In the early years post-college, I lived in Bennington, Vermont. It was as lovely as it was heartbreaking. Where else could you go to the local general store and bump into the writer Jamaica Kincaid, angrily shaking a bundle of weeds in her fist (she was unsatisfied with the store’s window boxes)? Where else could … Continue reading
New Orleanians and their king cakes have something very special with each other. This year, that special something is the 58 days they have to find the iconic seasonal cakes at grocery stores, gas stations, upscale restaurants, downhome cafes and everywhere in between, if you happen to be in New Orleans, that is. At the … Continue reading
2013: my Year of the Dog. Or better yet, Year of the Daisy. Daisy came into our lives in late spring as a stray, and quickly made herself one of the family. Having a dog has changed my life for the better. There’s no other way to say it. I’m so happy she found us. … Continue reading
We crossed the Mackinac Bridge in a snowstorm on a day that started rainy in Detroit, turned quickly to ice by the time we passed Auburn Hills and then became firmly snowy by the time we passed Flint. By the time we crossed into the Upper Peninsula, our highway speed topped out at 35 mph. … Continue reading
Kelowna (pronounced “coll-oh-nah”), British Columbia, sits at the northernmost tip of the Sonoran Desert. You know, the one that starts in Mexico. Its terminus is in Canada. I didn’t know that until quite recently. Shielded from the Pacific by several mountain ranges and situated in the arid desert north, Kelowna and the Okanagan Valley is … Continue reading
Recently I asked a group of Detroit food fanatics to submit favorite recipes and the stories that went with the tastes. The responses are captured in this mini-cookbook, Detroit Delicacies (click photo to download PDF). I’m eager to continue this idea a little further to create a full-length cookbook. Stay tuned! Continue reading
Drive along any highway and a place will reveal itself to you. The way that Ohio folds into Pennsylvania, along Route 80 East, as the Great Lakes basin abuts the watersheds of other rivers that lead you into Pittsburgh, such a uniquely hilly city along three rivers. Here they forged the backbone of our rail … Continue reading
The northern Germans probably don’t realize they share a food passion in common with the southern Europeans. Long ago and far away, intrepid seafarers discovered new (to them) lands and brought home with them all sorts of goodies (and baddies, really). In Lübeck, a trading port in the Hanseatic League, merchants found good use for … Continue reading
From the land of inside EU politics to the former seat of the Hanseatic empire… our group of 19 fellows broke into three parts today, with six of us landing in Lübeck while the others went to either Berlin or Copenhagen. I will admit here that I was jealous at first of my colleagues going … Continue reading
glossy&rowdy 