Who is Duke Falcon?

When my Great Aunt Angelica passed on, being her only living relative, I had to sort through all her belongings. In a far corner of her dusty attic, a collection of old steamer trunks caught my eye. The trunks were clean and well-cared for as if they had been placed there only yesterday.

Inside the trunks were a lifetime's worth of letters, memorabilia and photos of adventures from around the world. They were from someone named Duke Falcon. I opened one of the letters dated October, 1949, and as I read it, it became clear that Duke had been the love of my great aunt's life. They had met while both in their late teens and had fallen madly in love, yet Duke's great wanderlust would never enable him to settle in one place.

As the hours passed, their story unfolded like a great romantic movie of the '40's. The trunks were stuffed with all the pictures of the interesting and curious people Duke had met on his travels. Although he might only see her once or twice a year, he constantly corresponded with Angelica, sending artifacts from all over the world. Most of all, they shared a love of great food. Every letter finished with a detailed description of the fantastic meals Duke ate, from Timbuktu to Tibet.

The last letter from Duke was dated December, 2010. At 89, he was in the Amazon fishing with native guides and sharing in some local cuisine. I sent him a letter hoping to hear from him soon. Until then, let's enjoy some of the great meals and memorabilia he's shared with us!

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