thefutureisred

What Exactly Is Traditional American Food?

I've been asked by Lila's teacher at school to bring in a recipe of something that is traditional American cuisine. What dish best represents American food?

And what does traditional American cooking even mean?

My first thought was lasagna which really is Italian. Then Magic Bars aka Hello Dollys aka Seven Layer bars. Texas or Kansas barbecue seems a bit cumbersome to send in to make at school. And things like baked beans just seem a bit of a bad idea in general. Tater tots would be great for kids, but those aren't something you make as much as buy in the bag and heat up quickly. Right?

What about meatloaf? I can't even imagine how ground meat put in loaf form with onions and tomato paste would be greeted here in Argentina, home of the hearty asado with lomo, matambre and other whole cuts of cow and pig. 

So what else? What recipe should I send to Lila's school to adequately represent American food?

Photo by The Marmot

The Lila's Second First Day of School Give-Away

It's that time of year again. Lila goes back to school, and you know what that means? Another give-away of fantastic Brooklyn confectionery Whimsy and Spice cookies.

Last year, I went all proud mama when Lila went to her first day of school. It was a pretty big deal, and she was understandably nervous. Not only was it a first day of school, but a first day in a new country in a language she didn't yet know. Still, off she went in her little white knee socks and did her thing.

That was last year, though.

This year, she was excited to see her friends again, happy to finally have a place she calls home where her friends can visit and totally digging being a big girl in first grade.

This photo is Lila just before she left home her first morning of classes. She's standing in front of our new place. Lila and I planted herbs -- lavender, mint and rosemary -- in the pots behind her. That hammock used to swing on our dock in Bocas del Toro. We stuffed it into our suitcase the last time we came back from the US. Talk about not traveling light.

This year, it's time for more wonderful cookies. And this year, there are TWO ways to win. 

THE FIRST: Leave a comment for shortbread!!

I'm giving away boxes of shortbread cookies to three lucky people who leave a comment, any comment, below.

Choose from Chocolate Orange Cardamom, Brown Sugar Gingerspice and Honey Lavender.

Bonus points for anyone who tells me their own back-to-school story. One of you story tellers will also get one of the Whimsy and Spice Sampler boxes.

Please note: Remember to leave your e-mail address when you leave the comment so I can let you know if you win.

THE SECOND: Join my mailing list for marshmallows!!!

In addition to a chance for three more people to win a dozen box your choice of Chocolate, Caramel, Cardamom, Maple and Rose Vanilla Handmade Marshmallows, you'll receive notices of my new blog posts as well as any new contests and give-aways. (Note: I have something planned for my birthday this month as well as for Lila's birthday in April).

Enter the give-away by subscribing with your e-mail address in the box below. You must verify your subscription, though, in order to enter because unless you verify, I have no way of knowing you've joined the mailing list.

Enter your email address:

Soon after subscribing, you will receive an e-mail asking you to verify that you truly want to be on my mailing list. All you need to do is click on the link in that e-mail.

If you're already receiving updates, you're already entered to win the marshmallows.

Last day to enter: Last day of March, 2010. One more caveat: Whimsy and Spice only delivers within the US, so for anyone else, I'll send you a box of Calchaquitos Alfajores (Best I've ever had).

Any questions or comments? Feel free to e-mail me! I can't wait to hear what you have to say!

Welcome To World Blog Surf Day & Holidays Away From Home

Welcome once again to World Blog Surf Day! Take a tour around the blog-world as you link from country-to-country, expat-to-expat learning about one particular topic.

I took part last time when we discussed food. Now, we're describing holidays and celebrations in our new country. This time, though, WBSD catches me in an off mood. I've just started a new job, moved to a new house, just returned from 2 months in the US with family and I find myself off balance and out of sorts. I've had an equally difficult time getting my head around the holidays here in Salta and Argentina in general.

It seems there's a new one just about every week. Saints, soldiers, politicians. Holiday! A war begins, a war ends, a break in the war. Holiday! And while we've asked around for some sort of calendar of events, no one seems to have one. Yet everyone else seems to know about the holidays in advance.

We find out when we show up at Lila's school to find it vacant, doors shut and locked.

Then came October 12, Dia de la Raza.

Day of Race, I believe would be a adequate translation.

It's also called Día de las Culturas in Costa Rica, Día de las Américas in Uruguay. Día de la Resistencia Indígena in Venezuela. And Columbus Day in the United States.

Yes, Columbus Day. A day I can't remember celebrating ever. It is not a day off school. It is not a day stores are closed. It's really just a bank holiday, which general means very little to those of us bank-unaffiliated folk.

Even the most cursory knowledge of Native America culture, though, tells you this day is not a day of joy. In fact, there's been great opposition in even naming this day a holiday in the United States because of the connection with cultural genocide, murder, rape and kidnapping. Somehow the traditional United States public holiday of barbecues and going to the movies seems particularly unfitting, especially since Columbus never even set foot in North America

All of this would explain why I was shocked to learn October 12 is a true day off in Argentina.

Then again, why not? Renaming while still observing a holiday seeks to reposition the meaning of the day. It represents another side of history. In 2004, a pro-Chavez mob toppled a statue of Columbus in Caracas symbolically overthrowing the old regime as a statue of Saddam Hussein had been similarly brought down the year before in Baghdad.

In other countries, Dia de las Americas and Dia de la Resistencia Indigena focus on the culture existing in these great lands long before a European foot touched ground.

Myself, I often wonder how different South America would have been had European influence not arrived.

De la Raza is a day to commemorate another side of history, one only briefly touched in my high school history classes. This is not the day the Spanish conquistador entered a new land, claiming it for himself and his queen, but a day to remember how entire groups of people were murdered and enslaved.

It's a solemn day, a day of retrospection and a day during which all of us -- whatever the race, culture and affiliation -- can look inward and reflect.

Is it possible to reclaim a holiday in such a way? Does it truly allow all sides of the history to be represented? Let me know what you think in comments below.

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As for World Blog Surf Day, I imagine many of the other blogs involved in this month's World Blog Surf Day will describe the wild and wonderful celebrations from all other countries, so forgive me for taking the tone down. I hope it has been a worthwhile deviation.

Now on with the festivities at Expanish Blog where you can learn everything you need to know about living and learning Spanish in Buenos Aires. You can also follow along at Empty Next Expat's Twitterstream to hear more as the day unfolds.

Wanted poster courtesy of bionicteaching

I Ate New York!

New York may no longer be my home, but it's still the place my stomach and taste buds go for adventure. There's no where I've been on the planet that serves up such an amazing array of authentic, unique, gorgeous food options.

Our three days there, I think I ate more than I've eaten in,  
well, a really long time. But it was there, and I knew I wouldn''t be back for a who-knows-how-long, so I wanted to squeeze in a bite, even just one taste of everything.

I mentioned a few of my favorite NYC food places in a June post for World Blog Surf Day -- which I'll be participating in again come this October 31 -- but actually being in New York, visiting friends, choosing places for lunch, dinners, deciding on gifts to take to friends, well, let's just say the palate opened wide.

Day one, we stopped at H&H Bagels for lunch just before arriving at College Residence on 110th street. I lived in this building for two years before Noah and I married, and I know the area well.

One block away, across from Saint John the Divine Cathedral on Amsterdam Avenue, you'll find the Hungarian Pastry Shop. This place fills with Columbia students and is a local haunt for many well known writers, poets, philosophers and artists. There was one guy, a regular, who, after his coffee and chat, stretched out on the seat by the front window for a nap. I bet he's still there today.

The Hungarian got mediocre reviews on Zagat's, but clearly those people have no souls. Either that, or they don't know what to order. My recommendation? Ask for an almond horn and hot chocolate. The chocolate arrives unsweetened to be perfectly complemented by the sugary crunchy cookie.

Two doors down from Hungarian lives V&T Pizza. It's old school, simple straight forward pizza, and it is wonderful. I'm a pizza purist, so I prefer without toppings, but I can occasionally be persuaded to go for eggplant. It's similar to Sam's Steak and Chops on Court Street in Cobble Hill.

Warning: You don't go to either place for ambience. Unless, of course, you're looking for grungy interiors, badly lighted and worn out. But if you want the best pizza -- neither sell by the slice -- this is where you'll go.

And if you happen to be in Cobble Hill for pizza, head a bit deeper into Brooklyn on Court Street to Monteleone's. We went there to pick up dessert for Rosh Hashana dinner at Aunt Jane and Uncle Cliff's .This is the place that made me realize I do, indeed, love cheesecake. There's plain, chocolate, chocolate swirl and Italian varieties.

Unfortunately, Monteleone's had already closed by the time we arrived, so we swung from Brooklyn to the East VIllage to Veneiro's. Their speciality? Canoli. The best. I repeat, the best you've ever had. Unfortunately, again, canoli must be eaten fresh or the shell gets soggy. We asked the women working behind the counter which cake woudl transport best, and they immediately got the owner on the phone to consult with us. We chose one tiramisu cake and a ricotta cheesecake which we immediately put in our cooler surrounded by ice.

Then we made one last stop before hitting the highway. Two dozen bagels at H&H. We chose H&H, thought, mainly because it's kosher. In truth, I prefer the bagels at Absolute Bagels. If you go early enough in the morning, the windows fog from bagels boiling in the back, and every baked good in the store is hot. The place itself doesn't look like anything special, but if you're ever in Morningside Heights, do stop by.

That was all the damage we could do in three days, but there are so many other amazing places in this burg. The Tea Lounge offers a huge assortment of teas. Apricot Floral is my favorite

Fa'an has amazing lychee martinis. Ghang Thai across the street serves the best Thai food of the area, arguably best of the city. Koreatown where even a simple bi bim bop is heaven. I spent many a late night in college over coffees at Tom's Restaurant, known mostly from Seinfeld, but also Susan Vega's Tom's Diner.

Then of course, there's D'Amico coffee (also good deli and exquisite hot chocolate in winter). John's Pizza, and Magnolia Bakery, two Lila birthday traditions for the years we lived there.

Billy's Bakery. Peter Luger. Sahadi. Katz' Deli. Odessa bar and restaurant. Fairway. Teresa's. Grimaldi's and the ice cream store across the street by the water. Yonah Schimmel's

Yes, New York City. Lots of aggressive people, but great food. Is there anything I forgot?

Photo Courtesy of Roger Karlsson's Flickrstream

The New Brighton: A Quiet Cafe On Sarmiento

I would have passed Sarmiento 645, The New Brighton Restaurant,  had I not made plans to meet there.  Something about its large ornate doors and old fashioned wooden interior lead me to believe it would be overpriced and painfully touristy, meaning soggy milanesa rounding out a tired menu ejecutivo.

That meeting took place my first week in Argentina, and I would have been wrong  about the place.

I returned 8 months later, my last week in Argentina when Noah, Lila and I skipped out of the overwhelming bustle of those last minute errands on Peatonal Florida in the heart of Buenos Aires.

The doors open to such a lovely pleasant calm. A pleasant smiling hostess leads you into a lovely, richly decorated dining room where no matter how full, conversations buzz quietly, music enhances the atmostphere and all leaves you calm.

We had a such a civilized lunch that day. It wasn't just that the mushroom risotto and corvina with potatoes wonderously differed from the usual parillas and cafes. Nor was it the complimentary champagne. Nor that your water glass filled before you realized you were thirsty  It was that somehow being there was like stepping out of time for a little while.

You'll enjoy it so much, lunchtime will expand and suddenly you'll realize  three hours have passed, and you're still lingering over coffee. So when the waiter almost apologetically informed us that should we want to order the chocolate volcano cake, we'd have to wait another fifteen minutes, we happily agreed.

Yes, The New Brighten costs more than your every day restaurant in Buenos Aires, even so, it is not ridiculously expensive, approximately 75 dollars for a full meal for two including wine. It's perfect for a  special occasion, so make sure to take your time.

For us, our last full day in Argentina, it was a place to rest and recharge before hopping back out on the teeming sidewalk where we ratted about with the thousands of others as we finished gift shopping before our flight back to the US.

World Blog Food Day: When Pancakes Drive You Wild

Welcome to World Blog Surf Day. Where you start at one blog and surf from one to another, one expat to the next, making your way around the world. South America. Japan. Phillipines. Canada. Bulgaria. Czechoslovakia. Turkey. And you'll have to ride the wave of blogs to explore the rest.

For those of you visiting here for the first time, please subscribe to my RSS feed or if you prefer subscribe to have posts e-mailed directly to you.

This year's World Blog Food Day theme: Food. Foods we love. Foods we hate. Foods we miss. And foods we'll share with you. Food in Argentina is excellent. Asados, empanadas, pizzas, picadas and dulce de leche. 

Saltenos boast the best empanadas on the planet.  While I may be biased, I would be hard pressed to disagree. They're smaller than the empanadas you find in other countries and you have your choice of cheese, meat and chicken. Sometimes you'll also find corn and tuna. Sometimes, you'll find them fried, but most times baked. Some of the best I've had were at a place called Casa de Empanadas off the main square in Cafayate. There, you'll find varieties such as mixed vegetables flavored with Torrontes white wine or a four cheese that includes goat and blue cheese.

Empanadas, though, are never, and I repeat never, sweet. To suggest a sweet empanada -- say with a pie crust dough filled with gooey apples or chocolate and banana -- is tantamount to treason. It is not even a funny joke.

Picadas: a selection of meats, cheeses, maybe throw in some excellent olives grown in the Cafayate region and serve with a glass of wine. The wine in Argentina compares favorably to the best vineyards in the word.

Still, I often find myself fantasizing about foods found in the United States, especially breakfast.

Argentinian breakfasts consist of strong, excellent coffee and usually some toast, maybe a croissant-like creature called a media luna and, well, that's it. Your toast will come with marmelade or dulce de leche. Your coffee will be heavily sugared.

I crave big American breakfasts of eggs, meat, cheese, toast with butter. Maybe an omelette, fried eggs. Oh, and egg sandwiches. The deli near our place in Brooklyn made the best egg and cheese on a kaiser roll known to man. A true Brooklyn speciality.

I also love the early morning brunches at Cafe Luluc on Smith Street. Trust me, order the pancakes. Or Bar Tabac  (WARNING: this website plays very loud music) on the other side of Smith, a French bistro with a fresh juicy burger on a brioche roll and moules frites.

Desserts in Argentina tend toward cayote, squash preserves, served with walnuts or quesillo, a fresh cheese similar to mozzarella, with honey, figs or other sweet syrupy concoctions. It's very good, but to an American dessert lover, cannot satisfy like cheesecake and canoli at Monteleone's on Court Street.

Of course, no discussion about Brooklyn food would be complete without a mention of Sahadi's on Atlantic Avenue. Their selection of cheese rivals any gourmet shop in the city and is much cheaper. The best part, though, is the dry goods section where you take a number then wait your turned to choose from bin after bin of nuts, dried fruits, candy and so much more. I was always amazed at the patience of the men working the counter. No matter how busy, no matter how many customers waiting in line, they always smile, never rush you and never fail to offer you a taste of this or that.

Now as I end this review of Brooklyn and Argentinian food, I want to present a new feature to The Future Is Red. I want to start introducing you to the other blogs i love to follow. This week, I can think of only one that deserves it's place in a list of favorite foods.

Shannalees Food Loves Writing. I jump the second I see she's posted a new article. I love her recipes and writing, but the fantastic photos she posts of foods she makes and foods she finds in front of her at restaurants absolutely make my mouth water. Food porn is what I call this. These pancakes make me want to take my monitor to bed. 

Shanalee's site offers the clean, professional view of a chef -- even though she claims she can't really cook -- with the comfortable, homey feel of sitting having coffee in the kitchen with your best friend.

And now, onto the next blog for World Blog Surf Day. Onto CoCreatr, the tale of a German living in Japan.

Photos brought to you by blmurch, Sondyaustin and of course Shannalee's Food Loves Writing.

Blog Break: Family Comes First

As many of you know, my dad is having surgery tomorrow. I'm in Atlanta to help out as much as I can and really need to focus on what's going on here. Thus, I won't be able to post regularly for the next week.

I will be participating in World Blog Surf Day on June 13th, though -- a day for expat bloggers to talk about food and connect with other expat bloggers.

I'm the only one representing from South America!!! And I'll be featuring foods I love, foods I miss and maybe a bit of food porn, too.

Thank you to Sher of Czech of the Beaten Path and Anastasia Ashman of Expat Harem for setting up and arranging.

How To Pay For Two Years Of Travel -- Part I

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And as always, I welcome comments and ideas. Now, onto the article you came here to see.

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I'm asked this question often. Are we independently wealthy? Do we work along the way? Do we stay with other people?

The answer to all three questions is yes.

First, we gave up or sold just about everything we had before leaving the United States. Apartment, furniture, appliances, all of it. We only kept what we needed or what was most important to us -- art, books, music and all Lila's baby stuff.

Then we put aside a certain amount of money and said we'd travel until it was gone. It's enough as long as we make careful choices. We work along the way, sometimes exchanging work for a place to stay. We have home shared, couchsurfed and learned to travel cheaply.

It is not as expensive to travel as you may think!

Long term travel is not like a vacation. You have let go of everything at home and thus don't have to worry about rent, school payments, gas, electricity, water, and all the other payments that keep you tied to a needing a certain level of income per month. 

We have two bills we pay per month. One is a phone bill which goes automatically on our credit card. The other is our credit card bill. We pay them both online and with the exception of our months in Europe, our monthly credit card expenses rarely exceed one thousand dollars. Then add to that rent and travel expenses such as buses, airline tickets, car rental and gas.

There's a lot to be had for free or at least very cheap!

Food: Local markets are the best. You'll find the best food for the best prices. 

Don't discount street food. Along the way, we've had crepes, empanadas, johnny cakes, tamales, bunuelas, cupcakes, the best chicken sandwiches on earth, fruit, vegetables, and so much else bought for pocket change. Often, this food is home made or made on the spot, and the people making it are usually local so they know the best places to buy bread, cheese, fish and vegetables.

Lodging: One word: Couchsurfing. We've couchsurfed for approximately half of our two years traveling. Sometimes, the three of us squeezed onto a small couch in someone's living room. Sometimes, we've had an apartment all to yourselves. If this is something you plan to do, create your Couchsurfing profile immediately and start meeting people. The more people you know, the more connections and references you have, the more people will feel comfortable opening their homes to you.

There are other options as well. WWOOFing, for example. Where you work in exchange for food and a place to stay. There are WWOOF options all over the world. Some are best for singles, but many are even better for families with children. Imagine staying on a small farm in the Andes with a family with three children. You'll tend the garden, learn to keep beehives and improve your spanish while living with a host family.

In addition, you can check out Home Exchange, Hospitality Club, idealist.org and Voluntourism. These are just a meager beginning of the options out there, but they are a good place to begin your research.

Entertainment: We've never found a place that was too expensive to find something cheap and unique to do. Even Iceland, home of the 40 dollar hamburger -- at the time of our visit, anyway -- had many very affordable options. Gullfoss waterfall, Geysir hot spring area and Þingvellir National Park are all free entry. The thermal baths to be found in every city and village of Iceland are also very affordable, even if you plan on renting a towel or bathing suit.

The best, though, in Iceland was happening into Halgrim's Church in Reykjavik in time to hear the gorgeous Klais organ tuned and played in our own private concert.

In Provence, we found endless candy and perfume factories you could tour for free or almost nothing. The Florian Candy Factory in Nice gives free tastings in their gift shop after your tour.

We've found most of these things while just exploring places on foot.  The feria at the Mercado Municipal on San Martin in Salta, for example. Or get on a local bus and ride around until you see something you want to explore.

Paying for a night's sleep is much more expensive than paying for a month of sleep!

We stayed in Provence at Domaine de la Begude for three weeks at a much reduced rate in the height of tourist season. We also rented by the month in Buffalo, Atlanta, Buenos Aires and Bocas del Toro. All far cheaper than had we rented by the day. In Buenos Aires, for example, you can find apartment rentals for 500-800/month as opposed to the at least 75 dollars a night you would pay at a hotel.

You also have a kitchen, which means you save even more because you cook for yourself. You also have the benefit of exploring the food offerings of local panaderias, boucheries y mercatos where you'll learn more about language, culture and people than you will at the nearest tourist trap.

Coming next week!

When I began writing this article, I intended for it to be only one entry, but it turned out to be far longer than I expected.

See How To Pay For Two Years of Travel, part II in which I discuss:

• Where to stay when you have no choice but to pay for the night.
• How to find work along the way.
• How to find the most current travel information for anywhere in the world,
• And some basic travel advice.

Also, some upcoming topics:

• What To Keep In Mind When Traveling With A Child
  
• Women Traveling Solo
• What To Do In Case of Emergency

In the meantime, feel free to email with any questions or leave your comments on the page. As always, subscribe to my feed to be informed when new posts go up.

So then, until next week....