Well, the holidays are over, and the healing has begun. Here we are at the open door of 2009 looking in and wondering, "will this be a better year than 2008?" The truth is: who knows? These are certainly Interesting times.

Christmas time is upon the Virgin Islands until Three Kings Day and, as everywhere, food and drink traditions are a big part of what makes the holiday spirit. In the territory and on other Caribbean islands, Christmas is guavaberry time.

At the recent Christmas Festival "Soup Du Cure" fundraiser for Juan F. Luis Hospital, Ive and Carlos Lisse showcased sopón navideño, or Puerto Rican Christmas soup, a flavorful, brothy chicken soup with rice, green bananas, chilies, pigeon peas, cilantro, garlic and more.

While having lunch with some friends the other day, I was asked a simple question: What wines are customers buying more of recently? I had to think about this quite a bit because it made me realize that wine sales have changed significantly and rapidly over the past few years.

Bodacious: outright, unmistakable, remarkable, noteworthy, sexy, voluptuous (Merriam-Webster dictionary) Bordeaux: Wine region of France producing the greatest wines in the world. (My definition).

Being in the wine business, all our guests bring a bottle or two of wines they want me to try, their "secret finds," but when it comes time for cocktails before dinner, or "aperitif," as is said in France, almost everyone settles down with a glass of rosé that has been sitting in an ice bucket on the table.

Frank L. Machover of V.I. Wine Wholesale writes that organic wines are about natural growing practices.

Former government aide Alric V. Simmonds has accepted an open plea agreement that could put him in jail for 20 years on charges of embezzlement, conversion of government funds and grand larceny.

While here in Paris, I have been thinking a lot about our great American tradition of Thanksgiving, such an intriguing concept to the French. This holiday is the only American fete based on food. Oh, there are many other celebrations of which food is a central part, but there is only one based on food.

Food cooked with wine takes on the concentrated flavor of the wine, giving the dish a depth of flavor that is unequalled.
Here are two classic wine recipes.