Food for - John Bateman -

As I never really accepted, that Lucas North was indeed John Bateman or that John Bateman's story in Spooks 9 held any reliable truth in it, I will treat him here as a separate character from Lucas North, the able agent and spy. (It would render MI5 rather incompetent and though I have deep doubt about competence in our current time in almost every sector of life. To fool a whole agency of supposedly excellent spies for years, fool the KGB and its successor as well, fool the Chinese,... That would really be a topic tickling my funny bone, but honestly, I still don't believe a word of it.)

Characterisation of John Bateman

Fortunately, I have pushed the memory of John Bateman far enough to the back of my mind by now.
But what impressed me in the way of John Bateman, was his love of number games and mysteries.
His time spent in Dakar has given him a valuable insight in another world, either of prestige and the moneyed, as well as in the way of how to behave to represent a special image he wanted to create, to drag himself out of poverty. His interest in observing others, while keeping his own emotions in check, was toned and attuned here. So Dakar not only defined his further life, but also the tastes and characteristics he later presents to the world.

Food suggestion for John Bateman

Tieboudienne (= rice with fish) in any form and variety. (A good description can be found here: PaulsTravelBlog)
Whenever his British roots come out, he would crave fatty fish and chips.
As John Bateman always has secrets, here his biggest: He has a sweet tooth and likes deserts of any kind, especially chocolate cake and in the heat of Dakar lots of chocolate ice cream with fruits, especially strawberries, reminding him of home and his mother and happy times.

Food for - Lucas North -

Characterisation of Lucas North

Lucas North is an insecure character, who wants to fit in and show his abilities and fitness to be taken seriously in his profession and by his peers, a veneer he wants to hide behind. He demands the highest from himself, but internally fears, that he won't be able to meet the demands put on him by his job and others, because of his background, because of his upbringing, because of his time spent in a Russian prison (and as the last episode of Spooks 9 also suggests) because of all his lies of and in his life he tried so hard to hide.

Food suggestion for Lucas North

Carpaccio (Original version developed by Giuseppe Cipriani in Venice) - with white bread and an excellent vintage Italian red wine - (Heeding the current Italian food appreciation in the U.K., while still fitting his desire for rawness and immediacy).

Later to relax, his time in Russia would come out and show in his further choice:
Russian caviar - champagne (vodca would be too disabling for an agent and Lucas North has too much style to drug himself senselessly). Russian blini as a sweet dessert.

Lucas North, as pale as he is, does not seem to me as an entirely healthy or health oriented man. So vegetables are out of the question for him.

Un-Sweet World

I have the good news that in her deep hiding, CDoart was discovered again and has not entirely gone missing from RAndom (= RA-fandom).

Last year, with lots of work, she went under deep cover needing more fun and distraction than a fearful Alp-traveler from the ancient world could deliver. The new year then started with her leaving out almost an entire month, spending it in 'sweet' agony, throwing her well ordered world back into total chaos. As a result of it, now all sweetness is meticulously banned from her life.

No sweet Easter eggs, no chocolate bunny, no cake, no juice or fruit, no ...  ;o(
Well, hopefully in the far distant future, the sweetness will come back, slowly, gradually, eventually ...

So lots of RA-sweetness is needed, to compensate the lost sweetness in life.

RA-candy ;o)
as the new life, like the old, is just not possible without sweetness.


Hello Friends !!!
I am back. Not entirely well and carrying quite a bit less weight around with me, but back at least, curiously looking and discovering and finding it astonishing that I am still around ;o)

I hope you are all fine and thriving and enjoying RA's talent to the fullest.

Best wishes and greetings,
CDoart ;o)

RA in front of a cup with sweet ice cream,
watched by a sweet little dinosaur.
(CBeeBies, BBC)