Equilibrate

The girls need a lunch every day, they don't eat in the cafeteria.
Every day I spend some thoughts on ideas about: lunch.
I miss the good old school cafeteria of their French school.
When the girls were in Kindergarten and the early years of elementary school. There were two school locations. One hosted the pre-K and Kindergarten, the other located the 5 elementary classes.
Cassis, Mediterranean see. Seven years of long happiness, endless strolling. We used to walk between the two schools, old village homes. The children from elementary school walked at noon, to join the small kids in the other street, just around the corner to have lunch.
The cafeteria was in the basement of the school.
A platane tree in the schoolyard.
Some steps to go down.

Kind of a dwarf situation but so romantic.
Lunches meant: entrée, main dish & dessert!
Equilibrate!
Old fashioned way of strictness and walking up in line, two by two.
Images and memories, stories about village children in a classical catholic school somewhere in a small village! Life in an era that doesn't exist anymore and yet so convenient. The girls were the only foreigners, they were  treated maybe a little bit in a special way. Solange's diet was well known, her restrictions seemed a challenge. The fridge was loaded with small French cheese, good yogurts and fruit. I know we all like to keep up the good memories!

Nightshade Vegetables

Going through some sites and some research I find out that my nephew is mainly allergic for Nightshade Vegetables! I love the name. But what is in the name is not good for the girls cousin, that was tested by allergy specialists over the years.

What are nightshade vegetables? According to The George Mateljan Foundation, food members of the nightshade family include:

• potatoes (not sweet potatoes)
• tomatoes
• eggplant
• sweet and hot peppers (including paprika, cayenne pepper and Tabasco sauce)
• ground cherries
• tomatillos and tamarillos
• garden huckleberry and naranjillas
• pepinos and pimentos 

The sweet potatoes are available in almost any vegetable stand in Rabat and as mentioned not belonging to this dangerous family of food. That's why we had a nice Tajine with sweet potatoes, cinnamon and red onions. A delicious combination!

Ideas for blogging!!

This distance writing class is keeping me alert these weeks about my blog. Not in the way that I add especially more content to my blog, but I think a lot about lay out, focus, content, staying put to one or more themes... It is nice to be back in a blackboard situation. I did my bachelor education through a blackboard setup. It's a kind of a virtual theatre in which the actors are stepping in from their hidden places and interfere by surprise. The play will evolve during the a limited lapse of time. I feel a little bit far away from New York being in Rabat ... time zones, and so ... This causes the fact that I need to wake up early in the morning, just after midnight to chat with my classmates. All of this gives me the feeling of being a student at college again. Nice and happy experience. Life long learning is something one gets addicted to.
In the meantime I am thinking what to do with the book about Solange. Should I put content on the blog? I need feedback, guys.
I have been thinking also of adding some interesting networks to the blog. I want to make a connection with artists and food lovers. Museums or platforms with an interdisciplinary approach of education, the arts and the senses. Why not the Nestlé Alimentarium Museum in Vevey, Switzerland?

Some discipline

A friend asked why the girls are so healthy looking. What is the mystery? Is there a miracle drink? No. Some discipline. This friend is rather bothered by his own three kids. They are, in his eyes too fat....... My husband replied shortly: ''No butter and the girls are on their mum's mind..''
That's right. They are on my mind, their health and their happiness. It is all part of the education we want to give to our kids, it's what we all try to do. It is something we should really make time for. And that's the bottleneck, so often: people, we, parents just have no time.
While listening to my daughter, playing the piano, I think, it's all about some discipline. I remember an interview with a theatre actress, a French actress. Her voice was beautiful, her ambition crystal clear, the way she talked about her profession, the disciplines she implemented every single day. She mentioned the way she fed herself: regularity, food rules. It's about discipline, your whole life.

The piano play isn't too good today. She didn't practice a lot last week. The good thing is we played open cards with the piano teacher.
I did the talk for my daughter. She asked me to do so. The positive outcome of sharing the message: ''I didn't practice'', is the honest feeling towards yourself. She knows: next time I'll be better prepared.
Focus on discipline. The goal is a rehearsal in some weeks, and the rule is so simple: practice every day.
And that's the same for decent food and a sense of honesty towards our body and health.We need to add discipline in our schedule every day. As parents, taking time together at least to prepare a meal. Socializing and enjoying some nice food is the next step. And sometimes when there is even more time available: there will be talks about different tastes, momentum for exploring recipes and seducing the senses.
Sharing a good meal is much more than just eating and starts with some discipline.