June 20, 2011
Last week we had a friend visiting Los Angeles on her way back home to where she lives in Cambodia. Living in a developing country can be challenging on many levels, not least among them the quest to find familiar and well loved foods. While it’s often preferable, and easier, to eat local food, sometimes after months of noodles, rice, and curry, the cravings for foods from home kick in.
Knowing that she was on her way back, I tried to craft a meal which included many of the things she likes but cannot get there, chief amoung them beets, arugula, and cheese. While this salad would be lovely with the addition of goat cheese, the night’s meal already included home made pizzas with fresh mozzarella and we had a non-dairy eating guest. When we visited our friend in Cambodia last year we arrived with a cooler bag filled with a selection of cheeses and a couple of decent bottles …
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February 22, 2011
People start collections for many reasons. For some it’s amusement, for others it’s hopes of future profit and for some it’s a full blown passion (cough <obsession> cough). But in most cases, people’s collections are a connection to something which speaks to them for a reason.
My collection is fairly small. Over the years I’ve acquired about two dozen antique kitchen utensils. My preference is specific only in that they must be old enough to have painted wood handles. Most are pre-1940′s which works well in my vintage kitchen. A few of the items I’ve purchased either in antique shops or thrift stores, but most have come from my grandparents who were avid antique collectors.
I’m not crazy-obsessed like some people; I don’t know their value, I don’t spend sleepless nights searching eBay or days combing swap meets and garage sales, I simply like them. Looking at them brings me joy. …
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