China

You may recall some time ago in 2009 I was in China co-presenting a TV series for China Food TV about Food Adventures on the Silk Road.

Well, have a look, the preview is out! And its on air in China too…

What’s Love Got To Do With It?

A constant thorn in my side is my inability to speak French. Or at least speak it correctly. This is partly due to the fact that the delicate poetry of the language and the Northern Irish accent do not make for good bedfellows. You can imagine my embarrassment when, during another intolerable school lesson, I opened my mouth to hear, “Bonjurr, juh muh-pell James” clunking out. It was as if someone else was speaking. But there was not. It was me, rolling the words around my mouth like acid-flavoured gobstoppers.

A New Decade

So, it’s that time of year again, when everybody pauses to reflect upon the months gone by and mainly think about two things:

1. How quickly the year has passed and how quickly the resolutions I made in January were broken.

2. The Christmas holidays are all but over and it’s time to go back to work.

Neither of these is the most cheering of thoughts, so it’s probably best avoiding those topics for now, particularly as this evening most people the length and breadth of the United Kingdom will be heading out for some intensive partying.

Frankfurt Book Fair

The poet T. S. Eliot famously said that his life had been measured out with coffee spoons. I, on the other hand, have measured out mine with plane journeys. I’ve flown nearly a dozen times during the past fortnight. Frankly, I’m sick of flying.

However, I’m going to have to lump it because later this week I jet off yet again for the Frankfurt Book Fair. This annual event is, not to put too fine a point on it, a big deal. Lasting five days and attracting more than a quarter of a million visitors, it provides the likes of me with a critical marketing exercise. It’s a vital opportunity for me to secure international publishing rights for my series of cookbooks so the pressure is on.

One Night In Paris

One of the most touching stories that I have ever heard involves a good friend of a good friend. When he was much younger, he suffered from serious asthma. It was debilitating to the point that he was unable to go outside for long stretches, and the more strenuous forms of physical activity would cause him to wheeze and splutter and, to use his own words, think that he was going to cough up both lungs.