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Saratoga Sampler
Elderhosteling fare overflows for the Traceys
By Mary Ann Cook
FINE DINING: Saratogans John and Joanna Tracey are back from a splendid trip during which they traveled to Spain and Portugal and then to Provence where they followed tips from Peter Mayles' books about that region, including how to find the perfect corkscrew (which they found.) They topped off their adventures at an elderhostel in Marseilles with the mouth-watering name of "The Food and Wine of Provence." There different chefs demonstrated and prepared meals for them throughout the week in two different towns.
In the morning they went to the market and in the afternoon they toured wineries, including the famed wine conglomerate Chateau Neuf de Pape. And, of course, they ate like royalty. Sometimes the group prepared the food, toured while it baked and then came back to dine sumptuously on their own handiwork.
Stuffed veal birds and ratatouille were two examples of fare the hostelers prepared after instruction from the chefs. In Cavaillon, a town famed for its melons of the same name, they learned to make melon soup from a four-star chef. (Actually he was reduced to three stars recently because of deficiencies in his restaurant facility, not deficiencies in his cooking. At that level of dining, who takes time away from savoring what the fork is bringing to his or her mouth to be bothered with how many stars are listed on the rating?)
Tapenade before each dinner was another nice touch, reports Joanna. Besides dining magnificently, the Traceys ran into several small-world coincidences on this trip. To wit: one couple from Michigan recently dined at the Plumed Horse.
One man from Colorado just spent some time as a houseguest in Argonaut; one woman was a patient of a Tracey daughter, Diane Smith, who works at a sports medicine clinic in La Jolla. Two couples lived a few blocks from where John grew up in St. Louis.
In Avignon they bumped into an Ohio State alumni group (Joanna's alma mater.) Well, you get the idea.
This is the 13th elderhostel trip the Traceys have taken and the second one overseas. The other one was to Scotland to revel in the monthlong Tattoo Festival in Edinburgh in August.
Bagpipers take up positions in a castle from the turret on down, a very moving spectacle. "It was something I always wanted to see," said Joanna. And hear, of course. "I was in tears for the first five minutes I was so moved."
A tattoo in this context means a prelude to taps, a military custom, explains John. It's probably keyed to when the sun sets, since this one occurred about 10 p.m.
The Traceys take back-to-back elderhostels. One outstanding combo was to Tucson to study Frank Lloyd Wright, and then to Stillwater, Okla., for Greek mythology and Greek ethics. "It was wonderful. The instructors were all full professors from the college with a good sense of humor," reports Joanna.
But it's the group itself, not the instruction, that lights up an elderhostel venture. And that was a hallmark in Provence, with everyone participating fully. The Traceys intend to keep in touch with other couples, one in Morro Bay where their mobile home frequently takes them, and in San Diego to the aforementioned daughter.
They are on the wait list for the Inside Parliament trip to London, then to Belgium to study the European Union. They're hoping the third time is a charm: they've tried twice before. That one fills up fast.
NEW 'ZINE: Los Gatan Lesa Medley wanted a magazine that had a "comfortable kitchen table/over the back fence kind of feel to it." Since she couldn't find one on the market that was quite what she wanted, she started her own. The first issue of My Kitchen Table has debuted by now.
She selected poems, essays, short stories and articles that she liked and had good solid writing. She's also in the market for cartoons, drawings and photographs. Medley's publishing company is Sweet Pea Press at 408.978.4800.
Because she has contacts on the East Coast, she requested and received contributions from all over the country. The magazine will be published bimonthly. Single copies are $5.25. A year's subscription is $21. Her email is SweetPLesa@aol.com.
Local writers whose work appears in the premier issue are Saratogans Marta Gomez, haiku, and Sina Hoffmann, poetry.
WEDNESDAY WORKSHOP: Playwrights and actors, take note. A workshop for emerging playwrights and actors is under way at Coffee Cantina at the shopping center on Meridian at Hamilton in San Jose, next to Blockbuster Video.
The group gathers for readings and critiques from 7 to 9 p.m. every Wednesday. Excerpts from plays should be no more than 15 minutes in length. The leader is Carol Wolf at 408.293.8751.
DEANS' LIST: Students named to the Deans' List at the University of Oregon include Molly Miranda Vaden of Monte Sereno, a freshman who is a fine and applied arts major; and Benjamin H. Champion, a senior from Saratoga majoring in Spanish.
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Saratoga, California Since 1955
