I'm currently teaching two days in Nice as part of an MBA programme on entrepreneurship. I seem to come to Nice around this time of the year to teach on masters programmes, not always the same one, or the same university but its an annual date. The countryside around Nice is spectacular and this evening I had a meal with Charles and his wide. The conversation was wide ranging, from politics to complexity to military history (we share an interest in major campaigns and discussion both the American Civil War, the War of 1812 (and the disgrace of the peace settlement in respect of native americans) and Waterloo. A lot else beside, once of those means where conversation flows without effort and you come away refreshed.

The food was excellent, in particular the quiche which formed the first course. As an enthusiastic cook I asked for the recipe and was told the story of the dish. Now that s enough, I don't need to know a list of ingredients, and descriptions like "a small amount of this" and "a slice of that" are more than enough. I know the basic construct of a quiche, what I want to know is the variations in this case. I am not seeking to replicate the dish I ate, but take the learning from that and move things forward. Chefs not recipe book users to reference one of my favourite metaphors. A pity more knowledge management doesn't follow the same model