Thailand, India, Mexico and Israel - Tastings from Around the World

Diverse cultures abound here in San Antonio, and we love living here because we both love learning about other traditions and customs. San Antonio’s population is a mix of numerous nationalities, and we are finding it fascinating observing and participating with people from other cultures who are celebrating and honoring their ancestors’ holidays.

Bangkok 54 - best Thai food we've found in the US!

We’ve enjoyed a “tasting from around the world” this past weekend beginning Friday night with the best Thai dinner that we’ve ever had outside of Thailand. Bangkok 54 was a very lucky find because my initial Internet search began with a search for a good Vietnamese restaurant, and while searching for restaurants with excellent reviews, several Thai restaurants came up. Since we both love Thai as well as Vietnamese food, I scanned reviews until I found a restaurant that had multiple 5-star reviews, and it happened to be Thai. The inside wasn’t fancy still it reminded us of local restaurants that we’d visited in Thailand. We received an immediate warm welcome by a tiny little Thai woman; it was just like walking into a local Thai eatery. The food was fresh, flavorful and seriously spicy hot, just like in Phuket (not the American “watered down” version). Our mouths tingled for quite some time after we’d finished dinner. Bangkok 54 is now at the top of our favorite restaurants list, and we’ll without doubt be going back often.

Saturday afternoon we headed to downtown San Antonio to “Diwali San Antonio”. Diwali (or Divali or Deepavali) is the Indian “festival of lights”. It’s an ancient Hindu festival celebrated in autumn every year, and it spiritually signifies the victory of light over darkness, knowledge over ignorance, good over evil, and hope over despair. We arrived early so stopped into a bar for a drink. Only by luck, I chose a table so that Steve sat just below the Ravens mascot sign. He thought this must be a good luck omen for their game on Sunday (not to be as they lost!). So much for drinking to a Ravens victory and back to the festival . . . .

Absolutely beautiful and graceul

A long string of booths providing traditional Indian food was one of the main features of the festival. We walked around to see what they each had to offer. As they were well into cooking their specialties, the smells of curries, samosas and biryanis mingled around us so that our mouths were watering and already beginning to anticipate fantastic tastes.  Entertainment provided by a few young students singing traditional songs followed by dance groups representing various states in India started off the SA Diwali festival. A great addition to the program was that an emcee explained which state the dance came from and what it signified. He also gave us information about the state being represented. There are numerous classical and folk dance forms in India, and we got to see several of them before the food smells overwhelmed us and our stomachs demanded to be fed.

Delhi representatives

Samosas were our first choice. They were so incredibly melt-in-your-mouth scrumptious that we had to go back to that same booth to get a couple more. A samosa is a triangular pastry stuffed with curried potatoes, peas and loaded with spices and then fried until crispy. Ours were extremely spicy and were the best we’ve both had since leaving the UK! A mother and daughter stopped to ask what we were eating because obviously we had a blissful look on our faces. The food they had chosen was way too spicy for them, so they were hoping for a recommendation that didn’t leave their mouths on fire. The samosas certainly wouldn’t have been a good choice for them.

While wandering down the row of booths perusing each of the menus, we watched to see what delicious offerings others were carrying away. We finally settled on a Pav Bhaji that we shared. It’s a lentil (dhal) dish originating from Mumbai. This one was also incredibly spicy and left our mouths tingling for the rest of the evening. I wish we would have had room to taste other dishes, but there was just too much to choose from, and we’d pigged out on the samosas. Local restaurants provided the booths, so we now have a list to visit when Steve is craving an Indian meal.

Lighting candles for Diwali

Lighting of the candles is really what Diwali is all about, so we followed a crowd down several flights of stairs to some fountains where people were placing lighted candles into the water at the bottom. I’m guessing for those who were from Indian heritage, they were saying a prayer to Goddess Lakshmi (goddess of wealth, love and prosperity). For the rest of us, we just appreciated a truly beautiful tradition!

You can see more photos from the evening by clicking here: Diwali

On Sunday, Steve had a Grand Prix plus a couple of American football games (including the Ravens) to watch. However; we managed to fit in another trip downtown for Dia de los Muertos (Mexican Day of the Dead) celebrations. Since this holiday originated in Mexico, it’s very popular here in San Antonio. The Dia de los Muertos honors the dead with festivals and celebrations. History says that it combines indigenous Aztec rituals with Catholicism brought to Mexico by the Spanish invaders in the early 1500’s.

One of the unique alters

We wandered through the exhibits of altars which were unique to the person or persons they were honoring. Dia de los Muertos altars are decorated with photos of the deceased, painted skulls, flowers and things that the deceased really loved in life.

Of course, there were several booths of food – everything from burritos, tacos, fajitas and gorditas to carnitas – truly authentic Mexican dishes. There were smells of frying onions, sizzling meat, and you could watch them preparing your order, so the food was tasty and freshly prepared. Lines were long at every booth but judging by the smiles on everyone’s faces; it was well worth the wait! Steve headed first for the panadería for a taste of Pan de los Muertos, a sweet bread that has the shape of bones on the top. (I think he endorses the motto “life is uncertain – eat dessert first”) It wasn’t what we were expecting. It tasted like a doughnut but was much heavier and more condensed and baked rather than fried.

Steve with his Pan de los Muertos

Because the afternoon had warmed up, we decided a beer was in order before making our way to the entertainment area. Children performed dances from both Spain and Mexico starting with a group of tiny little girls who must have been only around 3-years old. Dancers in various age groups progressed to more and more complicated footwork and twirling throughout the program. All of them had painted on skull faces and dressed in vibrant, colorful costumes and headdresses. The final dance was a flamboyant flurry of vivid skirts.

Beautiful dance, beautiful girls and beautiful costumes!

I absolutely love the concept of Dia de los Muertos. It celebrates the lives of the deceased with food, drink, parties and building alters, rather than the morose idea than when you die that’s it.

For more vivid photos of the dancers click on Dia los Muertos

Added to our tastes from other countries, we’ve just recently had Israeli falafels that were just as good as the ones that we had in Israel. mmmm – were they ever yummy!! I can’t believe our luck in finding authentic ethnic food - it’s brilliant!

All of these recent fun festivals and good food brings to mind the saying

“you don’t need a silver fork to eat good food” Paul Prudhomme. 

This saying was certainly true for our weekend treats and our falafels because we were either using very inexpensive or plastic forks and spoons or mostly our hands!! But the food and entertainment equaled those we’ve found in other countries which left us filled and contented!

Déjà vu

Large number of people have these experiences

Have you ever had a déjà vu experience? And do you feel that time is now passing by like a speeding bullet? Well, combine the two of those, and you have the past six weeks of our lives. September saw Steve and me experiencing déjà vu from our earlier years where we both traveled and never saw each other. We were lucky to be able to combine work with visiting family and friends while managing to juggle our trips so that when one arrived home in the evening one day, the other left the following morning. No cat sitter was needed. We spent the whole six weeks like passing ships in the night.

There’s a lot to be said for not spending 24/7 with your spouse. When you do catch up, there’s so much to talk about and share. September seems to be our busiest time for work, it’s also our anniversary and my birthday. This year, Steve was in England for our anniversary, unusual because I’m usually the one away. For my birthday a week later, I was working an exhibition in Philadelphia. But wait – on my birthday last year I was working the same exhibition, but in Las Vegas. A year ago the clients gave me a small birthday cake and sang to me while this year I had a bite-sized piece of red velvet cake at the final reception. Mmm, birthday cake - déjà vu!

We made a point of seeing daughters and grandsons while on trips to the East Coast but we travelled separate weeks. It brought back memories of traveling back from the UK to see them – time with them was too short, but much more focused than when we lived close to them. Again - déjà vu.

All of this led me to lament that “time is now speeding by too quickly as I get older”, but I wondered – what makes it seem so? Of course, being a Google addict, I had to “google” it. The “experts” (whoever they are - scientists) all agree that time appears to go by faster when you are older, but they aren't sure why. There are theories that say it’s because you have more new experiences when you are younger and these stand out in your memory, so time doesn’t seem to go as fast. These same experts, speculate that there aren’t as many “memorable events” when you get older, which makes time seem to drag. But wouldn’t that mean as a child you race from one memorable experience to the next, so time goes by fast? The experts then go on to say that for experiences such as a young student being off school for a summer break, times slow down, and summer seems endless. Haven’t they just contradicted themselves? I know from my experiences that growing up on a busy, working farm in the middle of nowhere with no one to play with, the summers stretched endlessly, but nothing memorable happened. Time seemed to drag by.

In the blink of an eye!

One article that I read by a professor said “speeding time is not an illusion: almost all of us faced far steeper learning curves when we were young. Most adults do not explore and learn about the world the way they did when they were young; adult life lacks the constant discovery and endless novelty of childhood.” Not so for me now because now I constantly have new experiences and learn new things but time is still rushing by too fast.

Columbus was busy discovering America during the Borgia times

A recent example of learning lots of new things and truly enjoying it is that while Steve was away, I took the opportunity to catch up with my historical fiction reading and watching the original, and extremely racy, version of the Borgia series (the one released in Italy). Of course, I had to go to Google several times and read up on the history of the characters and have to say the writers were tremendously historically correct. I learned volumes about that period in the Vatican, and about the wars between Italy, Spain, France and Germany. Can’t wait for the next series to come out on Netflix!

My reading selection also focused on history, but I was reading about the Norsemen (later called Vikings) invading England and a bit of the history of the Romans. It’s normal for me to have several books on the go at once. Again I went to Google several times to learn more, so I was learning loads. I was also reading about cholesterol in the diet. The cholesterol book wasn't a fun read but was educational. It’s a wide range, I know but at least the historical books covered the same time frame, from the late 700’s through the 900’s.

I want to leave you with something to ponder as your days flash by in a blur:

“Our life is made up of time. Our days are measured in hours;

our pay measured by those hours; our knowledge is measured

by years.... And yet time eventually runs out and you wonder

in your heart of hearts if those seconds, minutes, hours, days,

weeks, months, years and decades were being spent the best 

way they possibly could.”

― Cecelia Ahern

I also want to recommend a wonderful TED Talk entitled “How to Live Passionately – No Matter Your Age”. It’s a must listen to and I can guarantee author Isabel Allende will make you think about your life. Here’s the link:

http://www.ted.com/talks/isabelle_allende_how_to_live_passionately_no_matter_your_age

Are you living passionately?

My “What I Did This Summer” Essay

Schools in the Western world are just starting a new year and I’m pretty sure that there will be thousands of students who will be asked to write an essay about “what I did this summer”.  Here’s my summer report. If only my teachers from the middle of nowhere Kansas could read this report!

Moving is challenging enough—packing (after hopefully downsizing), traveling (with animals – it’s doubly difficult) and saying goodbye to family and friends – always difficult. But settling into a new home in another city where you don’t know an entire sole or don’t have any idea where “important” locations such as a grocery store, petrol station, veterinary clinic, doctor’s office, etc. are located can be even more daunting. Of course added to my “important” list is a first-rate manicurist and hair-dresser; although, I’ve found my dream team which includes both! (I just asked the young ladies in the management office for referrals.) Steve has found a local shop that sells everything that we need to make traditional Indian food - English style, and he’s found a store that sells freshly baked baguettes just bordering on being as delicious as he’d find in Paris. I’ve never, ever – I mean ever in 23+ years -- heard him give such a high compliment.

We’ve wasted no time exploring our new neighborhood in north San Antonio and after locating the basic things, we’ve been journeying further afield. One of the first things that we’ve both undertaken is to find and sign up for various classes such as Spanish, cooking, beading, yoga and Pilates for me, or as Steve asks "what haven’t you signed up for"? I’ve also started back with a personal trainer twice a week and have been going to the gym each morning. Plus, I’ve worked some events already. Steve has signed up for Spanish and classical guitar so far, but then he’s been busy with work deadlines. All of these are great ways to meet new people and learn more about the geography of our new city.

The Village at Stone Oak

We’ve discovered a terrific gem just around the corner from us. The Village at Stone Oak, an open-air shopping “village”, is much better than a mall, or I should say it has masses more character. The whole area is sort of fan-shaped with the bottom (at the bottom of a hill) made up of upscale fashion stores with building facades in a southern California Spanish style. All of these stores are positioned on small tree-lined streets. It truly does feel like a village as you can walk from store to store or sit on Starbucks’ patio next to a nearby waterfall – I’m reserving that for cooler weather. Further up the hill are more traditional larger stores such as Super Target, Hobby Lobby, World Market, etc.

Artists Alley

Artists Alley is another fantastic but much smaller shopping area with a village feel. It’s a series of open-air shopping with specialty stores that began as places for artists to show their work. Some of the shops have hands-on classes and workshops. A beading and gem shop located within Artists Alley is where I’m taking my beading classes. It even has a yoga and Latin dance studio – not sure that I’ll be brave enough to try the Latin dance. Although I intend on more exploration of these shops, I will reserve this for cooler weather as well.

Part of the River Walk

With temperatures surpassing the 100° F. mark almost every day for the past couple of weeks, we’ve limited our exploring mostly to mornings or indoors later on. It’s supposed to remain just as scorching for the next couple of weeks. We have booked a weekend in a downtown San Antonio hotel along the River Walk for the first weekend in September, and we are hoping that it will be slightly cooler. We plan on playing tourist because it’s been a few years since we’ve explored the River Walk. We’ve also planned a visit to the People en Español Festival for the last weekend in August. Should be good fun and good food and it’s held at the convention center so it’s indoors!

Restaurants along the River Walk

It will be like old times in September as Steve, and I will be like passing ships because of trips for work and family visits. Steve will be in the UK to visit family and the West Coast for work. And in addition to a 3-day event here in San Antonio, I have an event in Philadelphia and a visit to Maryland to see family and friends. Our weekend on the River Walk is about all we’ll see of each other during the whole month. Later in the autumn we have a whole list of surrounding places that we want to visit. There’s just so much to see and do around San Antonio – it’s no wonder people love living here!

If you want to know where something is or how to find it, just ask a local. I find it remarkable how friendly and helpful people here are to newcomers – all you have to say is “I’m new here”. Moving to a new location where you know absolutely no one allows you unlimited opportunities. You can meet new friends, experience new food and culture and explore new places of interest. Is this forcing you to break out of your comfort zone? – ABSOLUTELY, but doesn’t that add excitement to truly “living”?

Local Produce

We seem to have adjusted very quickly to our new home and new city. I noticed this as I was driving back from my personal training session a couple of nights ago. The complex freeways that had seemed vast and overwhelming a couple of months ago, now feel as if I’ve been driving them for ages. I keep reading that people need several months – some folks, even years – to adjust to a new home. Not sure why, but we already feel comfortable here and it feels like home, even though we know it’s only temporary. Maybe it’s because after some time, we feel itchy and we’re ready for a change.

So my report of what I did this summer includes moving into a new home and new city and learning what is available to explore and experience.

"I’ve been very happy with my home, but homes are no more than the people who live in them."    Nancy Reagan

"The most important thing is to enjoy your life – to be happy – it’s all that matters."

Audrey Hepburn