food

Spargelfest!

That’s right, boys and girls, it’s that time of year again: Spargelzeit. The celebration of asparagus is in full swing in Switzerland. Thanks to a tip from Jack at Laughing Lemon, some friends and I headed outside the city last Sunday to check out the Flaacher Spargelfest (an asparagus festival held on a family farm … Read more

Vienna’s Naschmarkt

There are lots of things about Vienna which make me think it would be a nice place to live. One of my favorite parts of the city is the daily outdoor market called the Naschmarkt. It’s just one of those sumptuous sensory-overload type markets, bursting not only with fresh fruit and veggies, but also olives, … Read more

Kaffee und Kuchen in Vienna

The Viennese have a lovely tradition of dropping everything at around 4 PM and indulging in some Kaffee und Kuchen. In the interest of getting the most out of our vacation, we of course also adopted this practice while we were in Vienna. We are nothing if not cultural adventurers. To get the true Austrian … Read more

Heaven (in gelato form)

I spent last week in Italy, eating my way through a couple cities and visiting friends. The train connection afforded us a little layover in Milan, so I seized the opportunity to seek out that great mecca of gelato, Chocolat. As its name implies, they specialize in the chocolaty gelato flavors, including my all-time favorite, … Read more

Grub in New Orleans

I was lucky enough to be accompanied by a native Louisianian, Jami, on my journey to New Orleans. I hit her up for recommendations on everything from bars to local delicacies, and her knowledge did not disappoint. My only regret is that we didn’t have time for the drag queen brunch in the quarter. A … Read more

Cooking with the giggling citrus

On Wednesday night Scott and I went with Matt and Jill to a course at Laughing Lemon, an English-language cooking school and caterer in Zurich. The course was entitled What’s In Season, and covered just that – fruits and vegetables that are at their tastiest right now.

We were welcomed with a glass of wine and some chit chat with our hosts, Jack (the chef) and Silvia (the wine guru). The small group of students consisted of a variety of nationalities, even including a couple of that most elusive species, the Swiss.

Read moreCooking with the giggling citrus

And now for a random photo from Japan

What do you think they are trying to communicate to us, the consumers, with this particular packaging design? In my next life, I want to be a graphic designer in Japan. But really I made this post to let you know that I’ve finally uploaded a bunch of photos from our trip.

Thanksgiving, expat-style

I’ve spent at least a half-dozen Thanksgivings outside of the US, most of which have been celebrated in one form or another in the company of other expats. There’s usually a scramble to find cranberries, or canned pumpkin, or even sweet potatoes, depending on what country we’re in. Whole turkeys are also not always easy … Read more

My Milan

I love this city. I still can’t believe I avoided going back for a year, despite its proximity to our new home. I guess we needed some time to settle in and get on with our new life in our new country. When you have as many former homes as I do, sometimes it’s important … Read more