Our own chef's best friend, a chef owner himself, shoots me a text, he's over at the bar.  I was going to stay in, but my friend Jeremy is behind the bar, and there's still time to get dinner.

Talk of how to properly do a Partanegra ham.  The story of Les Trois Canard, D"Artagnan, her comeback after a recall... Chefs know a tremendous amount.   One needs a desiccator, but actually you need two to make it profitable.

I've always respected that.

Yannis, a strong well built man, very generous of spirit, from Valence originally, came of age in the old days of New York restaurants, working 'til 3 AM, back at 7 AM.  He has the confidence of a man who came once to a country whose language was foreign.  He's here with his nephew.  He asks me to pick a good wine.  We open a simple Beaujolais.  This is good.  Put it on my check, please, he tells Jeremy.  I wasn't quite feeling up for it, hadn't even showered, but it's good to be in good company.


And today is the first day, a chance to get caught up.  I take my medication and various health tonics, and proceed to take care of the backlog in the kitchen.  Tea cups in the rubber made tub in the sink.  The last of the fruit flies have grown fat and not so crafty.

One true sentence...

It has not yet arrived.  Perhaps I would prefer to do some organizing.