I don’t usually post un-original material, but I came across an article on the UK Guardian’s website, and it amused me – and thought I would share it.

Should eating be boring and disciplined? Or should it be fun? Or are the two not mutually exclusive? Personally I think that good eating can be enormous fun. A lot more so than eating junk. Although eating junk sometimes can be great fun too.

Jennifer and I arrived in Los Angeles yesterday. It’s easy to eat badly here, but equally, it’s a great place for good healthy food. We went and saw MALEFICENT last night, starring Angelina Jolie. A very fine film, and it deserves all its current box office success.

Jolie is a great actress – her Oscar winning performance in GIRL INTERRUPTED still resonates with me – and in the film last night, she looked truly amazing. Lit exquisitely by Australian cinematographer Dean Semmler, she had cheek bones that could cut diamonds.

After the movie, we walked a block – yes, in Los Angeles we actually walked! – to our favourite Mexican restaurant called La Serenata di Girabaldi, on Pico.

We ordered a spinach and avocado salad and grilled Chicken Parillo – with two beers. Jennifer had a non alcoholic beer, and I had a Mexican dark beer – Negro Modelo. I don’t usually drink beer – white port is my first drink of choice, and out of the bottle, not the glass – but this beer was delicious, particularly with the spicy grilled chicken.

Was it “clean eating?” Probably not. But it was healthy, low calorie (except for the beer) and delicious.

So now here is the Guardian article, written by Jay Rayner –

You will be relieved to know that today, before writing this, I showered. Soap was involved. I am therefore clean. In the matter of my danker, moist crevices cleanliness is clearly the way to go. Where my lunch is concerned, however, I do not hanker after anything that can be described as clean. Sure, I want my plates without skid marks, my lettuce leaves without half an allotment’s sod. Sadly, though, that is not what the phrase “eating clean” now means.

“Eating clean” is a Thing. What does the phrase mean, apart from a wretched violation of the English language in a way that makes a good argument for corporal punishment? Oh, you know: it means joylessness, piety, self-regard, self-delusion and staggering pomposity. Gwyneth Paltrow “eats clean”, which tells you all you need to know.

Mostly what it means is: “I’m much better than you.” The opposite of clean is dirty. There’s dirty politics, dirty money and dirty dealings. People who enjoy sex are portrayed as dirty. (Though Woody Allen’s line that sex was only dirty “when it was done properly” is instructive here.) When junkies kick the habit they “get clean”. Bad people “clean up their act”. In short, if you don’t eat clean you are lacking in virtue. You are not a good person. You are a bad person. You filthy, dirty dog.

Don’t get me wrong. I believe in a balanced diet. But I also believe in honesty. So yes, I will confess to having eating Nando’s and KFC, Burger King and even one of those worryingly sweaty sausages sold off carts in Trafalgar Square at 3am. (I was very drunk.)

But I also like salads, real ones made only with green stuff. I do not always require something with a pulse to have died for my dinner. Sometimes I eat muesli for breakfast. I don’t expect you to think better of me for this.

And that’s the point. We all know that only the most boggle-eyed ideologue, the type who would be in the vanguard of a murderous revolution stringing dodgy sorts like me from lamp-posts, could ever keep to a diet like this. The rest eventually crack, only to be found slumped in the corner of the kitchen sobbing, smeared in bacon fat, spooning cheap peanut butter straight from the jar.

Not that I advocate “eating dirty” as a protest. I am just as irritated by all that filthy Americana, the menus of fast food elevated only by the use of quality ingredients in the service of fat, salt and sugar. Sometimes that’s OK. Sometimes it’s great. Just as salads are sometimes great.

But pursuing a menu of any of these things in isolation will not make you a better person. It won’t make you more deserving of our admiration. It will just turn you in to a self-deluding, sanctimonious bore.

Other post Camino changes –

Twelve months on, whenever I travel now, whenever I’m on the road, I always do my laundry each night. Unfailingly.

Even though I might have fresh clothes in my suitcase, I still wash my t-shirt and smalls. It’s become an ingrained habit.

If they’re not dry by morning, instead of hanging them off the back of my pack, I lay them out on the back seat of the rental.

Also, if there’s a buffet for breakfast, I still nick stuff for later in the day. Even though I might be having a business lunch. I stuff bread rolls and cheese and ham into my shoulder bag.

Another ingrained habit, post Camino.

My check in suitcase, at the airport, was only 16kgs. Before the Camino it was never less than 22-24kgs. Given my post Camino laundry habits, I could probably have got it down to 12kgs easily.

I still don’t need glasses.

Before the Camino, I needed glasses. For fifteen years I wore glasses. I needed them for long distance vision, and I needed another prescription for reading.

No more.

i stopped wearing my glasses while walking the Camino – my eyesight demonstrably and inexplicably improved – and I haven’t worn them since.

Weird.

Not weird.

That’s the Camino.

Clean smalls and clear eyes.

Here are some pictures from the road, just recently.

Some on Route 66 – cutting through from Vegas through to Palm Springs through the Mojave Preserve, then Joshua Tree and Twenty-Nine Palms.

Beautiful country –

It’s still early stages for the Assisi Tour, which we expect to host in April next year.

We’ve yet to do a full scout, and work out an itinerary and cost, but essentially we see it as a two week walk from Florence to Assisi via Perugia, then to Rome. That entire route is about 350kms, and we may have to van some of the last section into Rome.

I’ve now done a count of those of you who’ve already put up your hand to come, subject obviously to cost, itinerary etc. We’re sitting at 10 – and I wouldn’t want too many more, because from the experience of the Portuguese Camino, these kind of tours work best when the numbers are small. There’s a deeper connection between us all.

So can I ask – can you please let me know if you’re interested in coming. Email me on:

billpgsblog@gmail.com

I understand that you might not proceed with a booking because of cost, timing, personal commitments etc – but a tentative indication would be helpful for me at this stage.

Jennifer and I plan to do a full scout, subject to my work commitments, before Christmas – so we’ll have an itinerary and costing out shortly thereafter.

I think the tour will be an incredible experience –

In November of 2012, for lack of a more desired movie, we watched “The Way”. Twenty minutes into it, we knew we would walk the Camino.

I joined Ivar’s forum to do research on our then upcoming Aug/Sept 2013 Camino and ran across some guy’s “Thoughts of my first ten days on the Camino”. It was Bill. His writing was so engaging that I started following him and looked forward to the daily posts.

Soon we were to learn that Bill was writing a book. When we came back from the Camino I bought his book and we both thoroughly enjoyed it At times it was hilarious and at others you felt his pain.

Next he decided to lead a tour. Dale and I would have loved to have been a part of the Portuguese Tour but couldn’t do another so soon after the first Camino. We had to do the tour through the posts of those able to go.

Over the last twelve months through the bantering and posts, I’ve grown to feel like we are family.

It was so exciting finding out THEY were coming to the USA.  I’d discovered that Bill likes the works of the director, David Lynch and that the series “Twin Peaks” was one of his favorites. Was hoping I had to a chance to meet them as the series was shot about 30 minutes drive from my home.

One of the well known comments of the series was about having “cherry pie and a damn good cup of coffee.” Turns out Bill wanted to have dinner at that diner and we were going to get to meet him and Jen.

When you walk the Camino, you don’t know if the Camino family you make (those you walk with off and on) are rich or poor, famous or regular Joes. The heads of what I have now been considering my Camino family are a renowned  actress and a famous director/producer/writer. What was I thinking!

We had been “talking” for over a year, albeit on the internet, and I felt they were family. The closer it got the more excited I was getting and posted so. Steve jokingly told me not to get too excited and not to make Bill’s head any bigger than it was.

Also I remember Bill saying something about someone might be thinking Bill was full of himself or something on that order. Could I be wrong about them? We were to meet them at 6:30 at the diner. As they approached I knew my PGS was right. They are both the most down to earth, genuine people.

Jennifer has the most beautiful infectious smile. Over the next 27 hours there was much food, laughter and wine.

We were nearly kicked out of two restaurants. The diner is still a diner but will always be the “Twin Peaks diner with cherry pie and a damn good cup of coffee.”

As someone in Spain once told us “the coffee in America is like dishwater”. The coffee in the diner is good to Americans but to the rest of the world – very weak. At 8:30 they told us the diner closed at 8PM. Hint! Hint! Leave!

We walked down to the next bar and enjoyed a couple bottles of wine. We decided to meet the next morning at the original Starbucks in downtown Seattle.

Upon arriving, Dale’s PGS must have been working as we got a parking spot right across from the Starbucks. Very unusual to find parking, much less free parking. We worried for awhile that it might not be a parking spot. Bill paid $29 for two hours of parking.

We then enjoyed Starbucks and walking through Pike Place market. We had breakfast overlooking Puget Sound, saw the famous fish throwing, Rachel the pig, and saw one of my favorite Mariner baseball players (Jay Buhner) being interviewed.

Bill had his first beef jerky, ever. It was then decided we would drive back to Snoqualmie and see the Falls.

Bill’s PGS was working strong and he got the best parking spot. After seeing the Falls from the top we then walked down to the bottom for a good view upwards. The problem there is you have to climb back up.

Needed a drink so after passing on the Lodge which has been remodeled since it’s use on the tv show and no longer has good vibes, we went to a little hole in the wall bar in downtown Snoqualmie.

After a drink it was decided we would have barbecue and ribs in Issaquah for dinner. We learned a lot about Australia  and about PGS, the film during dinner. It is said that Pilgrims have a glow about them. Bill and Jen have a glow about them that I think has been there for 30+ years. They truly are a delightful couple.

Soon the restaurant was stacking chairs and sweeping up. Hint! Hint! Leave!

The 27 hours we spent eating, drinking, talking, drinking, sightseeing, drinking and hiking were some of the most fun and enjoyable times ever. The world needs the PGS film and the best person to bring it to us is Bill. For anyone with the means to support the film, you won’t be sorry.

I know we’ll be seeing each other again soon.

With love

Lynda  and Dale