My thoughts lately have been about chambres de bonne, those rooms in the rooftops of the Haussmanien buildings that line the streets of Paris. As I cycle through the city,

If ever a person feels untethered, confused, isolated, gob-smacked or uprooted, a palliative is available: come to France and read a menu.  As the world changes and governments, borders, countries,

You will forgive my silence, I do hope, as I continue to pack and remove myself and my family from our house. It’s a process that is leading me to

I’m in the process of moving out of my house of thirty years, which involves, among other things, battling with packing tape that always wants to corkscrew (what is it

I grew up going to junk and antique shops with my mother, first in the English countryside where we lived, then in the U.S. As we entered the dark, sometimes

I just ate the best mussels of my life.  Tiny, plump, juicy, redolent of the sea with an overlay of bay leaf, pepper, and a little touch of hard cider,

I am moving from two places at once.  It’s a saga, an ordinary one you might say.  But moving is never ordinary to the person who is experiencing it.  Read

I had a class this week, and the blend of flavors, textures, and colors that results from this season was amazing.  There were many reasons for this, not the least

So many emotions come into focus around a birthday, gratitude being the major one.  After all, every year that goes by without a major hiccup is a great year!  And

I am in awe of people who document their every waking moment. How do they, I ask myself, muster up the courage, have the energy, the conviction that people want

The small Dutch city of Wageningen was crackling with excitement recently, or so it seemed from my perspective amongst a group of master’s students that included my daughter Fiona, about

Yesterday was voting day for European elections. We had 38 official parties to choose from, and we all know who won. Pretty much throughout Europe. The wind is blowing to