A Dying Market

March 5, 2012 9 Comments »

covered market Valletta

I walked past the old stone steps and suddenly stopped. Nothing stopped me physically, but I was stopped mentally. I turned and looked at the steps and the big building they were attached to and wondered, “Is this it?” How could this be it? It was so quiet, unassuming, and humble. There was no sign, […]

Pho Lessons

February 9, 2012 15 Comments »

pho

Before I left Vietnam I had a goal – I wanted to learn how to make Pho. I had eaten it a few times a week for a year while living in Ho Chi Minh City, and I never tired of it. The thought of eating boiling hot soup in humid 90 degrees somehow appealed […]

China Town in Hawaii

November 11, 2011 5 Comments »

One of my favorite places to visit in any city is the ethnic areas.  For some reason when I visit them I feel more at home – I can’t really explain it.   They make me want to take photos.   So when I went to Oahu, Chinatown was high on my list to visit.  […]

Spanish Food Specialties

October 21, 2011 33 Comments »

eggs

Instead of photos of grand landscapes,  today I tempt your taste-buds…with delectable Spanish food. I was in Spain for 3 weeks this summer and had the opportunity to eat at high end and rustic places. I even learned how to cook Spanish food for myself.  Spain is full of regional food specialties, however on this […]

London’s Borough Market

October 7, 2011 22 Comments »

I am a sucker for the ‘M’ word…no, not men…markets.  Markets are fascinating to me, I can wander around them for hours and looking at the perfectly placed produce, marvel at new shapes and smells, or watch the interactions with the sellers and customers.  I can appreciate dirty, smelly markets as well as upscale markets; […]

Get Hands On At This Barcelona Cooking Class

July 12, 2011 9 Comments »

La Boqueria Barcelona

The colors are the first thing that grabbed me, a collage of vibrant green, red, and yellow swirling together from afar, but upon closer inspection each had it’s own boundaries. Once I was in front of the masterpiece, it appeared that each color was placed with care in such a precise fashion. Yet at the […]

Photo of the Week – Saida Souks

April 8, 2011 21 Comments »

bras

I traveled south of Beirut to the old city of Saida along the Mediteranean.  Luckily I had a personal tour guide in my friend Mark, a local friend I had made during my stay in Beirut.  We drove through the flooded streets of Beirut and an hour later when we arrived in Saida the sun […]

Photo of the Week – Tripoli

April 1, 2011 7 Comments »

Tripoli has been in the news a lot lately – but there’s more than one Tripoli in the Middle East.  I went to Lebanon’s Tripoli in search of authentic souks and found what I was looking for.  However I quickly realized Tripoli was more than just souks, it has a rich history and cultural feel […]

In Search of Souks

March 8, 2011 1 Comment »

saida labanon souk

One of my favorite things about Arabic culture is the souk culture. I was first introduced to souks on my first trip abroad to Turkey. I still remember walking through the Grand Bazaar thinking that it was the most bizarre place I had ever been. Then I traveled to Morocco and was introduced to Fes […]

Mercantile Exchange in Petra

February 2, 2011 8 Comments »

I started climbing to the High Place of Sacrifice and it wasn’t long before I was greeting by a young boy on a donkey who watched me huff and puff my way up the steps. When I reached the area where he was waiting he asked, “Donkey mam?” “No, I don’t want a donkey.” “Why […]