From the monthly archives:

December 2006

Simply Italian

2006.Dec.21 Thursday

 I would challenge any American cook, regardless of what they’ve learned from their mom, to operate a restaurant and not have spent any real time in Italy.” – Mario Batali, Chef Buenos Aires – A simple Italian dinner. That was the request. I got the e-mail from one of our guests at the Sexy Spanish [...]

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You Say Tomato…

2006.Dec.20 Wednesday

 This is not a grocery story or a place to stop once a week and pick up a few aspirin, six pounds of hamburger and some frozen food. Public markets are really about impulse purchases. You tasted some incredible Italian sausage so you head to the market, but then you see some tomatoes or taste [...]

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Haunted House?

2006.Dec.19 Tuesday

 Human prosperity never rests but always craves more, till blown up with pride it totters and falls. From the opulent mansions pointed at by all passers-by none warns it away, none cries, ‘Let no more riches enter!’.” – Aeschylus, Ancient Greek Playwright Buenos Aires – Recoleta is filled with old homes and mansions. Wandering down [...]

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The Bean of Queens

2006.Dec.18 Monday

 When things strike me as funny I can’t hide it inside And squeak – as the squeakelers do I’ve got to let go with a ho-ho-ho… And a ha-ha-ha…too!” – From “I Love to Laugh”, song in Mary Poppins Buenos Aires – I was looking for some information on the bean. I ended up on [...]

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Feliĉan Naskiĝtago!

2006.Dec.17 Sunday

 One Chinese Esperanto speaker described Esperanto as a linguistic handshake. When two people shake hands they both reach out halfway. When two people speak Esperanto they have both made the effort to learn a relatively easy, neutral language instead of one person making the huge effort to learn the other person’s difficult national language and [...]

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All The News That Fits… We Print

2006.Dec.16 Saturday

 The press is the best instrument for enlightening the mind of man, and improving him as a rational, moral and social being” – Thomas Jefferson, 3rd U.S. President Buenos Aires – Although we had advance notice, it was still exciting to see Casa SaltShaker show up in print in The New York Times, in tomorrow’s [...]

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Sophie’s Choice

2006.Dec.13 Wednesday

 I recently went to a new doctor and noticed he was located in something called the Professional Building. I felt better right away.” – George Carlin, Comedian Buenos Aires – One of the bigger private school groups for training in hotel, restaurant, and tourism management is Vatel, named, of course, after the famous 17th Century [...]

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We could grow up together, E.T….

2006.Dec.12 Tuesday

 Where life is colorful and varied, religion can be austere or unimportant. Where life is appallingly monotonous, religion must be emotional, dramatic and intense. Without the curry, boiled rice can be very dull.” – C. Northcote Parkinson, Historian, Novelist Buenos Aires – Yesterday started about six weeks ago. I’d gone to that molecular gastronomy seminar, [...]

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Nip and Tuck

2006.Dec.11 Monday

 When you do a good deed, get a receipt, in case heaven is like the IRS” – Unknown Buenos Aires – I was contacted a couple of weeks ago by Jude of Lulu of London spa, who has recently helped found an organization called Aesthetic Argentina. Now, the website that was up at the time [...]

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