“All I know for certain is that reading is of the most intense importance to me; if I were not able to read, to revisit old favorites and experiment with names new to me, I would be starved – probably too starved to go on writing myself.” – Penelope Lively, author It was a leap… Read More NYC Redux

“I was supposed to eat something new, so I tried the roasted soft squid. I ate just a bite of it. It was fascinating and completely gross.” – Jason Kotecki, cartoonist, author, public speaker Bah, what does he know?! We love our tentacled creatures be they boiled, roasted, or braised, or… well, as in the… Read More All the Wriggly Tentacles

“Dispersed over five continents, the Roma are in fact one people united by their common roots, identity, cultural aspects and language, Romanes, with its many different dialects. The Roma have traveled the world since leaving their ancestral home of India about 1,000 years ago. Influenced by each culture whose path they have crossed, the Roma… Read More Roma Holiday

“I was recently on a tour of Latin America, and the only regret I have was that I didn’t study Latin harder in school so I could converse with those people.” – Dan Quayle, former Vice President of the U.S.A. We spent the first three nights of this week playing host to a touring group… Read More The Tour Group

“FOR certain voracious readers, April 1 has become a red-letter day: It’s the one time of the year when they get to eat books. They won’t eat just any book, only those prepared especially for the occasion, known as the Edible Books Festival and celebrated in libraries, bookstores, galleries and private homes around the world.… Read More The Incredible Edible… Book

“Laos is an enchanting land that demands that you slow your pace to match its own, and even the shortest visit might add tranquility to your travels. Sixty percent of Lao people are practicing Buddhists, and that fact colors every facet of life. Temples and stupas dominate the architecture of even the smallest village, and… Read More All About the Curry Paste

“We all need to start making some changes to how our families eat. Now, everyone loves a good Sunday dinner. Me included. And there’s nothing wrong with that. The problem is when we eat Sunday dinner Monday through Saturday.” – Michelle Obama, First Lady of the U.S.A. I guess Michelle should eat Sunday dinners more… Read More 4th Sunday Veg-Out

“When I stop working the rest of the day is posthumous. I’m only really alive when I’m writing.” – Tennessee Williams Joining the ranks of our various centenarians whom we’ve celebrated at Casa S, this weekend would have been Tennessee Williams’ 100th. Having spent most of his life, at least the latter part of it,… Read More The Selected Plates of Tennessee Williams