Le Raison D'etre: Why this blog?

Why am I publishing this blog?

Because I want to help my fellow punters develop a deeper appreciation of the joys of food (and wine, of course).

The enjoyment of food is not just about the taste of the meal in front of you.  Some people say you need to chew 7 times on each side of your mouth.  Others say that you need to sit down at a table to eat properly. One extreme pundit reckons you should regurgitate the cud and savour an extremely special morsel, like our bovine friends wandering the paddocks of Harvey.

I say that it should be enjoyed holistically. Not just taste, but smell, texture, aesthetics, and even what you hear - whether it's a conversation, the lapping of waves, or a traffic jam in the background; and if you're lucky, what you feel in your soul.  As Dennis Denuto noted: it's the vibe.

It's not just any one thing that makes a great meal. Gnawing on an unknown but succellent meat on a stick purchased from a roadside vendor in a Hong Kong back-street can be just as exquisite as sitting down to an 8 course silver service degustation in an Italian Michelin-starred restaurant, provided you are in the requisite frame of mind.

So ... how do you start?  If you've gone through life so far thinking that eating is merely a necessity to refuel the body to enable it to carry out its daily routine, or if you just don't know where to start, read my entries.  Try to imagine yourself doing what I was doing. Try to imagine the sounds, the colours, the aromas, the sounds, the people around.  Don't worry if you don't get it right - there is no right. Put your own twist on it, your own expectations and desires.  It's your experience after all.  Next time you sit down to a meal, recall some of these things.  Try it out in real time. You'll be amazed at the results! Or you may just feel silly.  Don't worry, I often do.

Most importantly, don't take it too seriously.  Think all this is a load of w@nk?  Well, laugh at it (and me if you like) - I certainly do!

Immerse yourself in it.  Enjoy life.  Embrace happiness.

The Frenchman

P.S. Why am I called The Frenchman?  It's a poker handle - every poker player should have a handle, but you can't pick it; it has to be given to you. There's a reason behind the name, but that's a tale for another day.



Copyright Melvin Yeo 2010