I was born to bask in the Mediterranean sun, not write under the bedcovers for warmth I am sick of these cold, grey skies. I want to grapple with my internal troubles in a warm harbour café with a chilled carafe of local white wine. I was reading Evelyn Waugh’s first travel book,
Labels, which for some inexplicable reason I had never got round to before, and I was barely a couple of pages in when he mentioned the Mediterranean seaboard. I was hit with a hammer-blow of longing to travel there, anywhere along there really, to sit in my shirtsleeves at a harbour café, a plate of freshly grilled sardines and a chilled carafe of the local white in front of me, sky-blue fishing boats bobbing gently. You know, the works.
Pedro and Ricky Come Again by Jonathan Meades review â dandyish Hulk rampage
From Duchamp to Orwell, fascism to Brexit ⦠this collection of journalism and speeches showcases one of the worldâs best haters, who has never composed a dull paragraph
âAn ear for the brutal music of invectiveâ ⦠Jonathan Meades. Photograph: Sarah Lee/The Guardian
âAn ear for the brutal music of invectiveâ ⦠Jonathan Meades. Photograph: Sarah Lee/The Guardian
Wed 28 Apr 2021 02.30 EDT
Jonathan Meades is a sceptic. Not in the debased sense of someone who gullibly parrots the claims of shills and the deluded that global warming is a hoax, or that masks donât mitigate the spread of respiratory viruses. Nor in the idly egotistical sense Meades himself identifies as âthe English bents towards spiritual sloth and intellectual incuriosity, what we dignify as scepticismâ. But in the fiery and ancient sense of scepticism: he is not just a man of litt
Method: heat butter in thick pan; add the diced beef and turn until brown; throw in the onion and cook until soft-ish; sprinkle on the paprika, pour in the tomatoes; season generously; cover and leave to simmer on the hob for two hours. Dish up on a bed of tagliatelle with a dollop of the yoghurt. Serves four. Perfection guaranteed every time.
For the sake of variety, you may like occasionally to serve up spaghetti bolognese instead. What is so great about this is that the recipes for goulash and bolognese my versions of them, anyway are pretty well identical. Just don’t tell the Hungarians or the Italians.
A critic has launched a staunch defence of cultural appropriation, arguing chefs should not become the targets of abuse when they put their own spin on dishes.
Jonathan Meades has said chefs should not fear offending the guardians of authenticity, arguing, without cultural appropriation there is only stagnation.
His comments come in the wake of the increasingly problematic cancel culture and a number of celebrity chefs including Nigella Lawson and Jamie Oliver coming under fire for their take on traditional recipes including carbonara and jerk chicken, respectively.
Jonathan Meades has said chefs should not fear offending the guardians of authenticity, arguing, without cultural appropriation there is only stagnation.