I have taken a few cooking classes while traveling. My son and I made pasta with anchovies in an Italian home in Sicily, and I joined a group making a variety of dishes in an industrial sized kitchen in Chiang Mai, Thailand. I’m not much of a cook, but when I’m well supervised, when someoneContinue reading “Tajine class …and a surprise visit”
Category Archives: Food
Takayama
It was a long ride to Takayama: a couple of hours west to Nagoya by Shinkansen or bullet train, then a couple more on an express. The train headed north into Gifu prefecture to what is known as the Japanese Alps, following the Hida river in a spectacular stretch, at first along a rock canyon. Deep andContinue reading “Takayama”
Toronto
It had been two years since I visited my brother in Toronto; that was the last time I traveled internationally before the pandemic. I read carefully through all the requirements to enter Canada (they have since changed) to ensure I was in compliance: I had a PCR molecular covid test that provided a thirty-minute resultContinue reading “Toronto”
Busy Busan
In Busan, South Korea, Beomeosa temple climbed up a steep hillside. Legend says that at the temple’s mountain peak, there is a golden well which never dries up, home to a mythical golden fish. Hence the name of the temple, Beomeosa, means “Heavenly Fish.” The temple is home to so many Buddhas—big and small, goldContinue reading “Busy Busan”
The soul of Seoul
The Insa Dong neighborhood in the heart of Seoul was vibrant with activity: tiny shops with gifts in vivid primary colors, goods in bins on the sidewalk, the smell of food from street stalls around every corner, textured handmade paper hanging on racks, tea shops, young couples, tourists, and just life. I was traveling with aContinue reading “The soul of Seoul”
Making Tortillas in Guatemala
Working with the editors at Ceramics Monthly to publish my article on the women potters (see previous post) was an interesting learning process. They were looking for a reporter style article and asked me questions which moved me in that direction, so I contacted friends in Guatemala for quotes and details. Usually, though, I writeContinue reading “Making Tortillas in Guatemala”
Fate or coincidence
A visitor to the Georgetown Heritage Center, the old restored schoolhouse that hosts our Plein Air art show (A labor of love), told me a story about visiting a schoolhouse museum in Victoria, British Columbia. (I won’t repeat the story here; it’s his story.) He mentioned the Empress Hotel, which reminded me of my ownContinue reading “Fate or coincidence”
Pamplona: Bulls and elegant dinners
I have just learned that one of my favorite restaurants ever, anywhere in the world, is closing after thirty-two years: Restaurante San Ignacio. A wonderful indulgence on a memorable trip, and I never paid a cent for dinner because the owner, a dear friend, wouldn’t let me. Most summers, I have spent a week inContinue reading “Pamplona: Bulls and elegant dinners”