Food for thought

Tengo varias maneras de combatir la maldad, varios ases bajo la manga. Creo fervientemente cuando se dice que los padres son para sus hijos unos superhéroes. Todos tenemos una doble vida. En fin, casi siempre, para celebrar lo que tengo, para dar y compartir con los míos, cocino. Es un arma más poderosa de lo que se cree. Es un acto de amor, por donde se le vea es una acto de creación. Y la creación siempre es mejor que la destrucción.

No soy de usar recetas, pero a continuación describo por encima algunos platos recientes que me gustaría compartir.

Lomo redondo al horno

Había visto a mi mamá hacer esto tanto que me tiré al agua a la brava... y nadie murió intoxicado!

Lo puse a marinar en salsa inglesa mientras preparaba algunos ingredientes y luego le abrí un hueco para rellenarlo con cebolla picada, como cinco dientes de ajo (un guabanazo con el cuchillo para abrirlos), pimentón rojo picado, hojas de laurel, italian herbs, hongos picados, sal y pimienta. Lo metí en el horno como media hora destapado hasta que se dorara, como a 350º y luego, con el relleno que me sobró y el jugo que soltó el lomo, hice la salsa.

Acompañado con papas fritas y ensalada... un éxito! Hasta a Pablo le gustó!

Nota: El aderezo lo hago mezclando vinagre balsámico, moztaza dijon, aceite de oliva extra virgen, sal y pimienta y el detalle ganador es mezclarle un poco de cualquier fruit jam que crean que pueda ir bien. Este tenía pineapple jam, pero con raspberry jam también queda super!

My beloved Tiramisu, a glorious pick-me-up experience!

Este es el link de la receta que hice esa vez: "Classic Tiramisu Recipe". No es muy diferente a la que siempre había usado, pero me llamó la atención que aseguraba ser la del "original". Me sorprendió enterarme que este no es uno de los postres tradicionales italianos, sino que es una adición a su repertorio bastante reciente. Para conocer más de la historia del Tiramisu, haz click aquí.

Tiramisu, 20 minutes later...

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Squares

Ahora no encuentro la receta por ningún lado así es que si alguien la quiere me avisa...

Para los que tienen hijos es una buena manera de meterles algo de comida saludable. O por lo menos es la excusa que usé hasta que prácticamente me los acabé yo sola.

Esto es lo que pasa cuando te demoras demasiado en tomar una foto!

Pizza de Carole

Esto es algo que he visto varias veces hacer a Carole, mi cuñada de Bordeaux, y después de decidir que estaba adicta lo hice de lo que me acordaba.
Es básicamente una salsa de tomate espesa, bien sazonada y con todos los golpes, a la que agregué cubos de pollo, rodajas de chorizo, queso parmesano desmenuzado y uno que otro vegetal picado. Lo eché todo en un pie crust, lo cubrí con queso mozzarella y parmesano y al horno!

Mi más severo crítico

(Como ven no es difícil combatir la furia de la ciudad. Desde mi casa, mi cuartel, hago cosas que producen sonrisas y de una u otra manera unen a la gente.)

A los que no están cerca físicamente, ojalá podamos reunirnos pronto. A los que sí, ¿Cuándo comemos juntos?!

De regreso, encuentro a una ciudad furiosa

Qué rápido se pasó el viaje, qué rápido me encontré sin tema para escribir. La prolongada anticipación, la planificación, la logística, todo le atribuyó una trascendencia que ahora, sumergida de vuelta en la cotidianidad y a la vez en los acontecimientos inusuales de la cotidianidad, parece de algo de hace mil años, y separado también en distancia de mí.

Gracias a Dios por las fotos, gracias por ese acercamiento, por breve que haya sido, a la gente que queremos, ha quedado la huella. Finalmente gracias por el contraste, que me hace voltearme hacia los detalles que se me pasan, casualmente mientras me encuentro sumergida en tal cotidianidad. Pareciera que necesitamos estar periódicamente en contacto con lo crudo de la vida para no bajar la guardia, para estar siempre agradecidos.

Highlights of our trip to Europe

I know, it was about time.

I'm still on what I call "limbo time", not on European time, not on Panamanian time, but rather confused most of the time. I guess nothing has really changed since I've been back.

Being with the kids again has been great. Diego now has a broader and more refined vocabulary than a lawyer. Pablo appears to have taken over my role because Diego goes right to him whenever he's hurt himself to get some lovin'. Looks like they put on a few pounds while at their abuelos... Maybe it's just us.

All in all, Europe was awesome. These people (the French) seem to breathe and eat art. You see it in the plating of their dishes, in their hair styles and apparel. Sometimes it kind of gave me the feeling that they just knew better than me, that they'd collectively been around as civilized entities for so much longer than I had... Naturally, I also had a couple of tricks up my sleeve for them. The museums in Paris were just filled with wonderful things, I was like a kid in a candy store. The Picasso Museum stole my heart.

Bordeaux, a lovely city of southern France, was more slow-paced and very charming. I think it must be really nice to live there. I loved the signs on their streets, in Panama this is as rare as having a third eye. I especially enjoyed meeting my brother's acquaintances the night of the wedding because they were immediately so open to these slightly over-dressed latinamericans who early on proved to everyone what was under their misleading façade. We really had a great time.

Regarding Geneva, the perfect city, I must say we've brought back a perfect memory. Of divine food, magnificent scenery, of impressive order, but above all of wonderful company. Although at times I kinda felt like dropping a Diablo Rojo right in the middle of Main Street, I think I can safely say Gustavo and I behaved like normal, decent people for the most part. Ivan and Dayra were almost as excited as we were of spending time together 0ver there and we're very happy to have seen, first hand, how well our Comps is being taken care of. I'm amazed he's not the size of a sumo wrestler. Kudos, you guys, keep it up! And all the best to Mr. Picklewickle!!!

I've managed to post some pictures from the trip (FINALLY, in fact, feels more like I gave birth to them it was so complicated), this time I gave the msn spaces album feature a try. I left the cd with the photos of Paris (this would go between Bordeaux and Geneva) and will get it soon, so no pics from that in the meantime, sorry. Check back next week though. My remarks on Paris, then, will go on a later post due to my cd mishap (a.k.a. una Gretada clásica).

Anyway, to check out the pictures click here. There are 3 albums so far:

* Bordeaux with my family


* Geneva at Ivan & Dayra's


* The food & wine experience


I'll wrap up here, I think the images will say a lot more. I'll try to post as many as I can and maybe even drop by here more often!

GOOD TO BE BACK HOME!

Ob La Di Ob La Da ...en Francia!

Ciertamente las imágenes hablan más que las palabras, lo único que puedo decir es que estamos profundamente agradecidos con Carole y su familia y Gaby porque, como podrán ver, estamos siendo consentidos a la francesa y la hemos pasado EXCELENTE! A continuación la evidencia!

Carole et Gaby à l'Eglise du Sacre Coeur

Delegación Earle

Parte de la delegación Earle gozando la recepción y dejando el nombre de Panamá en alto! (o lo contrario...)


Después de la boda...

Mi sobrino, Monsieur Jude Evan Earle Pampoulie

Gustavo y yo


Visita a Saint Emilion, pueblo de viñedosOne of the many breathtaking views

Wine addicts' heaven!

Cena romántica!

Parting is such sweet sorrow...

Gustavo and I are finally leaving tomorrow. We are going to my brother's wedding in Bordeaux, France, and then to visit Ivan (a.k.a. Comps) and Dayra in lovely Geneva. It is a very long way from little old Panama City, Panama.

The "we" I'm referring to does not include Pablo or Diego (our kids) and it is quite frankly very sad to picture myself so far away from them for so many days even though I'll probably be having a blast the whole time. That is, whenever I'm not staring into the air, trying to imagine what they could be doing.

I'll try my best to post updates during the trip, but even if I don't I'm taking my little writing pad so I don't forget about stuff I may see or people I may meet, you get the picture.

I'll miss you my darlings (sorry, that went to Pablo and Diego).

So long and goodnight.

Acabo de sustentar mi proyecto de graduación!!

I just presented my graduation project and I got 100/100!!


Soy "licen"!

El otro día fuimos al parque...

diego y pablo



diego y mamá



pablo



diego y pablo



diego



diego

Of Leaves and Leaving

Every once in a while, as I sit by my window rising seven stories above the rest of mortals, I catch a glimpse of parrots -bright green, magnificent parrots- flying by, sometimes almost at arms length. I guess it has somewhat trained my eye, because I’m quick to distinguish the “u” shape their wings make as they flap and their distinct crimson patch against the afternoon sky.

Today, while looking out that very window, the corner of my “trained” eye caught a flock as they took off from a tree one or two sreets away, presumably as part of their daily quest for the best spot around. It took me a mere instant to realize they were not birds but dry leaves, pulled off the tree by a gentle wind that was suddenly blowing outside. This, in turn, reminded me of autumn, of time and seasons gone by, of chapters concluded. As I stood there, apparently trying to figure out a way of holding on to cherished moments, I somehow ended up thinking about our upcoming trip, about leaving our kids behind and about how precious time spent with them is. I thought of how Diego is learning one or two new words everyday, how he is beginning to pick up my catch phrases (luckily not the most colorful ones), how everyday he reaches higher and higher places (hence our monthly redecoration). I also thought of my little giant, Pablo, and how every week I look forward to his “Friday Papers”, filled from cover to cover with his beautiful work and excellent grades. I thought of how incredibly proud I am of his performance at school; of his enormous, noble heart; and of the many love notes he has written me.

Sometimes it’s hard even for me to trace back my line of thoughts to its exact orgin. But there I was, staring into the bare branches of a tree that now seemed very distant from where I felt I was. Seconds seemed like whole centuries (at this point Gustavo usually comes and yanks me out of my daydream and into harsh reality by telling me I need to cook lunch or even worse, that lunch is burning). When thinking of pages turned, I try to savour the moment- this sort of mental souvenir from events passed or people met - because many times it’s your only protection when ruthless solitude kicks in and, no matter how crowded your life may seem, you feel singled out and lonely. I embrace those moments of nostalgia, of longing moments and people. I look forward to turning to them now that a whole ocean will separate me from my kids, and all I’ll have to protect myself will be souvenirs, not the ones I’ll bring back, but the ones I’m taking along.

Red Frog Beach, Bocas del Toro: Paradise in Panama?

(Note the term "Paradise", we've all heard the story of a man and a woman who managed to screw up paradise. Note the question mark.)


Click on the image to find out what happened to this spot.
Photo courtesy of www.almanaqueazul.org

For how long will we have to fight our own stupidity? Well, in case you haven't heard, looks like the whole Republic of Panama is being sold. And a tiny corner of it, Red Frog Beach in Bastimentos Island (part of the province of Bocas del Toro), is being devoured by bulldozers and chain saws as part of a shady mega-project that wants to replace indigenous communities and modest local homes with condos and swimming pools. This is not cheap fiction, my friends.

The people buying (into) this attractive little scam are not necessarily evil. Many of them have no idea that what appears on the project's website is nothing more than embellished BS. If you buy now you will in fact acquire a little piece of tropical heaven. You'll be at arms reach of Bastimentos National Marine Park (think of all the colors you know, then picture marine flora and fauna wearing all these colors). However, by the time you actually move out there, all the mud from the construction site washing out to sea will have killed the coral, there will be no tropical forest left because, well, you'll be standing on it only now it's a golf course, and the locals will silently hate you because they'll still live in modest wooden homes and you'll be living in this:


Image borrowed from the project's website

Those of us opposing the approval and development of the project (whichever happens first, corruption trickles down to even the tiniest of places) don't have a lot of money or power to step in and immediately make a difference, but we do have information, we do have a very strong will and consciences that cannot be bought. We also have contacts. I mean you, reading from the comfort of your home or looking over your shoulder at your office so no one catches you checking out a blog from some girl in Panama. You with e-mail addresses of people from around the world, you writing blogs, sharing links...

If you have time to surf the net, you have time to pass this info along. The locals of Bastimentos are powerless if compared to this huge developing company, to the governments promoting all of these "sustainable" tourism projects, to the millions of dollars flowing around, luring and hooking on more and more people like a gigantic bait out at sea.

Here's a list of links with very useful, interesting information on this. Feel free to check them out and share them!

Almanaque Azul's report, English version
Stop Red Frog Beach - the site
Comments from an Interamerican Development Bank Consultant to La Prensa (local, prestigious newspaper)
Interview to Eligio Binns, Mayor of Bocas del Toro from La prensa



Have you bought a piece of this corner of heaven yet?
Photo courtesy of www.almanaqueazul.org

Somewhere in cyberspace...

There's the blog that helps a man deal with war seen from his window. There's the one that's helping a country not become swallowed by greed and bulldozers. And then there's the one that accidentally landed on my laps, feeling heavy like a thick block of pages, yet light in entering my mind and sparking my imagination.

KERBLOG is the name of a blog where Mazen Kerbaj posts drawings (and words to go with those drawings) that are produced with very peculiar background audio: that of war, of explosions and of uncertainty. I imagine also of fear and frustration, although maybe reaching out through his art helps lessen the burden. He lives in Beirut, Lebanon, where a war has gone on for far too long.

almanaque azul is my friend Mir's site. He wants to teach everyone about the Republic of Panama's coasts and how to ensure sustainable, and not depredatory, tourism. He is also armed with stories about people selling our country and people buying it, about cutting down trees in our precious rainforests and marine parks to build highways and condos. And although he may not be armed with sticks nor stones, his words have sure ruffled some feathers.

The Cyberoutlaw's Hideout has another kind of story seeping in form every dark little corner. It's about life in New York, life as an ex-con, life period. The writing is superb, addictive. We know very little about the author, but regarding everything else, his descriptive power is compelling to say the least.