“THRONGS OF MONGOLS in resplendent robes of blue, red, and maroon swarm Ulaan Baatar’s Central Stadium. Archers snap bows, bands blow brass music, and the air is saturated with the pungent odor of mutton, the national dish (the older and tougher, the better). Yet all eyes are focused on the field, where scores of burly… Read More Three Manly Games
I speak: Portuguese, German, French, English, Spanish, Italian, Esperanto, some Russian; I read: Swedish, Dutch, Latin and Greek (but with the dictionary right next to me); I understand some German dialects; I studied the grammar of: Hungarian, Arabic, Sanskrit, Lithuanian, Polish, Tupi, Hebrew, Japanese, Czech, Finnish, Danish; I dabbled in others. But all at a… Read More A Novel Dinner
The global importance of the Middle East is that it keeps the Far East and the Near East from encroaching on each other.” – Dan Quayle, former U.S. Vice President Buenos Aires – On to the third post of last weekend’s whirlwind of dinners, and a private dinner. Now, originally, they’d simply booked out the… Read More Far East
“Life is a banquet, and most poor suckers are starving to death.” – Rosalind Russell, Actress Buenos Aires – Private dinners at Casa S are becoming all the rage. It’s fun for us, and I think a great way for people who don’t have the space or inclination to have a dinner party at home,… Read More Doll Face
There is an element of truth in every idea that lasts long enough to be called corny.” – Irving Berlin, Composer Buenos Aires – One of the things I get asked about most with Casa SaltShaker is “do dishes ever just turn out terrible?” or something similiar to that. After all, often, especially when I’m… Read More Irving
“Everybody has a plan to save the Middle East. That guy with the bumper sticker does. Most of your friends do. Neocons have a plan. Peaceniks have a plan. Likudniks have a plan. The Bush Administration certainly thinks it has one, and we’re told the Democrats are working on theirs. Tom Clancy imagined deploying the… Read More Crisis, Schmeisis…
“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… Read More Songkran
“A highbrow is the kind of person who looks at a sausage and thinks of Picasso.” – Alan Patrick Herbert, Novelist Buenos Aires – I decline to enter the debate, and yes, there is a debate – well, more like hotly contested opinions – as to what constitutes a true merguez sausage. Given that merguez… Read More In Merguez Waters