Category: Blog (Page 16 of 30)

By Steven Shalowitz

Several years ago, while traipsing through the ruins at Cyrene, Libya, the skies unexpectedly opened and my traveling companions and I took cover from the downpour under a beautifully preserved portal.

Our guide, Maan, a Damascus native, quickly pulled Styrofoam cups and a thermos full of hot tea from his backpack to warm his dripping charges.  As a further lift, he passed around a marquetry-inspired tin filled with tiny squares of baklava — “I brought these from home” he smiled. The taste and texture of tender phyllo pastry with a mixed-nutty center and just the right amount of honey, was a completely transformational experience.

That encounter lifted my soggy spirits, and as I schlepped through Libya over the next few weeks, I couldn’t help but think that truly, one of the highlights of the trip came out of a decorative box all the way from Damascus.

I reckoned, if that’s what Syria tasted like, I needed to go.

Ignoring warnings from people who thought I was either brave or crazy, I rattled off a list of sights to them I genuinely wanted to see in Syria. Naturally, I didn’t make known I was also going to satisfy my sweet tooth.

After my late-night Royal Jordanian flight landed in the northern Syrian city of Aleppo, Maan greeted me with his signature smile beaming from his round face.

While he knew my love of history and archaeology, which we covered during my two and a half week visit, he also knew that a key reason for the trip had to do with what I discovered inside a box one rainy day in Libya.

And so the next morning, after meeting me at my hotel, Maan drove me to a nearby bakery for the trip’s raison d’etre.

I walked in and was captivated by a countertop filled with round tray after tray of sweets. As is the custom, the shopkeeper offered me a sample from the array of goodies spread out between us.  The morning light streamed in, illuminating each tray as if it were a work of art. While I couldn’t decipher the Arabic on each of the sweet’s descriptions, it took me no time to find the baklava.

I pointed to the appropriate tray and with years of anticipation, carefully took the wax paper cradling the tiny piece of baklava from the shopkeeper, as if it were as precious as any ancient artifact.

I held it to my nose and breathed in deeply, reveling in its fresh-baked sweetness.

Then, the moment of truth…

I bit into the rectangular sweet, and slowly chewed it, uncovering just the right proportion of a flaky top, nutty yet slightly soft center, and a moist bottom. Like that first morsel of Syrian baklava I encountered in Libya, I was sent into sugary nirvana.  I hate to think of the carbon footprint created just for that one moment, but let me tell you Al Gore, it was worth it.

Sensing I didn’t want to leave the bakery, Maan motioned for the shopkeeper to pack up a few pieces of baklava for me to take away.  The rest of the shop’s sweets I simply had to taste with my eyes.

To see Steven’s blog, visit:  www.tastewithyoureyes.com.

Write to Steven at:  steven@stevenshalowitz.com

Hey Soupers,

No need to salt and pepper me–I am officially a “seasoned” traveler! (Some culinary humor for you). My 5 1/2 months living and working in a French kitchen were some of the best of my life. But for the last half of September, I finally got the chance to spread my wings and see more of Europe. What a trip!

I began my travels in London to visit a friend that I met in Lyon. I didn’t realize how used to being immersed in the French culture I was until we began touring London. The sound of  spoken-English was almost deafening to my newly bilingual ears. I was unimpressed by the English food, but I guess I shouldn’t have been surprised. My palate has been spoiled by carefully-crafted French dishes.

My next stop on my mini-European tour was Innsbruck, Austria, where I met up with the “Dining on a Dime” ladies, Julie and Emily (they are also my schoolmates), and two other schoolmates, Kolby and Jeremy. Julie, Emily, Jeremy, and Kolby all happened to be in Innsbruck for a cooking competition (The Big Cooking Contest) in which they were competing, so when I found out about this a few months ago, I booked a flight to support my friends! Of course, the competition may have been the focus of their trip, but I have to admit that it wasn’t mine. Innsbruck is a picturesque little city nestled at the base of the Alps. The buildings are very old and beautiful, the river that runs through the center of the city is lined with walking and bike paths, and public parks and gardens can be found around almost every corner. As if the scenery wasn’t enough reason to visit, the food is pretty darn good: Sausages, Schnitzel, and Beer cheaper than water? Yes, please.

The day after the competition, my friends decided to take a day-trip to Bolzano, Italy to reward themselves for a job well-done (Kolby and Jeremy placed second and won 1800 Euro!). Naturally, I went along, you know, in case they needed me for my French-skills…

I believe Julie was the most excited out of all of us. After all, it was her idea. I think it was about a 2 hour drive and it was beautiful! None of us could put our cameras down. Once we arrived, we found a really nice restaurant called Blue Moon. It was one of my favorite meals here in Europe. We ordered a few appetizers to share–beef tartare, veal carpaccio, and some smoked fish. For our main course I had the rack of lamb served with a pan sauce, potatoes and some veggies. It was delicious, but it didn’t end there (thank goodness). To top it all off,  we ordered every dessert on the menu. We had the strawberry-tiramisu, creme caramel, creme brulee, chocolate and white chocolate mousse, and some kind of puff pastry that seemed to be stuffed with marshmallow crème and covered in chocolate.

Once we finished our lunch we walked around the outdoor market. Emily learned that you are not allowed to touch the food there when she was scolded by a not-so-friendly Italian vendor for picking up an apple. I guess in some parts of Europe, shopping is really a hit or miss activity! That night I said goodbye to everyone and wished them all a safe flight back to the states. It was a bittersweet farewell because it was nice to see them, but I was going to Parma, Italy next!

Another culinary school-friend of mine is currently working on her Master’s degree in the study  of slow food. I can’t tell you much about that, but Natalie does blog about it (see bottom of page for link) so you can learn more about what she is doing there.

Natalie  is obviously a foodie, so she took me to the local joints with the best “eats.” I had some great espresso and hot chocolate there! The hot chocolate was so thick it was almost pudding! Natalie  introduced me  to some of her Italian and school-friends, but very few spoke English. Luckily, one did and she explained to me that people in Parma don’t really speak any other language. The “Parmesanos (?)” are very proud Italians and a bit isolated from what I gather. I understand their pride, though. The town is beautiful and the people are genuine.

I know you are just waiting for me to say it, but OF COURSE I had the cheese! On my last night in Parma,  I dined in a wonderful restaurant where I had tortellini filled with spinach, pumpkin and potato served with plenty of PARMesan Cheese, and need I even say  it? I had  gelato for dessert. Words just can’t express my love affair with this gelato…

And that my friends, is really where my story ends…for now. My last days in Europe consisted of the drudgery of gathering my things and departing from Paris. Now, I must return to the States for a few short months to finish my degree, but there is no question in my mind that I will be scheduling my return flight to Lyon soon after my plane hits the tarmac in Arizona.

Bon voyage et Au revoir!

Coty

To read more about Natalie’s studies of “slow food” (no, we don’t mean escargot) go to http://eatslow.wordpress.com