SHAOLIN ON MEGEVE

Our Shaolin Master 'Chan Si-Fu' would be in tears to see one of his prized disciples Dora Tang going through her paces at the top of the Megeve ski resort. We took the telecarbine aka cable car with our hosts to the holding area and since we do not ski, we have the luxury to mosey around. Strange as it may seem, it was the natural thing to do when Dora saw the expansive mountain range on the horizon, against the sugar white snow in the foreground. She practised the '8 Movements' so gracefully it attracted a few bewildered looks. I particularly like her shadow in the photograph. 'What is that crazy Japanese woman doing?' they must have asked. Why? It is because Japanese skiers apparently frequent the Alpine slopes in bigger numbers than Chinese travelers, who prefer sightseeing and shopping. 'Beware of the Chinese though', The Pasha said.

CHARCUTERI

Without any doubt this is one of my top favorites in the French culinary dictionary. I believe the Romans created this ages ago, preparing meats before refrigeration came on the scene. A lot has happened since and 'charcuterie' now covers a wide array of prepared meats, or 'forcemeat' as it is called, mostly from pork. What I enjoy the most are flavors derived from the process like salt cured, brined, smoked etc which open up one's taste buds. At one of the first demo classes at LCB we were told the 2 key ingredients that bring us taste are; salt & fat. Voila, this is what charcuterie is all about, which explains why I like it so much. A platter of ham, bacon, sausages, terrines, galantines, pates .... with a side salad, pickles & gerkins mean heaven to me. This is exactly what I had for lunch at a beautiful family bistro, Le Petit Zinc, while sightseeing in Annecy. It was brilliant!

MEGEVE AT NIGHT

A good shot of Dora with the village square as background, complete with the Swarovski crystal-decorated Christmas tree that is still lit, against the upmarket flagship store Allard which, by the way, is a big family name around Megeve. While skiers and families are abound during the day, the town becomes a bit desolate at night. It was about 9pm and minus 2C when this was taken, and the four of us were the only stragglers roaming the streets.

MORNING RITUAL

Tabac Saint Paul is where The Pasha and I start our day. The door on the left is for the Financial Times and International Herald Tribune, and to the right is a cafe that oozes friendliness .... at 730am in the morning. My job is to order the 'deux cafe' while my mate gets the papers. The 30-minutes of silence that follows, to catch up with what goes on around the world, while we frolick, is scarosanct. In this particular week we watched the mind boggling game of geopolitical dominoes in Tunisia, Egypt and later in Bahrain, Yemen and Libya. Our next stop is Le Fournil de Megeve, the ever popular patissier next door for fresh croissants and baguettes so we can prepare breakfast for our better-halves. I am told this is what men do in France? After a week of following The Pasha around the village this Chinaman became his retinue. 'Where is the Chinois' they asked, on our last day, when I did not show up. How can one not love this civilized life style?

LA CINTRA

Our first meal at Megeve was at La Cintra, next to the town square, alfresco under a bright but not exactly warm winter sun. By the way if you like 'people watching' La Cintra offers front row seats. I had sauteed veal kidneys on pasta and for Dora, a beautifully poached perch caught locally. Both well cooked, and super delicious. We were so impressed we returned for dinner as their daily special, Slow Cooked Head of Veal or 'Tete de Veau' was just too tempting to pass. Served on a trevet of colorful and tasty veggies it was a well orchestrated mix of textures between the cheek, the tongue and a couple of morsels I could not recognize but was assured they belonged to the same calf. The dish was the best of regional French fare. The restaurant was full, and extremely family oriented as it was winter break for French schools. We loved the scene of French parents teaching their kids the very art of culinary appreciation at an early age, some cannot be any older than 10 .... way to go!

CHAIR IN HEAVEN

It will take many pictures to explain the setting of our chalet, Squaw Valley, as it is called. I must show you this particular one though, as it is worth 'a thousand words' .... not words I wrote, but words I read. This old, classic leather chair is tucked away in a small loft accessible from my side of the bed, via a steep and small wooden staircase made from drift wood. The sky light directly overhead makes it a perfect spot for reading, be it night or day. What you see is natural lighting, and I love sitting here alone to start my mornings. Equipped with my Kindle, this is my favorite spot when there is a free moment, not that we have too many of those. The book I chose is 'My LIfe in France' by Julia Child, which is very appropriate for this visit, and on this very chair.

MEGEVE!

We received an invitation 6-weeks ago from my college pal and fellow Beelzebubs, alias 'The Pasha', and his lovely consort to spend time with them in Megeve, a French ski resort an hour from Geneva Airport. I am the antithesis of an athelete, Dora and I do not ski, and we have never stayed in a chalet so the obvious answer was 'yes'. The game plan is : 1-week to take in the Alpine spirit using Megeve as our base, then to Geneva to exeprience what it is like to live in, arguably, the most expensive city in Europe if not the world, and to close, a quick round in London to see friends. Needless to say these 2 weeks will be interspaced by 'eating opportunities', so aptly coined by my J&J mentor of yester years, Russ Powderly in Sydney.

I cannot tell you how totally overwhelmed we were by the first glance of this rustic chalet, tugged away in this lovely resort town, with all the trappings of a luxury hotel. It is literally 5-minutes away from everything but one gets the immediate feel of home as one opens the door. The ambience is drastically different from our Asia biased definition of a sea & sun resort, marked by a warm and ever glowing fire as the epicenter. Say hello to a relaxed Dora, in our living room!