In the fall of 1995, I spent four weeks in the beautiful town of Antigua, Guatemala. The purpose and quest was to brush up on my crusty college Spanish in one of the city's many language schools. Which I did.

But I also ended up falling in love.

I fell in love with the sound of feet, hooves and paws shuffling over the ancient cobblestone streets. The crisp, herb-scented morning air I would draw deep into my lungs upon awaking. The year-round tropical, yet temperate, mountain climate. The brief and refreshing rainfalls in the afternoons. The shy, friendly smiles from the indigenous Mayan people. The rich smell of roasting coffee, wafting through narrow alleyways. I even fell in love with the peeling paint and crumbling walls of the city's regal buildings - witnesses simply to centuries of destructive power from the three surrounding volcanoes.

And of course, I also became enamored with the local culinary offerings. The fantastic hot chocolate at 'Frida's' (to which I developed a minor addiction). Coffee at the 'Rainbow Reading Room'. Pastries at 'Dona Luisa's'. And - chicken soup at 'La Fonda De La Calle Real'.

I don't know if it was a result of the area's financial lack, preventing them to invest into any kind of fertilizer and therefore making all agricultural products automatically 'organic' and every chicken 'free range' - or if it was my overall sense of rapture. But the local veggies, fruit and poultry tasted simply ... better than their North American or European cousins.

And so it was that I found a meal - a soup, to be precise - that in its unpretentiousness and simplicity came to represent all that I loved about Antigua: the Caldo Real ('Caldo' meaning 'soup'; 'Real' meaning 'royal').

Every so often - especially on chilly winter nights like tonight - I now like to make it. It's easy, satisfying and uniquely delicious. Here's how you too can enjoy a piece of Guatemala.

Caldo Real

- Chicken stock: either made from scratch or the good organic, free range stuff you can buy in your local health food section
- 2 skinned, boneless chicken breasts: whole, fresh, or thawed from frozen
- White rice: separately cooked to a dry, firm finish
- 1/2 onion: raw, diced into small pieces
- Fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
- Ground Cumin
- Optional: a ripe avocado, diced, and some corn tortillas


Preparation:

It honestly couldn't be any easier. Put the chicken stock in a pot, bring to boil. Add the chicken breasts. Turn down heat to medium high, cover and cook until the chicken is done (about 15-20 minutes). Take them out, let them cool until ok to handle. Tear them along their grain into pieces, about the thickness of a half finger. Return to stock, let them sit for a couple more minutes to get hot again.

To serve, put a couple of tablespoons of cooked rice into your soup dish first. Ladle stock and chicken over it. Serve onions, cumin, cilantro, avocado and tortillas in separate bowls on the side, so everyone can season their soup to taste.

And voila - you have an exquisitely delicious, soul-satisfying meal. Needless to say that with simple ingredients like that, quality rules. Make sure everything is super fresh, organic if possible. The cumin is key too. And with a good, flavorful chicken stock, resist the temptation to add salt or any other kind of spices. You don't need them.

Enjoy!

Yes - this marks the return to my blog. Do I hear a chorus of white-clad angels sing "Halleluja"? Oh, wait - that's a bunch of little red horned devils with tiny pitchforks dancing the conga instead...

I know I've neglected the blog (and with it my writing prowess), but one of those pesky New Year's resolutions has been to be better about it all, and get back into the swing again. So what better way to start off the New Year with a sweet, sweet, story, fresh off the BBC:

Child elopers' Africa plan foiled

Two German children - aged five and six - have been stopped by police from eloping to Africa to tie the knot in the sun, reports say.

The budding lovebirds, identified as Mika and Anna-Lena, packed bathing costumes, sunglasses and a lilo and headed for the airport.

They even had the presence of mind to invite along an official witness - Anna-Lena's seven-year-old sister.

The three got as far as Hanover railway station before police intervened.

Yeah, yeah, I know. Long time no updating this blog, bla, bla, bla. Let's just say that life sometimes is strange and busy. And sometimes, it's strangely busy.

Just the other day, for example, I've finally finished processing and editing my pics from Burning Man 2008. I've finished this task a full 6 weeks after returning from the Burn. Need I really say more?

I'm not sure I'm going to have the bandwidth to actually write about this year's event like I have in the past - maybe on some dark and stormy winter night. Who knows. Or maybe I'll throw out bites as they pop into my head.

In the meantime however, here are a few choice shots:



Thunderdome! Two men enter - one man leaves. F**k, yeah

Temple Basura Sagrada during one of the many dust storms

El Wire People

If you want to make your way through the entire gallery, you can mosey on over here.

Self-editorial note: It's true. The shots from this year are just not as good as those from years past. I dunno. I blame it on being too busy having *fun* - instead of constantly dragging the camera around. And also on the insanely sandy playa conditions which made it difficult to bike around. Plus the numerous dust storms. And the honest lack of really great art out on the playa this year. Yeah. That's it.

So - you're been warned. Proceed at your own risk.

Her name is Pearl. She is roughly 3 feet tall on a slim, wiry frame, weighs 48 pounds, and is covered in soft, supple fur. And pearls. And real Swarovski crystals. And ... el-wire.

And no - she is not some spoiled new pet of mine.

She is ... my hot cruiser wheels for Burning Man 2008.








I created her as an ode to the 1950's, Bettie Page, and all things glam - a time when in a post-war country, the 'American Dream' (Burning Man's theme this year) was still alive.

The 50's represent to me an era of hope, of freshness, of renewal, after the drab of war. With it came an unprecedented upswing in people's moods, the economy, and an almost obsessive need to display wealth through that shiny new car or that prim little house in the suburbs - all signifying victory over Hitler and his Third Reich. After all - America was a Superpower now.

Much of it was also expressed in the fashion the women wore: silky glamorous gowns and lavish furs, worn even on casual occasions. Big heavy pearls and diamonds were draped around their necks and wrists - much of them fake ... but who really cared?







So since I don't weld or build anything grand, my artistic contribution to Burning Man is turning out to be a themed bike every year. And I've actually found the bikes bring great pleasure to onlookers too. This one is special though - I spent considerable time and funds hunting down the perfect fur, the extra-big pearls, the huge fake diamonds (thank you, eBay!), and then attaching it all.

It turned out so nice however, that in many ways, a small part of me is almost sorry it's going to get all playa-dusted and destroyed in the next few weeks...

Oh, well. I guess it will be an opportunity to start thinking about *next year's* bike ...

Only 51 days until the Man burns again.

And still so much to do! Design and build a new shower, fine-tune the Desert Tent, "fur" the cruiser bike.

I wonder if this guy has already decided on a design for his back hair again ...

For hubby's birthday yesterday, I took him to the one restaurant in Bend I had previously resisted going to - Deep.

The brain child of another one of Bend's most successful food enterprises, Merenda, owner and chef Jodie Denton created Deep with a heavy Japanese flavor. I'd heard legends about how expensive the place was and maybe got scared off a bit by that in the past, but decided yesterday that I wasn't going to care. After all, it was a special occasion.

Yet, I was pleasantly surprised in all aspects. At first seated at a cramped little table, soon a cheerful waiter came by to whisk us off to different, much more comfortable seating. He seemed very pleased with himself when he saw that he had improved our dining experience before we had even lifted a fork.

Given that it was Thursday night at 8pm (and it wasn't snowing, for once) the locals were out in force on the town and the restaurant was packed. I kinda expected slow service and a long wait for my food. Again, my expectations were exceeded. Our waiter was quick, attentive, and not 5 minutes after we had placed our lengthy order, did the first dish show up - followed by a steady and seemingly precisely-timed flow of nicely arranged plates.

Here's what we ordered:

- Awase Miso Soup with Shiitake Mushrooms: I tend to judge a Japanese restaurant by the quality of their miso, and this one was indeed excellent. A tad light on the tofu maybe, but instead it was laced with a variety of pretty and tasty seaweed and tender slices of shiitake, steeped in a deeply flavorful broth.

- Stir Fried Edamame with Togarashi and Garlic: These edamame were definitely a different take on the traditional serving. Instead of being sprinkled with some meek sea salt, these were fried in butter and spices, giving them a delightful, finger-lickin' piquant taste.

- Given that the restaurant was out of their Glazed Eggplant dish, I substituted with Stir Fried Mushrooms with Chilies and Scallions instead: Again - delicious. A collection of buttery tender and perfectly cooked mushrooms - served simply with scallions, it was a very charming palate teaser.

- Tempura Shrimp Roll, with Barbecued Eel with Basil, Avocado & Creamy Spicy Yuzu Sauce: I love it when sushi rice is done right. This one was perfect - still slightly warm and with only a very light touch of sugar and vinegar. The combination of shrimp, eel, avocado and the special house sauce was also very successful.

- Spicy Tuna Roll: still a tad apprehensive about raw fish from my sushi adventure in San Francisco last summer, I opted not to taste this. Hubby said however it was spicy and excellent.

- Sushi Nigiri, consisting of Yellowtail, Broiled Eel, and Sea Urchin: The fish was tender and fresh - a rarity in land-locked Bend. Jeff wasn't a fan of the Sea Urchin, but I can attest that the Eel was indeed very good.

A pear-vodka-cocktail and a pot of green tea later, we got the bill. The damage: $70 (with tip $84). Not bad! They didn't charge us for the green tea either.

Overall - an awesome experience. And compared to the noisy Merenda, it was downright refreshing to be in a quiet restaurant with a soothing atmosphere. Combined with the excellent service (a rarity in Bend, as every regular gourmet can attest to) and leaving there with that satisfying feeling of just having eaten a well-prepared meal, Deep is definitely a place I will go back to.