Robert K Stephen (CSW)

RKS Wine: The Great Turkey Compromise?

A good many of you out there will be having turkey over the holidays and that begs the question what wine to pour. That query could lead to a PHD thesis. Given the trusty or rusty if you prefer match the colour of wine with food then turkey is almost entirely white meat so whiteContinue reading “RKS Wine: The Great Turkey Compromise?”

RKS Film: “No Bears”: Jafar Panahi Weaves a Great Film

“No Bears” is Iranian director Jafar Panahi’s latest film. Panahi has been a thorn in the side of the Iranian regime for years and is prohibited from leaving Iran. He has previously been arrested, charged, placed under house arrest and prohibited from making films. “No Bears” was filmed secretly in Iran. In “No Bears” JafarContinue reading “RKS Film: “No Bears”: Jafar Panahi Weaves a Great Film”

RKS Literature: Passage of the Day: Charity and the Day of Reckoning at the Gates of Heaven

“And you whose immortal soul opened a money changing shop: you sit on the threshold, plunge your hand into the sack, give alms to the poor, lend to God. You keep a ledger and write: I gave so many florins for charity so and so on such and such a day, and at such anContinue reading “RKS Literature: Passage of the Day: Charity and the Day of Reckoning at the Gates of Heaven”

RKS Film: “Entre Nous” (Between Us): Harlequin Result? Non-Harlequin Journey?

So in a Harlequin scenario true love reigns? Where does true love reign between lesbians Élodie (Amandine Noworyta) and Laétitia (Iris Jodorowsky) and what role does a rather quirky Simon (William Mesguich) and his pet rat play in his attempt to break up the lesbian relationship? Élodie and Laétitia are 30 something Parisian lesbians happilyContinue reading “RKS Film: “Entre Nous” (Between Us): Harlequin Result? Non-Harlequin Journey?”

RKS Wines: Tawse 2019 Spark Limestone Ridge Riesling

Quite literally Ontario Riesling leaves a sour taste in my mouth. But what happens when Ontario Riesling is used to make a sparkling wine. Could that be the Great Riesling Hope for Ontario? The Jerry Quarry of the Ontario Riesling boxing ring? I suppose we should have Tawse speak for itself. The label and theContinue reading “RKS Wines: Tawse 2019 Spark Limestone Ridge Riesling”

RKS History: Grumbling Housewives and the Gestapo

“The inapparent inability of the regime to guarantee either stable prices or a regular supply of daily necessities, including food and clothing, was deeply disconcerting. According to a Gestapo report, the popular mood in the autumn of 1934 was apathetic and gloomy. Irritation with the many petty restrictions of everyday life was widespread and outrightContinue reading “RKS History: Grumbling Housewives and the Gestapo”

RKS The Tea Meister: Organic Wuyi Rock Oolong from Genuine Tea in Toronto

Also known as Da Hong Pao or “big red robe” this rock oolong from the Wuyi Mountains of Fujian province is a truly unique dark oolong. It is said that the mother of the Emperor in the Ming Dynasty was very ill but after drinking this tea was cured, the Emperor then sent big redContinue reading “RKS The Tea Meister: Organic Wuyi Rock Oolong from Genuine Tea in Toronto”

RKS Literature: Passage of the Day: The Death of a Child

“When a child dies, there is no land to be handed down, hardly any possessions to be divided up, no job or role unfulfilled, no debts that need be paid off. A child is a small sun that shines in the shadow of its parents, and when the sun goes out there is darkness onlyContinue reading “RKS Literature: Passage of the Day: The Death of a Child”

RKS Literature: Passage of the Day: Living our Own Murder Mystery

“The sad fact is that there are no natural deaths, despite what doctors say. Every death is felt by someone as a murder, as the unjust taking of a loved being. And even the luckiest of us will encounter one murder in our lives: our own. It is our fate. We all live a murderContinue reading “RKS Literature: Passage of the Day: Living our Own Murder Mystery”

RKS Wine: Wine in a Can: Malivoire Lady Bug Rosé

Malivoire was kind enough to send me a few cans of Lady Bug Rosé. Yes, I said “cans”. Wine in a can is not something to suffer anxiety from however a few years ago when wine in a can was even more novel than it is now a producer sent me three different types ofContinue reading “RKS Wine: Wine in a Can: Malivoire Lady Bug Rosé”