A PASSION FOR PLEASURE.Byline: - David Bloom David Bloom (May 22, 1963 – April 6, 2003) was an NBC journalist (co-anchor of Weekend Today and reporter) until his sudden death in 2003 at the age of 39. Early life One night in January 1996, author Isabel Allende For the Chilean politician and daughter of Salvador Allende, see . Isabel Allende Llona, (born 2 August 1942), is a Chilean novelist. Allende, who writes in the "magic realism" tradition, is considered one of the first successful women novelists in Latin America. (``The House of the Spirits'') had a dream involving a naked Antonio Banderas, a big tortilla and a lot of guacamole. Then, she said, ``I awoke from my dream and threw myself on my poor husband.'' Out of that dream and others about food and sex and life, her first dreams in color since her daughter had died in 1994, came her latest book, ``Aphrodite Aphrodite (ăfrədī`tē), in Greek religion and mythology, goddess of fertility, love, and beauty. Homer designated her the child of Zeus and Dione. , A Memoir of the Senses'' (HarperCollins; $26). The book is filled with tales of food and its role in seduction, exploring the history of aphrodisiacs Aphrodisiacs cestus Aphrodite’s girdle made by Hephaestus; magically induces passion. [Gk. Myth.: Benét, 183] ginseng induces passion. [Plant Symbolism: EB, IV: 549] lupin leguminous plant; arouses passion. dating back to Cleopatra. Though it includes recipes for both food and romance, ``Aphrodite'' is neither a cookbook nor a sex manual, but rather a celebration of the senses. In a recent Beverly Hills Beverly Hills, city (1990 pop. 31,971), Los Angeles co., S Calif., completely surrounded by the city of Los Angeles; inc. 1914. The largely residential city is home to many motion-picture and television personalities. appearance, Allende dispensed some hard-won wisdom about sex, love and good food: On turning 50 and venturing into a book on physical pleasures at a time when some believe it's time It's Time was a successful political campaign run by the Australian Labor Party (ALP) under Gough Whitlam at the 1972 election in Australia. Campaigning on the perceived need for change after 23 years of conservative (Liberal Party of Australia) government, Labor put forward a to turn to more intellectual pursuits: ``The 50th year is like the last hour before dusk, a time for contemplating.'' On the scent of violet, the alternately overpowering and absent perfume favored by Napoleon Bonaparte's Josephine and others: ``It alleviates the sadness of the eldest of men, and torments the senses of the young.'' On the value of a few well-placed words: ``Remember the murmuring voices, gentlemen. The G spot is in the ear. Don't look for it anywhere else.'' On the benefits of keeping the same man in her life for years: ``Old lovers are like old slippers. When your husband and lover are the same, you may lose some entertainment value, but you have more time to go to the movies.'' On how aphrodisiacs really work: ``Some have a scientific basis, but most are activated by imagination.'' And more on aphrodisiacs: ``Among the best aphrodisiacs is variety. Routine is a killer on the battlefield of love.'' And on which one works best: ``The only infallible aphrodisiac aphrodisiac Any of various forms of stimulation thought to arouse sexual excitement. They may be psychophysiological (arousing the senses of sight, touch, smell, or hearing) or internal (e.g., foods, alcoholic drinks, drugs, love potions, medicinal preparations). is love.'' On the complications of faith and sin: ``The road to gluttony Gluttony See also Greed. Belch, Sir Toby gluttonous and lascivious fop. [Br. Lit.: Twelfth Night] Biggers, Jack one of the best known “feeders” of eighteenth-century England. [Br. Hist. leads straight to lust, and if taken a little further, can tax one's soul. This is why Calvinists eat so poorly.'' On why she writes in her native Spanish, though she lives in San Rafael: ``Writing is something you learn in the womb. It is a very organic process, like eating or making love. I would feel ridiculous panting panting rapid, shallow breathing, a characteristic heat-losing reaction in dogs; represents an increase in dead-space ventilation resulting in heat loss without necessarily increasing oxygen uptake or carbon dioxide loss. in English.'' On the writer who influenced her the most: ``Pablo Neruda is the poet of the senses.'' On the most ``magical''experience in the life of a magical-realist writer: ``The death of my daughter. In that room (in her home), Paola died and my two granddaughters were born. Both moments are identical. Death and birth are so close. The stillness of the room, the feeling of other presences, of being at a threshold.'' On whether the United States has become so rational that there's no place for the surrealism of her native Latin America: ``I live in California. I've never been in a weirder place in my life. I find it very fascinating.'' On her book tour to Italy, where she has many quite enthusiastic fans: ``Italians don't stand in line. It's a matter of principle.'' On whether she had incorporated all the aphrodisiacal foods, lovemaking love·mak·ing n. 1. Sexual activity, especially sexual intercourse. 2. Courtship; wooing. lovemaking Noun 1. positions and other delights from her book into her marriage: ``Let me tell you, my husband ... why should I be telling you this? I should not be telling you this. Let me say that things have improved.'' CAPTION(S): Photo Photo: Isabel Allende explores the history of aphrodisiacs dating back to Cleopatra in her new book, ``Aphrodite: A Memoir of the Senses.'' |
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