Navigating Business from the Port Lookout

Navigating Business from the Port Lookout

Like Captain Nemo, the enigmatic and charismatic commander of the submarine Nautilus, I live by the sea. While I spend most of my time in online meetings—nine out of ten, as I work remotely—I hold some of my in-person meetings in this lookout tower at the local port, surrounded by the sights and sounds of waves, boat traffic, and the sea stretching out on all sides.

I like to open these meetings with the words of Captain Nemo:
“The sea is everything… it is nothing but love and emotion; it is the ‘Living Infinite.’”

Blending History and Culinary Art: Presenting This Week’s Napoleonshatte in Our Business Meetings

Blending History and Culinary Art: Presenting This Week’s Napoleonshatte in Our Business Meetings

As the host of the upcoming business meetings, I will be presenting this week’s selected cookie, accompanied by espresso.

In 1968, in Memphis, Tennessee, Dr. King delivered his iconic speech, beginning with:

“…and the Almighty said to me, ‘Martin Luther King, in which age would you like to live?’”
Dr. King then made a mental journey toward the promised land, reflecting on the magnificence of civilizations. Like Dr. King, I am a believer in the civilizations that have shaped us. So today, as I attempt to be a baker, I turn to Western civilization and the remarkable Napoleon.

I’m making a traditional Danish cookie shaped like Napoleon’s Hat, known as ‘Napoleonshatte.’ However, I must honestly admit that they lose their shape in the oven, much like hats lose their form in autumn rain or just after the battle of Waterloo; my cookies, like Napoleon’s hat, struggle to hold their shape.