Posted by Bob on Sep 22, 2013 | 0 comments

Last night whilst searching you tube for some culture  i came across a concert by four guys i had never heard before,  Il Divo,  at an outside arena in Barcelona, and i have to say i was impressed. I am a big fan of Bocelli but wow ! this concert was something else.  They seemed to sing every song that i like and the passion was unbelievable. Time to say goodbye, Hallelujah, You Raise me up, Amazing grace….even the lone piper was stupendous.  It sounded fantastic on my cheapo computer so what it was like to be there one could only imagine, that audience was certainly privileged, oh ! to have been there. Sorry Andrea but Il Divo have a new...

Posted by Bob on Sep 12, 2013 | 0 comments

I despair at this world and the people who are “running” it. Today i see people are proposing  that it would be better to spend £50 billion on sending people to Mars rather than spending it on a high speed rail link. Can someone please tell me how that will benefit anybody except the crackpot scientists who wish to enhance their owns ego’s regardless of the millions of people on this planet who are living in poverty and starving to death. Are they from  the same group who has spent years proving how the Mammoth became extinct, that helps the starving doesn’t it ?  I they hadn’t become extinct i suppose at least the  starving could have eaten them. Who on earth is paying these “researchers” , like the ones who have been following snails around to see how far they travel at night and check at what speed they travel. Well done to the Indian scientists who spent £800 million sending a rocket into space just to prove they could, why didn’t they just ask the Russians if it was possible…they did it over 50 years ago. They could have  taken a few thousand out of poverty with that. Where is the logic ?  like spending a million pounds to recover a German bomber from the north sea and a future fortune to restore it in case we don’t remember what one looked like. Must remember to send them an old “Battle of Britain” film of the bombing of  London in the 1940’s. I saw a comment by a passer by who was asked about the prospects of military action in Syria, she said how is it that we have no money to spend on hospitals, schools and healthcare for the elderly yet we can find money for another war !!! IS IT ME  who has got it all wrong...

Posted by Bob on Aug 18, 2013 | 0 comments

I came across this and thought i would share it, made me smile…..it is so typical of Italian culture, so refreshingly different. Italian Food Culture in 20 rules From memoriediangelina.com – July 28, 9:10 PM There is much more to Italian food culture than many people outside Italy realize. Mastering the art of Italian cooking is not just a matter of learning recipes but rather requires coming to understand a whole approach to the preparation and eating of food. This approach can be understood, among other ways, through a series of unwritten “rules” that guide most Italians’ culinary habits. (I use the term loosely, as there are exceptions to most of these ‘rules.’ And there is no Italian food police to arrest you if you break them.) Rule 1: Eat in season. Rule 2: Eat locally. Rule 3: Look for a harmonious combination of ingredients and avoid clashing combinations. Rule 4: There is no such thing as a ‘main course’ in a proper Italian meal. Rather, a true Italian meal is a series of courses of varying number, depending on the occasion, but usually including a primo (first course of pasta, soup, polenta, rice, etc.) and a secondo (meat, fish, vegetable), often served with a contorno (vegetable side dish). Fresh fruit usually serves as dessert. Or more formal occasions, an antipasto comes before the primo, and a proper dessert may close the meal. Rule 5: The courses of a meal should provide variety without clashing. A delicate egg pasta would not generally be followed, for example, by a spicy dish like fettine di manzo alla pizzaiola. Rule 6: Pasta, risotto, gnocchi and the like are not served as side dishes but as a separate course. Rule 7: Salads are most often served as contorni (side dishes). Rule 8: Pasta should be eaten ‘al dente’. Rule 9: It is important to pair the ‘right’ pasta shape with the ‘right’ sauce. Rule 10: It is equally important not to over-sauce your pasta. Rule 11: Don’t assume that grated cheese goes on every pasta dish. Rule 12: Pasta salads are made with pasta secca, Rule 13: Except in the fanciest of restaurants, vegetables are not there for garnish. They are meant to be eaten. Rule 14: Salad dressing is made from oil and vinegar (or, less frequently, lemon). Rule 15: Cappuccino is drunk only in the morning, and never after a meal. Rule 16: Mineral water and/or wine are the beverages of choice to accompany your meals. Rule 17: Use a knife and fork! Rule 18: Do not cut your spaghetti. Rule 19: Do not eat bread with pasta. Rule 20: If you leave food on your plate, your host may wonder if you didn’t like it.  ...