Writings by Diane

Pamplemousse. What a strange word. It has been tucked away in the recesses of my mind since I first saw it as a child years ago on vacation in Las Vegas. My parents and I were walking through Circus Circus after visiting their Midway. Circus Circus was one of the first on the Las Vegas Strip to recognize that not only adults over 21 go to Las Vegas--they also have children.  This hotel/casino provided carnival games for the kids to win stuffed animals. At the same time, their parents play in the casino, where they could try to win their kid’s college tuition.   I remember the inside of this hotel/casino was a gigantic explosion of the color pink. Every shade of it was on the walls, the carpeting, the staff’s uniforms; even the interior lighting had a hue of pink.  At the time, as my young vision was being saturated with this rosiness, I happened to notice a gentle glowing sign (in pink light bulbs, of course) on the wall—it read Pamplemousse le Restaurant . It struck me a...

My new favorite TV show is Chopped on Food Network .  From the moment I started watching it, I became a fast fan.  This show took a tried and true concept of a cooking competition and threw in a twist. The four competing chefs have to incorporate in their dishes the secret ingredients that are concealed in a basket. Then they are timed to create a dish for the judges. If the food doesn’t hit on all cylinders of the criteria of taste, creativity and presentation, the chef is eliminated, hence the name of the show “chopped”. I gravitate to shows that the more I watch, the more I became aware of its different aspects. The first layer of this show I was intrigued by with the unusual ingredient combos—who thinks of pairing frozen waffles with fish? I’ve heard of fried chicken and waffles, so maybe…? Then, I am amazed that the chefs change the texture of the waffle by simply grinding it up to crumbs to make a coating for the fish. Honestly, to figure that out would take me all day! ...

The time piece in the living room read 5:00 in the afternoon. Sunlight broke through the blinds and spilled onto the carpet. At that precise moment, the animals began to hover around the kitchen. They all knew it was their dinner time by their internal clocks. “Hungry, so hungry,” Stanley groaned. He was lying on the kitchen floor on his side in front of the stove. “I wonder what’s on the menu tonight?” Pepper pondered, licking her mouth, as her teeth gleamed in almost a smile. “I really liked yesterday’s supper,” Mimosa commented, stretching his back, his tail quivering. “Tuna and egg, my favorite!” “Mine was some sort of beef stew, but the tuna and egg was good as a dessert,” Pepper chimed in. Very quietly, Stanley let out a soft groan, covering his eyes with his paw. “Yes, the minute Stan and I leave our food, there you are to clean up!” Mimosa gave the dog a sideway look. “But I always make sure you are completely finished,” Pepper offered as her defense, slinking away from the cat...