In May of 2013 I drove a Spanish German car on a day trip to the Bourgogne with an English Briton and a Russian Estonian. After sightseeing in the Jura mountains we concluded that they are indeed lower and less impressive than the Alps. We had worked up an appetite and decided now was the […]
I count three kinds of human settlement. There is the camp. A temporary bulwark against the elements. All it takes is a firepit and people huddled around it. Assembled and reassembled as the community moves. Hunter-gatherers on the move, pastoralists and their goats and their sheep, German tourists in their FKK camps on the Adriatic. […]
Korean culture is indebted to its rulers, even its alphabet (한글 hangeul) created by decree of King Sejong in 1443. But that kind of ruler is not my topic today. I needed a ruler. The un-kingly sort, for making straight lines on paper. So I went to a Korean stationary store. If you’ve not been […]
When I was six years old, I went to my first day of ESL (English as a Second Language) class at the International School of Tanganyka. I was pretty proud that I could count a bit already: “one, two, tree.” I was immersed in Amglish culture. From Enid Blyton to Dr Seuss, and so forth. […]
“Where are your scissors?” “In the stationery drawer, why?” “I need to cut the meat.” “Huh?!?” In creative and design and lateral thinking workshops one of the oldest tricks in the book is the brick. Master comes into room. Master places brick on table. Bits of fired clay crumble onto table. That will leave ochre […]
Two years ago I had no first-hand experience of South Korea. My expectations were those of a moderately well-read and well-traveled European. High-income country based on GDP per capita. Densely populated. Very plugged-in, overworked populace. High-tech. Eat live octopi. That is to say, I knew nothing. The first time I visited, I was dumbstruck. I […]
Early in our relationship YL had a great fear. We met in Lausanne, the edgiest and most crime-ridden city in Switzerland. This means that the city is very safe. Old ladies with manicured dogs dominate the promenade and three night-clubs stay open late on weekends. This also means local taste is adapted to saucissons, choucroute, […]
Food is an amazing cultural artifact. I love food. I love meals with friends. I love the magic of raw ingredients becoming cooked. The very essence of what it means to be human is bundled into every meal. But I’m getting carried away. Backpedal. When I travel, I try every single thing I get my […]