Dream divas

My good friend and founder of Panama Kontacts, a facebook group in which Latin American expatriate women share information about life in Panama, invited me to speak at this month's "tertulia", or "discussion/chat". She told me my story inspired her. Wow. That was my first reaction. My next reaction was to get very excited about what I was going to say to a group of women who wanted to know how I fulfilled my dream of going to culinary school in Paris...and to facilitate a discussion about how to open your mind to the possibility of realizing your dreams.

What to say, what to say...to a group of women who live in a country different from their own. Why are they in Panama? Housewives? Business executives transferred by their companies? Did they come seeking political asylum? Seeking a better life? Are they mothers? Are they wives? Are they single? What to say to them...what to say.

They turned out to be strong, interesting women with a lot to share. The setting was DGAG, a rockin' contemporary art gallery whose owner is a dynamic Venezuelan woman filled with creative energy. I decided to ask my audience of dream divas about their own dreams, and to keep those visions in their minds while I gave my presentation. I told them my story and talked about being positive, having a happy life, about building your life instead of just living it (see Ashton Kutcher's speech in reference to Steve Jobs' concepts of building your life). I said that fun marriages and relationships are all about adventures, and that if you support your significant other's dreams and they support yours, you will have many adventures. I told them that by realizing your dreams you would most likely enrich the lives of the people around you and some dreams would result in better communities, cities, countries, and a better world. 

I reminded them that if their children had visions of them as strong, determined women, they would inculcate the idea that you should never settle for mediocrity and that once you experience the feeling of achieving one extraordinary thing, you'll become addicted to being that way, and that you'll forever be motivated to do bigger and better things. We agreed, however, to always be thankful and feel humility by the thought that what you achieved, you did so with the help of others.

I gave them three tips: 1. every morning, when you wake up, close your eyes, take a deep breath, and envision your dream, and do it again before you go to sleep; 2. say "yes" more; and 3. once you achieve one dream, think of the next.

We identified the following characteristics of happy people (inspired by a Huffington Post article): they dream, visualize, and succeed, they tell their stories in order to share tools that are necessary to build, evolve, and persevere, and they turn gratitude into energy that helps them face challenges.

I received positive feedback from the audience about the conversation. But the most satisfying part of this experience was being in a female powerhouse, a room filled with women who created a new life for themselves in a new country, some for professional reasons, some for personal, some who had to leave their country of origin because the political situation became so bad that their dreams were being stifled. 

The human right to envision hopes and aspirations is a powerful and beautiful force to be reckoned with.

I never want to buy tomatoes again...

...instead, I want to grow them myself.

We're all aware of the importance of eating our greens, but I want to talk about how good it is to grow your own greens, and reds, and purples...and how great it feels to feed them to your kids!

My son holding a tomato plant he grew from a seed

We live on the 22nd floor of a high rise in Panama City. Our apartment has a balcony with a view of the Pacific Ocean and the Panama Canal in the distance. Every day thousands of pounds of produce come in ships and containers through the canal. It is then delivered to Panamanian supermarkets. Chinese markets in Panama carry high-quality imported produce, and only a lucky few can purchase it. These grocery stores charge about $8.95 for a basket of 1/2 lb of strawberries, $4.95 for a tiny pack of blueberries, and up to $9 for a 5-oz bag of baby spinach.

Our spinach

What about local production? According to Debora Rivera, a Panamanian Environmental Engineer, Panama has one of the lowest restrictions of the use of pesticides in the world. In an informal conversation with the Country Representative of the Inter-American Development Bank in Panama, he explained that in Panama, the incidence of cancer most likely caused by the use of pesticides (for both farmers who handle the chemicals and those who consume the produce), is rampant. Some residents of Panama are taking matters into their own hands, reacting to disturbing legislature that approves the use of very unhealthy pesticides, and created organic farms in Panama. Some sell their organic produce in the city, at high prices.

It does not surprise me that Panamanian farmers have to use a lot of chemicals in order to grow broccoli, cauliflower, and tomatoes, for example, because these plants are not native to Panama's hot and humid climate. Panama's average temperature is 82 degrees and its average humidity is 81.5%. In addition, there are tons of tropical bugs around. This is a rainforest, after all. Needless to say, many plants don't do well in that environment and the most effective way to grow luscious green lettuce is to spray on nasty chemicals.

Armed with this knowledge, I decided to try to grow my own tomatoes, spinach, carrots, zucchini, and herbs, among others, while avoiding the use of pesticides. The result is that after two months of planting, watering, and nurturing seeds and seedlings, I harvested my first spinach leaves yesterday.

Our first spinach harvest

We live in a world where food is manipulated, genetically engineered, and tainted with chemicals in order to survive a long voyage from farm to table. I personally don't like the idea that the produce I'm feeding my children travels from a farm in California, through the Panama Canal, and onto my table. I wish the trip was shorter, so I started my own garden...22 stories up.

Our veggie garden high up in the sky

I close my eyes and imagine a spinach leaf that I nourished from infancy, and love the feeling of envisioning that it's doing good things to my body. I made baby food for my son with that spinach (chicken stock, black quinoa, potato, spinach and kale), and loved knowing exactly what was on those leafy greens.

As an anthropologist, I like to think about what we decide to feed ourselves as humans. We are, after all, what we eat.

I couldn't resist including the Candide reference...sow your own garden. Don't mind if I do!

From seeds...

White Teeth*

I recently visited Embera Drua, an indigenous community located in the Darien region of Panama. When I first arrived, these are the things that entered my mind: paradise, happy, Tahiti, Gaugin, staged?, white teeth(!)

When I thought about the angle of this blog entry, I considered three options. The first is to write like a romantic anthropologist and celebrate how wonderful it is that this girl is dressed like this:

Panama or Tahiti?

The second option for a blog entry angle is to tell a far less romantic side of the story.

The third, and final, option for this food blog entry is, of course, to talk about the food. After much consideration, and because I find all three angles equally interesting, I'll incorporate them all.

Our guide, a prominent member of the community and the person in charge of public relations for the indigenous group cooperative, explained that back in the day, the Embera Drua used to wear clothing made of tree bark decorated with natural dyes. He explained that they stopped using this clothing in order to preserve trees. He said that only two of the seven indigenous communities of Panama, the Embera being one of them, dress in "traditional" clothing. So, what is "traditional"?

As an anthropologist, "traditional" and "custom" are my least favorite words. This is because I believe people are constantly changing, especially at this point in time, when the world is a peanut and it is easy to blend traditions and customs, such as, say, the Embera Drua of Panama with Tahiti. Therefore, I think tradition and custom are evolving concepts and if I lifted the skirt of an Embera lady, I would probably see the following text printed on the fabric: "Made in Tahiti". Actually, I don't know whether or not Tahitians still wear the skirts that Gauguin made so famous. I doubt that Tahiti exports anything other than gorgeous vacation memories, so it would probably say "Made in Bangladesh, Pakistan, or India" but you get the idea. 

Embera house and hanging kilts, which are purchased in Panama city but my guess is that they're probably imported from Asia.

Ia Orana Maria Aka Hail Mary, Paul Gaugin, 1891

This doesn't mean that an Embera woman's current "tradition" or "customs" are less valid. In fact, the Embera are (very wisely) adapting their traditions and customs in order to participate in Panama's tourist market. The tourist industry is one of their most significant sources of revenue, so they are re-inventing themselves in order to preserve their existence as an indigenous community. So what if they add a few "non-traditional" beads and textiles along the way in order to look pretty and make for better photo ops when the tourists come by. 

Necklace made of US quarters (which are used as currency in Panama).

Now let's talk about the Embera community's white teeth. Well, they have them, and the reason I find this interesting is that I doubt they see dentists every six months. I think it's because they eat real food. Not processed food, mega sugary drinks and snacks, but rather fruits, fish, plantains, and vegetables. 

Here's another popping of the romantic bubble, however. To my heartbreak, I saw a pile of Coca Cola crates, a young girl drinking a florescent pink fizzy drink, and a mother feeding a fuscia-colored creamy sugary wafer to a seven-month-old baby. I wanted to shout "NO! DON'T DO IT! Keep your white teeth!" But I guess it's inevitable that now that they can afford to go to town and purchase beef, cooking oil, and rice, they can also buy junk food along the way. Oh well, there go the white teeth.

Embera Drua woman preparing the fire for our lunch.

Deep-frying.

Delicious fried fish and plantain for lunch.

*By the way, I'm reading Zadie Smith's White Teeth and it's fantastic. You can tell a lot about a person by the color of their teeth.

**Check out my photographer friend Alejandra's gorgeous photos of the community.

***I highly recommend visiting the Embera Drua. They have a community cooperative that organizes day trips that includes a canoe ride along the river Chagres, a dip in a beautiful waterfall, and a chance to meet the lovely people of the community, have lunch, and shop for stunning Embera crafts.

My son with an Embera Drua tucan mask.
<a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/2349306/?claim=cumjsj7269u">Follow my blog with Bloglovin</a>

Cue Pride Tears

I'm back after a hiatus from blog writing. Instead of baking a bun in the oven in the literal sense,  I've been nursing and taking care of the bun in my oven in the figurative sense.

My second baby boy was born in September, and even though there hasn't been much action in my kitchen lately, I managed to invite friends and family over for a few memorable meals.

Jumbo deep fried shrimp with tartare sauce

Combine the emotional extravaganza of maternity hormones with successful taste pairing, and the result are tears at the dinner table. 

These are photos of a meal I made for my parents and a family friend. The menu included a to-die-for tartare sauce* (see recipe below), lamb with a bechamel truffle topping, and a chocolate orange souffle that made my parents cry.

Lamb with bechamel truffle topping, green beans wrapped in bacon and mashed purple potatoes

Even though the food was tasty and sophisticated, my parents' tears probably had more to do with how proud they were that I achieved my dream of completing culinary school in Paris, toddler in tow.

As lovers of good food, they were beaming with gluttonous pride. As a mother of two, I understand what motivates parents to cry with pride. My three-year old recently started swimming free-style beautifully, and my five-month old turned over on his own yesterday. Cue pride tears. 

I can't wait to see what my sons come up with that will make me react the way my parents did. I'm guessing it was more than just the chocolate.

Chocolate mousse with orange segment and juice reduction and pomegranate-stained candied orange zest

***
Tartare sauce recipe:
- mayonnaise (I prefer to make my own - by hand - I swear it tastes differently). Whisk two egg yolks until creamy consistency and slowly pour 1 1/4 cups of vegetable oil while whisking very quickly.
add these ingredients to taste:
- lemon juice
- mustard
- finely chopped capers
- finely chopped shallots
- fresh tarragon
- fresh parsley
- salt
- pepper
- cayenne pepper
- 1 boiled egg (pressed through a fine sieve/chinois)

Julia Child's 100 and feeling extraordinary

Julia Child was born 100 years ago today. I felt I should write a little something because her life, it seems to me, was pretty awesome. It was all about personality and joy - my kind of living. Quite a few of my friends often tell me they think about me when her name pops up. Surely it's because like me, she studied at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris. However, I hope they also think of me because like her, I am a woman with dreams and a passion for the delicious things in life.

She worked for the OSS during WWII and was stationed in present day Sri Lanka. There she met the love of her life, Paul Child, whose position with the US Foreign Service took them to Paris after the war. Paris exposed her to fine cuisine and she became one of the most famous chefs in the world and a standard to which chefs are still measured.

The Julia Child biographies I've read highlight her cheerfulness and drive. When I think of her, I think of the ambition that every woman should have to be extraordinary. Almost two years ago, I turned to my husband and asked him if he thought I was extraordinary. What I meant was whether or not he thought I was more interesting and fulfilled than an average 30-year old wife and mother. He said yes, or course, but I wasn't convinced of it myself. Thus the decision to attend culinary school, toddler in tow, and face not only a career change but also embark on a journey that would waken a new part of me. This adventure would fulfill a personal dream and also challenge the assumption than the average 30-year-old wife and mother can't realize her aspirations because such a plan could affect a family in so many ways. Lucky for me, my husband and I saw how this experience would benefit our family rather than affect it negatively.

Julia was a great chef who changed the course of cooking in the US for the better. I admire this aspect of her life, of course, but for me, the most inspiring element of her life was her ability to make decisions (though often radical) that allowed her to savor and appreciate the things in life that made her truly happy. Cooking and eating bring many of us happiness, but an inherent joy for life is the stuff that takes you that next step to feeling extraordinary.

***

In celebration of her life, I made my boys Le Cordon Bleu Paris' Creme Dubarry (Cream of Cauliflower). It was heart-warming and delicious - much like Julia Child's (and my) life.

Creme Dubarry with heart-shaped croutons

Here's the recipe. 

Ingredients:

cauliflower

leek (white part)

butter

flour

salt & pepper

chicken stock

Thickening agent for soup:

cream

egg yolks (optional)

Croutons:

white bread

Cut leeks lengthwise, then in half moons and sweat in butter. Add a pinch of salt and cook at low heat until almost translucent. Add cauliflower florets and stir - avoid browning. Add a bit of chicken stock to help the leek and cauliflower cook and absorb flavors. Add two tablespoons of flour and stir. Once the flour is cooked (without letting it brown), add enough chicken stock to submerge vegetables. Add a bit more salt, and cover pot. Once cauliflower is cooked through, blend soup and strain (optional). 

In a separate bowl, whisk cream, two egg yolks, salt and pepper together. Return blended soup to cooking pot, and slowly add cream mixture to thicken the soup. Season to taste.

Croutons: 

Cut white bread into desired shapes and toast in an oven. Optional: dip a corner of the toasted croutons in olive oil and dip into finely chopped parsley for color.

The climax and a little dolce

After waking your taste buds with a little antipasto lovin' and a nicely paired wine, your mouth, body, and soul are left wanting more. Thus enters the climax of the meal - the main course. If done correctly, it can be the defining moment of an evening, and it's success can either make or break your decision to return to a restaurant.

Usually a protein, vegetable, and a carbohydrate make up a main course, but these rules can be bent, especially when a meal consists of multiple dishes, such as those at the fine Tuscan restaurants we visited this summer. 

For me, the gold medal of main dishes went to the cannelloni filled with shredded beef and topped with cream of artichoke. The guinea fowl and pancetta-wrapped french green beans came a close second, and how can I leave out the glorious linguine with white truffles? 

Cannelloni filled with shredded beef and topped with cream of artichoke

These beauties were part of a divine meal we had at Ristoro di Lamole, a lovely establishment at the top of the Tuscan hills. Just when the winding road from Chianti to Lamole seems to be unable to offer views that are any more beautiful, this restaurant appears. If you didn't know any better, you would probably not give the place a second thought and drive on. Thankfully, the villa we rented was in Lamole, and the owner of the villa recommended the place as a must - she was right.

Guinea fowl and pancetta-wrapped french green beans

Linguine with white truffles and fresh crushed pepper

I learned to appreciate medium rare beef at culinary school and this is now my preferred way to enjoy a steak.
Apparently the Tuscans agree.

Tuscan white beans and sausage

Finishing off our sinfully delicious meals, we had our share of gelato, including chocolate and pistachio scoops from the famous Gelateria Perche no! in Florence (the place is aptly named "why not" in Italian). We also sampled some very refined versions of Italian classics, such as tiramisu and panna cotta, and they will forever hold a special place in my gluttonous heart. How can I describe my happiness in words? I'll let you discover what I mean when you travel to Tuscany and have a few scoops, spoon-fulls, and fork-fulls of your own. Some things are better left unsaid.

My all-time favorite Italian dessert - the Tiramisu.
This one in Lamole was one of the best I've had because the  mascarpone was just right.

Gorgeous panna cotta with strawberries.

A chocolate lava cake that was quite simply to die for.

As our family celebration continued, so did our seemingly insatiable appetite for good food. Lucky for us, Tuscany was the place to be. We resorted to unbuttoning our top buttons and using wine as an elixir to help digestion and thus make room for the grande finale of the Italian meal. We gluttons turned to the dessert menu as a drug that would take us to that moment during a good meal when you feel total bliss. A spiritual moment, really, for those of us whose religion involves praising the subtlety of a well-made dolce.

And thus I bring my Tuscan food entries to an end. It was an unforgettable vacation not only for the culinary genius of this part of the world, but because our family came together to celebrate love and the good things in life. It just so happened that some of the most special moments took place around a dinner table. Doesn't it often happen that way?

Tuscany entry II: Antipasti

My Tuscan culinary goodness saga continues with a description of some antipasti we enjoyed during our recent trip. After a few hours of walking around Florence, it's hard to think of a better way to prepare for a meal than sipping some Chianti and accompanying it with a nice prosciutto.

Tuscan antipasti

On two occasions we were given Tuscan bread topped with a delicious liver spread. Bruschetta, (which by the way is pronounced bru'sket:ta in English as well - there's no "sh" sound anywhere in that word, as I hear constantly in the US), is also common in Tuscan antipasti, as are artichoke hearts, salami of all sorts, and ewe's milk pecorino, one of my favorite cheeses.

I have to say something, for I cannot keep quiet about this after living in Paris and enjoying some of the best bread in the world. Tuscan bread sucks. It has no taste. Apologies, my dear Tuscans, but you need to put some salt in that dough. The crust is lovely, the inside fluffiness is nice, but insipid should be no part of anything Tuscan or Italian. I understand that you often top it with strong-tasting stuff like wild boar prosciutto and liver spread, so you may think that you need neutral bread, but for goodness sake please put some taste in those buns.

Now that I've successfully insulted Tuscan bread lovers as well as Tuscan bread bakers who are probably very proud of their generations-old bread baking techniques, I'll go on. 

Burrata and vegetable tian

Have you ever heard of this glorious thing called burrata? It is a thing to make you cry because it is so good. It is a fresh Italian cheese made from mozzarella and cream, and is so soft it feels like butter on your tongue. Actually, burrata means "buttered" in Italian. The dish photographed above is a quenelle of burrata served with a tian of roasted vegetables and a sun dried tomato sauce. Too bad for the tasteless Tuscan crouton on top, but I'll get over it. 

Olive oil tasting. The chickpeas offer a neutral flavor compared to the often bitter taste of the oil. 

Roasted vegetables with zucchini pesto and heavenly Chianti

Fantastic white wine from Umbria to accompany our antipasti

As part of the celebration of my parents' 40th wedding anniversary, we dined at Osteria di Passignano, a fantastic winery restaurant complete with its own Michelin star and a fabulous troupe of knowledgeable and amiable servers. It was a wine pairing extravaganza. The servers are well-trained sommeliers who taught us much about the wine we were drinking. It was a pageant of wines, olive oils, pestos, and flavors that had celebrations in our mouths. 

As my family's loving life saga continued, so did our adventure of eating our way through Chianti. The antipasti courses of our meals were exceptional, and only the beginning of a beautiful friendship with Tuscan food.