My romantic escapades have been brief and quite frankly have ended up in disaster. Minah ended up in psychiatric care, Reena was set ablaze by her evil mother-in-law and the Toad and her marriage obsession was enough to drive off any sensible young man. But heck better to have loved that not loved at all. No way Ginerva could have fallen into this pattern right? Those twinkling green eyes of her made my romantic past evaporate. It was time to know Ginerva better.
Ginerva was 26, quite close to my age. She was born in Naples, Italy to her father Lupara Cattivo and mother Malvagia. Lupara was of humble background who rose to fame and fortune selling what Ginerva referred to as a “recreational product”. She was a bit evasive about what these products were so I decided not to press her. Her mother Malvagia was from a family in Northern Italy, Bolzano that “ran” tankers of wine into Germany.
Ginerva attended Sacred Heart gymnasium in Naples with the crème de la crème of Naples society. Her best friend was the daughter of the Naples Chief Prosecutor. She was a brilliant student. She never worked as “Daddy” as she called Lupara, was overprotective. She spent her summer on the coast at Ischia where her family had a “little villa” and a few seafood restaurants. Ginerva continually watched by two men discretely in the background which she attributed to overprotective Daddy. Daddy had many a meeting at his Naples residence with his fellow colleagues referring to him as “Don Lupara”. When Daddy went out into Naples or for that matter anywhere two cars followed his, one in front and one in back full of men with tattoos and strange haircuts.
Ginerva had been looking to escape her luxury “Naples Nest” to see the world so she accepted an offer from Columbia University in New York in their Criminology Program. She had explained to me her rather morbid focus of “Italian Mafia Execution Techniques”.
One comment Ginerva made without providing an explanation and without conviction was that our relationship would, for the time being, have to be platonic. Otherwise, I might come to harm. Daddy and Malvagia had marriage in mind for my sweet Italian plum. Old fashion folk but not unlike the society I knew in Bombay. Floating in a cloud of infatuation the strange twists in her explanations remained in the clouds. For the time being Ginerva would have to remain my “brilliant friend”.
Cave Spring certainly exhibited its strength in 2022 for both red and white wines. How does the Blanc de Blanc Brut fare?
Aromatics: Peach, pineapple, pear, guava, lime, butterscotch and almond croissant.
Palate: A nice sharp bite with slight notes of ginger, whole wheat toast almonds with some grapefruit on the finish.
Personality: I am just a regular guy from Beamsville in Ontario. I am just as good as many of those fancy smancy French Champagnes but I will let the wine writers toot their horn about me. I know who I am and I’m good. I am made the same way those French Champagnes are.
In a nutshell: Crisp, clean and straightforward traditional method made. 100% Chardonnay. Good value. The finish has more character than many Crémants.
RKS 2023 Wine Rating: 90/100.
(Cave Spring Blanc de Blanc Brut Non-Vintage, VQA Beamsville Bench. Cave Spring Vineyard, Jordan, Ontario, Liquor Control Board of Ontario # 13983, 12%, 750 mL)
Although Mary Macleod is no longer with us her shortbread proudly pushes onwards and upwards. Mary opened her first ever shortbread shop in Toronto in 1981. The tiny bakeshop was the origin of her signature small batch all butter shortbread made by hand using simple premium ingredients. It recently had a retail shop but now has high end shops distribute the shortbread with almost all of them located in Ontario. But do not fear Mary Macleod’s ships throughout North America. At one point years ago their lone retail shop had many travellers returning home from Canada pick up their shortbread before heading to Toronto Pearson Airport. That is a fine compliment to international recognition of Mary Macleod shortbread indeed!
Mary Macleod learnt how to make shortbread from her Scottish mother and French grandmother.
Although I had no intent to compare Mary Macleod shortbread with competitors, assuming they exist, I bought some shortbread at a large supermarket chain in Toronto called Metro at their high-end bakery “Front Street Bakery” which is touted as “Our Absolute Finest”. They were soggy and sickly looking and bland with no character. Strangely no ingredients were listed. I suspect due to a lack of butter taste on the palate there was a healthy dose of lard and a myriad of chemicals. Yech!
Dutch Chocolate Shortbread
Pocas 2015 Late Bottled Vintage Port (PORTUGAL)
The Pocas 2015 Late Bottled Vintage Port is a rich blackberry, blueberry ad milk chocolate influenced Port. Does the chocolate shortbread pair with this Port? The Mary Macleod Dutch Chocolate is sublimely rich and leaves a lasting Choco impression on the palate which is dense yet not overly sweet. The Pocas Port and the cookie are in harmony. In fact the chocolate in the shortbread draws out some raspberry from the Port. An excellent match as both compliment each other.
Tullamore D.E.W. Irish whisky has notes of apricot, peach, orange marmalade and ginger. It is somewhat less fiery on the palate than Scotch whisky and you might want to say smoother. Yes there is a burn but a smouldering one as opposed to raging one. As the heat is less intense there is no need to reduce its temperature with a few drops of water unless you are looking for an even mellower drink. Notes of honey, toasted marshmallows, cooked oatmeal and apricot jam. The finish is warm, long and lingering.
I admit I am totally surprised Tullamore and the chocolate don’t self destruct . Instead the Tullamore shines its apricot and orange nature. I would say Tullamore is a good match but not an excellent one.
As for aromatics it is replete with just picked ripe raspberries tinged with a miniscule bit of milk chocolate. The palate is silky and smooth with just plain old ripe raspberries with a moderately long finish. Not complex but straightforward and delicious. There is enough acidity to keep this wine from being cloying or sickly sweet. It is a perfect match for chocolate such as Mary Macleod’s Dutch Chocolate shortbread as it draws out even more raspberry when it hits this shortbread. The best of the three!
The Classic Plain Shortbread with a chocolate chunk in the centre
Pocas 2015 Late Bottled Vintage Port
The chocolate chunk in the middle of the cookie imparts a chocolate influence to the cookie but not as intense as the solid Dutch chocolate shortbread. It draws out the grape in the Port and nudges out some of its milk chocolate character. An excellent match.
Tullamore D.E.W. Irish Whisky
A decent match. Strangely it is the chocolate that pulls out some of the orange and apricot qualities of the whisky.
Southbrook Canadian Framboise (CANADA)
As for aromatics it is replete with just picked ripe raspberries tinged with a miniscule bit of milk chocolate. The palate is silky and smooth with just plain old ripe raspberries with a moderately long finish. Not complex but straightforward and delicious. There is enough acidity to keep this wine from being cloying or sickly sweet. It is a perfect match for chocolate such as Mary Macleod’s Dutch Cholate shortbread as it draws out even more raspberry when it hits this shortbread. The best of the three!
The Classic Shortbread Cookie
Pocas 2015 Late Bottled Vintage Port (PORTUGAL)
Not a good match. Leaves a bitter taste in the mouth.
Not a good match as the solitary good qualities of the spirit and cookie neutralizes each other.
J&B Rare Blended Old Scotch Whisky (SCOTLAND)
On the nose apricot, mango, pear, quince, tangerine and persimmon. Almost tropical. On the palate the heat is pleasant and not quite firewaterish. There is also honey, butterscotch, spice and orange with just a bit of sweetness.
I seem to recall a few years back when doing an exhaustive tasting of spirits and Mary Macleod shortbread it was this Scotch Whisky that rose above the pack to be the best match. With its slight sweet twist J&B is the best match for Mary Macleod Classic shortbread. The best of the three.
If Mary Macleod’s is interested next stab at matching might be milk and shortbread. Which is best…skim, 2% or homo?????
My assignment with the United Mutations in New York was rapidly completed. Drafting the Mutants Charter of Rights was somewhat challenging but with resourcefulness and creativity the task was easy. I cobbled together human rights bills and declarations from a year long course I took at the Cote St. Luc University Law School and with my Mr. Donut contractual skills I produced a rough draft that was reviewed and commented on by Squid and his “senior management team”. Aside from a poorly drafted section specially dealing with victims of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder during war and genocide it was a work of art! It sure beat negotiating contracts for donut delivery to an annual Mennonite conference!
My Ginerva at work painting!
One day John Lennon asked me if I would like to go shopping with him as he wanted a birthday gift for Yoko and he needed company as he suffered panic attacks when shopping. A friend might alleviate his anxiety he thought. So we took a couple of buses downtown to Magnolia Street for some shopping. Yes readers John Lennon loved taking buses pretending to be a common folk. He tried to avoid the subway as it made him claustrophobic and with the amount of people in the subway system he would be more easily recognized.
What a rough part of town Magnolia Street was in. Derelicts, young toughs with baseball bats and narcotic dealers. John had said we were in the Bowery. We found the shop he was looking for and it was a very high-end vintage clothing dealer with heavily discounted prices a reward perhaps for the brave willing to walk in this part of town. Yoko refused to buy new clothing and accessories as she found it too “oppressive and exploitative”. Strange lady.
It wasn’t but 5 minutes into the fortified store that John began to shake with sweat pouring down his brow. He had selected a Chanel purse but in the midst of a panic attack he gave me the cash to purchase the purse then ran outside to wait for me.
As I was paying for it the most beautiful young lady with those melt your soul green eyes sidled up to me and complimented my exquisite taste in selecting a rare Chanel purchase. With a twinkle in her eye and with a slight Italian accent she said to me your girlfriend is a lucky girl. I responded I was just completing the purchase for a friend and I had no girlfriend. Her face lit up and she said perhaps I needed one! She gave me her telephone number and suggest we meet for dinner soon. My heart was fluttering. Hot diggety dog. A dusky beauty asking me out! She said her name was Ginerva. I could barely remember my name.
“Pilate had awakened, washed, anointed himself with aromatic oil, and was pacing nervously back and forth on the high solarium of his tower. He had never liked this Passover Day. The Jews drunk with their God, would work themselves into a frenzy, come to blows again with the Roman soldiers-and this year another massacre might break out, which was not in the best interest of Rome. This Passover he had a crucial worry. The Hebrews would by all means crucify the poor Nazarene, the crazy one….disgraceful race!”
There are more Chilean red wines than white in the Ontario market and most overperform other Non-Chilean reds at the same price point. But don’t forget the white wines.
We try a Casas del Bosque 2021 La Cantera Sauvignon Blanc from Valle de Casablanca. That’s right, “Play it again Sam.”
You won’t find Humphrey Bogart or Claude Rains in the Chilean Casablanca Valley. But you will find Chile’s premier cool climate wine region known for its gentle Pacific breezes, early morning fog and old granitic-clay soils that create a rich tapestry of terroirs and make it one of Chile’s top white producers. Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc are often seen as the stars of the Casablanca Valley but on occasion I have had some top-notch Gewurztraminer.
Aromatics: This Sauvignon Blanc is very much in the style you might expect from a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc. No nonsense aromatics of white grapefruit, guava, papaya and a bit of quince.
Palate: There is some zip and twang with well integrated acidity. Also cedar, mango, lime and ginger with a short finish.
Food Match: Fogo Island cod sunchoke velouté, brown butter, celeriac heirloom squash risotto saffron, sage, Parmesan Reggiano, preserved lemon.
Personality: I am not trying to be a clone of my Sauvignon Blanc brothers and sisters in New Zealand but it rather looks that way as aromatics go. I tend to wander a bit on the palate not sure where I should go.
Price: $19.95 (Ontario).
Cellaring: Drink in 2023.
In a nutshell: No wannabe New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc but struggling to establish a Chilean personality.
RKS 2023 Wine Rating: 87/100.
(Casas del Bosque La Cantera Botanic Series Sauvignon Blanc 2021, Valle de Casablanca, Casas del Bosque, Casablanca Valley, Chile, 750 mL, 13.5%)
“During all these days and weeks that he had been running behind Jesus, battling to understand who he was, his ramshackle body had completely melted away. Nothing was left now but a sunbaked hide wrapped around bones to which the soul clung and waited. Was this man the Messiah whom God had promised him, or wasn’t he? All the miracles he performed could also be performed by Satan, who could even resurrect the dead. The miracles therefore did not give the rabbi sufficient basis to pass judgment: nor did the prophecies, Satan was sly and exceedingly powerful archangel. In order to deceive mankind he was capable of making his words and actions fit the holy prophecies to perfection.”
The concept of innocent until proven guilty is shattered by the documentary “The Case Against Cosby”.
We listen to several Cosby’s victims interviewed stating they were drugged and sexually assaulted by actor and comedian Bill Cosby. One of his numerous victims is Canadian Andrea Constand, the only survivor to gain a conviction against America’s favourite dad. Constand, a star basketball player in high school and college, joined Temple University in Philadelphia as director of basketball operations. Cosby was a Temple graduate, a member of the Temple University board and a big fundraiser and supporter of the women’s basketball programme at Temple. Cosby approached her casually over a period of a few months and then asked her to his suburban home. Constand was nervous and a bit flustered and Cosby suggested she have some alcohol and three blue pills to take the edge off. She agreed and lo and behold was paralyzed. She passed out but recalled being sexually assaulted by Cosby. Cosby took great care to groom Constand by ingratiating himself with her family. Gain the trust of the family and exploitation and assault is much easier. Both Michael Jackson and Cosby took grooming to the highest level.
We are introduced to some of Cosby’s victims including Renita Chaney Hill, Dona Speir, Stacey Pinkerton and Lisa-Lotte-Lublin who lay forth the Cosby strategy of alcohol, drugs and then sexual assault. It did not bother Cosby if minors were his victims. The local police in Montgomery County launch a criminal investigation and district attorney of Pennsylvania Bruce Castor decides not to prosecute Cosby due to “insufficient evidence”. He makes a deal with Cosby that if he gives a deposition in Constand’s civil suit against Cosby there will not be any criminal charges laid. Cosby gives the deposition which is sealed. Later it is discovered in this deposition his admission he used drugs and alcohol to sexually assault women. Cosby settles the suit with Constand compelling her silence with a non-disclosure agreement. A cross she admits she had to bear for another 10 years.
In 2014 a comedian Hannibal Buress is recorded on a phone by a journalist performing where he lambasts Cosby and it goes viral and women start coming out claiming they were victims of a Cosby sexual assault. A new district attorney commences criminal proceedings against Cosby where the presiding judge releases part of Cosby’s civil suit deposition where he explained his use of drugs and alcohol to pursue women. A mistrial was declared as the jury was hopelessly deadlocked. There is a retrial in 2018 in the midst of the Me-Too movement. He is found guilty on three charges and sentenced to 3-10 years in prison on September 25, 2018. In 2021 the conviction is overturned on appeal. Why? Because of the Cosby-Castor no prosecution deal agreed to if Cosby gave a deposition in the Constand civil suit should have prevented any criminal charges being laid against Cosby. This is not a declaration of innocence, as trumpeted by Cosby’s counsel, but a matter of improper judicial procedure. Some 60 women came forward claiming assault by Cosby but their actions were barred by statutes of limitation that prevent litigation/prosecution after a certain period of time has passed.
A small group of victims, including Constand, gather at a trauma recovery retreat in British Columbia run by Dr. Gabor Maté who discusses the nature of trauma and helps the women recover the best they can. Viewers will learn the nature of trauma and how it affects the self. An interesting foray into trauma but the pain and suffering endured by these victims is massive not only for them but their families.
We hear from police officers, family members, a forensic nurse, psychologists, prosecutors and the victims themselves. You might think well why these women didn’t pursue Cosby in the legal system but by watching this documentary you’ll understand what trauma does to victims and how that is exploited by defence attorney’s who interpret the effects of trauma on victims against those victims.
40 years of Cosby on the hunt with 60 victims coming forward is horrific but even more so when we hear from an expert that only 14% of sexual assault victims “come out” to seek justice.
So innocent until proven guilty is not entirely accurate given this 14% statistic and bearing in mind that trauma causes a retreat from oneself and often an attempt by the mind to heal by distancing a victim from the event. As Dr. Maté states when a body heals it leaves scar material that stiffens and for the mind causes a disconnection from the present and gives you a shame-based view of yourself so the last thing a traumatized mind wants is to reopen the trauma by coming out and dishing out justice to the aggressor.
On a personal note as a lawyer for many years I believed steadfastly in “innocent until proven guilty” but in instances of sexual assault “The Case Against Cosby” innocent until proven guilty holds little water because of grandstanding lawyers, statue of limitations and the nature of trauma. It took this documentary to change my mind. It’s never too late to admit I was blinded by that pie in the sky.
Being half Welsh and half Indian my bloodline was comfortable with high tea. I went to the Plaza Hotel, well known for its high tea, and bought their incredible jasmine tea and some dainty cakes and sandwiches from the iconic Palm Room.
John arrived at 2 p.m. and we sat down to tea not before hearing a litany of complaints about Yoko’s “stuttering and screeching vocals”. John explained it was giving him a headache! John mentioned that after our tea he would be heading down to Nashville to help a Canadian singer Stomping Tom Connors lay down a track “Maple Syrup and Peameal Bacon Hogtown Paradise”.
I asked John to sprinkle a few leaves from the teapot basket in his cup. Turn it upside down in the saucer and turn it around one time. Before he gave me the cup I asked John if he wanted to hear both good and bad news. He replied that both were fine.
His wish would come true. There was a big sitar in his cup so out of the blue I asked if he had been chatting with Ravi Shankar. See what I mean by luck as he responded he had been talking with Shankar about a show in New York a few days ago. What disturbed me was a menacing figure in the darkness holding what appeared to be a sign with the initials H.C. Beside the sign there appeared to be a vehicle looking a bit like an ambulance. John could not make any connections. I explained in my thoughts that he should be careful of hot and cold water lest it led to an accident. We both had a good laugh and he headed up to his unit thanking me for the wonderful tea and dainties and my powerful mysticism. The H.C. and the ambulance began to make sense on December 8th.
“I have not come to bring peace to the world, but a sword. I shall throw discord into the home, the son shall lift his hand against the father, the daughter against her mother, the daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law-for my sake. Whoever follows me abandons all. He that seeks on this earth to save his life, shall lose it: and that he for my sake loses this temporary life, shall gain life for all of eternity.”
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