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You can call me SL, this is about living.
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ramps from my 2012 archive April 30, 2012 Wild Foraged food are the new(ish) thing. I know that in countless places around the world, for example, Crete and Sweden, foraged foods are a seasonal part of life. But for a large number of people, like myself, foraged foods are a new concept. My experience with them growing up consisted of "foraging" for lemons from my neighbor's tree that draped over the fence into our yard. Each spring for a few short weeks, ramps show up in the city, in restaurants of the higher price range and in farmers markets. And every year I have the intention of buying and cooking these famed wild vegetable. Last year I caught ramp season at the Union Square Greenmarket but decided to hold off buying them until the following week; I had too many purchases to carry. The following week was too late, just like that, they were gone. Woe was me, I had to wait another year. Categorized as a wild leek, their flavor is a marriage of leeks, onions, and green garlic. Very tasty and surprisingly sweet. I sautéed them with a bit of bacon, fava broad beans, and oyster mushrooms. Good stuff. I saved the lower portion of the bulbs with the roots still attached. They are currently sitting in a glass of water and one little green shoot has revealed itself. My plan is to transplant them in Plot 95. Wish me luck. archives: Food |
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delivery boy sporting Union Jack sneakers, Gournes Crete, Greece from my 2012 archive April 27, 2012 "After Bill Cunningham" continued... The Swede and I are home, back to a chilly New York. It's been almost two weeks. (Can you hear me crying?) Admittedly, as we flew away from Crete toward our connecting flight in Athens, I teared up a bit. Crete is a special place, so for the conceivable future, let's pretend we are still there. Our favorite place to eat in the village near our hotel was Manousos Taverna, spelled MANOYΣOΣ EΣTIATOPIO. Did you catch that spelling? Completely confusing to a foreign eye. And to further complicate things; cities, towns, and villages are spelled at least three different ways. Driving in Crete requires some serious wayfinding skills and solid driving. Brush up on both before you go. Dichalo Taverna deserves the honor of creating the finest food we tasted on Crete. But one can't eat such fine foods everyday, so Manousos became our regular joint. And the food served there was plenty tasty. It had a varied menu, plenty of choices for both omnivores and vegetarians, a friendly staff, and a charming interior. On my list of favorites dishes were the lamb chops with rice and grilled vegetables, spinach and feta pizza, Crete salad, dolmades, roasted potatoes, marinated beans, and yogurt ice cream with honey and walnuts. Many tired nights, The Swede and I ordered in to our hotel. We became such regulars that on two occasions they gave us a complimentary bottle of wine with our order. Free wine, another plus for Manousos. All the cooks and waitstaff were mature men with the exception of a twentysomething delivery boy who sported these Union Jack sneakers. He was flattered I wanted to photograph his footwear, but quite shy with his older counterparts looking on. They seemed amused and something tells me they teased him after we left. archives: "After Bill Cunningham", Art, Food |
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photo credit: The Swede pig crossing, en route to Kritsa Crete, Greece from my 2012 archive 
sheep crossing, en route to Tzermiado Crete, Greece from my 2012 archive April 12, 2012 My father and I are obviously from different generations. He is a first generation immigrant, I am a second. I remember him once remarking of my odd habit of taking my dog out for a walk. He said, back in his village, they didn't take dogs for walks. You let the dog out and when he is ready to come home, he will. Usually that is when they are tired and hungry. I am guessing the latter is the driving force. Food motivates animals (and people) like nothing else. The attitude regarding livestock seems to be similar to my Father's philosophy here on Crete. Road hazards have included sheep, goats, hogs, and chickens. Luckily, The Swede drives pretty slow, otherwise pork souvlaki and lamb chops would have been on the menu. We came across a hog snacking on vegetation by the side of the road. He must have been a bit camera shy, he bolted across the road, and as gracefully as a hog can, squeezed under the guard railing and out of sight. The same day, we drove into a herd of about 50 sheep coming down over a cliff, across the highway, and over another cliff down into a canyon. It was an amazing sight, like a page out of a magazine, and a dream come true for me. I am a National Geographic junkie. *Please Like Salty Lemons, now on Facebook. Feel free to leave a comment (eek), please be kind. Thanks for your support! archives: Miscellaneous, Travel |
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hotel cat, Gournes Crete, Greece from my 2012 archive April 5, 2012 This is my little opportunist friend. I have been feeding her and found out she's cheating on me with the neighboring balcony. I have only known her for 14 days. I guess I can't expect her to be monogamous. archives: Miscellaneous, Travel |
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Heraklion Port Crete, Greece from my 2012 archive 
Knossos Palace Crete, Greece from my 2012 archive April 3, 2012 Dog Transport Traveling is about discovery of oneself and of a place, unfamiliar territory and unfamiliar ways. This is precisely why I love to travel, observing how another culture does things differently from my own. The first example is dog transport by scooter. What a funny sight, all I could think was, "Tuck in the tail!" The second example is from Knossos Palace. No dog sitter? No worries. Bring along your dog to tourist attractions, tie her up, provide shelter, and a can of food. That's all you really need in life, right? archives: Miscellaneous, Travel |
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self-service bananas Cretan style, Gournes Crete, Greece from my 2012 archive March 30, 2012 After dinner one night, The Swede and I set out to buy water and snacks and asked our waiter to point us in the direction of the grocery store. He looked confused and told us that his English wasn't so good. It was good so we made a few more attempts, finally realizing that we should explain that we wanted to buy water. He suddenly understood and said, "You want to find a supermarket?" We shook our heads, "Yes, yes, that's what we want, a supermarket." We drove a few minutes down the road and sure enough there was a brightly lit sign that read supermarket in capital letters. In the store, we found bananas still attached to their stalks. In America, you find bananas sold two ways, stacked in bunches or individual bunches wrapped in plastic. I definitely prefer these self-service bananas Cretan style. I have yet to spot any growing but apparently they do grow here. I have seen olives, figs, lemons, oranges, potatoes, and artichokes in abundance. I even spotted a wild asparagus stalk while running alongside a narrow stretch of road trying to make it to a wider section slightly more suitable for walking. My first instinct was to stop and snap a photo, but I went with my second which was to keep running. I don't think there exists a road wide enough for Greek driver and human. archives: Food, Travel |
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Kokkini Hani beach Crete, Greece from my 2012 archive 
Kokkini Hani beach Crete, Greece from my 2012 archive 
Kokkini Hani beach Crete, Greece from my 2012 archive 
Kokkini Hani beach Crete, Greece from my 2012 archive March 29, 2012 Hello from Greece! Sending warm greetings from the lovely island of Crete. The Swede and I are here pre-tourist season and many Cretans have mentioned that it's still a bit cold. The Swede and I raise our eyebrows, while wearing short sleeves and sunglasses, and say, "cold?" We are again reassured it's cold and not yet suitable for swimming. But for us, it is pleasantly warm, The Mediterranean Sea included. The Swede has the Baltic Sea for reference and I, the Pacific Ocean. And those waters are cold. On our first full day out and about, we stumbled upon Kokkini Hani beach while searching for an open gas station. We were in a bit of a funk after a near mishap on the road with another car. The legend holds true, driving in Greece calls for extreme caution. The beach instantly lifted our mood. There's no better cure than sun, fresh air, and the sea, that must be the reason why Cretans are so friendly. Really, everyone has been very gracious. Standing on the shore, the water appears to have an ombre effect, a medium shade of blue along the horizon, gradually getting lighter towards the shore. Completely breathtaking. The waters are fairly transparent, not quite as clear as the waters in Thailand or Hawaii, but not as opaque as the Pacific off the coast of California. This beach in particular has a soft finely textured sand that is firm enough for walking or jogging comfortably. It felt amazing underfoot in comparison to trekking around the concrete jungle of New York City. The sand and earth here is more red in hue than I imagined and it's simply beautiful. The red color combined with the blue water, rocky embankment of blue stones and lush green grasses, results in a special kind of paradise. The Swede and I waded in as far as possible without soaking our pant legs and spotted fishes, both large and small, sea cucumbers, shrimps, crabs, and one with stubby claws that said, "Don't mess with me." So I guess not all Cretans are friendly, especially when it comes to the possibility of being made into someone else's dinner. He must have sensed I have a thing for crab cakes. archives: Miscellaneous, Travel |
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Mao portrait outside Comme des Garçons Chelsea Gallery District, NY from my 2012 archive March 23, 2012 Street Art continued... It's hard for political figures to escape the Pop Art treatment. Here Mao gets the Hello Kitty branding with the red bow along with red lips so reminiscent of Andy's Warhol's iconic portraits. I know numerous girls (and women) who adore Hello Kitty. As far as influences go, Hello Kitty seems pretty safe to me. Maybe she should run for office. archives: Street Art |
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sneakers Astoria, NY from my 2012 archive March 22, 2012 "After Bill Cunningham" continued... These sneakers and the subway floor are both Pollock(esque). The sneakers less so but whenever I see a splatter of paint Pollock comes to mind. The colors fondly remind me of the interior of an abalone shell, with the silvery shimmers of blue and pink. Similar to Andy Warhol, Jackson Pollock's work has heavily influenced Pop Culture. A great amount of work has been produced that was inspired by them, particularly in fashion. It is completely fine by me, they are two of my favorite artists. They are gone but their influence continues. archives: "After Bill Cunningham", Art |
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hardneck garlic from my 2012 archive 
lettuce rosette from my 2012 archive 
asparagus spear emerging from my 2012 archive March 20, 2012 Spring Can you believe it? Today is the first day of spring. And what a perfect spring day it was, not that I was able to enjoy it, I sat in front of the computer all day working. But I have been able to enjoy Plot 95 the past two weekends so no complaints here. There has been nonstop mention of what a warm winter we had in New York this year. I have to agree but still I grumbled plenty. This California girl can't hang, although this summer will mark 10 years since I moved from that Golden State. Who needs gorgeous weather anyways. archives: Garden |
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