Book Addict

There are some days when I can't get into a book to save my life. I open it, and look at the words on a page but can't comprehend a thing.  I'd be hard-pressed to recall what I'd read a few minutes later.  That's not to say the book was bad or poorly written by any means.  It's just a lack of concentration on my part because there are 30,000 other things going on in my head that are just a little more interesting at that particular moment.

Then there are days like today.  Days where all I want to do is read and I find myself quite grumpy that I can't curl up at my desk at work and dive right in.  Some books are just that good and some days are just that un-interesting.  I'm currently reading the follow up to "A Year in Provence", "Toujours Provence" which on paper doesn't seem to be a knock-out.  It was written over 20 years ago and the copy I currently have is that old, so it's a bit dark and dingy.  But after reading "A Year in Provence" in a few days, I just knew I had to pick up another by the brilliant Peter Mayle.

It's nothing earth-shattering or edge of your seat.  It's just short stories of his and his wife's quiet life in a (what is, I'm sure, based on the description) stunning home in France.  I'm not sure what grabs me about these books, aside from the obvious: France is a dream destination of mine.  But I lean more towards Paris, not really Provence when planning my voyage with my future lottery winnings (whenever that may be).  It could be the unimaginable meals and parties he has the opportunity to partake in.  I'm a sucker for a good food story!  Or it could just be the style in which he writes.  I'd kill to turn a phrase like he does.

Whatever it is, it's just fantastic and I'm quite happy to have one of those un-put-downable book kind of weeks.  They are infinitely more enjoyable!

Not What I Ordered

As an aspiring foodie and an Anglophile, this whole horse meat story has really caught my attention in the last few weeks.  What seemed to start as a small accident has blossomed into a huge controversy.  Though, what I don't fully understand is how something like this happens.  I know that in the US we have federal regulators that (are supposed to) keep an eye on what's going into our food and what's happening in the butcher houses.  Personally, that's a job that you couldn't pay me well enough to do, but that's an entirely different story.

So aren't those same regulators doing something close to that job in Europe? When the "cows" they are inspecting are lean and not speckled, and neigh instead of moo, doesn't it send up a few warning signs? Though, what I'm most horrified about is that this isn't much of an issue in France, as they are still consuming horse meat there...on purpose. 

Now I'm most definitely a meat eater, and I could never be a vegetarian in a million years.  I try not to think about the cute little cows and pigs that give their lives to fill my dinner plate each day.  But it's hard not to be horrified at the thought of a horse being on that same plate.  How can they eat them willingly?  While I'm not the biggest fan of horses in general (they're a little too big and unpredictable for my liking), they're beautiful and brilliant animals.  I understand that it's something the French has always done, but it's just a terrible thought.

Each day, there seems to be a new product that the horse DNA has been found in.  Between IKEA meatballs today, and Nestle packaged Lasagna last week, I'm thinking it's only a matter of time before something reaches our shores.  At the risk of sounding like a big old ninny, I will most definitely be sticking to home made for the time being...