Stu Dudley: I propose a Duel
 

Yes, I propose a duel between your wife and my husband! I think we have married two of a kind. Your wife writes detailed food diaries and my husband videotapes each and every meal we have abroad. And I have to describe what we are eating. He has even selected a tiny video camera with good low light capabilities to capture even "atmospheric" restaurants. He is inobtrusive since the camera fits in his hand with only the lens showing. But I think your wife wins anyway, because that which she writes is available to so many of us to enjoy via your postings. So thank her for me, and thank you too.

Is this supposed to be a vacation?

If much fun and laughter is part of a vacation, then yes.

I thought this was from SD's "competitor" on this board who got upset a few days ago. Was worried that her spat was turning deadly! :-)

humanone, what ELSE does your hubby videotape?!?!

humanone, I wish we'd had the two of you along when we dined one night in the wilds of Provence. Here we were in some god-forsaken part of the country that no one goes to, on a Sunday night, and we were the only ones in the restaurant. It would have been the PERFECT night for us to have brought our camera, but did we? Nooooo. And of course we were served one of the most exquisite meals we've ever eaten. Beautifully presents and a pleasure to the palate. But no camera to record it!

"beautifully presented" that is.

This is funny and charming..I have had dinners that were so beautifully presented, that we used to say, we should take a picture..but we never did.
But...
my husband used to have a client, that whenever she came to see him, she would show him photos of the meal she had made. Beautiful photos of a paella, or a big bowl of pasta..certainly fit for a Food Magazine, but we always wondered about her, carrying around food photos and showing them off proudly , like baby pictures :)
I wish she were here now- to know that people actually film their food!
I know she would run out and get a video camera :D

Where was that Diedre?

Mimi, the name of the place is Restaurant "Les Souvenirs de l'Avenir" and it's on the outskirts of the small village of Jouques, NE of Aix. You'd have to have been told about it to go there to dine because it really is in the middle of nowhere. People drive from miles and miles (KMs and KMs?) to get there, though, as well they should. The food is divine!

Thanks, I'll try to fit it in our trip. We love those out of way places.

The only place we regularly photographed our food was in Japan, where food presentation has been elevated to high art.