The Newbie!

This is an interesting position to be in, I have only recently discovered blogs. I always thought blogs were something other people did, certainly no one I know would blog, surely. It all seemed a bit seedy, a bit like walking through Soho, knowing what the shops sell, but never crossing the threshold for fear of what might lurk within! Now for a moment, imagine walking through the door and into the shop and discovering that, yes, there is a top shelf, very small and very high, but all the rest is a veritable smorgasbord of interesting and eye boggling stuff, the sort of stuff that you would take to your parents for Sunday lunch and share with them! So, imagine my surprise when I discovered rather a lot of very good blogs, including one by a very old friend, sorry, a friend of long standing, which reduces me to tears of laughter every time she blogs.

I have always enjoyed Facebook, whether to rant about the general standards of those things that wind me up or to share good news and amusing stories, either my own, but more often those of other people. It was suggested that my posts might suit a blog, so with the bravado and impetuosity of naivety, here we are, walking into uncharted territory, marching through the mist of uncertainty, or is it the gun smoke of impending doom, with no idea whether or not someone else may be out there. I would like to think so, so with nothing to lose but my dignity, here goes.

I should start by telling you a bit about myself. I am nearing a landmark birthday, have a fantastic wife, two fantastic children, one of each, who are still small and each day brings joys and challenges in equal measure! No pets yet, although my daughter is desperate, so maybe soon the pitter patter of tiny paws? I have worked in hotels and catering establishments for over twenty years, in England, Australia and the Caribbean, so I will always try to turn conversations to cooking and food. I have a view on most things, some informed, but mostly just off the cuff thoughts. I am also on a diet, so in a way this blog is a chance to stuff my face with all the food I have so badly missed in the last 5 months, without the weight gain!!

The kitchen is where I find my inner gourmand, the Monsieur Creosote that has has been dwelling inside me for most of my life. I have had the joy of working in quality hotels, eating the finest foods and drinking some of the best wines known to man. I am a front of house man, however food has always been a great passion, right from the shopping to the devouring of the final dish, whatever it may be, and all the stages in between.

My wife is always amazed when I take myself off to the supermarket at 6.30 on a Saturday morning. It is the one time of day when a 24 hour a day shop has some form of order and calm. The nocturnal shelf stackers are sweeping up the carnage from the aisles and hurrying through the checkouts, the day shift stumbles in, skipping over the newspapers that sleepy eyes don't really see, the bakery is all calm and exuding the sort of smells that for just one moment transport you back to your first taste of real French bread in a real French boulangerie. It is a surreal time, when the unimaginable happens, you stop and talk to fellow shoppers, it is always the same faces, at the same time. Admittedly the conversations aren't show stoppers, however we are all willing, and after seeing each other every Saturday for a while, we trust each other, after all, the criminals who have been out robbing us blind all night are safely in bed! I could never imagine having a conversation with anyone, well not a polite one, after 9.00am, no-one has a care for others, with the "That's my cabbage, I saw it first!" mentality that has driven me from daylight shopping! The shelves are all neat and tidy, there are never more than two trollies in an aisle, the rastafarian cleaner pushing his floor sweeper around is always smiling, a reassuring glint reflecting off his gold tooth and the checkout staff actually say good morning and please and thank you when you hand over your hard earned cash! Now that never happens after 9.00am! I love it all! Sometimes the children join me, although recently Peppa Pig and Mike the Knight are more attractive than shopping! Maybe I should remind them about the full English at the end of the checkouts!

There we go, first post finished, the start of something that hopefully might bring a smile or two and be a worthy companion to a cup of tea and chocolate biscuit!!