When I was a kid, there was no shortage of new Easter dresses, patent leather Mary Janes with short white socks, and frilly bonnets to mark the holiday. Think pastel pink, yellow, and green linen with delicately embroidered details. Oh, and there were Easter speeches, …
It turns out that this year’s color is peach fuzz. We at ODB have always liked this range of colors- peach, salmon, rose, blush… You can see it throughout our website. Unlike oranges, peaches come in a rainbow of flavors. What’s your favorite? Everything’s been …
I went to the Emerald Isle fifteen years ago and had the time of my life. From tasty Irish salmon, lamb, and every kind of potato dish to stone circles, castles, and peat.
We started in Dublin and spent a couple of weeks exploring seaside towns, green mountains, and beautiful estates where we slept soundly as sheep bleated here and there. Miles and miles of Erica (or pink and purple heather) everywhere we looked.
Each visit to New York has always included popping into a sweet shop for a little bit of chocolate, pastry or cookie. So much so that I’ve contemplated writing a little black book on sweets alone in NYC. Some desserts trend so much that there …
Last spring, I was honored to be an artist in residence in the Pullman neighborhood in our beautiful city of Chicago. I initially had made plans to map the many blocks around my space as I considered the ravages of the built environment in the …
Ăn Quả Nhớ Kẻ Trồng Cây (When eating a fruit, think of the person who planted the tree)
a Vietnamese proverb
Seeds of curiosity were vigorously planted by my parents. While their curiosities often take different forms, I grew up in a home filled with questions: Wonder where they’re going? How can we make tempura at home right now (pre-internet)? What are the effects on cultures based on proximity to the equator? What do you think that is on that woman’s plate? If we walk down this narrow street, where will it take us? What do you think we just ate?
This special sauce of adventure, curiosity, and enthusiasm was evident when we whisked off to DC two years ago because a show on Afro-Atlantic art of the Americas was closing that very weekend. Or flashback to yesterday when my mom decided at 2am to come to Chicago later that day so we could see the Faith Ringgold show before it closes next week. Did I mention that she was here for 24 hours? It was glorious.
We did many things that day. We saw art. We had tea. We dreamt.
We ate.
Dish after dish served family-style warmed our bodies and fed our memories. My mom shared what she ate during her trip in Vietnam and we responded with fond throwbacks of culinary adventures in Oakland where I worked for several years. Phở of all types redolent of lime, culantro, lemongrass, basil, and rich broth came up over and over. And talk of the heady combinations of sweet-and-sour eggplant, pork and seafood, and bánh mì energized the conversation.
[The second time around🎶🎶] We love Barcelona so much that we’re back drooling over these images. Shall we return to this vibrant city? Yes! “Ooooh, what’s over there?” That question has been my mom’s mantra for as long as I can remember. She’s the one …
We never miss an opportunity to enjoy art in the galleries and on the table. How wonderful was it to engage with both! First, there was a terrific retrospective of Faith Ringgold’s body of work. And then there was the art of the table. Chicago …
We all were in favor of a relaxing holiday week with plenty of food, drink, conversation, and song. After almost three weeks of travel and landing in Chicago on Christmas Day, being still was a gift itself.
Half of Onion Dip had been in the Philippines soaking up the sun, family, and friendship. She will share gorgeous sunsets and landmarks soon.
So what did we do the next day after our traditional Christmas feast? We headed to a delicious Filipino feast right here in Chicago of course!
Thank you, Boonies!
This morning’s family media club discussion focused on a special episode of High on the Hog, “Defiance”, that features my hometown of Atlanta. Public history is always personal history. In this case, the episode highlighted places and people near and dear to my heart: the …
