SaltShaker

 Songkran, the most vigorous of Thailand’s festivals, was the official Thai New Year until 1941. Formerly tied to the movement of the sun, modern Songkran takes place from 13-15th April. Songkran began as a ceremonial bathing of Buddha images as part of a new year’s spring cleaning ritual. However, it has degenerated over the years [...]

 I’d like to be a passion fruit. Not because it’s passionate, but because someone I know is mad about them and has got me onto them.”
- Joseph Fiennes, Actor
Buenos Aires - Private party. Birthday. No seafood. Maybe something vaguely mixed Latin American. A tasty causa topped with a chicken salad instead of tuna salad and [...]

 Just because someone is dead does not mean they have changed!”
- Bette Davis, when it was suggested she not speak ill of the dead
Buenos Aires - I may continue on this trend of centennial birthdays, more or less - we had so much fun with Carmen Miranda’s 99th and Anna Magnani’s 100th, that I couldn’t [...]

 Vegetarian has long been used as the human equivalent of herbivore, which — along with carnivore — has traditionally been applied to nonhuman animals, for the good reason that vorare means not simply ‘eat’ but ‘eat like a wild animal’ (hence devour). The ending -arian generally denotes a conscious adherence, in contrast to the genetic [...]

 The egg standing myth was born with an article penned by Annalee Jacoby in the March 19, 1945 issue of Life magazine. Ms. Jacoby was on assignment in China at that time, when she witnessed a peculiar Chinese ritual. In China, the first day of spring is called Li Chun, and they reckon it to [...]

 To choose doubt as a philosophy of life is akin to choosing immobility as a means of transportation.”
- from Life of Pi
Buenos Aires - I do seem to be falling behind on the dinner posts… hmm… well, I’ll try to get caught back up. Here we are a week after Pi Day, which, of course, [...]

 I was the main complainer about not having my favorite dishes, and then someone suggested that I open my own restaurant.”
- Gary Edwards, Owner, Sister Sue’s, Asbury Park
Buenos Aires - Maybe it’s just me, but it seems that while Casa S is getting busier and busier, especially with private events, that I spend more time [...]

 Please don’t retouch my wrinkles. It took me so long to earn them.”
- Anna Magnani, actress
Buenos Aires - You may have noticed that recently our Casa S themes have been getting more and more offbeat - moving away from various Republic Days and Independence Days and such. It’s only semi-intentional - part of the problem [...]