Musically, I have always believed my tastes to be reasonably eclectic, although a rock chick at heart (who can say no to a bad boy flanked by guitar and drum?) I can get dizzy over Rachmaninov, Annie Lennox, Tinariwen and Mumford & Sons, with equal gusto, hell the first CD I ever bought was Doris Day's Greatest Hits. But one thing I do know: I don't like rap. That is until recently. It started with Eminem (doesn't it always) and then I found myself humming along to Dizzee Rascal, asking Snoop Doggy Dogg, what's my name? Urging Kanye West to drive slow, homie, and when Alicia Keys put me in an Empire State of Mind it was the Jay Z version I waved my arms aloft to. I used to find it a bit scary, what with all those hoes and bitches and brand new trainers everyday, badly worn baseball caps and bling. But no. It's not just scratching, sampling, hip hop and beatbox, check out the lyrics. Eminem's Lose Yourself is pure poetry and don't get me started on Not Afraid. Not only that, some of these guys are the richest artists in the world, they seem to have incredible business acumen, 50 Cent invested in a vitamin water and made millions.....not too shabby. But fear not, although I shall be definitely embracing my inner hoodie this summer, I can still be found dancing bare foot to Patti Smith at the Serpentine Sessions.
In lieu of any sign of a proper summer kicking in, I have decided to eat my way to a sunny disposition. My current obsessions to brighten up these dull days are: oily tomato salads heavy with garlic and basil, tender English asparagus squeezed with lemon, round, pink radishes dipped in salt and lashings of Rose. Just stick a hot water bottle up your jumper, close your eyes and enjoy the Mediterranean ....... on a plate.
Top tip: homemade houmous: a can of chick peas, olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, tahini and a pinch of salt whizzed in the blender. Delicious, nutricious, cheap and aparently very good for pre and meneopausal women!!
