Friday, July 23, 2010
Jaffa/Yafo at Dusk
After a long day at my desk, Dick and I took a walk to Jaffa/Yafo. It is just 10 minutes from Neve Tzedek, where we are staying and is one of the world's oldest cities. It is very hot here, even at day's end. We made our way up the hill and to look down over the port of Jaffa. This is the mosque that sounds the call to prayer.
It was Saturday, Shabbat, the day of rest and the famous flea market, shops, art galleries and most restaurants were shuttered. At first it was disappointing but then I felt it gave us the opportunity to really see the buildings and discover things we might otherwise have missed has we been dazzled by all the tchotchkes (STUFF).
We walked up to the top of the hill to look out over the port. There were signs and statues for Napoleon all over. That guy was everywhere - too bad there were no Frequet Flyer programs when he was tramping all over the world in his land grab.
The restaurant Dr. Shakshuka was recommended to us but alas, it was closed. We settled on one of the few restaurants open Puaa, a funky restaurant off on a side street. It was hot enough for us to opt for an inside table, just beyond the door;half in half out. Patrons were mostly families and the vibe was very homey. We opted for a vegetarian meal that was outstanding and had such a wonderful mixture of herbs and spices: brown rice and lentil salad with walnuts, raisins, parsley, coriander and fennel, then a tomato and cucumber salad with red onions with croutons made from bread seasoned with that wonderful zaatar mixture again and finally pumpkin dumplings in a coconut and coriander sauce with the most fragrant basmati rice. It was one of the best meals we have had here.
By the time we were finished it was dark and we walked back along the high street and people were lined up for stuffed sandwiches, shwarma -- giant cones of seasoned steamed meat that is shaved off the spiral with long knives and stuffed into pita and focaccia-type bread sprinkled with zaatar and the deep rosy and sour spice sumac on plates with hummus.
We found Dr. Shakshuka on our way back to the apartment. Definitely going back! This time when those shops are open!
Monday, July 19, 2010
SHALOM from Tel Aviv, Israel
It has been an age since I last posted on my blog. I have been AWOL! We have since been in China and Japan in January of 2010. But now I am in Tel Aviv, Israel for 2 weeks and then one week traveling to Haifa and Jerusalem. It is my first time in the Middle East. I am working the manuscript for my new cookbook on home style Japanese cuisine in our lovely apartment in the Neve Tzedek section of Tel Aviv, one of the oldest in the city. It is a very funky area with lots of wonderful bistros, cafes, an art and dance scene and the outdoor shopping area, The Hacarmel Market. During the day I write and at night my husband Dick and I go in search of a good meal. We are a 10 minute walk from the beach, where we spent our first night in Tel Aviv watching the final of the World Cup match on a large screen with hundreds of other fans. We
dipped pita bread into Hummus Shakshuka - Chick Pea Dip with Egg in Tomato Sauce. It was the creamiest spread of hummus I ever had.
Iplayed hooky for an hour today and went to the Carmel Market. I was able to buy baby okra and tomatoes for a stew I made in our little kitchen. I got a freshly squeezed pomegranate juice and picked up the spices zaatar (sesame seeds and thyme) and the sour red spice sumac for gifts. They are sprinkled on top of the thick creamy yogurt cheese, labne. A drizzle of olive oil is spread over the spices and fresh pita bread is used for scooping up this savory dip. Besides food, there are hats, T-shirts in Hebrew and lots of religious collectibles.
Tonight we had a picnic dinner on the beach with the sun setting over the Mediterranean.
We walked on the path toward Jaffa. People were swimming in the ocean, there were bike riders and runners and Arab families enjoying grilling meats on the grassy areas of this wonderful park. The windows of one of Jaffa's several churches began to reflect the pink glow in the dusky sky and the loud speaker on a mosque was calling the faithful to prayer.
Saturday, February 6, 2010
An Evening at Kwang Jang Market in Seoul
Saturday, January 16, 2010
A Stay at a Traditional Korean Inn
For a reunion, Hee Sun (to my left) and her talented assistants and I went to lunch at fusion style restaurant that served delicious contemporary Korean food.
This sweet and piquant fruit salad was a highlight for me with apple, pear, celery, shrimp dressed in an ethereal creamy pinenut and mustard dressing.
Hee Sun invited my husband Dick and me to go with her family and their friends to Andong Province to stay in a traditional 17th century Korean home, about 4 hours south of Seoul. But don’t be fooled by the word south -- it was still terribly cold! We pulled in late in the evening at Jirye Artist Colony, a compound of buildings, in a picturesque setting atop hill over looking a lake. We traversed our way up a very winding road for a half hour. The next day I was glad it was pitch black when we had arrived as the side of the road has a very STEEP drop.
Kim Won-Gil, the owner and his family greeted us with cakes and wine which we enjoyed in the building that housed the kitchen and common dining area. Mr. Kim is not only an inn keep for his ancestral home he is also a professor and poet. He showed us one of his poems with a line about Jirye as "a place to listen to the earth revolve." As we left the warmth of the kitchen to go to our respective rooms in other buildings, we stepped into shoes and out into the cold night with a sky lit up by stars that seemed close enough to touch. It was time to go to bed
and experience ondul -- the radiant floor heating system, still in use today. However, this floor was heated the old fashion way, with fire that heated logs and kindle that smoldered throughout the night.
The brilliant system allows for the hot logs to be pushed through a channel under the floor. It got ever hotter as the night wore on. There was but a thin mattress between us and the very warm floor which is made of cement (HARD) and covered with multiple layers of paper brushed with natural plant oils, giving it a a shiny yellowish cast. The room was not heated -- the floor was. Our bodies were warm but my nose was sure cold! The clothes, I refused to take off initially, got stripped off piece by piece, all the way to dawn -- the socks were the last to go! It was a great experience but if I ever do it again, it will be in the summer!
And finally, I got to see kimchi buried in the ground! I had been told that the texture of kimchi that comes out of these pots is different from its refrigerator cousin; so crunchy. Now I can attest to that.
We then climbed the hill to Mr. Kim's library and study. You could see how inspirational it is to sit and write poetry here.
We walked in the woods above the grounds and came upon a family grave. This is Mr. Kim's son and his new bride, the next generation to care for this precious home.
Our evening stay and breakfast was a mere $50.00 for two of us. Such a deal and such a peaceful experience. I think I did hear the earth revolve.
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Asian Sojourn
On December 13, 2009 my husband Dick and I started on our trip to North Asia. We were in Seoul, South Korea for 10 days then onto China - Beijing for 6, Shanghai for 6 and now we are in Tokyo until January 29th. Both of us have been working along the way and here in Tokyo I will be doing research for my new cookbook with the tentative title of: My Japanese Kitchen- Favorite Recipes from a Lifetime of Cooking with Friends. Although Korea and China were fascinating, we found out what it's like not to be able to communicate! At least Dick could read in China. Now, we are in our second home in Japan and it is a relief to know what is going on! I was so busy in Seoul there was not time to blog and there is NO blogging from
That night we had dinner with my internet friend WooKyung (Woogie) Park. We connected over a blog on Korean food and have written to each other for almost a year. What fun to finally meet in person! Woogie took us for a delicious tofu and mushroom hot pot and then on for a dessert of warm bean paste pudding a hot cinnamon tea with jujubes (Korean dates) and pine nuts.
During our 10 day stay in
We were greeted by a friendly nun who hooked my arm and toured us around the newly renovated premises. Their quilted outfits of smoky gray were as elegant as anything in a designer showroom. Knitted caps in hues from creamy white to gray kept their bald pates warm. And let me tell you it was freezing.
The grounds are hundreds of years old but a brand new temple has just been erected. The scale is monumental and the paintings on the wooden posts, walls and ceiling exploded with color. I asked if they poles were painted and then lifted to form the roof. The answer was no, Artisans painted the poles in place – move over Michelangelo.
In the courtyard beyond the dining hall stood large pottery urns with home made soy sauce, soy bean paste, red pepper paste (gochujang), vinegars and preserved vegetables.
These urns are sold in markets all over
Sun Jae conducted a cooking demonstration for myself and the students at the seminary. A gentleman who was been working with her for years assisted. She made a
I met another American that day who had started out as an English teacher in Korea 8 years ago.
I was told she heard Sun Jae speak and the rest is history. She has been studying for 4 years at the temple and will be taking her vows shortly.
It was a most memorable afternoon.