via video.pbs.org
A celebration of the legacy of Motown at the White House. Click on the pbs.org link below the picture to go directly to the video.
The Motown Sound | In Performance at The White House
Month: March 2011
From Tibet Via New Delhi With Love
Beautiful choker / Handmade by the Tibetans / You adorn my wall!
Note on picture: This is a piece of exquisite beaded art and turquoise stones that I picked up on one of my visits to Delhi many years ago. It is folk-art made by Tibetans, a large refugee population of which lives in and around Delhi and they have small shops that carry curios such as these in the shops lined up on Janpath. Originally designed to be a choker or a necklace, I think, but I had other ideas on how I wished to display it!
Unusual Subzis and Bagels with Poached Eggs
Okay, so you know all about Subzis, the Hindi word for vegetables cooked as a side-dish. Subzis are ubiquitous to Indian cooking, and go with everything from rice and rotis, and are a staple food item on your plate, day in and day out. And of course, there are certain combinations of vegetables that go together traditionally: cauliflower (gobi) and potatoes, cauliflower and peas, spinach and potatoes, spinach and tomatoes and such. Well, there’s traditional, and then there’s me. Because, I think it’s quite alright to bring together two veggies that don’t traditionally go together: cauliflower and spinach, for instance.
Which is what I made for dinner last night. Seasoned with onions, garlic, ginger, and a pinch of garam masala, I sauteed the spinach for a couple of minutes in an open pressure-cooker before I added the cauliflower florets and a half cup of water, and put the lid on the cooker to build up the steam for a total of ten minutes. Turn off the stove, and let it stand for another ten minutes before you unlock the lid. Do not stir the subzi because the florets are too tender and might get mashed. Serve with parathas like I did, or rotis, if you wish!
The next morning, get creative if you wish, with serving the same subzi with two poached eggs and a toasted bagel. What is that you say, you’ve never heard of that combo? Well, that’s alright, because here’s what it all looks like.
And like we say around here: Yeh hui na baat!
Blue Sun for a Blue Planet
I found a blue sun / Made in Mexico, they said / Brilliant hues of blue!
Note on picture: An exquisite piece of pottery hand-painted in the most brilliant colors of blue made by artisans across the border in Mexico. The colors are so vibrant in every shade of blue you feel they will rub off on you if you touch the sun! Incidentally, I collect masks from everywhere, and although this is not a mask, it is a face– a face of the sun, and therefore, it will find a home among the rest of my mask collection and will remain forever a prized souvenir from my trip to the lovely city of San Antonio, Texas.
This is only one piece photographed multiple times and made into a collage.
No Reservations by Anthony Bourdain – It's More Than A Meal
“Food, in other words, is a people’s history–and sometimes its unignorable present. Bourdain wraps up his tour of Haiti by visiting Sean Penn, who relocated there with relief organization J/P HRO. But, Bourdain concludes, he has “no happy horse—- assurances” about Haiti’s future. The trip No Reservations takes us on is not about easy answers or giving up. It’s about seeing the world with open eyes, stepping outside your comfort zone and taking the bitter with the sweet.”
Read more: http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,2056702,00.html#ixzz1FlmQYLcc
Carlos Slim's Shiny New Art House in Mexico City
via pbs.org
Wow! Look at that! Mexico City has long been on my list of places to go to– and this is one more reason to plan that trip! Click on the PBS link below the photo to see the article on the new museum to open later this month in Mexico City.
Remember The Alamo? (Check Here, If You Don't!)
I recently took a trip to the lovely city of San Antonio, Texas, and had the pleasure of visiting the Alamo, the famous Mission where the Americans fought the Spanish in the middle of the nineteenth century. Check the Wiki entry for details on the historical significance of the battle and the place. A slideshow of the memories of our time there is right below:
On The Shinkansen From Shinosaka to Tokyo
Mental Health Break – Click on the Shinkansen ver.2 link below!
A high-speed trip from Shinosaka to Tokyo, to the tune of VanShe’s “So High”:
Great tune and a great ride too! I haven’t done this particular route, but I HAVE taken the Shinkansen from Nagoya to Tokyo.
