Pirates Plank

Archive for the ‘Food’ Category

I’m pretty sure I’ve talked about this before, but just in case I didn’t get to mention it in relation to restaurants, this story is one of the things that convinces me of many things.  I’m not sure it convinces me that this is a big repeat, but I believe in love, and I believe also that an Indian restaurant in Singapore might have more charm than a baby in a ladybug costume.  My favorite dream is one that I can barely remember.  I have it all the time, but it’s not accurate to call it recurring, because I don’t know enough about it to know if I’ve had it before.

I’m pretty sure it changes, because the details that I can gather are always a little bit different.  But there’s a closet, that’s certain, and a sound that’s not exactly sad and not exactly funny, and there is a woman playing cards sitting on the edge of a bed.  That’s always the same, but then everything else around it is shifty, and subject to change.  Last night there was another room behind the room, and that opened to a restaurant, where everybody there seemed to be forgetting about time, and they were acting as though they could stay as long as they liked.  There was too much food, and a feeling like things had suddenly gotten better.

I have read about deja vu before, and experienced some minor things that some might consider to be this, but I’ve always thought it was something we just make up in order to make sense of things.  I am sure I mentioned this, but I might say here that I remember eating lunch next.  And the sense that this was happening, that this was also a dream, and that this would happen again, was so acute, that I had to wonder about deja vu, and the only way to know for sure in these cases is to go back the next day and try it all again.

As a celebrity impersonator, I like to get inside the heads of the people I’m working, and walk around with them for a few weeks, before I consider committing them to my repertoire.  You have to be very precise, and understand not only how they walk, but why they happen to walk that way.   So when I was assigned to Lin Zhi Ling I decided to hunker down with this part.  I went to Singapore, because China would be too difficult for me to get around without being chased.

Here, the food is every bit as good, and there’s a lot more privacy.  It’s smaller, and people do see you, but the streets are more manageable, so that you can run down an alley while being chased by a mob, and not be coming face to face with a band of martial arts thugs, ready to take you out.  At that point, you’d have to climb up the chain link fence and do some flying backflippy kick things in the air, to surprise the attackers.  At least, that’s how it should work.  It’s how it is in the films.  I’m not exactly sure that Lin Chi Ling knows these tricks, but she should.

Just in case, however, I decided that I would also learn how to sing the Treasure Hunter theme song with a more sultry voice than the one I was born with.  It worked out well.  I had it down.  This was going to be some of my best work ever.  I like becoming someone else, and I sometimes miss acting classes.  The bit I learned on the Method has come in mighty handy, when it comes down to it.  And it gives me the opportunity to do roles like these, where the character I’m playing is much more of a free-thinking artist, and I’m all rational skin and bones.  And I know some interesting kicks too, and tomorrow, maybe just maybe I will garden.

Chocolate has long been one of the most popular gifts on Valentine’s Day, the red and pink heart shaped boxes are everywhere this week.  Many people state, and scientific evidence has shown, that there are certain chemicals in chocolate that elevate the mood and make some people feel as though they are in love, which is most likely the reason so many people give and receive this particular confection this time of year.  It had been years since I had visited the city of New York, and last month I found a great deal on a hotel room by looking here, so I made my plans and headed to the city to visit my friend Robert.

Robert has always had his finger on the pulse of the city, and each time I go I experience the new and latest trends to be sweeping the city.  Years ago it was the cupcakes from the Magnolia Bakery, and last month it was gourmet chocolate boutiques.  The city is full of them now, each one offering something different, but all about the chocolate.  The first place we stopped was Vosges.  They state that their chocolates are holistic and good for you, often infusing them with various herbs, flowers and spices.  And what would be more holistic than signing up for one of their Yoga/Chocolate workshops?  The next night we made our way to the Chocolate Bar.  We were like kids in a grown-up’s candy store, with everything from brownies to bon bons and cookies lining the counters.

The next stop was Dylan’s Candy Bar.  There are more than five thousand different chocolate items on the menu at Dylan’s, new and retro candy delights.  The children in the store walk around in a daze, not knowing which to pick first.  At Jacques Torres Chocolate Haven you will feel as though you are stepping into a bistro in France.  Everything from truffles to hot chocolate, all served with the utmost of style and elegance.  And no chocolate trip to New York would be complete without a stop at the Hershey’s Store in Times Square. This is the godfather of the chocolate industry, and while they may not serve it all up fancy, they serve it up with tradition.  It was definitely my sweetest trip to New York so far.

After several delays at the airport due to the weather in San Francisco, we finally arrived and began to celebrate our first year anniversary. Being on a budge, we were thinking about taking BART from the airport to our San Francisco cheap hotel. But, then my husband thought that maybe we could walk to our hotel, that way we could really get the feel for the streets of San Francisco. I gave him the vision of him carrying all our heavy bags on his shoulders as we blindly made our way through a city we’ve never been in before. He laughed and began to walk!

We made it to our hotel and the weather was on our side. By the time we checked in, it began to rain. Our hotel is located near Japantown and we ended up spending our first day there. We started with some very tasty Japanese food for lunch. We then walked around a bit and found a small mall that was filled with tons of wonderful items. Unfortunately, most of the items were very expensive, so we left empty handed. The mall had the same amount of restaurants as it did shops, which made it difficult to figure out which place to hit for dinner. We ended up at a small European/Japanese style pizza place that played Miyazaki films while we ate.

My husband ordered the curry pizza with tuna and asked if the cook could make the curry as hot as possible. The waitress began to be distressed and told him that he really wouldn’t want to do that. She begged him to try their regular hot curry first, but my husband insisted. He was right, it wasn’t all that hot and he thoroughly enjoyed his pizza. Before we made it back to our hotel room, we picked up a bottle of Sake‘ so we could celebrate our first year anniversary and our first time in San Francisco. What was even better, the store were we purchased our Sake’, also had Japanese Kit-Kats, my favorite! I could tell that this was a good sign that our 2nd year of marriage will go just as well as our first.

It’s a spectacular time to be visiting Singapore.  It’s had a fascinating rise in popularity as a tourist destination over the past few years, and there’s very good reasons for it.  The tourist industry is finally catching on to what the world has known for centuries, that Singapore is a divine place for guests, looking for a bit of East and West in one place.  This splendid urban metropolis is a buzzing hive of activity, and the citizens are enormously productive.  There is a great technology scene here, where scientists and engineers are always hard at work, looking for ways to make the world run more efficiently and with greater interest for the human beings.

There is also a very lively business industry, where high level deals are made, and some of the big decisions are discussed, and this is one thing that attracts a large business class.  When you are done with your meetings, or your entertainments, there is a terrific culture of food here.  Finding a restaurant in Singapore is so much easier than in most places, because it is in the mentality of the people to spend time enjoying a good time eating with close friends.  The food is very much like the place, with heavy influences from many cultures, but all in one exciting city.

There is a trend lately in this part of the world that is catching on, called the knowledge cafe. This is generally speaking a 30 minute conversation among people, some who know each other, and some who may not know each other at all.  People talk in public places about important things, and there is a facilitator who keeps things running smoothly, so that there is a free flow of ideas, and not a lot of conflict.  It’s an idea that has been practiced in parts of Europe, and in the Americas, where knowledge cafes are also big and catching on.  This is a great way to get to air your concerns, and to meet people in Singapore, and you will know why it is such a great place to visit.

I got two days of Internet in a row! I didn’t realize just how much I use the Internet, until I have no access. I’m taking full advantage of it while I can.

Last night, we had our first night out in Delhi. We went to this upscale market area and ate some extremely delicious kabobs served with paneer tikka rolls. Afterwards, we went in search of a bar or even a cafe where we could just hang out. By chance, we bumped into one of the other guest who was staying at one of the same Delhi hotels that we were. He knew about all the hot night spots and he suggested that we try the ‘American Diner’. We thought that was weird, but we took him up on his suggestion.

The place was located in a hotel, not as nice as ours, but one way to describe it is that the hotel was exactly like Johnny Rocket’s with the red leather booths, a soda counter, but the soda counter was a full bar. So, our first night in Delhi was in an Americanized place. Despite the fact that we didn’t exactly experience the ‘Delhi’ night out, we had a load of fun.

Today, we had a ‘no plans made’ day in Delhi. We decided to explore Old Delhi, which is where the Red Fort is located. Old Delhi is the historic part of the city and is very ancient, because of this, it’s run down and holds the poorer residence, even though Old Delhi has some very exquisite architectural sites. What we’ve heard about Old Delhi, is that it will be an assault on our senses. Meaning all the crowds, animals, garbage, vehicles and other un-savory smells. We weren’t sure of what to expect. We took a rickshaw for only a 30 minute ride that took us into the oldest part of town.

Our driver dropped us off at Chandi Chowk, which is this huge, crowed market. We walked about for a bit to orient ourselves. The warning was right, it was hotter than hell, the smog made the place feel oppressive, but we didn’t feel that our senses were being bombarded or overwhelmed. It felt like any other bustling city. The market reminded us of all the other markets we’ve visited in all the other major cities of the world. Maybe that’s why our sense’s weren’t assaulted. We love markets.

You’ll get to hear more tomorrow, that’s if I’m lucky to get the Internet three days in a row!

Stevie had been eagerly waiting for his family to take their summer vacation to New York. This year, above all previous years, he was finally getting his wish and the family was going to visit his dream city. Ironically, this had nothing to do with Broadway or the great museums such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and other major cultural aspects of the city. Stevie’s grand reason for wishing to visit New York was to take a trip up to Coney Island, which he had heard from a friend at school was the greatest place on earth.

So the family made their reservations in the best New York City hotel and arrived there with eager expectations for the museums and shows they would visit and watch. On their first full day in the city the visited the Metropolitan Museum of Art which took most of the afternoon to tour. Stevie was impressed with some of the paintings and particularly the sculpture of the Young Archer, which was attributed to Michelangelo and Stevie believed it had to be his work. And while he desperately wanted to get out to Coney Island, he did not pout or complain about the spending the day in the museum.

The following day the family walked around Times Square and then spent some time shopping and walking along Fifth Avenue. Stevie enjoyed Times Square but was less than interested in shopping. Still, he remained pleasant and calm and went along with the day’s activities. On the third day the family visited the Empire State building, which was actually thrilling for all of them and Stevie was greatly impressed with the swaying feeling in the elevator and also enjoyed the views from the top. However, when the family announced they would spend the following day having a picnic in Central Park Stevie’s heart sank. What about Coney Island? It seemed he would never get there and the next day he fell asleep on the subway, never even noticing they were missing all the stops and took it to the end of the line. Stevie woke to his mother’s nudging and walked out of the subway tunnel. For a moment he thought he must be dreaming when he saw the roller coasters and board walk. They found Nathan’s Famous hotdogs and Stevie had the time of his life. Coney Island really was the best place on earth.