29th May 2026
“We should be sensitive to the thread of silence from which the tissue of speech is woven.”
Maurice Merleau-Ponty
As I write, MATILDA is anchored in Cala Teulera, almost completely surrounded by the ancient stone walls of the “Fortelasa de Isabel II” just two nautical miles from the centre of Mahon, on Menorca. Despite its layers of violent history, Mahon (or Maó in Catalan) has one particular claim to fame that is not about conquering armies or Mediterranean geopolitical influence. Every time you dip your chip into the white (rather than the red) sauce, remember that the creamy condiment we know as mayonnaise originated here on this small rocky island. In 1756, when French forces under the Duc de Richelieu captured the city from the British, his chef needed to prepare a celebratory sauce but had no cream. He improvised with the local staples — olive oil and eggs — whipping them together into a rich emulsion. The result was so delicious that it was named mahonnaise after the city of Mahon, and from there, the recipe spread across continents and centuries. From the team at SWS…
Fair Winds!
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