Pushing the limits

Have you ever had one of those moments where you float outside your body, look down at yourself and think, “How in the world did I get here?” I had one such moment last weekend, as I found myself perched on top of a precariously overcrowded, rickety old city bus, which was careening dangerously down a mountain pass toward the Kathmandu Valley, all the while playing a funny game of chicken with the cars and motorbikes going the opposite way.

Now, normally in threatening traffic situations where I am not in control of the vehicle, I either a) tense up and whine softly to myself, b) demand that the driver change his ways (usually, this reaction is reserved for Sam), or c) close my eyes and pretend to be somewhere else; but in this particular instance, as I held onto the bars originally intended for luggage, I was so distracted by the stunning beauty surrounding me that my grip actually loosened. I was conscious that there were mere feet between the wheels of the bus and the sheer drop of the cliffs, but I felt only awe at the intense green of rice paddies glowing in the afternoon sun against a horizon of purple mountains (majesty!). Maybe it was the fact that my fellow passengers (all locals) seemed not to have a care in the world and chattered cheerfully with each other, but I felt completely at ease and happy to be in the “fully air-conditioned” section of the bus, as one man put it. As I let the endorphins of this experience rush over me, I thought, how in the world did a shy little girl from the comfortable suburbs of San Antonio, Texas, come to be in this unique moment in Nepal?

The thought amused me at first, but caused me to reflect over the next day or two on the incremental decisions that brought me there. It wasn’t that I woke up one day in my childhood bedroom and said “I think I’ll go live in the Middle East and trek around 3rd-world countries now.” Rather, it was the slightest nudges at the boundaries of my life that over many years expanded my comfort zone. I am able to trace the origins of my adventure-seeking back, I think, to a decision to transfer from my small private school, where my 9th grade class had 50 students, to the local public high school where my 10th grade class had something like 800 students. This was difficult for a 14-year-old, but manageable and worth it. Next I got it in my head that I wanted to tryout for the dance team (I had befriended several dancers and saw their lives as exciting and glamorous). And then there was the decision to buck the Texas A&M-trend that my three older siblings had solidified and attend Baylor instead. This was truly key, for it was at Baylor that I met Sam, my traveling buddy and partner in trying new things.

After graduation, we married and moved slightly further from my family (about a 5-hour drive), and in less than 2 years we were living all the way on the East Coast. After a visit to Cambridge I got the crazy idea that I wanted to go to Harvard. And after living in the bustling and diverse Boston-metropolitan area, it was much easier to imagine myself living a new culture altogether. Enter Abu Dhabi and the chance to travel the world. And now, even our traveling destinations have become more rugged and challenging as we go along. Starting with Switzerland, then on to China, then to Egypt, Jordan, and Nepal.

If you had thrown me direct from San Antonio to Kathmandu I might have curled up in the fetal position and waited it out (in fact, this was my basic reaction at age 14 when my family went to Nairobi on a mission trip, but that is a story for another time). The point is that it’s satisfying to realize that things aren’t as scary as they once were. I still like my comfort zone, but that zone is a whole lot bigger than it used to be. And this brings freedom. Freedom from fear, and freedom to throw my head back and feel the wind and sun on my face as I ride on top of a bus.

More pictures and commentary to come...

A foodie in the UAE: #7

The hardest part about living overseas has been missing out on an entire year of my sister's life. We are two years apart in age and are at the same time complete opposites and exactly alike. We were always close growing up but as adults have become freakishly linked, despite the fact that we haven’t lived in the same city since we were both in high school, and have lived over a thousand miles apart most of the past 8 years. Through this distance we’ve managed to speak on the phone almost daily, take turns visiting each other’s homes, meet up for half a dozen sister weekends in New York City, and join each other with spouses on several vacations, so that we’ve consistently averaged 3-4 visits a year.

But this past year, my decision to live on the other side of the world combined with her owning a successful and growing salon in San Antonio made phone calls difficult and visits impossible. When we saw each other this summer it had been just shy of 12 months, a record which would explain the tearful scene we made in the lobby of the hotel in Austin, where we finally reunited.

My sister and I are close for many reasons, but one of our shared passions is food. Together or apart we are always in search of the best dining experience possible, whether this means cooking at home or going out of our way to visit a spot we saw reviewed on Food Network. Fortunately our husbands are into food as well and are more than happy to accompany us. Together the four of us have eaten some really stellar meals in San Antonio, Boston, New York, and New Orleans as well as more remote places like Missoula, Montana and Bar Harbor, Maine.

So when we all decided to fly to Chicago to visit our brother and his family this July, we started researching the plethora of dining possibilities. As we were making plans I stumbled upon the S. Pellegrino World’s 50 Best Restaurants list for 2010, and it just so happened that the highest ranked restaurant in North America, #7 in the entire world, was right there in Chicago. This was a no-brainer. We had to try it.

Aptly named Alinea (Latin for "off the line"), it is off the beaten path in a somewhat nondescript neighborhood and is the kind of place you don’t just stumble upon but must plan (and save) for months in advance. You have to know it’s there and they have to know you’re coming. And if you’ve signed up for the Chef’s Tasting (really the only way to go), you must be willing to suspend control over your dining experience (literally, you have waiters introducing each of the 12 courses and instructing you exactly how to eat them). But if you are compliant, you and your taste buds will be introduced to combinations of flavor you never thought possible.

The restaurant is decorated in neutrals and minimalist furnishings with a noticeable absence of music and everyone speaking in hushed tones, slightly odd at first. But once the parade of dishes begins you're grateful not to have any distractions. The food is designed by chefs, who are equal parts artist and scientist, to engage and manipulate each of your senses and bring about a symphony of taste.

I’ve eaten in a lot of fine restaurants, but it’s rare that I want to stand up and applaud. I am so grateful to have shared one of my most memorable experiences of the past year with my sister. It helps to make up for lost time.

I can’t possibly do justice to each dish, but I’ve posted several pictures from our meal. You can read more about the inspiration and creative process on Alinea’s blog.

Down the rabbit-hole we went,
this other-worldy entrance was indicative of the Wonderland to come

ENGLISH PEA
(iberico [cured Spanish ham], sherry, honeydew) -
Kind of like a split-pea-soup sorbet ...except not gross

PORK BELLY

(curry, cashew, lime) -

A super-rich-create-your-own taco

SURF CLAM

(celery, Tabasco, oyster cracker) -

I spent 4 years in New England but never had clam chowder so good

KING CRAB

(rhubarb, lilac, fennel) -

A three-layer "egg" starting with cold crab mousse (shown here) followed by warm bites of seafood in the middle, and finally a hot fennel soup on the bottom. Delightful.

HOT POTATO

(cold potato, black truffle, butter) -

This one came with specific instructions and, if done correctly, brought a mouthful of creamy, buttery heaven

TOURNEDO a la persane

(Australian Wagyu, tomatoes, stuffed pimentos, fried banana) -

Banana and steak? Who would've thought, but yum!

EARL GREY

(lemon, pine nut, caramelized white chocolate) -

Dessert #1: Looked like pasta but tasted like lemon meringue

BUBBLE GUM

(hibiscus, vanilla bean, tapioca) -

Dessert #2: This one required one giant slurp to get the full effect

CHOCOLATE

(coconut, menthol, hyssop) -

Dessert #3: chefs covered our table with a silicone cloth and proceeded to create this work of art in chocolate. We ate every last bite straight off the table.

A foodie in the UAE: party in the USA

This entry is dedicated to the solid 3 pounds I gained on vacation this summer. After reading this entry you’ll agree it should have been more.

A year abroad left me desperately craving American junk food – not fast food mind you (we actually have a McDonalds next door to our apartment), but junk food from the kind of independently-owned diners and dives you can only find on the back roads and boardwalks of America. During our 5-week vacation we were forced to sample a variety of dishes, as each US city brings a unique twist on quintessentially American fare. Here are some highlights—

Taos, New Mexico –

egg and sausage with green chili breakfast tacos and home fries (Taos Cow)

Austin, Texas –

club sandwich and green chili cheese fries (Shady Grove)

Charlottesville, Virginia –

Italian sub (Little John’s Deli)

Williamsburg, Virginia –

Southern breakfast of fried eggs, bacon, sausage, Virginia ham, grits and a biscuit! (Chickahominy House)

Virginia ham and cheddar sandwich (The Cheese Shop)

barbecued pulled pork and hushpuppies (Pierces Pitt)

Virginia Beach, Virginia –

hotdog and onion rings (Sea Salt)

And of course there are the meals we didn’t capture on camera – the quaint cheeseburger and strawberry shake on a sidewalk cafe in Chicago (M Burger), rustic blue corn enchiladas and hominy in Santa Fe (The Shed), decadent mac-n-cheese at Sunday brunch in Austin (Lambert's), Texas ribs in Lockhart, sausage Kolaches in West, cheesy, saucy, spicy Tex-Mex in Dallas (Matt's), and last but not least: pizza. We had it 6 times.

There are some things that just can’t be replicated, and American junk food is one of them. But lest you think I have lost my distinctive culinary taste, stay tuned for a recap of the best dining experience of my life, so far...