A Maharani Tomberati Indian princess, I have never been, but never say never, as I lean against the strong balcony of the 400 year old mahogany summer home of a Maharaja- the place to myself. Four people sweetly look after me, while I try to look after a much neglected …
My good friend psychotherapist Renato Palma in Florence once told me, “Peggy, Peggy, non devi mai spiegarti”. You never have to explain yourself. As a southern girl, explaining yourself was a popular past time, whether any one wanted to listen or not. The bank teller, the checkout clerk, one’s father …
What you see is more delicious than it looks. Larb is a Thai salad that I love to make in the summer. It’s cool, spicy and tangy.
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Walking the streets of Bangkok in the heat begs you to duck into one of those small barely covered cafe’s and slurp spicy Tom yam Kung. So counter-intuitive to eat when you are dripping with sweat. But it works. The spice delights and cools you down. But sometimes, I prefer something a little meatier. A protein lift that is cool with generous lime, chili and cilantro. You fill a lettuce leaf and crunch into this juicy, limey, toothsome wrap, swigged with a frosty Thai beer and sigh. Ready to hit the streets refreshed. Tuk! Tuk!
1 pound of ground meat. It could be lamb, beef, chicken or turkey
1 or 2 serrano or jalapeño peppers
3 limes, juiced
1 fresh red onion, fresh if possible, cut in thin half moon slices. Half for sauteing, half for adding to the salad, raw.
1 bunch of cilantro, chopped finely
1 T olive oil
good salt and pepper
Put a drizzle of e.v.olive oil in a pan. Add half of the onion and sauté. Add the ground meat of your choice and brown.
Add salt and pepper . Put in a bowl. Take the other ingredients that you have chopped and juiced and add them to the bowl. Correct for seasoning. Enjoy! Sawadee Ka!
The Dades Valley spreads out supernaturally from the Tizi ‘n Tichka Pass of the Majestic High Atlas mountains onto a dry desert that pools into a riverbed oasis of a thousand Kasbahs. A long day’s journey begins with exhaustion and a chance for me to take a look at the …
In a small square in Marrakech, where the crotchety veiled ladies sell crocheted hats, the sun beats down on caged chameleons, good luck garden turtles and henna sifters. It’s midday, 30 degrees celcius and the Marakchi (the people of Marrakech) are at home in their skin.
“Now,” he says, “people hardly have time to stop. They are in a rush. No time to stop and talk, much less savor a taste.” Dreadful, I think. Surely it’s our (fast-paced American) fault. Do we all want such a place to go? Or just certain types of people?
My group arrived in Marrakech March 9th 2020, set to have a “Feast For The Senses”. No one had cancelled thankfully, even though there were hints of an epidemic. It was a delight to take on this very courageous group of people. They stood to lose a lot of money …
When I was young, my favorite thing to do in summer was to make homemade peach ice cream. I would turn cartwheels all the way over to Gladys’s house, two houses down past all the hydrangeas to watch her make the custard with fresh cream and bits of peach.
Persimmons hang like jewels on leafless branches of the tree, like ornaments. Harvested and strung up in front of Japanese country houses like coral necklaces, this colorful display announces the end of fall and beginning of winter. Time to go in ~and digest~ and dream the year to come. They say if you can dream it, you can make it happen.
Devi Garh, our Palace fortress up above the village waits with a silver thali on a low marble table that looks over the valley, beds with white linens and a view. The food is very similar, just presented differently, yet we are not cut off from one another. We are close and smile and, able to share a kind word.
One man’s temple is another man’s palace. Namaste.