About Us | Michelin Food & Travel | Culinary Travel, Culinary Tours, Cooking Travel

About Us | Michelin Food & Travel | Culinary Travel, Culinary Tours, Cooking Travel

Are you Ascairt?

I have a friend with a great new creative writing website out there called Ascairt. It is a website devoted to writing horror with a "southern sensibility". He invites you to comment on his stories, as well as follow him along his path of returning to WRITING after a career in the copy writing industry (which he still does, and quite successfully).

Send it Sistah

Send it sistah ! from sébastien montaz-rosset on Vimeo.

Good article

courtesy of flytrapping:



FlyTrapping salutes Abbey Sunderland
There has been a sudden rush of criticism as Abbey Sunderland’s rescue is under way in the Indian Ocean. Many are saying that a solo attempt to sail around the world is too dangerous for a 16 year old.

Dangerous? Sure. TOO dangerous? I don’t think so.

Sunderland grew up around boats and is an experienced sailor. If you have the knowledge, the skills and the gear to do something correctly, what you’re left with is a calculated risk.

“But—-” you might argue, “look, she DID have to be rescued!”

Sure. Because of technical problems with her boat and really rough seas. But she’s fine. She recognized when she needed help and signaled accordingly. Then she sat tight and waited. She kept her wits about her and she survived completely unscathed. Just, perhaps, a little disappointed.

I don’t understand the drive to remove all possible risk and danger from the world around us. Personally, I think it’s not only misguided, I think it’s downright irresponsible.

We are mortal creatures, made of flesh and blood. Danger exists in the world all around us. Things that bite and sting and cut and crush. There is danger in the kitchen, in the driveway, on the playground, in the water and in the sky above. True safety lies not in removing the dangers, but in developing the necessary skill sets to deal with them.

Pretending there is no danger is dangerous
When you try to remove every danger all you’re doing is robbing people of the ability to properly respond to difficult and dangerous circumstances quickly and with confidence.

Had Sunderland had only nominal boating experience, then, sure, a solo trek to circumnavigate the globe would have been irresponsible.

This summer, I’m giving my oldest son his first pocketknife. He’s eight. Now, am I going to simply toss it to him and say “have fun?” Hell no. That would be irresponsible. He’s going to have to commit some rules to memory. I’m going to show him how to use it responsibly, and he’s going to have to demonstrate that he understands why the rules and methods are there.

Then I’m going to give him a stick that is about an inch in diameter and 12 inches long. And when he can whittle it down to a toothpick for me (under close supervision, of course) without cutting himself, then the knife is his.

What if he cuts himself?
Then he’ll get a band-aid and a memorable lesson in knife safety. He’ll never forget why the rules are there and that there are repercussions of misuse. And we’ll start over again with a new stick.

Honestly, I expect it to take most of the summer. By the time he gets his knife, he’ll probably have a solid month or two of experience handling the blade. In addition to being comfortable with and knowledgeable about the knife, he’s also getting a lesson in patience, dedication and start to develop a solid work ethic.

But I Digress…
So rock on, Abbey, for getting off your butt and having the guts to take on an adventure most adults wouldn’t have the guts to attempt. And to all of those who have nothing better to do than focus on the dangers of such an endeavor, all I can say is I pity you and I feel sorry for your children.

Methodist church 20th St. Birmingham

Nuit Blanche

Nuit Blanche from Spy Films on Vimeo.

This is an amazing video from Vimeo. A digital creation with a feeling of film noir.

What I'm Listening to

This is an absolutely stunning work. It is, as much of Uncle Tupelo's work reminiscent of the old depression-era songs. The soulful vocals on "Moonshiner" make you belive the line:
"if whiskey don't kill me, lord, I don't know what will."

Greatest single comic strip ever.

Here: http://xkcd.com/552/

Nothing much to say today, as all the political rhetoric surrounding me today has clogged up my think-box. I will, therefore leave you with a couple of qiuotes that have been on my mind today:

Suppose you were an idiot. And suppose you were a member of Congress. But I repeat myself.
- Mark Twain

and this one:

Rome did not create a great empire by having meetings, they did it by killing all those who opposed them.

Maybe quote #2 is the answer to quote #1, maybe not. But something has to change.

Head Cold

Gasping for every rancid breath
I try to learn from my mistakes.
Sleep will come quickly,
But it will not stay.
Heat and cold are my enemies,
Each is a pariah to me.
My head swirls with faded visions
When not blurred, pain.
I cannot think, I cannot live,
I wish for better time,
And a promise to utilize it more fully.