Elias Cannetti’s book gave me an insight into Marrakesh I’d never come across before. I’d often read about the souks and the snake charmers but the author takes you into much deeper and sometimes darker parts of the city from his stay there in the late 1950’s. Cannetti has quite a cold way of describing his experiences and instead offers you so much detail, whether it’s his encounters with camels – comparing them to elderly ladies taking tea together – or the allurement of choosing a loaf in Djema el-Fna Square. However, it’s his conversations with a whole array of interesting characters from contented beggars & eccentric barmaids to mysterious people in the back streets which really define the book. A recommended read for anyone looking to go below the surface of Morocco‘s fascinating cultural capital.
COCOA HERNANDO DISCOVERS BUDAPEST
I actually went to Hungary to learn all about Paprika – this was the home of the dark red chilli introduced by the Turks several hundred years earlier. As I strolled around the markets of the old town, I could see paprika everywhere – the locals were obviously obsessed with this wonderful spice. There were stalls full of jars, tins & bottles of the red stuff wherever I looked. However, my favourite sight were the thousands chillies of which hung from walls, fences & stalls everywhere. I even saw houses almost completely covered by beautiful blankets crocheted out of rows of the red & sometimes yellow chillies.
As I sat in a bar writing, I began to chatting to a young Englishman who’d recently relocated to Hungary & was a few days away from getting married. He kindly invited me to the big day, which I didn’t hesitate to accept. I had a wonderful time at that party, in the beautiful surroundings of an old house on the Danube. And the food was delightful – I had more than a few dishes of goulash & lecso, both laden with Budapest’s finest spice….CH
COCOA HERNANDO AT THE HOXTON HOTEL
Had an absolutely blinding evening discussing Cocoa Hernando & our luxury chocolate at the Hoxton Hotel last night. Thanks to everyone who came – it was absolute pleasure to meet you all & even nicer to think I might help inspire some new entrepreneurs! You can also read more about the evening at Mostly About Choc’s review!
COCOA HERNANDO DISCOVERS THE PHILIPPINES
While the morning sun begins to sneak through the forest canopy & the grey mist fades away, I used to love observing the jungle wildlife slowly waking up. The visitors often included a splendid grey hornbill which would land in the mango tree below my balcony. They’re such strange & beautiful birds and with that big awkward beak, you just wonder how it ever manages to take flight. This hornbill appeared to be quite a shy bird too & I think he loved the tree’s thick leaves which enabled him to easily shuffle away from view. To my envy, the hornbill had an almost endless supply of juicy green mangoes to gobble up from this big old tree. The sweet smell & taste of a mango has always been a favourite of mine & if I was early enough, I was sometimes able to beat my feathered friend in the race for breakfast. Of course, I’d always leave try & leave him some. And I’m sure he’d prefer to share his fruit with me rather than with those troublesome monkeys…..CH