The time is always right to do what is right.

I was driving down the road the other day and thought tomyself, “why do we drive on the right side of the road when other countriesdrive on the left?”

Most countries (about 75% of them) drive on the right withthe primary exception being British countries, colonies and territories andtheir not buckling to pressure to change that.

Anyhoo . . . the reason for why we drive on the right (orthe left) goes back centuries and you can thank Napoleon Bonaparte.

In days of old, when knights were bold and automobiles hadn’tbeen invented nearly everyone travelled on the left side of the road.  Thereason is simply ergonomic.  Most peopleare right handed and would prefer to have their weapon hand closest topotential attackers . . . assuming the attack would come from the opposite sideof the road and not from the bushes alongside the road.  And, since most right handed people prefer tomount the horse from the left side, it makes sense that they would want tomount and dismount from the side of the road and not in the middle of traffic.

Then came the French Revolution.  The fancy-pants aristocracy forced the worthlesspeasants to travel on the right side of the road.  But when the merde hit the ventilateur thebig wigs . . . afraid of losing their heads (literally) . . . tried to blend inwith the common folk travelling on the right side   . . . shortly thereafter the parliamentary ruleof the road was to travel on the right.

As Napoleon attempted to conquer the world country bycountry rightism followed in his wake. Only those countries that resisted him stayed to the left . . . includingthe United States. However, after the arduous struggle towin their independence from British rule, Americans wanted to discard allsemblance of their colonial past and gradually moved to the right.

The trend among nations is slowly but surely moving towards the right . . . Britain stillresists the movement.  

Beef Risotto

1 Onion, Minced

1 Garlic Clove, Minced

¼ Cup Extra-Virgin Olive Oil

¼ Cup Chianti Classico

¾ Pound Beef Tenderloin, Cut Into Thin Strips

2 Cups Arborio Rice

8 Cups Beef Broth, Heated

2 Tablespoons Heavy Cream

1 Tablespoon Unsalted Butter

2 Tablespoons Freshly Grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper

In a wide sauté pan, cook the onion and garlic in the oliveoil for 5 minutes over medium heat. Add the Chianti and beef; cook 10 minutesuntil the beef is browned. Add the rice; cook 2 minutes, stirring, then startadding the hot broth by the cup, adding more only when the previous additionhas been absorbed. Continue in this way, stirring, cooking, and adding broth,until the rice is al dente (you may not need all the broth). Fold in the cream,butter, Parmigiano, salt, and pepper, and serve hot.