All posts filed under: Learn

Estonians drink their bread

Dear readers, I’d like to introduce you to Estonian black bread. The solution to long, never ending winters. The solution to short winters. And, as I like to imagine, the solution to Miss Ava’s terrible, no good, wickedly bad days. Unfortunately, even if she wanted to eat a slice of the dark, rye-based bread, poor Miss Ava couldn’t. She is teething something terrible. She literally hurts so much that… 1. I must hold her at all times. Preferably in cradle-hold. 2. If I shift my body so much as an inch, she cries uncontrollably. It’s not so much a wail, as extended whimpering. 3. The mere thought of eating makes her cry. 4. About every fifteen minutes her sweet hand goes up to cradle her poor cheek and she looks at me with big, wet eyes. 5. Then I cry. Believe it or not, Estonians have a solution – Ava can have bread without eating bread. She can drink it. The drink is called Kali/Kvass, and is made from a mixture of black bread fermented …

Italian Eritrea?? (poll)

I like a good surprise. Like when a nun wears pink socks. Or when a not-so-promising movie is actually funny, but – and this is very important – only because you had supremely low expectations (Men who Stare at Goats, anyone?). Consider Eritrea – a hot African land that enjoys injera, spicy berberé seasoning, and lentil wat (stew) – all regionally appropriate. All very expected. Then, look down at Eritrea’s proverbial pink socks, a.k.a. a burst of Italy in an otherwise traditional African nation. In the capital, Asmara, you can sip on a cappuccino and admire the colonial architecture – designed to resemble Italian villas as well as European art deco structures. The Fiat Tagliero gas station is even made to look like an airplane. More than 50,000 colonizers set up their lives in Eritrea, so it is no wonder they eventually called their new home “Little Rome.” Not bad for pink socks! ** Photos courtesy of Carsten ten Brink and Hans van der Splinter (who has a web site devoted to showing the world the beauty …

Squirrels, Elephant Ears, and Equatorial Guinea (w/ Poll)

Tulsa seems to be channeling a little bit of Equatorial Guinea. After record-breaking snowstorms, the sky is blue, the air is warm, love birds are chirping, and a squirrel is peering at me over a fence. He’s wondering where the 14 inches of snow went. And why the trees are budding in February. The one thing he doesn’t have to worry about, however, is being dinner. I’m not interested and my cats are way too slow. In Equatorial Guinea, Mr Squirrel might be faced with a different fate. In the countryside, anything that moves is liable to become dinner – although gorillas and monkeys are now off limits. But what about veggies? The people of Equatorial Guinea also eat their veggies. One of the more interesting is the malanga – a tuber with leafy greens that came over with Cubans. Apparently in the 19th century, when slaves and political prisoners were freed from Cuba, many landed in Equatorial Guinea. They brought their malanga with them and the rest is history. Have you heard of elephant ears? …

Drinking & Dancing in El Salvador

Elegance turns to a sloppy muddled mess in the Salvadoran danza de los chapetones. On purpose. For giggles. The satirical dance begins with thirteen dancers, 12 men and a woman. All are elegantly dressed – the men represent Spanish nobles, wearing suits with fancy hats, the woman represents the Spanish queen, wearing a crown and white wedding dress. Which all makes sense once you realize El Salvador was once a Spanish colony. The satire begins as a waltz, wickedly exaggerated. As the dance continues, the queen tipples chicha into the dancer’s cups – a sweet local booze made from maize, panela, and pineapple – over and over again. With each sip the dance becomes sloppier, rowdier, and – eventually – downright wild. Have you ever had chicha? If not, would you try it? Source: Lonely Planet & others Photos: Folklor de El Salvador, Dtarazona

From the NY Times to FOOD 52: Amanda Hesser

A couple of weeks ago Amanda Hesser, from the New York Times and Food52, came to Tulsa. To Tulsa! She brought her smile, stories from her life as a New York Times food writer, and an appetite for Chicken Fried Steak. Also available? Several hundred copies of her latest achievement, The Essential New York Times Cookbook. This incredible tome catalogs the best recipes published by the New York Times in the last 150 years. To be exact, Amanda pinpoints 1,400 recipes from our American tradition and tells us about them, not with the drab voice of a historian, but rather with the fun chatter you’d expect from a dear friend, as shown in her 19th century Roman Punch recipe. Tulsa was happy to celebrate with her. Several local chefs contributed to a grand potluck comprised of recipes from her book, which were promptly devoured at former Mayor Kathy Taylor’s house. The food covered the gamut, from pork belly to macarons, but my favorite was the Ginger and Lentil Soup. Make it, if you get a chance. …

Ecuador’s Crowning Glory (w/ poll)

Ava didn’t like bananas at first. Mashed, pureed with yogurt, cut into chunks… the best reaction I could from her was a giant baby-frown. She just wasn’t a fan. Then one day I spotted mini bananas at the store. They were the cutest thing I’d ever seen. About 4″long, they were sweeter than regular bananas (more floral, too) and just the right size for Ava to eat out of hand, like she’d seen me do a hundred times before. Incredibly, this new, miniature format was an instant success. She’s been eating bananas with gusto ever since. Ava’s not the only one who loves them – bananas are Ecuador’s crowning glory. Literally. According to Lonely Planet, bananas and related plantains are so popular in Ecuador, they’ve made their way into regional (and world) festivals. But it’s not the bananas being voted on… oh no. Instead, each year the best looking gal in Machala (a coastal city famous for banana exports) is crowned the “Banana Queen.” She then can move on to compete to be the banana queen of …

The (delicious) life of an Asian correspondant – Karen Coates

While I was once a world traveler, my life is now all about raising Miss Ava and quietly celebrating my family. Even if the travel bug has to wait a little longer, I can still get my travel fix in the kitchen or on travel web sites like Karen Coates’ The Rambling Spoon. The list of reasons I love her web site is long – her writing is at once beautiful, funny, tragic, and heartwarming. And her husband, Jerry Redfern takes killer photos. Who is Karen Coates? Karen Coates has spent a dozen years covering food, environment and social issues across Asia for publications around the world. She is a 2010-2011 Ted Scripps Fellow in Environmental Journalism at the University of Colorado at Boulder. In addition, she is a correspondent for Archaeology magazine, and she writes a Food Culture column for The Faster Times. Karen was Gourmet’s Asia correspondent until the magazine closed in 2009. She is author of Cambodia Now: Life in the Wake of War and co-author of Pacific Lady: The First Woman to …

Three Ways to Heat things up like a Dominican (with Poll)

I’m wearing two wool sweaters and a scarf. Indoors. It’s freezing, freezing, freezing. Are you cold? Can you feel your fingers? I can’t. Let’s heat things up, Domincan-style. 1. Dance the Merengue or the Bachata (links go to YouTube videos) You’ll be shaking your hips as you click, click across the floor. You’ll also be burning calories and, most likely, you’ll be smiling. So grab a partner and let’s have some fun! Don’t have a partner? Grab a broom! 🙂 2. Eat Sanocho Comfort-food doesn’t really do this stew justice. It is on a whole other plane of existence. With variations around the Latin American world, Dominicans take the cake with a version that would make any meat-lover swoon (hello, Homer Simpson) – it includes heaping portions of seven meats. In one bowl you might spot goat, pork, tripe, oxtail, chicken, rabbit, or even pigeon. That’s some serious protein. 2. La Bandera Think for a minute – what what foods make up the colors of your flag? Now, imagine making dinner with those foods. That’s what Dominicans have …

Dominican Hard-Boiled Eggs (w/ Poll)

What are you doing right this minute? Nothing? Ok, let’s go to Dominica for hard boiled eggs. What? That doesn’t sound very exciting? Just wait. Listen up. This is no ordinary hard-boiled egg. This is an experience. Here’s the “recipe”: 1. Fly to Dominica. Buy a carton of eggs. Carefully pack the eggs in bubble wrap or an old t-shirt. 2. Lace up your hiking shoes. Place eggs, water and other snacks in backpack. 3. Hike muddy, mountainous terrain to “Boiling Lake.” This will take about 3 hours. Be sure to bring a guide – the Valley of Desolation, full of loose gravel and other rocks, can be particularly treacherous to navigate. 4. Once at the lake, place eggs, possibly with the help of your guide, into a boiling puddle. There will be several on the edges of Boiling Lake. Let boil about 10-12 minutes. NOTE: Do not place egg in the actual lake. It is several hundred feet wide. And mega hot. Your eggs would be lost forever. And, not that it would matter, but also …

A Little Perspective from Djibouti (with poll)

I don’t know about you, but I cook standing up. I never gave it any thought until today. It’s just what I do in my daily cooking routine. To add some pizzaz to my routine I even bought an apron. It has a sage green floral print and makes me look very tidy. Until you look down and see that I’m wearing fuzzy slippers (shh, don’t tell Fly Lady). So, what does this have to do with Djbouti? Just the other day, American blogger “Djibouti Jones” had a friend over for dinner. A Djiboutian friend. That friend asked her lots of questions. It was her last question that floored me. She asked “Why do you cook standing up?” Think about that for a minute. Soak it in. Ask yourself that very question. Why do I cook standing up? What cultural assumptions am I a part of… without even realizing it! Amazing. Turns out, in Djibouti, many people cook squatting or sitting around a fire. Different technique… different “normal” but, guess what? Dinner still comes out grand. …

5 Ways to Celebrate Christmas Like a Dane (with poll)

1. On Christmas Eve, drop an almond in a vat of rice pudding – this dish is called Risengrød or ris al’amande. Whoever gets the almond is said to be blessed with good luck. Sometimes the winner is also given a special gift. 2. Drink a steaming glass of Gløgg in sub zero weather while walking around an outdoor crafts fair or listening to carolers. The hot red wine will make your cheeks rosy, and the spices with invigorate you with holiday cheer. 3. Make mountains of cookies, including shortbread and gingerbread. If you add a little cinnamon, cardamom, pepper, and ginger to the shortbread, you’ve got Pebernødder, or traditional Danish yule cookies. 4. Roast a goose or duck. I’m not sure where I could get a goose in my town, but in Denmark roast goose is a typical part of the holiday table and can be found almost anywhere. 5. Make a pile of rødkål, or sweet and sour red cabbage stewed with a little vinegar, diced apples, and some sweetener – perhaps apple …

Soapy, Soapy Cyprus?

You may or may not be afflicted with “soap mouth” when you eat coriander (a.k.a. cilantro). To avoid the experience, you may painstakingly pick pieces of the offending plant off of your plate. You might even send your plate back. You might scream out in agony. Or not. Listen… I have a secret. Even if you think coriander tastes like soap, you should give the plant’s seeds a try. I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised. To me, the flavor lacks any soapy aftertaste. I ate bunches of this stuff, straight from the spice jar, just to prove it. Hopefully there won’t be any side effects. So… what does Coriander seed taste like? It is reminiscent of celery seed – but much more mild. Here’s the best way I can explain it: if celery seed and coriander seed were music, celery seed would be heavy metal and coriander seed would be a delicate lullaby. That’s the best I can do. While the lovely people of Cyprus enjoy coriander seeds with just about anything – on roasts, …