Tuesday, 20 March 2012 19:38
Written by Madelaine Bullwinkel

PAST PERFECT

My favorite shopping therapy is wandering the Paris flea market on Sunday afternoon. There is something for everyone - from genuine antiques to obvious Rolex knock-offs. I’m always hoping to purchase an art object with an interesting backstory at a bargain price. It never occurs to me to look among my own belongings for such treasures - it took our recent change of residence for me to discover one family heirloom hiding in plain sight!

LET THE GOOD TIMES ROLL!

A story with a happy ending is what fiction should be all about. That’s what I’ve always thought, at least until last week. On Tuesday Chez Madelaine hosted a private Mardi Gras party that would have exceeded my expectations, if I’d had any. And it wasn’t just about the food.

CONNECTING THE DOTS

Mark Twain complained constantly about the food as he traveled through Europe in 1879. To him, even the coffee and tea didn’t taste right. Twain was homesick for a tasty raccoon like those he ate in Missouri; for the fried sheep-head and croakers he ate in New Orleans as a Mississippi riverboat captain; for the big trout he caught in Lake Tahoe. At one point, Twain wrote down a menu of all the foods he wanted to eat immediately upon returning home. If held, this private dinner would have included 80 dishes!

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