WordPress Daily Prompt: The Spice of Success

If “failure is the condiment that gives success its flavor” (Truman Capote), how spicy do you like your success stories?

Spices? Mum did not even know the meaning of the world. For her culinary delights were composed of salt, pepper and perhaps vinegar poured over the chips/french fries. It was later in life that I realised you can spice up your food and life.

At the moment I am having interesting encounters with an apple. Not just an apple, but a computerised apple. Why on earth I decided to convert from a Window to an Apple computer, at the age of 68 I really do not know. Was it the excitement of discovering something new in my life? Was my bank account suffering from overweight that I decided to buy a Rolls Royce computer or was it just the fact that it was there? My faithful Acer computer was still more or less working as it should, although now and again there seemed to be a “letter” problem. I think too much milk residue collected in the works from my cereal splashes, or was there a mysterious computer virus infecting the keys. I noticed this problem only really occurred in the first five minutes of usage in the morning. Perhaps I was demanding too much. I decided to plan carefully. 

The Bill Gates consortium were telling everyone about their new computer, No. 10. Somehow model No. 9 got lost, and No. 8 was a complete failure in any case. I wanted  a computer and not a picture book. The decision was made, I must have an Apple, but not just an Apple, a super Apple. Mr. Swiss had bought a small Apple notebook, so I tried it out. I wanted more, and so ordered my super model. Mine has illuminations behind the keys, which Mr. Swiss does not have. I can now type until midnight. I have many things, so many that I am still trying to find out how they work. An apple a day keeps the doctor away, they always said, but think An apple a day keeps Bill Gates away as well.

Then there was my first job in Switzerland, so what does that have to do with spices you are thinking? My boss was from Pakistan, his wife was Swiss and they had three children. They owned a large apartment house in Zürich where I had my own room with bathroom, but I had my meals with the Pakistani-Swiss family and yes, food was Pakistani food. This meant that I was introduced to the world of spice. They had dishes which seemed to contain 90% spice with some meat and veg as the trimmings. It was so hot and spicy, that I became immune to it. Dishes with foreign names ending with Curry were a common event on the table and bread was not bought from the baker, you made it yourself. I got used to this, no problem. There was also an Indian restaurant belonging to the family, so becoming quite an expert, I would assist in serving the meals, although my basic job was secretary to the Pakistani. 

After two years of spicy life,  I left Zürich to arrive in another Kanton/State of Switzerland. Now I was in the country, living amongst the cows, foxes, pigs and hedgehogs. After marriage to Mr. Swiss, today we live in a small village, surrounded by cows and hedgehogs and now and again a fox looking for food. There are no pigs, at least I have not yet seen one. We also have bats fluttering around on the warm summer evenings. This coupled living in the vicinity of the local cemetery, I decided that garlic would be handy. It is quite good for flavouring food, but a fresh garlic clove hung over the bed does keep the vampires at bay. Yes, I have not been bitten by one single vampire since living here, although in September I am often bitten by mosquitos which seem to be vampire apprentices. It seems they need  constant supply of fresh blood to encourage the development of their offspring. There seems to be a spice against this purge of man. You buy it in a liquid form in a glass attached to a plug. By putting this in the socket in the early evening, it seems to spread an aroma which mosquitos avoid. This coupled with the garlic I have no fears.

What Truman Capote was actually talking about I did not really understand, but I am sure it was something intelligent and clever. I read “In Cold Blood” by Truman Capote and found it to be a very good book.

After spending an hour at my Tai Chi class this afternoon, it is now time to wrap up my fantastic, successful, spicy daily prompt. I will return later - and that is a promise, not a threat.

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