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Monday Meal Review: Kiribati

THE SCENE I wanted our Kiribati Global Table to go perfectly. I had visions of something out of Norman Rockwell. Loving family, smiles all around, big appetites. My two year-old eating $35/lb lobster and loving it. Yeah, right. “Ava, you want some lobster? It’s like… fish.” “Uhuh” she said. The first bite went in. Is it good? “Uhuh.” Approximately 13.3 seconds later she spit it out. “Weird.” I died a little inside. That teeny bite probably cost $5.50. Okay, maybe only $3.50. As the dinner moved on, Ava never changed her opinion, although she thoroughly enjoyed dipping her rice into the coconut curry. Hey, I’ll take what I can get. As our quiet meal wrapped up, I looked at my husband and daughter, trying to memorize their faces. In the morning, I flew to California for the Homefries retreat with Joy the Baker and her crew. It was my first time away from Miss Ava and while it was only for two nights it was so, so, so, so difficult. Hoping to postpone the inevitable I: – Ate my …

Spam you very much! (w/ poll)

The thing about living on a coral atol with no good soil, waaaaay out in the middle of the Pacific ocean is … well, you’re a wee bit stuck when it comes to what you can and cannot eat. Bottom line, if nothing grows where you live, then breakfast, lunch and dinner all begin to take on the same appearance: Which is okay, since fish is the bees knees. And, as for breadfruit – it apparently smells like freshly baked bread – and pandanus fruit is said to be very sweet and juicy; they both sound like winners. Even still, the importance of imports in a country like Kiribati cannot be underestimated. Fresh deliveries of rice, colorful produce, and canned goods are much anticipated. I’ve even read that the chicken is imported. Now, time to get serious. Any ideas for what two of the most enjoyed canned goods in Kiribati are? …. wait for it…. …. Spam and corned beef. Are you into it?

About the food of Kiribati

Every country has a distinct personality. Think of Kiribati as a distant relative – one you might not have even known existed. And I don’t mean your grouchy Aunt Lola. Nope. I mean an upbeat and exotic cousin – one that somehow also manages to exude simplicity and thrift. At her most basic, Kiribati’s a hodge podge of 33 teeny weeny coral atolls in Oceania. Translation? Kiribati’s landmass is so small that “island” is not an appropriate way to describe her situation (although the grouping is officially called the Kiribati Islands – confused yet?). To be honest, I had never heard of Kiribati before GTA. It only took a few internet searches to realize I was not alone. Most of the information about Kiribati was sparse and – as I was to learn – completely wrong. The little good information I could dig up was found in World Cookbook for Students and on a neat web site called 12 Months in Kiribati (about a guy and gal volunteering in Kiribati for – you guessed it – twelve …

Monday Meal Review: Kenya

THE SCENE “Look Ava,” I said, “You can pick up the meat with your bread – it’s called chaaa-paaa-teeee.” Ava laughed. Then, without blinking, she screwed her face up tight and cried. Then she laughed. Then she threw her head back and tried to squirm out of her high chair. Ava was tired. Really tired. “Watch how mamma does,” I continued, trying to stay upbeat. I tore a piece of the still warm chapati and used it to pinch a small piece of meat between my fingers. Trying to look nonchalant, I offered it to her. “No!” she wailed. I popped it into my mouth and offered her some plain stewed beef instead. She continued to wail without stopping until her little face was beet red. Keith went and shut the windows. On his way back, he scooped her up and gave her a bear hug. Then they sat together, in his seat. Thank goodness. She loves sitting in his lap when she’s tired. On napless days it’s often the only way she’ll eat. But even on …

About the food of Kenya

The best way to get out of a rut is to let someone in. To let someone help you. Just the other morning a very nice gentleman emailed me. In beautiful English he explains that he is from Kenya and – hurrah- he would like to help me with my Kenyan Global Table. His email was complete with a four page document of recipes, photos, and details about the food of his beloved homeland. Did he know that I was having a tough week? Did he know the wind had left my sails? No. He was simply sharing his passion – his patriotism. But, still, his beautiful email put a smile on my face just when I needed it most. How wonderful to receive first-hand accounts of food from far-away lands. And what glories I learned about the food of Kenya – an East African country which boasts some of the earliest traces of our species in the form of a boy’s skeleton from more than 1.5 million years ago. This boy, known as Turkana …

Monday Meal Review: Kazakhstan

THE SCENE Today is a tribute to my cat who died last week. To non-cat lovers, my apologies. Please return tomorrow for regularly scheduled programming. This week’s comfort food was exactly what I needed. You see, when we finally decided to put Cabo to sleep I was a red faced, crying mess. I didn’t want to be. I wanted to be sure of my decision. I wanted to be strong. I wanted to be free of “what if’s.” Instead I felt horrendous for having such power over life. I didn’t want to decide when he would take his last breath. I didn’t want to break his unfaltering trust in me as his owner. I just didn’t want any part of it. I simply wanted to make him better by ousting the horrendous disease that swallowed him up – feline AIDS. Unfortunately that wasn’t possible. By the time the decision was made, he was a skeleton of his former mega kitty self. He’d developed a tremor in his last days that ultimately brought us into the vet’s office …

About the food of Kazakhstan

Last night we had to say goodbye to my sweet kitty Cabo. He was very sick with feline AIDS. I’m feeling pretty low right now, so I hope you understand if I keep this brief. Thankfully, Kazakhstan has fascinating food, so it is a decent diversion from my tired, puffy eyes and splitting heartache. And diversion is exactly what this heartache needs. So let’s go for it. Let’s talk Kazakhstan. Imagine eating a meal that has elements of Asia, Eastern Europe and the Middle East all bundled up together. The result is the occasional stir-fry, noodle [recipe], turnip, and lamb-laden stew [recipe]. In one pot. A melting pot, if you will. With a side of pickled vegetables. The Kazakh’s eat a lot of boiled meats – and unusual meat, too – like horse. Lamb is probably the most popular meat and one place you’ll find it is in Manti, a steamed dumpling served with sour cream. Like in the Middle East, the Kazakh’s love extremely sweet sweets – honey soaked noodles are particularly popular (called …

Monday Meal Review: Jordan

THE SCENE I had a lot of time to think while caramelizing the four giant onions for the mujadddara. Ninety minutes, to be exact. My eyes were puffy and red from the sharp fumes. The scent clung to my hair and clothes. As the onions burned hotter and hotter, they released their juices until they were swallowed up in their own bubbling oniony swimming pool. It took at least 45 minutes for the liquid to steam off. I thought they would never start browning. As I stood there, stirring the soupy mess, my mind ran over and over the the last few months. One thing kept popping back up. About how I haven’t told you yet. How I’ve shied away from being real with you, my dear, trusting friends (and I’m so glad you’re here). As the onions finally dried out enough to begin caramelizing, I promised myself to to tell you. And not just part of the truth. The whole thing. Because that’s life. It’s real. So, here goes. Keith’s 21 year-old son is going to …

Snacktime in Jordan

The weather finally took a turn here, in Oklahoma. Over the course of 24 hours we dropped rather suddenly from 100+F degree temperatures to a rather balmy 70 something or other. I’ve never been happier. The proof: I did two cartwheels on our freshly cut lawn. I’m guessing it’s been at least 8 years since I last did a cartwheel. My hands ended up covered in grass clippings, but it was totally worth it. In the spirit of the perfect picnic weather, I’m sharing an unusual Jordanian snack – flatbread, watermelon, and white cheese. I learned about it at Landlopers, where Matt tells his readers: First, a small slice of the sweet watermelon was consumed, followed by some bread with the salty white cheese. A true culinary oddity, it all worked together in a perfect melody of taste and texture. The watermelon cut the saltiness of the cheese, which in turn acted as the perfect compliment to the sweet fruit. I’m totally in. Are you?

About the food of Jordan

Jordan is a desert wonderland – generally hot, dry, arid – and full of some of the most fabulous landmarks around. Just ask Hollywood – they love using Jordan’s unique scenery in films. Most notably, there’s the city of Petra, carved into rose colored stone – existing only in legends for 7 centuries until it was uncovered in 1812 deep in the desert rocks. How cool is that? It’s like the lost city of Atlantis, found… the stuff of dreams. Since it’s discovery, the allure of this city built into the stone has captivated millions, particularly Indiana Jones, in his last crusade. For real. Jordan also lays claim to the lowest point in the world – the Dead Sea at (-)1378 feet. That’s pretty low. But don’t worry – you won’t sink. The salt makes the water so thick that it’ll keep you afloat. This funny characteristic of the Dead Sea reminds me of life – even when you’re at your lowest, someone or something will keep you afloat, as long as you just throw …

Monday Meal Review: Japan

THE SCENE: Not only does Ava have no interest in tasting sushi, she won’t even touch the stuff. She takes one look at it and just shakes her head, content to nibble edamame. In the past, I’ve tried various techniques to get Ava interested in sushi. I order rolls with nothing but asparagus, cucumber, and avocado – her most favorite veggies. I “oooh” and “ahhh” over how wonderful my roll tastes. I have even taken her to dinner with her little friend Sanya who gobbles sushi down faster than most adults. To be honest, while Ava was transfixed and fascinated at such sushi enthusiasm in a fellow two year-old, at the end of the day peer pressure held no sway over Miss Ava. I was stumped. And nervous. You see, the moment I began this Adventure, I knew that I would be making sushi for Japan. How could I not? Sushi is fun, healthy, beautiful, and authentic. There had to be a way to get Ava interested. “Dip your hand in the water, and pat the …

The Bento Box: Every toddler’s dream lunch

I love cute hair cuts. Cute smiles. Cute babies. I especially love cute food. And believe me – the Japanese know cute food. Not content to simply let plain-Jane food lay limp in the lunch box, they have an entire industry devoted to countless accessories and gadgets whose sole purpose is to make food perky and cute. It’s the art of Bento. And it’s super kawaii (guess what that means?). A little background: Ava just started a 2 day per week preschool program and she takes a packed lunch. I love her school. Everything is so darn… well… cute – from the name of their class (Bunnies) to their pet fish. It’s appropriate that she brings a healthy, fun, and super cute toddler lunch. With that being said, let’s Bento! To start out, you don’t need much but a few tiny cookie cutters. You can use them to cut out steamed carrot stars, cucumber bears… And cheese giraffes (use sesame seeds for eyes). Today our little cheese giraffes are walking on a bed of steamed asparagus …