Cooking for a Crowd

Last night was I cooked up a thank you/good bye dinner for my DC hosts before moving on to San Francisco. As I mentioned in the previous post Meals Make Memories the menu was inspired by meals I had in the past two months after returning to the States from London.

Guests:
My sister and brother-in-law Marlene and Mandeep
My brother Matthew and his fiancee Rachel
Rachel's Mom Ann
Matt and Rachel's roommate Tyeliah and her friend Jody
Downstairs neighbor Richard

Here's what I served and the locations with links to posts on my blog which they commemorated

Jerk salmon, catfish, prawns and portobello mushrooms - Jamaica
Spoon corn bread - Maryland
Asian coleslaw - Teaism influenced
Steamed baby artichokes - Virginia
Strawberries with fresh maple/vanilla whipped cream - Virginia & Maine

Marlene also brought mouth-watering pastries that we shared.

What a meal!

Meals Make Memories

Hard to believe but I've been back in the States for almost two months. Looking back on the past eight weeks the highlights are the meals I've shared with friends and family. Tonight I'm thanking my generous house-hosts with a meal of dishes inspired by these adventures. Here are some of the dining inspirations...in no particular order...

• Jerk highlights from my Jamaica adventure and wedding caterer tasting with Matthew, Rachel and Ann
• Sandwich assembly party with the Century Bike Ride group
• Giant stir fry to commemorate the world's biggest stir fry I made for mom, dad and grammie in Stamford
• Maine delights from the picnic and bbq with Sharon Dee-Dee and Jamie
• Ice Cream indulgence adventure with Matthew at Marlene's house
• Garrison Keillor Picnic with Rachel, Matthew, Mandeep and Carol
• Tapas with Damon in Philadelphia
• Johnny Rockets with Sam in DC
• Salad extravaganza with Grandma, Aunt Patty and Ben Greenfield in Stamford
• B. Smith southern delights with John in the DC train station
• Hot dog indulgence with Grammie in Stamford
• Pizza and Cold Stone Creamery with Karen and Rachel in Stamford
• Diner dining with Lori and Jessica to sooth poison ivy in Stamford
• Wheat-adventures with Marlene in Virginia
• Fish Tacos at TGIF with Brechin in Philadelphia
• Delectable eats at the Native American museum with Julie and John in DC
• Teaism with Bernie during our bike ride side-track
• Corn bread spood bread at the Hinton birthday extravaganza
• Tacos with Peyton
• Home cooked fancy feasts with Matthew and Rachel in DC
• Scones and tea with Grandma in Greenwich
• Fish cakes at the wedding I photographed with Geneve
• Lebanese Tibernia with Matthew and then again with the Bike Group

Now to do some shopping for tonight's meal.

Lost & Found

When I was in Jamaica last month treating myself to a much needed holiday, I purchased a pretty ankle bracelet from an artist on the beach. For the past month I've been wearing that bracelet as a touchstone for reminding myself of how I felt so lost and confused and then made the decision to move back to San Francisco.

The first morning of the Americans for the Arts Convention here in Philadelphia - Thursday - I noticed that the anklet fell off. Here and there I missed it but wasn't really bothered, It felt like a metaphor for being lost, finding myself and then letting when I re-connected with my fantastic arts network here at the Convention.

This morning I thought that I should at least ask at the Convention registration desk if they have a lost and found. Sure enough, there was my anklet sitting in a glass bowl set off to the site of the registration tables. Putting it back on was so wonderful - a reminder of being lost and found.

Being here with my fantastic network of arts and culture managers has reinforced how supportive I feel in returning home to San Francisco. People not only remembered me but had heard that I was returning, had been reading the blog and were so excited to reconnect when I finally land back in SF on June 28.

Truly lost and found.

Adventure in the Carribean High Seas

Day three was more water sports adventures. The water was so warm and placid and the sand white and soft. I started out with a snorkel and raft and paddled around our swimming area with my head in the water as I floated around. Not a single fish but it was very peaceful and also very sunny. Even with 50 SPF sunscreen I got burned on my shoulders. The sun was so bright that it was difficult to get good photo exposures - especially since the local people are so dark and you have to overexpose to capture the richness of their skin.

Later I wandered along the beach and bought a coconut from Mama who so generously opened it up for me, let me drink the water and then removed the meat so that I could munch on it trouble free - plus take her photo - all for $7. I looked at it as a cultural experience and then the price didn't seem quite as outrageous.

At 4pm I joined Ian, Soccer and their self proclaimed "hustler" friend Yellow Man and five of my fellow resort guests on a sunset "cruise". (I keep using quotes because although these were the words they used to describe our activities believe me they were on the rustic end of the definition.) Again Wendy was amazed that I just got on a boat with no idea of our destination. I wasn't bothered. Wendy and Azreal again had their snorkel gear so I figured we could only be doing something fun. Then I found out that they didn't know what we were doing either.

This time we went out to the Western most point of the Island and were no longer protected by the calm of the natural bay. Suddenly we were in huge waves heading out past coral cliffs lined with dream get-aways. We passed a couple getting married on the cliffs - beautiful and romantic. I would have taken photos but my camera would have gotten as soaked as me.

As the boat rolled and creaked up and down the giant waves we started to wonder if we were going to make it to our mystery destination. Along the way we passed a giant sea turtle bobbing up and down in the tempest with his head peaking out above the waves. Yellow Man was driving the boat and we were none too confident with his captain-ing abilities. Ian was carefree as he lounged on the bow admiring Azreal's fishing gear. Finally we reached a lighthouse which was apparently our destination - but actually not. Yellow Man negotiated the boat along the crashing waves to the cliffs and then took us into a cave which was filled with bats and smashing waves. We were impressed but eager to leave. Do they do this every day? I was reassured of my lack of assurance when Wendy and Azreal were also nervous - especially since they live on the beach in Florida and deep sea fish all the time.

We turned around and I thought we would find a quiet place to drop anchor and snorkel. Boy was I wrong. Our destination was actually a famous place I never heard of called Rick's Cafe. It looked more like a movie set than a cafe. Somehow we were going to get our boat through the crashing waves to the cliffs, while avoiding crazy drunk people who were jumping into the water. Then we would somehow have to get out of the boat and join the masses. Frankly, I wanted to stay on our boat but then again the waves were so high that that wouldn't have been the best choice either. So, our little group, which had now bonded since we had all chosen our resort for its non-resort feel, reluctantly joined the masses. I kept calling it Hedonism but actually there was a nude resort down the island called Hedonism.

The highlight of Rick's is the "professional" cliff jumpers. These are two guys who look like twin Olympic divers. They climb up onto a rickety old tree high above the high cliffs and then do crazy dives into the water. Of course each dive is introduced with a call for Tips - anything to make a buck. Here they are next to me doing gymnastics to get attention for their big show.

What a scene! Spring Break Gone Wild. and this was the quiet season. People must have lost their minds. Local boys were standing on the cliffs screaming "Five Dolla and we jump" while crazy drunk people stupidly plunged into the water somehow avoiding coral cliffs and each other in the water. Add to that the boats that were carelessly ferrying people to the stairs. I asked one of locals who was hanging out if anyone ever got killed and he said that every day the ambulance came.

I was amazed by the variety of people. So many languages being spoken and people of all ages and all levels of sun burn. Children, teens, 20s, 30s, 40s and believe me some wasted folks in their 50s, 60s and 70s. It was true pandemonium. To add to the scene there was a party boat called Wild Thing that couldn't get into the jumping zone so instead a bunch of drunk people jumped from the boat and swam into the area. These photos track their progress from party boat, to the cliffs in the crashing waves and to the diving area where they were certain to have some jumping person land on their heads.

No one seemed to be in charge or worrying about safety. There was one Adonis looking guy who was doing all kinds of back flips that did seem to take a bit of control at least to get people to jump or get off the plank. Here he is doing a black flip a few feet from the coral cliffs.

After an hour Soccer and Yellow Man rounded us up and Ian brought around the boat. We bravely jumped back on to our ship and happily scurried out to sea. The trip back was so much calmer and Soccer caught another fish while Yellow Man wrangled some of the others to a disco.

Feeling the Jamaica Vibe

Jamaica is just what I needed! Four days seemed like it would be too short but it was just enough time to clear my mind, get a bit of a tan, meet cool people and have some fun. As you know I booked this very last minute and had no idea about where I was going. Most times I do some pre-planning and get travel books out of the library. This time I just showed up at the airport and did what I was told. That was the advantage of an all-inclusive holiday.

I stayed at The Grand Pineapple which recently changed its name from Negril Gardens although everyone knows it as that and all the signage has the old name. It is located about 50 miles from Montego Bay which is the big resort area. The ride out to Negril takes about 1.5 hours and is along roads that take you through villages, past schools with kids in colorful uniforms, fields with wandering goats and along the coast.

The resort was fun - very low key. I would call it more a camp for adults but without the organized activities. The staff were extremely friendly and everyone took the time to learn your name and remember it when they saw you throughout your stay. They also always remember what adventures you've taken and when you are leaving. It felt like an instant family.

The first thing I experienced in Jamaica was the language - "ya m0n", "respect" and "what yo name mon" are all greetings. Jamaica time. And if you just arrive they say, "you smell like Canada mon" or "how long you been here mon? Just arrive today?" which is their way of saying you need some sun. Everything in its own time - "soon mon", "20 minute mon" and "not yet mon". I also learned that single women are targets for endless flirtation. "are you married mon?", "where your husband man?", "you have kids mon?" and "you a sexy woman mon".

Walking along the beach on the first day I got a sense of the flavor of the local people - or at least the ones that make their "living" off of tourists. Every beach front business had a spotter out on the sand who would talk you up or more precisely "hustle" you for business. These folks, mostly men, would walk up to you, put out their hand or fist and say "What yo name mon?" or "respect" If they put out a fist you then knocked it with your fist and replied "respect". Then they did everything possible to keep you chatting in the hope that you would buy something from them. That something was always a bit mysterious. Sometimes it was a ride on their jet sky or in their glass bottom boat, or braids in your hair or an aloe massage, "their" art, beer or marijuana. After a while you learned that you just smile and wave, say hello and then move along.

Our resort had us wear a purple wristband so that they knew we were staying there and could just walk in and out of the restaurant area and bar without any questions. The wristband also acted as a clue for locals to know where you were staying, "ya mon, you stay at Negril Gardens mon?" That purple wristband gave it away. But the nice thing was that these locals were actually eyes and ears for you. In the four days I was there they would remember me and ask how I was doing.

One fantastic person I met was Captain Ian. He had a glass bottom boat that was "anchored" near our resort. It is pictured in this photo. If you click on the photo you can also see a couple walking along the beach being approached by a rasta man who was trying to sell them something, anything.

On day two I decided to take a snorkeling excursion and the resort recommended Ian's boat. Since I was alone it was clear that Ian didn't think a one person expedition was worth his time or money so he kept stringing me along. "20 minutes mon". Two hours later he had wrangled up two other guests from my resort and we were soon on our way. Funny thing was I didn't even ask where we were going. This amused the other passengers Wendy and Azreal who had brought along extreme fishing and snorkel gear including a harpoon and leg knife. Azreal looked like James Bond. I was up for any adventure and didn't much mind what it was.

Along with us on the rickety old boat was Soccer - a sidekick of sorts to Ian. His name was Soccer because, well, he loves soccer. He was a superb accidental fisherman using a soda bottle as his rod and an old piece of line and lure for his fishing gear. That guy caught fish after fish while Azreal with his fancy getup caught nothing. It became quite an amusing joke. It was also funny because Soccer could only catch the fish but was afraid to remove them from the line so Ian did the dirty work. We later learned that Ian was a vegetarian - didn't eat anything with a face - and wanted to throw the fish back in the water but Soccer was so happy with his catch so he didn't. Here is Ian removing Soccer's fish from the line.

Ian took us out to an island which was surrounded by coral reef and inhabited by cats. We sat on the beach and chatted while Azreal was like a shark in the water hunting for anything he could stab with his harpoon. Here is a photo of my feet on top of the glass bottom of the boat. Wendy and I searched that window but never saw any fish. Ian said the area was over fished so the wildlife stayed away.

This was a fantastic first day and it ended with a sting ray swimming by the shore near our resort and then dinner on the beach.

Jamaica or Bust

Well, I leave for Jamaica tomorrow. It is totally surreal to be going on such short notice. Not sure what to expect. I hope to post to the blog while I'm there but if not I'll take photos and post when I return.

Holiday Get-Away

This week I spent hours on the internet looking for an inspirational holiday get-away. My ideas ran far and wide. Kayaking in Canada, a cruise, volunteering in South America? I kept visualizing a pina colada in my hand, white sand beaches, blue water, palm trees, snorkeling and kayaking. Finally I found something that fit the bill - an all-inclusive holiday resort in Jamaica. So, I depart on Tuesday and return on Friday.

Looking forward to my favorite things - adventuring, photography and writing.