Food

Why Home Chef Meal Delivery Service Is The Perfect Mother’s Day Gift

Published

4 years ago

June 7, 2022

PARIS — French President Emmanuel Macron took first place, ahead of far-right leader Marine Le Pen, in the first round of France’s presidential election on Sunday, but he is on course for a far closer second-round clash than five years ago.

While polling suggests Macron should retain the presidency in two weeks, first round results show the incumbent can’t rest on his laurels.

Le Pen will be able to count on voters from far-right TV-pundit-turned-politician Eric Zemmour, who called on his supporters to back her on April 24. Meanwhile, leftist firebrand Jean-Luc Mélenchon fared better than expected and brings a heavy dose of uncertainty to the mix as his voters are a diverse bunch. Many are likely to abstain in the second round, while others will divide up between the French president and Le Pen.

Here are five takeaways from the presidential election’s first round:

“Politics is war without bloodshed
while war is politics with bloodshed.”

France’s repeat of the 2017 runoff confirms Macron’s and Le Pen’s own political analysis: That the divide between the left and the right is no longer relevant in France and has been replaced by an opposition between a mainstream bloc that is pro-European and open to the outside world on one side, and nationalists on the other. Both candidates scored higher than five years ago, leaving the traditional right and left in an even more shambolic state than before. Macron went from 24 percent in 2017 in the first round to 27.6 percent Sunday and Le Pen went from 21.3 percent to 23.4 percent.

The gap between them is higher than last time around, showing that Macron has managed to drum up the most votes despite controversies in the campaign’s last mile, including over the state’s overuse of consulting firms. But the far-right bloc — Marine Le Pen, Eric Zemmour and nationalist Nicolas Dupont-Aignan combined — garnered than 30 percent of the total vote.

I describe the “fun” parts of Only Yesterday because they’re wonderful, but also to make a point about the origin story we’ve learned about the mood of the ’20s. Looking back at Allen’s work from the vantage point of 1986, historian David M. Kennedy argued that the biggest failing of the book was its lack of historical depth: “Rarely did Allen forge an explanatory chain whose links ran back more deeply into the past than 1917.” And indeed, Allen seemed to blame World War I for every ash-covered carpet and scarred dining table.

Allen is also really good at describing parties—or, at least, the ones the middle class and upper class attended. The historian wrote about how women taking up smoking had “strewed the dinner table with their ashes, snatched a puff between the acts, invaded the masculine sanctity of the club car, and forced department stores to place ornamental ash-trays between the chairs in their women’s shoe departments.” In what I think may be the best passage in the book, Allen described the way 1920s partygoers stepped all over every previous genteel convention:

Anyway, let’s get to that fun. A very joyful book to read about the decade is Frederick Lewis Allen’s Only Yesterday: An Informal History of the 1920s, which Allen—a blueblood journalist and editor at Harper’s—published in 1931. The book chronicles all of the movement and motion that makes the decade sexy, and doesn’t seem to miss a fad.

The property, complete with a 30-seat screening room, a 100-seat amphitheater and a swimming pond with sandy beach and outdoor shower, was asking about $40 million, but J. Lo managed to make it hers for $28 million. As the Bronx native acquires a new home in California, she is trying to sell a gated compound.

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Perhaps by remembering the twenties merely as an enchanting series of novelties or the crude afterthought of a simpler past, we preserve the illusion of our own simple innocence,” mused historian Paula Fass in the introduction to her book The Damned and the Beautiful: American Youth in the 1920s.

Whether that means there will be a longer-term far-right alliance is an open question. Nicolas Bay and Gilbert Collard — two MEPs who left Le Pen’s party to join Zemmour — didn’t endorse a possible alliance with Le Pen, in case she wins the second round.

Zemmour, a 63-year-old TV pundit-turned-politician, was once tipped to come second behind Macron, back in October. But he plummeted spectacularly in the polls after suffering from a perceived lack of credibility as the Ukraine war started and former comments praising Russian President Vladimir Putin resurfaced. He scored a measly 7 percent. Despite their bitter and unrelenting fighting throughout the campaign, he swiftly endorsed Marine Le Pen.

“I have disagreements with Marine Le Pen,” Zemmour said at his concession speech Sunday, “but there is a man facing Marine Le Pen who has let in 2 million immigrants … who would therefore do worse if he were reelected — it is for this reason that I call on my voters to vote for Marine Le Pen.”

Cover Story

Easy Kenyan recipes to try for lunch

Published

4 weeks ago

March 17, 2026

bodywisegardens.com

Mokimo/Mashed potatoes and greens

Ingredients

9 potatoes
3 garlic cloves
Salt and pepper to taste
2-3 cups chopped spinach
Swiss chard or pumpkin leaves
1 cup corn or peas

Instructions

Peel your potatoes and cut them into cubes

Put the cubes in a pot and add water. Make sure the water is not too much or too little.

Over medium heat bring the cubed potatoes to a boil.

Add the garlic and greens. You can opt to cook these separately, blend then add to the potatoes later.

In a separate pot boil the peas until tender.

Once the potatoes are done drain the excess water. You can check if the potatoes are ready using a fork or knife.

If you boiled your greens together with the potatoes, add the peas and proceed to mash until everything is mixed up and there are no lumps.

If you boiled your greens separately add them and mix in the peas, then mash.Add salt and pepper to tasteServe with your veggies of choice

ALSO READ: 7 benefits of eating with your family

Mixed matoke and beef

Ingredients 4 servings

A bunch of bananas

Several stalks of dhaniaa

Pinch of salt

1 large onion

2 small carrotscooking oil

500 g beef

Chopped 3 tomatoes

Instructions

Chop your onions, carrots, tomatoes and dhania

Peel your bananas. You can use paper gloves or you can smear oil on your hands to prevent matoke sap from sticking on your hands.

Add in the beef, increase the heat and let it cook till brown.

Add the chopped carrots and tomatoes and cook for a few minutes.

Add the bananas to beef and stir and then add beef broth for stock

Add salt, dhania and curry powder then cover and let the mixture simmer for a few minutes until the bananas are soft. Remove from heat and serve.

You can add your favorite greens on the side.

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Cover Story

Easy Kenyan recipes to try for lunch

Published

4 weeks ago

March 17, 2026

bodywisegardens.com

Mokimo/Mashed potatoes and greens

Ingredients

9 potatoes
3 garlic cloves
Salt and pepper to taste
2-3 cups chopped spinach
Swiss chard or pumpkin leaves
1 cup corn or peas

Instructions

Peel your potatoes and cut them into cubes

Put the cubes in a pot and add water. Make sure the water is not too much or too little.

Over medium heat bring the cubed potatoes to a boil.

Add the garlic and greens. You can opt to cook these separately, blend then add to the potatoes later.

In a separate pot boil the peas until tender.

Once the potatoes are done drain the excess water. You can check if the potatoes are ready using a fork or knife.

If you boiled your greens together with the potatoes, add the peas and proceed to mash until everything is mixed up and there are no lumps.

If you boiled your greens separately add them and mix in the peas, then mash.Add salt and pepper to tasteServe with your veggies of choice

ALSO READ: 7 benefits of eating with your family

Mixed matoke and beef

Ingredients 4 servings

A bunch of bananas

Several stalks of dhaniaa

Pinch of salt

1 large onion

2 small carrotscooking oil

500 g beef

Chopped 3 tomatoes

Instructions

Chop your onions, carrots, tomatoes and dhania

Peel your bananas. You can use paper gloves or you can smear oil on your hands to prevent matoke sap from sticking on your hands.

Add in the beef, increase the heat and let it cook till brown.

Add the chopped carrots and tomatoes and cook for a few minutes.

Add the bananas to beef and stir and then add beef broth for stock

Add salt, dhania and curry powder then cover and let the mixture simmer for a few minutes until the bananas are soft. Remove from heat and serve.

You can add your favorite greens on the side.

Click HERE to join our WhatsApp channel!

Cover Story

Simple Kenyan Fish and Ugali Recipe

Published

4 weeks ago

March 17, 2026

bodywisegardens.com

Fish and ugali is a beloved Kenyan meal enjoyed across many households. Not only is it delicious, but it also provides a nutritious balance of proteins and carbohydrates, making it perfect for family mealtimes.

Here’s a simple yet authentic way to prepare this dish:

Ingredients for Fish

– 1 whole tilapia (or any other fish of your choice)

– 2 large ripe tomatoes, chopped

– 1 medium onion, chopped

– 2 cloves garlic, minced

– 1 teaspoon ginger, grated

– 1 tablespoon cooking oil

– Salt to taste

– 1 teaspoon curry powder

– 1 teaspoon paprika (optional)

– 1 lemon (for cleaning the fish)

– Fresh coriander for garnish

Ingredients for Ugali

– 2 cups maize flour

– 4 cups water

Instructions

Step 1: Clean the fish

Begin by cleaning the fish.

Rub the lemon over the fish and rinse it well with water to remove any fishy smell.

Once clean, pat the fish dry using a kitchen towel and sprinkle salt over it.

Step 2: Fry the fish

Heat the cooking oil in a large pan over medium heat.

Gently place the fish in the pan and fry both sides until golden brown and crispy.

Once done, remove the fish and set it aside.

Step 3: Prepare the fish stew

In the same pan, add the chopped onions and sauté them until they are soft and golden.

Add the minced garlic and grated ginger, cooking for another minute.

Next, add the chopped tomatoes and let them simmer until they soften into a thick sauce.

Stir in the curry powder, paprika, and salt, allowing the flavours to blend.

Return the fried fish to the pan, adding a little water to create a stew-like consistency.

Cover the pan and allow the fish to simmer for 10 to 15 minutes, ensuring it absorbs the sauce.

Garnish with fresh coriander before serving.

Step 4: Cook the Ugali

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In a separate pot, bring the water to a boil.

Gradually add the maize flour while stirring continuously to avoid lumps.

Keep stirring until the mixture thickens.

Lower the heat and press the ugali with a flat wooden spoon until it is firm.

Let it cook for about 5 minutes, ensuring it is well done.

Once cooked, transfer the ugali onto a plate and shape it into a round mound.

Step 5: Serve

Serve the fish stew with a generous portion of ugali and enjoy this wholesome Kenyan meal with your family.

This traditional meal is not only tasty but also rich in nutrients.

Fish is a great source of Omega-3 fatty acids, while ugali provides essential energy for the day. Your family will love this meal, and it’s easy to prepare for any occasion.

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