Always thinking of the next meal...
Looking at the year in the title you will gather that I’ve stalled for ages writing this post. August last year I keenly announced London’s upcoming Oyster & Seafood Fair. What were my expectations? My mind conjured up images of perfectly grilled fish, mountains of prawns (shrimp), crawling crabs and lobsters, massive mussels, sassy sushi and tons more. Well….it didn’t happen. I’ll keep this post short and bitter.
A true foodie spends every moment thinking about food and planning his next meal. True to form whenever I find a spare moment my nose will be deep in some or other cooking magazine or book, devouring every word, whether it’s on the train, in the bath or on the loo (I don’t think you needed to know that, but now you do). Most recently, I’ve read Don’t Try This At Home: Culinary Catastrophes from the World’s Greatest Chefs
Life isn’t easy being wheat and milk intolerant. My mother suffers from it too and I guess that’s where I got it from. In my early 20’s I drew the line after suffering at least one seriously painful bout of stomach cramps a week. For one year I vowed to cut out all forms of wheat and somehow I completed it successfully. Still, when I ate a gloriously creamy pot of Greek yoghurt with a dollop of honey, my stomach bloated 30 minutes later and I would look 5 months pregnant, not to mention the stinky farts that came along. Phlegm also formed immediately and if I pushed my luck by eating milk products a few days in a row, it would start with a sore throat and turn into a full-blown cold. My next New Year’s resolution was to cut out dairy (and wheat again) for a whole year. Things definitely went better but boy, was it difficult watching everybody around me devour chocolate eggs during Easter! After that I moved to the UK and started cooking full-time for myself, i.e. restaurants and take-aways went off the menu. From then on, my health took a drastic turn for the better and I rarely get ill (touch wood).
The sky was filled with scatters of grey clouds, threatening to pour down, but in the meantime was just teasing with a drizzle here and there. That didn’t deter the excited foodies standing in a long, wide queue in Regent’s park, in London on Saturday, the 23rd of June 2007. “Seared marinated organic salmon with fennel, shaved asparagus and lemon dressing,” I heard someone quoting from the Menu Cards we received. It sounded delicious. The anticipation could be felt in the crowd; people glancing at their watches continuously, standing on their tip toes, trying to see if the gates have opened yet. Who could blame them? I was just as thrilled, being there 20 minutes early, my stomach rumbling, preparing for the feast ahead. Suddenly people started cheering, a brief announcement was made and the gates opened.