Gabrielle stood casually with her back to the sheer drop, dishing out historical facts and pointing out interesting elements of the cityscape around us, most notably the sprawling Royal Palace to the east.
FOR cooks, most Thanksgiving problems are brought about by the sheer number of dishes competing for the stove: It's not easy to roast a turkey and sweet potatoes for 20 at the same time.
This has proved an astute move, for there have subsequently been many occasions when the Aga couldn't cope with the sheer number of dishes that needed cooking, or wasn't big enough to accommodate a really big joint of meat, as well as times when the oil supply ran out, or when the dear old Aga needed servicing.
So perhaps it's better to say that it would not do badly in Spain, either: the assortment and quality of the tapas are splendid and, given the sheer number of dishes, the service, though hectic, is reliable; almost always, food arrives quickly.
Shot in claustrophobic closeup, she is pure youthful face and body: getting out of bed in a sheer nightie; washing dishes in flattering boyfriend jeans; inexplicably wandering barefoot into an unfinished cellar that screams "tetanus!" to search for the linens that she inexplicably keeps there in a steampunk trunk.
And it's the best way to taste some of the more painstaking dishes, like sheer korma, a steaming pudding of milk and vermicelli, peppered with dates, which is considered an Id delicacy.
Even if you've seen photos of the telescope's radio dish, it's sheer size - 1000 fit across - must been experienced in person to appreciate.
FOR its fans, Pakistan's biggest, brashest television station is like a curry made irresistible by the sheer mix of spices loaded into the dish.
Eventually the success of the dish was its downfall: the sheer frequency with which she served it each summer consigned this version, too, to the culinary cliché bin.
Unlike a typical weeknight dinner rushed to the table after a long day, stews are patient, as much about the sheer pleasure of cooking as the finished dish itself.
