Marettimo is one of the tiny Aegadian Islands off the northwest coast of Sicily. Population is 300 to 700 depending on the season, and the community thrives off fishing and, to some extent, tourism. This is neither international nor domestic tourism. Rather, these are mostly Sicilian tourists from the town of Trapani, about as local as it gets. It may be the first and last time in a century that people have seen an Asian person. I was happy to provide some entertainment.
From Palermo, I took a 1.5-hour bus ride from Central Station to Trapani, where I met my good friend Liuda, who had arrived from Rome. We then hopped on a 1.25-hour ferry ride to Marettimo, where her friends have a house. Continue reading Marettimo in Sicilia→
The other locus of my London experience was Soho, a trendy neighborhood with good nightlife and nightlife and an edgy vibe. It felt somewhat like a cleaned up London analogue to NYC’s Lower East Side. A few places I went.
My NYC life mostly consists of hanging out with friends eating and drinking, sitting by myself eating, or going to Classpass and eating afterwards.
My favorite spots since I’ve been back (2 days):
Little Branch (West Village): Beautiful and atmospheric 1920s style speakeasy with cozy booths and live (good!) jazz music. Go there to be transported.
Minetta Tavern (West Village): One of my all-time favorite NYC restaurants. Everything from the signage outside to the woodsy ambiance is perfection. It’s intimate yet bustling, and the food is amazing – so well done. Bone marrow! Black label burger. No bad choices. A historic place, it opened in 1937 and has been frequented by Ernest Hemingway, Ezra Pound, Eugene O’Neill, and all sorts of writers. Also one of those transporting places.
Favela Cubana (West Village): Delicious Brazilian-Cuban fusion on a tree-lined street. Not crowded – perfect for a mid-sized group. We got the Lechón (braised pulled pork shoulder, maduros, rice and beans), Feijoada (calabreza, pork, bacon, and skirt steak cooked in black beans with sauteed spinach, farfofa, and rice), and seafood paella. Also, gallons of yucca fries with green sauce. Yum.
Soho Tiffin Junction (West Village): LOVE this place for a casual lunch. It’s sort of like a healthy Indian Chipotle with options like cauliflower rice for low-carbing, choice of curry, and lots of fresh veggies and toppings. You can order a small portion or a regular portion. My lunch was <$7!
Blue Ribbon Downing Street Bar (West Village): I love all the Blue Ribbon restaurants, not just for the amazing food and ambiance, but they somehow hire the nicest people. They could tell we had had too much to drink, so the kitchen sent out a pizza on the house! Great late night spot for drinks and food (or anytime spot, really). I will be back when I’m in a state to remember it better.
Spotted Pig (West Village): A classic! Good bar scene and excellent gastropub food. We were there for the drinks this time.
Bad picture, but the BOMB ASS bone marrow at Minetta Tavern. Instructions – take the perfectly grilled and sliced piece of bread, apply onion marmalade generously, take a hunk of bone marrow, and enjoy. Party in yo mouth.
“Cooking” raw vegan is a labor of love. Many hours pass as you wait for things like coconut crepe sheets (used for spring rolls, wraps, samosas) to be finished in the dehydrator. Some recipes require 36 hours! That’s a lot of time…and electricity. Personally, I’m happy grabbing handfuls of arugula periodically from the fridge. No plate. Straight into mouth. My version of raw vegan.
Nevertheless, I had an unbelievable 5-hour class with the head chef of a raw vegan Ubud restaurant, Moksa. I had such an amazing dinner there that I asked the chef for a lesson, and he agreed. This place makes raw vegan legitimately delicious – gastronomic – not just healthy-tasting, and I want to be able to be able to do the same at home (whenever it is that I’ll get there…and stay there…sigh). I’m thinking of cutting down on meat.
Here’s some stuff Chef Made (pronounced MAH-day) and I made:
Asian Zucchini Noodles (i.e., Heaven)
Basically, this involves selecting some veggies, massaging them in tamari, onion powder, garlic powder, and lime juice, and then mixing them into “zoodles” (zucchini noodles made from a spiralizer). Top with some spiced cashew crunchiness. La piece de la resistance! (Too lazy to find the accented “e”). Continue reading My cooking class at Moksa→
My 34-ish hours in Tokyo consisted of uneducated meanderings and some down time. I landed at Haneda airport (much closer to the city than Narita) at 10:30pm without a hotel reservation and convinced someone at an airport information desk to call one of the hotels in my Lonely Planet guide. Luckily, I got the last room!
This information desk person then convinced me to navigate the insanity of the Tokyo public transit system instead of taking a taxi. The interesting thing about Japanese people is that they generally don’t give you a flat-out no, but when they pause uncomfortably and look at you askance, you get the feeling that you’re about to make a bad decision. So against all my seemingly sane instincts to take a taxi, I decided to navigate my way by train. Which looks like this crazy mess:
Tokyo subway and rail map (i.e., WTF)
I stayed in a super cute Japanese inn called Kimi Ryokan. Picture a Japanese zen garden with sliding shoji paper doors, tatami flooring all around you, and a comfortable white fluffy bed-like cocoon on the floor. Continue reading Remembering Tokyo→
My musings on life, travel, and (I suppose eventually) work. Just trying to balance left and right brain, the urge to do vs. be. Easy stuff.
