Throwing Caution to the Wind

AT a time when euthanasia is becoming increasingly more fashionable, few things are more invigorating and empowering than being able to decide on the precise nature of one's own demise. Admittedly, living in Portugal makes this process a great deal easier, but whilst it takes enormous courage and fortitude to embrace the centuries-old tradition of 'death by dessert', one cannot avoid having to endure the insufferable anguish of choosing between pastel de nata and bola de berlim. Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712-1778) observed that

"Every man has the right to risk his own life in order to preserve it. Has it ever been said that a man who throws himself out the window to escape from a fire is guilty of suicide?"

It logically follows, therefore, that if one is to survive then one must eat Portuguese cakes both diligently and often.