.
November 10, 2016 at 4:47 pm
Bob,
I usually just wear a sweatshirt even during the coldest days. I’m going from the house to the car to a store to the car and then the house. I can’t see bundling up just for that.
Congratulations! That is quite an accomplishment.
We also have a Brazilian barbecue restaurant here. I too love the variety of meats, but I also like the buffet of vegetables. They have a squash bisque soup which is wonderful.
I don’t remember the same combination of herbs and spices in British food so it seems to be Boer. I looked up Boer food and found it is beef and lamb which are common meats they serve. Bobotie is also on the menu which is Boer. Curry too is served.
I used to love vacations.
November 10, 2016 at 5:14 pm
We have several Brazilian steakhouses here in Dallas. They are called churrascaria. The one we went to last night is a smaller neighborhood one with a smaller selection of buffet items than the big ones such as Fogo de Chao or Texas Du Brazil. When i was in Sao Paulo last summer the instructors took me to a churrascaria. One of them told me that there was a very expensive one called Fogo de Chao. I told him that we have a Fogo de Chao in Dallas and could we go to a local one. 🙂
Figo de Chao is an international chain of churrascarias founded by a businessman from Sao Paulo.
There is a huge South Asian, Indian, population in South Africa. The British brought in large numbers of Indian laborers. Gandhi was a young lawyer in South Africa when he first used his ideas of non violent protest.
That and the fact that the British love Indian food would explain curry in South Africa.
November 10, 2016 at 9:38 pm
Bob,
The Cape used to have only Chinese restaurants, but now we can travel the world in food. I think. though, tonight’s dinner is right up there among my favorites.
Some people think Indian food is only curry. That is too bad as Indian food is so much more. I do like curry but I have had far more interesting and varied Indian food.
Ghana used to have a large Lebanese population, but there are far fewer now. We had to really hunt to find a Lebanese restaurant when we were there last.
November 10, 2016 at 4:20 pm
Sending some lights. This week our traditional St. Martin’s Day lantern parades take place, young kids walk through the streets in the evening carrying lanterns and singing St. Martin’s Day songs, a feast about sharing. Unfortunately it’s cold and rainy here.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VgqMOiGfEEQ
Have fun tonight!
November 10, 2016 at 4:49 pm
Birgit,
That is so very cool. We have nothing like that so I’m jealous. The lanterns look great surrounded by the darkness.
Kids don’t care about cold and rain.
November 10, 2016 at 9:30 pm
Oh my goodness, Leonard Cohen has passed away. The man who was the KTCC legend for so many years ….
We will miss you Lenny
November 10, 2016 at 9:42 pm
My Dear Hedley,
I couldn’t believe it when im6 sent me an e-mail. What will we do without him?
November 10, 2016 at 9:59 pm
Just read that Leonard Cohen passed away tonight at 82. RIP Leonard.
November 10, 2016 at 10:02 pm
Bob,
He just released an album and had a birthday. It was a quick ending.
November 11, 2016 at 7:01 am
I haven’t seen anything about the election. Is your head in the oven?
How was Karoo’s?
November 11, 2016 at 12:52 pm
Bill,
You will not see that election mentioned here. I’d be in the oven except it is electrical and would take forever!
Karoo’s was excellent! We tried 3 different appies, and I had lamb. We’re going back when next you come!