Foodcation: South America
Ways to make me happy: Make me food. Buy me food. Be food. Food. Eating, sipping, gulping, tasting, chewing, slurping: Food and drink are such an inherent part of any cultural experience. Yet,… Continue reading
Ways to make me happy: Make me food. Buy me food. Be food. Food. Eating, sipping, gulping, tasting, chewing, slurping: Food and drink are such an inherent part of any cultural experience. Yet,… Continue reading
What comes to mind when you hear “Buenos Aires”? Tango or Evita, perhaps? Wine? Steak? Dulce de leche? You may have made many of these associations, though I suspect your preferred search engine is… Continue reading
They say if you live in Portland, you need three things: a bike, a dog, or a tattoo; if you have all three, you’re the epitome of cool. I think there’s an unspoken quality… Continue reading
Try the pork chop. Juicy. Or, ooh, the trout. Tasty. And look, you can top all dishes with an egg – double yay! What am I talking about? A restaurant. In Calistoga. Called Farmstead. That… Continue reading
Breakups are hard. Unless you weren’t in love anymore…or in my case, ever. So the breakup with boba was easy, cold turkey (my usual style), and pain-free (unlike my recent gallbladder surgery).… Continue reading
With all the limoncello I’ve recently made, my inner mixologist is feeling creative. I rummage the kitchen for mixers (as you know, scrounging up ingredients is a skill of mine), and here’s what… Continue reading
What happens when you open a bottle of wine you don’t like? My instinct is to use it for cooking. Do I throw it in some pasta sauce? Mix it into a marinade?… Continue reading
Being the procrastinator that I am, I’m pushing the time limit on a day I have to dash off to a luncheon bearing vegetables. Think quick! I have an hour to spare…what can… Continue reading
One April morning, I find lemons in the office kitchen. Bags and bags of lemons. Somebody’s fruit-bearing trees have produced more of the yellow fruit than the family can consume. Score! Coincidentally, I’ve… Continue reading
1 cute downtown, 24 local shops, 60 wines. At least I think it was around 60. Can you blame me for not having an accurate count, considering I attempted to complete the 24-stop… Continue reading
In Carmel Valley, there’s a little gem that’s off the beaten path called Corkscrew Cafe. It was (for me…and everyone I’ve brought here), love at first taste. The restaurant is quaint and idyllic… Continue reading
Reporting to you live from Fort Mason in San Francisco…! Ok, so I’m not actually typing this live; it would have been awfully silly of me to try blogging whilst surrounded by chocolate… Continue reading
Doing groceries, I pass the seafood display and see some incredibly large, fatty salmon. And it’s fresh! I purchase an overly large filet thinking to do a fail-proof Pacific Rim Marinade. Arriving home,… Continue reading
Half of my heart…my walnut heart. Spring is [almost] in the air, and hearts are popping up everywhere – even in this cracked walnut half! Yes, it appears even nuts can be… Continue reading
Filipinos eat a lot. Like, a lot. A single day can consist of up to five meals – not the typical three, but five. Five! There’s the standard breakfast, lunch, and dinner; add… Continue reading
Who doesn’t enjoy an unanticipated postal delivery? Presents are great during events like birthdays and Christmas, but they’re even better when they come as surprises – no matter what size. It’s like a… Continue reading
When Maria sings about her favorite things in The Sound of Music, it’s a marvel nothing on her list is Italian…especially considering how close Austria is to Italy. So, I’ve made up my… Continue reading
I’m allergic to the cold. Except when it comes to gelato. I wouldn’t want to live in a city where it snows, and I sometimes struggle with California winters despite the mild chill.… Continue reading
I’ve often said that Italians are among some of the warmest people. There are, however, many other quirks and interesting aspects of their culture that are endearing. *These are just my personal observations,… Continue reading
Oh, cremino, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways. Actually, let’s not. I’m terrified of what I might discover about myself –or worse, reveal to you– in the process. But I… Continue reading
The familiar scent of freshly baked, coconut-topped bibinka wafts toward me as I wend my way to the overly laden dessert table. My lusty sweet tooth kicks into overdrive, and suddenly, all I… Continue reading
Shopping with my mother, I notice several stores have boots on display. Boots. For sale. On Guam. There isn’t much variety (this is an island near the earth’s equator, after all), but there… Continue reading