Who wrote, "Contradictions of opinion, therefore, neither offend nor estrange me; they only arouse and exercise my mind. We run away from correction; we ought to court it and expose ourselves to it, especially when it comes in the shape of discussion"?

peasypod

Might that be Michele de Montaigne? Apr 15 05, 4:46 PM

lanfranco

It just might be, peasy. Yay, yay, yay, yay! From Book 3, Chapter 8, of the "Essays." I thought it a most appropriate quotation for this site. And while I've got you on the hook, can I freeze pancetta? Apr 15 05, 4:50 PM

peasypod

If you must.... By keeping it in a chunk in the freezer you can slice off fine slices with a very sharp knife each time and then replace the un-used portion back for next time. Apr 15 05, 5:00 PM

lanfranco

Mille grazie. I'd rather not, but although I live in a city with a large ethnic-Italian population, finding pancetta is a surprisingly difficult and rare event. But back to Montaigne. I've always loved his motto (in 16th-century French): "Que scais-je?" It means, "What do I know?" Apr 15 05, 5:12 PM

TabbyTom

I love the thought of him playing with his cat. "When I play with my cat, who knows whether she isn't amusing herself with me more than I am with her?" (Apologie de Raimond Sebond). Apr 16 05, 3:48 AM

lanfranco

A wonderful quotation, TT, and I considered using it, since there are some cat-fanciers on this site. Christopher Smart wrote an interesting poem about his cat, Jeoffrey, though Montaigne would not have agreed with him that English cats are the best in Europe. Apr 16 05, 4:34 PM