Montreal, Canada –
A ritual.
I ordered a tea that came with a ritual.
I wasn’t expecting this.
Not that I knew what to expect.
In fact, none of this was what I expected.
After all, we’re in Old Montreal, not the Oriental Quarter.
Yes, we’re still reasonably close to the Oriental Quarter, but far enough away that we don’t expect to come across a Chinese teashop, just past what looks like an Antique Christmas shop.
But come across it we did.
And in we went.
Alajuela, Costa Rica –
Coffee.
It’s my drug of choice.
Every morning.
And I’m very glad that I already have it in my cabinet, ready to dump into the coffee maker every morning.
Especially now that I know just exactly what goes into getting it there…
Its not like I didn’t know, but I hadn’t seen the whole process myself.
From the tiniest of seedlings to fully grown, bean-producing plants.
From the harvesting to the roasting.
I mean, yeah, I had an idea of how it all goes, but there’s nothing like seeing it for myself.
Guanacaste, Costa Rica –
As I sat down at the table, the waiter came over to get my drink order.
“Dos cafes, por favor.”
He looked at me like I had grown a third head. Or at least a second.
I decided to switch to English.
“Two coffees, please.”
This he understood.
Maybe it was because my Spanish was bad, so bad he didn’t have a clue what I was saying.
Maybe it was because Dore had made a beeline for the buffet, before I had secured us a table, and thus was nowhere to be seen.
He thought I was alone.
I’ll never know the reason he gave me that look, all I can do is guess, because once he understood what I was asking for, he was the epitome of excellent service.
Zaanse Schans, The Netherlands –
The wind is blowing.
Which should be a good thing.
It’ll have those windmills going!
But it also means that we have to deal with it.
Walking into it.
Looking into it.
Making sure we don’t have any loose pieces of clothing that aren’t secured.
Well, there’s a reason this place is known for their windmills…
Continue reading Making Cheese, and Grinding Pigments – A Visit to Zaanse Schans
Boppard, Germany –
Sometimes, you don’t know why you do what you do. You just act on intuition.
Other times, you definitely know why you do something.
This was one of those times that fell somewhere in between.
Something had prompted us to pull off the highway, and go walking around town.
I just don’t remember what it was…
We had spent the night in Cologne. And luckily, our hotel had put out a very good breakfast spread for the guests.
But as we were leaving, we saw that they were putting out an even better spread for their employees, friends, and family. It was Christmas day, and they wanted to celebrate.
Tirimbina, Costa Rica –
“This is a ripe Cocoa pod, ready for opening.
“The traditional method the Incas used was to use their heads.
“Do I have any volunteers?”
The group taking the tour consisted mostly of College students, and they immediately had their preferred candidate.
“Jose, Jose,” they cheered.
Reluctantly, Jose rose from where he was sitting and approached our guide.
The guide smiled and then added some additional information that Jose might find helpful.
“The Incas observed the monkeys, which would open the pods by banging them on logs.”
Chaing Mai, Thailand –
Looks can be deceptive.
At least, that’s what I keep telling myself.
Our instructor makes it all look so easy.
The ingredients are already portioned out for us, so all we have to do is this, that, and this other thing and Bam! You’ve got a perfectly prepared dish of Pad Thai.
It only takes about two minutes.
And that’s where the deception lies.
I’m sure for a practiced cook, going through the required steps in the short amount of time that the ingredients are allowed to be in the wok may not be difficult to do.
But for a clumsy, uncoordinated oaf like me, it’s another story altogether…
Chachimbiro, Ecuador –
The Burro looked bored.
Then again, I suppose I would be bored too, spending most of my days going round and round.
Always the same small circle, tied to the same stick.
Not even much of a view. Sugar cane fields, a two-lane road, and the roadside café (if that’s what you would call it).
Then along comes a bus full of foreigners who circle around and take pictures of you doing your job.
It’s like being a performer on stage.
Or maybe a celebrity being hounded by paparazzi.
Then again, you do get to eat crushed sugar cane remnants from time to time.
I suppose it’s a reasonably good life.
For a Burro…
Delft, Netherlands –
The look on the Waitress’ face said it all. Shock and concern.
I didn’t know what had happened behind me, but I could tell it wasn’t good.
I turned around to find Dore standing there, holding her hands to her face.
“What happened?”
“The door hit me in the face!”
“Are you alright?”
“No, the door hit me in the face!”
It was my fault.
