Curry for breakfast?
We’ve always had a fondness for Thai food. When living in California, Erika whipped up Thai delicacies religiously. Since moving to Chicago, though, rare is there a meal in her kitchen that is inspired by Thailand.
Tag: garden
Spellbound
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 …
San Salvador, El Salvador!
We just returned from an eight day trip to El Salvador. There was so much to see and do in this Central American country which we’ve never visited before, but are already making plans to return. This post will concentrate on our time in San Salvador, the capital, where the majority of the country’s population resides. A future post will delve into our time at beach resorts 2 hours away, which was full of outdoor activities and nightlife.
San Salvador, like most of El Salvador, is mountainous, lush and green. The month of January is in their summer and called the dry season. It’s a photographer’s paradise.
We enjoyed our meals in the country. The national dish, the pupusa, is a stuffed thick griddle corn cake filled with cheese, peppers and endless other options. Being that I love cornbread and corn-related foods, I enjoyed pupusas wherever it was offered.
Other delectable dishes that graced our table were all types of ceviche, tostadas, nachos, burritos, delicious fruits and loads of desserts.
In taking a private tour of the central area of San Salvador, we were given a history of the country. It was once a colony of Spain in the 1500’s and gained its independence in the early 1800’s. The people of El Salvador and the surrounding countries are of Mayan descent. Because of the slave trade, there is an African connection with some of its inhabitants.
In walking through the parks, squares, business and entertainment areas where people and families seemed to gather endlessly, there was an air of relaxation and joy. Small musical bands played in the parks accompanied by young or older dancers. Music flowed throughout. I’m reminded of how New Orleans is called the Big Easy. Things seemed rather easy in San Salvador. It seemed almost like a holiday with the beautiful weather playing its part.
The National Palace of El Salvador
The National Library, a 55 million dollar structure funded by the Government of China.
While in San Salvador, we stayed at the Sheraton Presidente San Salvador Hotel, a place steeped in history. The accommodations were great, the meals lovely, and amenities were excellent. What stood out for me was the wall of photos of Heads of States who had stayed at the hotel. My favorite president of all time, President Barack Obama, was pictured several times. Presidents Clinton and Bush were also framed on the wall. Every time I passed the photographs, I smiled.
El Salvador, I’m planning a return!
Art All around Us
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 …
Seeds in the Wind: Atlanta
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 …
My Cup of Tea (Sea Buckthorn Fever)
Back in high school, my love for history was fed by many but especially by one teacher. Her knowledge spanned millennia and she shared it with us through literature, music, art, her stories, and even food. Ancient Greece and Rome, the Middle Ages, and more. Eventually, we made it to the Dutch and their dominance in trade of all types. I was most fascinated by the “Tulip Mania” period in 17th century Netherlands.
An entire country went absolutely mad for tulips. This was a wild time of speculation: a bundle of bulbs was a prince’s ransom. At its peak in early 1637, the most precious single bulbs sold for more than ten times the salary of an experienced artisan. My sixteen-year old self could think of little else for days. How could people get so caught up in the ephemeral moment of plants?
Ten years ago in a Georgian restaurant in Moscow, I had my own plant mania. After multiple courses of some of the most delicious food, I ordered sea buckthorn tea. Expecting a cup of black tea infused with an unknown ingredient, I was completely entranced when a glass teapot filled with a golden elixir was placed in front of me. It was like the color of Meyer lemons, marigolds, kumquats, and the sun; it tasted like that, too.
On and off over the next ten years, I searched in vain for this drink. Nothing lived up to that promise. Where did it grow? Near the sea? Could it grow in Chicago?
When I headed to Central Asia last month to convene with other artists from around the world, little did I expect to rekindle my love of this nectar in Kyrgyzstan. Hours after arriving in Bishkek, I was reunited with this extraordinary tea. It was glorious. This time, however, I wasn’t alone. Each person who shared a pot with me, fell hard. We dreamt of growing it back here and laughed as our interest hit a fevered pitch. There was the simple brew that I had first encountered in Russia a decade ago. Every day was different, though. Sometimes there was the surprise of fresh raspberries, mint, orange slices, tiny strawberries or even rosemary. Here’s to enjoying something fanatically with others!
Winter is Coming: the Persephone
Who tells the stories? Legend has it that the Greek god of the Underworld, Hades, desired the young Persephone, goddess of Spring. So he asked his brother, Zeus, if he could have her as his ”bride”. Will it surprise you to know that Persephone was …
Seeds in the Wind
When friends become friends because of the most (un)likely series of events. As always, it began with coffee and seeds.
DNA
A few years ago, I started a “Paired Up” musical playlist and it still remains on active rotation. The list’s theme is how two songs, regardless of genre, time, language, or geography, can be connected. Maybe one is straightforward such as a newer cover of an older tune. Maybe there’s a musical sample, a line, or a reference. Something about these two songs longed to be connected.
A few favorites are
Stevie Wonder’s Knocks Me Off My Feet and ODB’s Shimmy Shimmy Ya
Lauryn Hill’s Lost Ones and Drake’s Nice for What
Desmond Dekker’s 007 and Special Ed’s I’m the Magnificent
Interestingly, Special Ed’s one is part of a trio since it flows from Dave Barker and Ansel Collins’s Double Barrel, too!
There is magic; it is the coupling. As I listen to two terrific songs in sequence, the listening is deliberate, intentional. I can’t help but listen out for sparks. Are there more references, more connections than the initial ones? Why did the second artist choose this particular work of inspiration? Somehow, I hear more with this playlist. There is indeed magic.
Speaking of the strength of coupling, I’m reminded of our DNA and its gazillions of pairings that guide so much of who we are. I’m not gonna sit up here and weigh into the nature vs nurture debate. Instead, I’ll remind myself that so much of what I like is because of the influence of my dad. Many of my fondest memories of him are through music, whether he and I belted out the lyrics of a favorite song, him tapping to the beat on any surface, or dancing the night away.
Recently, we spent our time reveling in our shared musical legacy at the exquisite National Museum of African American History and Culture. With gallery upon gallery in front of us, our entire visit was about music. Being there myself was wonderful enough but experiencing it with him (and my always-curious Mom) amplified the experience, much liked that beloved playlist.
What isn’t better together?
