food – Let Luce!

The Isolation Diet

Posted on 17th Dec 202117th Dec 2021 by luce

Day 4 of isolation: I am up early as I can’t sleep but no one else in the house is awake.

After my husband’s immediate evacuation from our bedroom when my covid was first confirmed, the coffee machine moved in to sit on his bedside table. I have just made myself a cup of coffee and stupidly I don’t have a mug. My large water glass will do for now.

Note to self: always make sure there is a mug in the room before you go to bed. I am still learning how to deal with not being able to wander freely around the house.

In reality, I just feel ill. However, we all know that this illness comes packaged with a far greater magnitude, with the Covid label well and truly fastened. A bombardment of official texts and emails (since my positive testing) have confirmed the severity – as if we need reminding of the chaos this virus has caused. I know for many it has been a desperate experience, a distraught ending, or a life-changing illness so I am in no way belittling it, but for me I just feel ill. I am lucky so far with a cold, cough and a slight headache. As I write this, I hope that it does not progress into something more sinister.

In pre-covid life, if I ever had a cold or cough, I would have just dosed myself up and gone into work. Today, I am isolating in my bedroom with my family rallying around. Our social lives have been put on hold: trips have been cancelled, tickets wasted and family social events avoided. There is an impact on our day to day lives but in the grand scheme of things, it’s not the end of the world.

We are finding a way of dealing with it and now on Day 4, we’re almost halfway. Inane discussions are had about mundane things. On its rare openings, we speak at a safe distance over the threshold of my bedroom door. Yesterday we discussed pizza. I had some leftover slices – should they go in a Tupperware pot and be put in the fridge? Would that contaminate things? In the end my son’s observation was that my bedroom was like ‘a bloody fridge’.

Looking at the wide open windows, it dawned on me that perhaps my room was cold to them but that my body temperature was not as it should be. Interestingly, my feet seem to be permanently cold even though the rest of me is mostly overheated. (Fluffy socks are a big part of my life at the moment.) My now makeshift fridge of a windowsill currently holds 3 slices of pizza and a small jug of milk and thanks to the family technical team, I now have a TV set up in the bedroom for entertainment. Each day brings something new…

Yesterday, I had breakfast al fresco which added some welcomed relief to self-isolation. My husband had set up a garden chair and table for me at a safe distance. It felt so good to be outside. It may have been a grey and slightly damp day, but I felt wonderfully cosy and warm in my crocheted cardigan and scarf wrapped up in a blanket whilst we chatted. I looked around the garden and pondered on staying outside and doing some digging – safe away from anyone. If I’d had the energy I would have, but I don’t so I won’t.

In fact, if I had the energy I would definitely do more. I love to be out and about and active so this sedentary isolation doesn’t sit well with me. I tried some gentle pacing of the room yesterday but it’s not quite the same. On the plus side, I seem to have lost a kilo in weight. So despite the lethargy and inactivity, the upside is a lighter me! I am aiming for another kilo before Day 10. You heard it here first…

The Isolation Diet:when your family forget to feed you!

Greek taverna

A Taverna Tale

Posted on 15th Aug 20208th Sep 2020 by luce

We had just finished a delicious meal of beautifully prepared traditional Greek food at a gorgeous taverna located in the heart of a small, peaceful village.

Set slightly to the edge of the taverna was a table with four chairs, where three local men were each enjoying a cold Greek coffee frappe and a cigarette or two or three…The fourth seat was occupied by the waiter (also the taverna owner) who joined his friends for a chat, a drink and a smoke in-between serving customers.

At intermittent stages over the course of the evening, a bell was rung in the kitchen. This prompted a delayed reaction from the waiter/owner where he would slowly rise from his seat, stroll inside, collect the food, serve the customer and then return to his position at the table with his friends to resume the conversation.

Don’t get me wrong, he did an excellent job in his role as front of the house. He was friendly, helpful and attentive and his relaxed demeanour was welcomed with a casual, homely approach that was perfect in this local family taverna.

As our meal came to an end, I pondered on what was going on in the kitchen. In the relentless heat of 30+ degree temperatures, juggling the timing of all the orders, the women were cooking the starters and main courses. Earlier in the day, the women had no doubt prepped vast quantities of vegetables, including countless tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, aubergines and courgettes for the array of mezze dishes. In advance of service, the women would probably have spent hours baking moussaka, boureki and pasticio. And we haven’t yet even considered dessert production. I was exhausted just thinking about the late evening hours that would be spent washing up and cleaning in preparation to begin the whole process again the following day. Factor in bringing up children – that’s a handful.

‘Who is paying?’ asked the waiter/owner as he brought the bill over to our table. Standing patiently beside the table waiting for our answer, he wore a slightly dishevelled look as if he’d just got up from a relaxed afternoon in front of the TV and had been disturbed by the doorbell.

‘He is,’ I replied indicating to my husband, who happened to have the cash in his wallet having been to the ATM earlier in the day. Another meal, it might be have been me paying: a joint account and together 30 years, it makes little difference who puts the money down at the end of a meal. On this particular evening, it was my husband who happened to have the cash.

In response to my answer, the waiter replied, ‘Ah, it’s always the man. The man, he always pay.’ Musing on the implication of his remark, I smiled outwardly in polite passive agreement, whilst inwardly chuckling at what I perceived to be the irony of his comment. He may have had to momentarily vacate his seat at the table with his friends but there was a hidden hive of activity in the kitchen. 😉

gardening

Something from nothing

Posted on 5th Apr 2020 by luce

I left my job at the end of December 2019 to go travelling during 2020. Little did I know that it would possibly be the worst year to travel. In fact, no ‘possibly’ about it! However, the proverbial phrase that says ‘every cloud has a silver lining’ is proving its worth. I have discovered my own unexpected, but much welcomed lining which I am nurturing with a surprising amount of passion and care.

With the unpredictability of countless weeks of social distancing, isolation, lock-down (whatever you want to call it), our travel calendar has been left to collect virtual dust and oodles of time at home has suddenly became available. Soon after arriving back in the UK (Was it really only three weeks ago?) we pretty much settled in for the ride in the confines of our home space and it was our first weekly visit to the supermarket that got me thinking as I sauntered along the aisles looking at empty shelves. Shelves that represented unnecessary panic, lack of common sense, selfishness, disregard and ignorance.

After I suppressed my initial anger at the thought of the waste that these hoarders would be discarding in future weeks, I began to think more about survival, self-sufficiency and self-preservation. With that, I now seem to find myself surrounded by various plant projects with a lofty sense of embedding my membership as a devoted eco-warrior now doing that little bit more to save the planet from unnecessary destruction. In reality, when I float down from my fluffy cloud, I am just doing some simple gardening to grow my own foods.

As a novice gardener, I am constantly amazed at how simple it is to grow or make something from nothing and I cannot believe that I haven’t indulged in this – to any great length – before.

Surprisingly delicious soup made with potato and carrot peelings and with black beans

Butternut squash seeds – dried, Cajun spiced and roasted

With a quiet sense of excitement, I begin each morning by taking a peek at the ever-increasing ‘garden’ on the windowsills. I am still at the stage of feeling a sense of awe when a new leaf or additional shoot has appeared. As I chop vegetables for the family dinner, I ponder on what I can do with peelings and unused leaves and I am regularly searching for the more places to dig and plant in the garden.

To those of you who are ardent, experienced gardeners, you may be laughing at my green-fingered innocence, but I am so content with peering at the carrot tops, studying the growth of the chilli shoots, chatting to the basil and marvelling at the proud avocado plant, that I don’t mind in the slightest. Or you may be standing there with a broad smile on your face pleased that another like-minded soul has finally seen the beauty and value of your long-standing way of life.

I am having so much fun being surrounded by my green-leaved friends and I love that reusing some of my usual compost waste as well as nurturing seeds and growing vegetables has become my silver lining during this time. My newly found eagerness may not last beyond this year but that doesn’t matter. Travelling still beckons and, as soon as the all clear is given, I shall be filling my backpack and leaving. For now, however, I am busily occupied and thrilled with learning how to grow something from nothing.

Travel

French Glorious Food!

Posted on 8th Mar 20208th Mar 2020 by luce

Dressed in black salopettes and sitting opposite me in a restaurant on a French ski slope, a wise man was once sipping a rather luxurious looking ‘café Viennois’ and said, “This is what I go skiing for.”

It’s true. Food and drink can be an important part of a skiing holiday for some people, but perhaps not the reason for booking one! Here in the Haute-Savoie région, particular sumptuous consumables have become firm favourites in our family. They are not necessarily unique to this region so you may have enjoyed them elsewhere, but wherever and whomever, when ordering these heavenly French recipes, you know your taste buds are in for a treat.

A favourite ‘Schumy pizza’ with goat’s cheese and honey

Fondue

An absolute must is a fondue. This has become a firm family tradition: an evening out that includes a shared pot of heavenly fondue where every single calorie of melting cheese is worth it. After a few hours skiing, sufficient energy is burnt off so it is, of course, understandable that one deserves a treat of dipping countless cubes of bread into the rich cheese deliciousness for one evening. It would be rude not to! I’m sure the compulsory green salad on the side is only there to ensure that the arteries relax a little during the meal.

Les crêpes

Another must-eat is the well-known French crêpe. (I speak on behalf of my family on this one as I don’t usually eat them aside from cadging a corner of someone else’s.) In the UK, we seem to wait for that one day in the year to allow ourselves to indulge in pancakes, but here on the slopes, they are readily available and provide a welcome afternoon treat and essential sugar fix after a few downhill runs.

Toppings are plentiful and diverse and a quick family poll would suggest Nutella as the most popular choice (with a large dollop of ‘chantilly’ on those occasions of additional indulgence). However, the more traditional may opt for the lemon and sugar or if you need a boost, go for the Grand Marnier crêpe because they will lavishly soak the pancake in alcohol. They certainly don’t skimp!

Tartiflette

Tartiflette is a gorgeous French dish and although it is traditionally made with ‘lardons’, we did find one restaurant that made a welcome vegetarian version without the bacon. Sadly, they no longer offer it and so with veggies in the family, we have reverted to a homemade version using, of course, the local cheese. The Aravis region is famous for its Reblochon, which is a soft-rind cheese with a slight nutty taste and is the basis for a tartiflette. Add potatoes and onions (and lardons if necessary) and you have the most delicious golden brown and bubbling cheesy meal. Staple ingredients at their best.

When I think back to that wise man’s words, he can be forgiven for his exaggeration. Obviously the skiing is the main reason for a skiing holiday, however it would not be the same without the glorious French food. Bon appétit!