Edit Neni

Edit Neni - photo by Nigel A. JAMES

An Illusion of Simplicity

Excellent cooking is more than the mixing of the right ingredients; it is also a certain feeling which is based upon the mystery of happiness; and Edit Neni from Tilaj (pronounced Tilloy), a small village in a western Hungarian forest, knows how to transform this secret into reality, for she is a master in the art of incredible food!

Edit Neni has a very large family which consists of grown-up children, grandchildren, and, even great-grandchildren as well; and, as is only to be expected, all of them are frequent guests at her table; for the thing they love most is Edit Neni’s traditional country cooking.

Wrapped in an illusion of simplicity, Edit’s culinary skills are based upon the depths of taste which reach far back to beyond the advent of our modern way of living; a period when time lasted longer and people had more of it; and this is the taste of Edit’s cooking: patience and love; and, a sprinkling of a miracle, too!

And the miracle is her kitchen. At her disposal in her very small kitchen is a table that measures no more than one meter long and half a meter wide, a very simple stove with only three rings and an oven, a tiny sink for the washing up - and a very simple cupboard that contains the five pots and pans that she owns! The secret of good cooking, says Edit, is organization, and she is an expert.

Her delicious cakes are always baked well in advance, the soup the day before, and the battered fried chicken, her speciality and everyone’s favourite as well, is produced only minutes before all of her hungry and expectant guests arrive for what is guaranteed to be an experience of pure delight.

So, good cooking doesn’t require a modern built-in kitchen, nor does it need loads of machines, what it does need is a feeling of what’s good and a love of the art of making mouths water. Maybe, a step back to more traditional ways would do a lot of us good; Edit Neni never stepped forward; and that's why a visit to her house is always the same as a mouth-wateringly trip back to the past!

My e-mail address is njmailboy@gmail.com

The Passenger

Passenger - photo by Nigel A. JAMES

Where To?

Where was this passenger going? Maybe, she was going home to cook lunch; or, maybe she was going back to work from an early lunch. It was a dull early-afternoon last Friday. I took this picture in the centre of Vienna. Reflected in the window of the tram were the trees in their late summer foliage. Soon will be autumn; maybe the girl in the tram was thinking about the coming colours, or, even the coming of snow. Who knows?


My e-mail address is, njmailboy@gmail.com

Mirijam Ploteny

Mirijam Ploteny - photo by Nigel A. JAMES

Expected Entrancement

There is a certain magic about the theatre; and the thing that brings it to life are the players and the musicians who perform it; and Mirijam Ploteny is as spellbinding as she is bewitching and her performances certainly live up to expected entrancement!

Mirijam Ploteny is a character of dimensions. Her “real life” is at one end, and, at the other, the theatre; but, in-between is a melting pot of them both! Where does “real life” end and where does the theatre begin?

Apart from the stage, Mirijam is also a very good teacher of German, and her teaching success lies in the way she is able to involve herself in the characters and interests of her students. This is character study in real

And her work definitely displays the various shades which she has picked up upon her way to where she is now. There are traces and tones of her Italian period, and, of course, there are sprinklings from almost every where else as well. Stage is life, and life is stage, and performing is the conclusion of creativeness!

And creativity is also one her strengths. A replay of her highly successful musical revue, Boudoir Madame CC, is about to begin in Vienna. I went to see it whilst it was playing the first time round and I was amazed by its mixture of daring and comfort.

Along with Caroline Koczan, Kurt Obermair and Gertrude Kisser, Mirijam Ploteny has, in Boudoir Madame CC, succeeded in creating a revue that is full of exciting and hard hitting songs and corners of unimaginable surprises. I enjoyed it very much, and a lot of other people did, too.

Meeting Mirijam Ploteny in real, very much reinforced the impression that I had gained of her whilst watching her in action: a very real person who is able to interpret characters because she is the way that she is, a very deep and understanding person.

She has lived a lot and has experienced much!

Starting in September, for four days only, 20,21,22 and 23rd, Boudoir Madame CC will be playing at the Interkult theatre in the 6th district of Vienna, Fillgradergasse 16.

Full details and booking, www.interkulttheatre.at



Mirijam’s home page, www.mirijamploteny.com


My e-mail address, njmailboy@gmail.com

Reflections

Karlskirche - St.Charles - in Vienna, picture by Nigel A. JAMES

Standing On Its Head


Vienna. In front of the Karlskirche is a pond. This picture is the reflection of the church as seen in the water. The people at the bottom who appear to be the right way up, are, in fact, upside down! At the top of the picture, which is really the bottom, are the steps that lead into the water.

To view this picture properly, that is to say, from the correct perspective, you will have to stand on your head!

My e-mail address is, njmailboy@gmail.com

Mike Hanson

Mike Hanson - photo by Nigel A. JAMES

The Crimson Vampire

There are many cases in life when so called first impressions lead only to a part of the whole, and, on the surface, Mike Hansen is a nice guy and a graduate in the science of sound; but the exciting knowledge of audible waves is only one of the layers of this young 22 year old from England.

Mike discovered a special part of himself in a bar in Leicester in England, and, in a sense, the bar discovered him, too. By demonstrating his willingness to do anything for a crust, Mike was given a job as an assistant bar-keeper – but Mike was a quick learner.

There are bar-keepers and there are bar-keepers; but the two things that separate the good from the average are social skills and creativity. Anyone can learn to shake up a cocktail, but there are very few people who are able to invent new ones on the spur of the moment – and this was where Mike discovered his strength!

His strength lay in his ability to turn other people’s ideas into liquid realities, a gift that not only requires creativity, but also social communication skills as well. Listen, create and shake, soon became Mikes recipe for success!

But there’s a devil in the best – and Mike’s most successful concoction soon became known as The Crimson Vampire, a devilish setting of three see through layers containing an invisible punch disguised in the innocence of its green, red and sweet and sour layers! This was creativity with a swing!

But Mike's name isn’t only restricted to Leicester. Everywhere he goes he is made welcome. Just two weeks ago he was to be found in a bar on the shores of Lake Balaton endearing himself to local young Hungarians with his mixture of late night charm and his gift for shaking up explosive ingredients into an eruptive WOW!

But don’t despair! Coming soon – with full effect, tips, recipes and super photos – will be Mike’s blog; possibly to be one of the best “educational blogs” in the net!

I, for one, can’t wait! And I will, of course, be keeping you informed.

My address is, njmailboy@gmail.com