Fish and coincidence

All things French are concerning my today, and I think the trend has been building for a few days...

I love a passage in 'The Unbearable Lightness of Being' which essentially suggests that co-incidence is not so surprising, and not a phenomena as such at all; more, it is about being aware or susceptible to a sense of beauty. If you are aware of connections and parallels you will find them; they are always there, just sometimes you are tuned into their presence.

Thus France; a man spoke French to me utterly randomly today, when I had already realised that a Gallic vibe was in the air - I had a tricolour aura, so to speak. The anniversary of Dunkirk was a couple of days ago, Stu and I have been thinking of the south for our hols next year, and now my cousins are upping and awaying to Brittany to live. Fine idea, the last one, a move from West London to rural France can only be a good thing and I can't help but feel glee for the holiday opportunities! My dinner inspiration, when it came is true to theme; it was suggested by a memory of a truly breakthrough meal for me, in L'Escargot in London's Covent Garden when I worked in publishing and such things as corporate lunches for underlings existed. I had a white fish of unknown descent, served with a truly divine mashed potato (or 'creamed' more correctly, I suspect) and some sauce vert; probably a pea or two, I cannot recall. The point was that the fish and mash were so divine in their own right and I worshipped at the altar of fresh and simple produce treated sublimely. Back to my version later....

Artistic pursuit of the day was the delivery of pictures to one of my favourite framers in Leith, in pursuit of trade price and some technical know-how. I have noticed many pictures in oils/acrylics are being framed with a little 'inner' frame, which works essentially as a card mount does to a watercolour; separates the image from total proximity to the frame. The answer was as straighforward as I hoped - the little frame has a name I have forgotten, but is simply that; another smaller frame inside the outer. Guess that means the price hurts a bit more, but it would be useful for some of my bigger pics. Chose a new frame for the 'little' works, for some reason they didn't suit my usual pretty flat, semi-matt metalic, so a little more gold and a little more moulding on these; against my usual instinct but it looks good. Email from the gallery in Leith timely confirming that I have a slot there for the festival, so that is my next outing.

Dinner constructed successfully, although I will never get my head around how Stu can do such things continually for a living; I was stressed dealing with three pans for one meal. Lucky he doesn't have to fend off cats from the fish as it hides defensively in a rice cooker - I learnt never to leave it in an unprotected postion, but they still find it and sniff furtively.

Fried off some onions, garlic, and Korma paste with frozen spinach and peas, with fresh mint from the herb box for the mash. Fish fillets pressed into flour seasoned with five spice and pan fried - hot pan, hot oil - quicky on both sides. Absolutely nothing like the memory of L'Escargot but a jolly tasty tea. Bon appetit and bon nuit.