Caesar's Vast Ghost - Aspects of Provence, by Lawrence Durrell.

page 14

(Whole peoples form their personalities around what they believe, and
there are those who recognize that the primal condition in nature is
one of impermanence. They practice anchoring their minds in its flux
as the basis for a coherent philosophic life. The moral posture in the
matter of death is most important. But one feels that real bliss, the
smiling silence of pure transcendence, is Asiatic.)
 
page 29

In the case of Pombal, it was only a question of time - he had
extended the cooking time of his dishes, and lowered the speed of
"cuisson", explaining, 'They are more imbued with my spirit, than
dishes which are rushed. Time is the key.'




'We live lives based upon selected fiction. Our view of reality is
conditioned by our position in space and time - not by our
personalities as we like to think. Thus every interpretation of
reality is based upon a unique position.  Two paces east or west and
the whole picture is changed'

                                            - from 'Balthazar' 
                                                 by Lawrence Durrell