We’ve all heard about how the French won’t talk to you if your French is not perfect. Yet French people have always been very patient … Read More ›
While tootling along in our rental car in rural France, the most surprising things can happen. It was getting towards dusk and it was time … Read More ›
There’s a golden beach with a massif looming to the west, at the end of a dirt road in Sonabia, halfway between Bilbao and Santander. … Read More ›
While scouting about for things to do in the Spanish Basque country, I read about this amazing collection of mint condition antique cars, comprising the … Read More ›
We just returned from a trip to the French and Spanish Basque Country. I’m still digesting the trip, which was delicious. Until I come up … Read More ›
Badminton is a great sport. You can play it as gently or as fast as you like. Sometimes the volleying gets so wickedly manic, you … Read More ›
One of the inadvertent joys of jetlag in Taipei is watching cooking shows in Chinese at 3am. Taiwan is a great country for foodies, and … Read More ›
I just finished reading a book by Dr. Richard Wiseman called The Luck Factor (2003). He is a psychology professor in Hertfordshire, UK, who studies … Read More ›
We had a tradition at the Teahouse Kuan Yin every Christmas Eve. We closed early at 5pm, and then all the employees would enjoy a … Read More ›
Black pepper is the most widely used spice in the world and has been for centuries. So much so, that there’s no doubt it is … Read More ›
Guest post by Barbara Hopper… Traveling with teenagers can be challenging at the best of times. When your relationship is sketchy to begin with, it … Read More ›
Most BBQ sauces are super sweet. One time, when I didn’t feel like cooking, I sent Bill to our local “destination supermarket” to pick up … Read More ›
I want to tell you about an app I’ve found to be a lot of fun. It’s called Radio Garden. Odd name, but it is … Read More ›
British author Arnold Bennett wrote in 1910: …I have seen an essay, “How to live on eight shillings a week.” But I have never seen … Read More ›
I struggled a long time to learn how to make a pie crust, but I finally came up with a recipe and method that works … Read More ›
There was a woman who lived across the street from me when I first moved out here to the country. Lois was 25 years older … Read More ›
Visit Budapest, Hungary, and you will feel that you have stepped into 1938. While Prague and London have gone global, Budapest is still Eastern Europe, … Read More ›
A customer came up to the pastry case at the Teahouse Kuan Yin once and scanned the attractive offerings dubiously. She asked, “What do you … Read More ›
Once, when I was 13 or 14, my friends’ father took his 3 daughters and me out to the Four Seas Chinese restaurant in Seattle’s … Read More ›
Guest post by Dolores J. Palomo… What better way to spend a morning in Santa Fe than a class at the Santa Fe Cooking School? … Read More ›