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| Ron Alonzo |
Ron Alonzo
De Gustibus non est disputandum
To us at The PJ, he was "Don Merlot," our resident epicure. For several years, Don sliced and diced — and uncorked — the best of dining for the blog. He reminisced. He mused. He longed for other times. And, from his base in New Orleans, he also unraveled the international intrigue of cuisine, bringing personal experience and erudition to his critique. (He was a member of Confrerie des Chevaliers du Tastevin). Readers admired Don's ability to link a palate, developed over more than fifty years in Europe and in North and South America, to modern tastes.
Don/Ron was also friend.
We will sorely miss him!
By Rod Alonzo
We lost my father, Ronald Thomas Alonzo Ratcliff, earlier this week after a very brief illness. All who knew him are reflecting on the joy he brought to their lives. He grew up in Mexico City whose rich mosaic of culture infused his sense of music, food, and history and whetted his appetite for further adventures.
Both of his parents (Alice Ratcliff and Rosendo Alonzo) grew up in Topeka, Kansas and, as a result, he grew up with a cosmopolitan sense of the city along with a breadbasket vibe of the Midwest. Having an Anglo mother and a Mexican father created a lifelong dialogue about identity.
Our houses were always decorated with Aztec calendars and sarapes (even though he was half Scottish). When he was fourteen, his parents sent him to Staunton Military School in Virginia. His history teachers captured his imagination and inspired him to learn more about the wider world.
