So, what my doctors used to do was put me on sulfa–which is what was used before antibiotics were discovered and synthesized. However, four years ago, I developed an allergy to sulfa–so now we have a problem.

I can take cephalexin and cefaclor, which are synthetic broad spectrum antibiotics, and I can take one other synthesized broad-spectrum antibiotic which I cannot remember the name of. The two I named are the ones used in place of penicillin for those of us who are allergic to it.

What it means is that my doctors’ choices are limited at the rare times I get an infection. And that is bad, but not necessarily fatal.

What I do is avoid infections by having a killer immune system. I eat lots of vegetables and fruits, I take herbs that boost the immune system and I eat lots and lots of naturally antibiotic, antiseptic foods like garlic, ginger, chilies, onions, thyme, and turmeric.

I am lucky in that I haven’t had a serious upper respiratory infection in years. I used to get them all the time when I was younger–at least twice or three times a year, but the last sinus infection I have had was two years ago, and before that, the last upper respiratory infection was a bout of strep throat four years before that. The last bronchitis was a decade ago.

As for Stilton, how sad that you have been deprived all these years. As the wife of an Englishman, I’ve become completely indoctrinated. One thing you should try if you haven’t already is the traditional English way of eating it: on a buttered digestive biscuit (which is sweet) with a nice glass of port. It really is a revelation! We used to have fun serving it to doubtful French people who couldn’t imagine the English knowing a trick with cheese that they hadn’t invented! ; )

Le Creuset is my favorite line of cookware, in large part, because they cook with the same amazing qualities of cast iron, but the enamel makes it much easier to clean and maintain.

My first pieces of Le Creuset came from Zak’s Grandma whose arm strength had deteriorated and so she could no longer lift them. Zak’s sister Laura couldn’t easily lift them either so they all were passed to me. I love them dearly, and use them all the time.

I was given a large, deep braising skillet and a shallow frying pan for the generic winter holiday two years ago by Zak’s stepmother, and those two pieces, along with the older pieces from Zak’s grandmother, are the workhorses of my kitchen. I use at least one of them every day, most often two of them.

I use them to cook all of my curries–they brown the onions to absolute perfection, and they wide, deep braising pan helps curry sauces reduce by water evaporation to a perfect velvety thickness without adding anything to thicken them.

I am glad you got to see pieces of my favorite cookware, and you are right, new pieces are expensive–even in the US. If you have access to ebay, you might be able to find older pieces for cheaper, but until then–get some pieces of plain old cast iron without the enamel. You have to season these pieces and be sure and never soak them or let them stay wet–you wash them carefully with no or very little soap, and then dry them on fire of the stovetop. Then rub in a bit of oil to soak into the metal and keep it essentially non-stick. You also have to be careful in cooking acidic ingredients like vinegar, lemon juice and tomatoes in them–only do that in a well-seasoned pan and never let them sit in the pot for a long period of time as the acid can eat into the iron.

These types of cast iron pots and pans are much less expensive, and not as pretty, but when cared for they are as durable, and will last generations.

And–you should find lots of them in India.

I am glad to know that you are interested in cooking and that my blog has helped in that.

And–thank you for asking after Kat and I. We are doing well, and she is growing beautifully, and has really taken off with her talking. She even uses two-word sentences these days.