“He loves talking to people about his food,” another MFR volunteer told me as I arrived to Saturday’s brunch event at Restaurante Elektra. “He has a story for every different type of arepa.” Chef José Valentín was standing behind the buffet table on Elektra’s shady terrace, serving a wide variety of his favorite dishes: a … Continue reading Hecho en Venezuela: Storytelling with Chef Valentín
At 10 pm last night, chef Pierre T. was still warmly greeting his guests, shaking their hands, and answering questions about various features of the dishes he had crafted for them. It had been a long day starting with an early morning ACNUR conference where he delivered a speech (and met Jesús Vazquez!), multiple interviews … Continue reading Opening Night of Madrid’s Refugee Food Festival with Pierre!
It's now Wednesday and I'm still reeling from the incredible (if not overwhelming) two days I spent in Paris this weekend. I ate French cheese and an award-winning baguette in the sunshine under the Eiffel Tower. I drank wine from all the major wine regions in France. I saw the Louvre and the Jardin du … Continue reading Tout Seule in the City of Love: A Photo Journal from a Weekend in Paris
San Sebastián (or Donostia) is located in the Bay of Biscay on the northern coast of Spain, about 20 km from the border with France. It’s one of the major cities of Basque Country, an autonomous community similar to Catalunya in the sense that it has its own language and distinct cultural heritage that’s different … Continue reading Weird and Wonderful Bites of San Sebastián
Flavors and facts from my first solo travel experience Easter in Spain means extravagant parades, ceremonies, and (for us non-religious folk) time off during the earliest and loveliest days of spring. For me, this turned into an opportunity to do something I have always wanted to try: traveling solo. After worrying that eating alone at … Continue reading Highlights from Portugal
In honor of International Women's Day, the school where I work put on a brief presentation in the library to discuss issues like gender inequality, violence against women, and discrimination in the workplace. I read an excerpt from Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's essay "We Should All Be Feminists," which was chosen by one of the students … Continue reading On Sugar and Spice and Everything Nice
