04 Nov, 2009
I’m not sure what gave rise to this, but the past year or two has really seen the renaissance of pork or anything porcine in nature. When the magazine Time Out New York issued its annual “100 Best Things We Ate And Drank This Year” in December 2008, and this $9 sandwich from…
01 Nov, 2009
With superb sourdough and cheeses (as well as salamis) as Part I of the food pasalubongs, how could there not be a Part II with fruit and chocolate. Mrs. MM’s luggage included several containers of black mission figs and other larger green/purple figs, all perfectly ripe by the time they arrived in Manila….
01 Nov, 2009
Family, friends and business colleagues have always been amazed by the contents of our luggage when we return from local or foreign trips. I once ran into a professional acquaintance of mine at the Singapore airport (she transiting from Kazakhstan or somewhere equally unusual) and me on the the way home from Melbourne….
15 Oct, 2009
Certain gustatory delights I have taken for granted. Take chicharon, for example. All my life I have enjoyed this wonderful “snack.” I can think of many instances and snippets of memory from the past 4 decades when I was crunching down on some variation or other of deep fried pork fat…
30 Sep, 2009
More vibrant color, more appetizing produce from a recent visit to the Union Square Market in New York. Above, a cheerful abundance of cosmos…
29 Sep, 2009
The Union Square market in Manhattan recently celebrated its 20th anniversary, and I realized that I have been visiting the market for just as long! I used to live and work in New York in the late 1980’s and I would take the subway down to the market, load up on goodies and…
28 Sep, 2009
The Autumn or Fall Season was always my favorite time of year when I lived in temperate regions. The spectacular hues of turning leaves, the crisp evening and early morning air, the abundant produce at the end of Summer, and the promise of several wonderful holidays ahead always put me in a seriously…
25 Sep, 2009
My sister and niece are fans of Mario Batali’s tapas bar called Casa Mono and next door sibling, Bar Jamon. Rated the best Spanish restaurant in New York City soon after it opened several years ago, it is a relatively small, almost always packed, neighborhood hang out. Sister and niece have dined…