SNIPPETS...
Recently I took the other half out for his birthday treat (a few months late but heh some things can't be rushed). We went to Veu de Monde.
It was an amazing experience.
Offering some of the best views of Melbourne (even on a scorching summer's day when a brown haze covered the sky, our city still looked wonderful).
Even before we got to the food it was an experience. Glass of champagne to welcome us. Leather clad tables, with an assortment of stones and driftwood arranged on the top. We learnt that everything on the table has a significance, will be used at some stage during the meal.
I must admit to drooling over the cutlery (gorgeous....can one have a cutlery fetish?)
Then came the food.
Small serves, beautifully presented.
On the menu this is called - Barramundi, caviar, potato and lemon.
If I had served these four elements, it would look nothing like above.
I will admit that not everything was to my taste- but I tasted. I sampled. I explored flavours and textures.
I have never before eaten creme fraiche snow...I doubt that I will again. (It was delicious).
This is beef tongue, beetroot and bone marrow. With the above mentioned snow.
Each dish offered more surprises, more chances to explore.
And when we left, we knew we would like to sample more. Perhaps in the cafe, in the grill....but these snippets left us wanting to know what else would they offer.
It tempted us. Lured us. Left us wanting more.
I recently read a short story collection by a YA author. I had not read any of her novels, but thought I would dip into her collection. Get a taste of what she had to offer.
At first I was intrigued. The short stories that stood alone were sharp and concise, they cut deep. She created some great characters, some interesting concepts...BUT...
Yes there is a but, but the majority of her short stories dealt with characters and situations based on her novels and her series. They made no sense at all to someone like me who had not read them.
They began with the notion that the reader knew what had happened previously, who the twenty or so mentioned people (in the first few pages) were.
I didn't know...and as I struggled to get into these short stories... I didn't care.
The snippets she offered no longer drew me in. I skipped stories, I moved on. And decided that I would not read any of her books, because the samples she had offered didn't grab me.
I finished the book and didn't care for more.
A good meal should leave you sated, but also with the notion that you would like to come back again. That what you had was so good, that you are interested to know what else could be on the menu.
A short story collection should do the same. You don't have to like every story...it is after all, down to personal taste...but there should be something catching your attention. Something to draw you in so you begin to ask questions...want to know more.
This collection didn't do that for me.
The samples and snippets she offered, were not enough to make me want more.
Not good for a writer...worse for the reader.
Vicki
http://vickithornton.weebly.com/
It was an amazing experience.
Offering some of the best views of Melbourne (even on a scorching summer's day when a brown haze covered the sky, our city still looked wonderful).
Even before we got to the food it was an experience. Glass of champagne to welcome us. Leather clad tables, with an assortment of stones and driftwood arranged on the top. We learnt that everything on the table has a significance, will be used at some stage during the meal.
I must admit to drooling over the cutlery (gorgeous....can one have a cutlery fetish?)
Then came the food.
Small serves, beautifully presented.
On the menu this is called - Barramundi, caviar, potato and lemon.
If I had served these four elements, it would look nothing like above.
I will admit that not everything was to my taste- but I tasted. I sampled. I explored flavours and textures.
I have never before eaten creme fraiche snow...I doubt that I will again. (It was delicious).
This is beef tongue, beetroot and bone marrow. With the above mentioned snow.
Each dish offered more surprises, more chances to explore.
And when we left, we knew we would like to sample more. Perhaps in the cafe, in the grill....but these snippets left us wanting to know what else would they offer.
It tempted us. Lured us. Left us wanting more.
I recently read a short story collection by a YA author. I had not read any of her novels, but thought I would dip into her collection. Get a taste of what she had to offer.
At first I was intrigued. The short stories that stood alone were sharp and concise, they cut deep. She created some great characters, some interesting concepts...BUT...
Yes there is a but, but the majority of her short stories dealt with characters and situations based on her novels and her series. They made no sense at all to someone like me who had not read them.
They began with the notion that the reader knew what had happened previously, who the twenty or so mentioned people (in the first few pages) were.
I didn't know...and as I struggled to get into these short stories... I didn't care.
The snippets she offered no longer drew me in. I skipped stories, I moved on. And decided that I would not read any of her books, because the samples she had offered didn't grab me.
I finished the book and didn't care for more.
A good meal should leave you sated, but also with the notion that you would like to come back again. That what you had was so good, that you are interested to know what else could be on the menu.
A short story collection should do the same. You don't have to like every story...it is after all, down to personal taste...but there should be something catching your attention. Something to draw you in so you begin to ask questions...want to know more.
This collection didn't do that for me.
The samples and snippets she offered, were not enough to make me want more.
Not good for a writer...worse for the reader.
Vicki
http://vickithornton.weebly.com/
Comments
Post a Comment