Global Table Adventure | Menu Wednesday

Menu: Maldives

February 22, 2012 By Sasha Martin 3 Comments

My mother's surprise 70th birthday party has been in the works since this fall, maybe even as early as this summer. Well, it finally happened ... and thank goodness because none of us could stand to keep the secret one second longer. We all flew to Florida, at my brother's house. There was cake. There were cookies. And, under the palm trees, there was a spread from Maldives. All week I felt as though I was in the real place, soaking up the sun, sand between my toes, and smiling all the way from … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Asia, Maldives, Menu Wednesday

Menu: Malaysia

February 15, 2012 By Sasha Martin 7 Comments

First of all, I hope you had a fantastic Valentine's Day. I wish there were a way to capture the sweetness of yesterday. Ava thinks, despite my best efforts to explain otherwise, that Valentine's Day is a destination, not an event. So, of course, she had to ask me if I was going "to" Valentine's Day with her and papa. I, of course, said yes. While I'm thinking of it, here's a Valentine that Ava got from a friend at little school. It's a crayon! What a great global Valentine's Day … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Asia, Malaysia, Menu Wednesday

Menu: Malawi

February 8, 2012 By Sasha Martin 5 Comments

When I looked at the calendar and realized Malawi week at the Global Table led right up to Valentine's Day, I thought how ironic. Surely Malawi's only exposure, if any, to Valentine's Day comes from tourists and international volunteers. I'll never be able to find any food to fit this romantic season we're in. Boy, was I wrong. A quick peek online showed me that, in fact, many Malawians do know and think about Valentine's Day. This video exploring the topic made me smile. So get ready … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Africa, Malawi, Menu Wednesday

Menu: Madagascar

February 1, 2012 By Sasha Martin 7 Comments

Today I sit at the dining table, the door open and a breeze coming it. Its 70 degrees. I shut my eyes and imagine I'm sitting on a beach in Madagascar - overlooking the wide, blue ocean. The last weeks have been busy. I did four interviews in half as many days, including one with Parenting Magazine. I spoke on KRMG all about the Chinese New Year. Today and tomorrow I will be speaking at Rosa Parks Elementary School about bringing the world together around a Global Table. On Friday I'll be … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Africa, Madagascar, Menu Wednesday

Menu: Macedonia

January 25, 2012 By Sasha Martin 5 Comments

Global Table Adventure has a weird way of knitting bits and pieces of my life together. For example, today my best friend from my college years, upon seeing we were cooking Macedonia, wrote to inform me that her first marriage proposal was from a Macedonian man. This would be altogether unremarkable, except for the fact that, despite keeping in touch here and there over the years, I knew nothing of any marriage proposals, let alone a "first." Had I never cooked Macedonia, I might never have … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Europe, Macedonia, Menu Wednesday

Menu: Luxembourg

January 18, 2012 By Sasha Martin 5 Comments

In the gift shops of Luxembourg, right next to the key chains and novelty mugs, you will find postcards that read "Sunny Luxembourg." A casual tourist might not think twice, but live in Luxembourg for longer than a week and you'll realize this couldn't be further from the truth. Let's just put it this way: the landscape is lush green for a reason. Loads of rain and gauzy cloud cover persist throughout the year. When faced with what to make this week for "sunny" Luxembourg, a country I spent … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Europe, Luxembourg, Menu Wednesday

Menu: Lithuania

January 11, 2012 By Sasha Martin 7 Comments

The other day we took Ava on a hike in the woods and pretended we were exploring Lithuania. We brought a backpack to carry her when she got tired, which I expected to be about three minutes down the trail considering she's only 2 1/2. Fortyfive minutes later she was still happily scrambling over the trails. That day, Ava walked more than a mile; clearly I've been underestimating her tiny baby legs. Now she gets to walk a lot - I let her walk the half mile to the library, school and grocery … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Europe, Lithuania, Menu Wednesday

Menu: Liechtenstein

January 4, 2012 By Sasha Martin 5 Comments

Let's make the best of this thing called "winter." Let's wear our favorite slippers, snuggle up to a cheesy bowl of pasta, homemade applesauce and the most epic King's Cake around. With a menu like this, there's really no reason to get out of bed, let alone leave the house. Especially if you get to be Queen for the day. Congratulations, mom! So go ahead, bite into this vegetarian meal from Lichtenstein... (and if you're looking to make the King's Cake for Epiphany, the recipe will be up … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Europe, Liechtenstein, Menu Wednesday