American Summer Vacation Series 2010: New York City Family

In Montana, we reunited with my dad's side of the family including my siblings and their new babies, Smash and brood and her brother and parents and the matriarch of the family, my 90 year old grandmother. In Wisconsin, we visited my mom and stepdad at their new permanent residence deep in the north woods on a gorgeous little lake. And in New York, we visited more family, that is friends who are as close as family. Eva, TJ, Laura-Julie, Zia, Richard, Rachel, Dee, George, Leslie, Andrea, Natasha, Brian, Kalpana, Jess, Michael, Ian, Tessa, Clare, Matthias, Jay, Seth, Asma, Nathan, Ruthie - New York City and its environs probably has the highest density of people we love of any one city in the United States. To you, my darling dears. We love you terribly and miss you to match.

American Summer Vacation Series 2010: Koreatown, NYC

Since our foray into Asian cuisine went over so well with the kiddies in Chinatown, I decided to fill my purse with bagels and cream cheese and pass them to the kids under the table while Leslie, Richard and I filled up on hearty Korean fare at Wonjo in Koreatown. K-town in Manhattan is more or less 31st - 36th streets bordered by 5th and 6th avenues with the main thoroughfare being 32nd Street between 5th and Broadway, known as Korea Way. When I was a grad student in New York, I interned at Human Rights Watch, whose offices are located in the Empire State Building about two blocks up from Koreatown. My friend Clare was working at an organization a few blocks in the opposite direction and every week we would meet in the middle at Wonjo.

This stretch of 32nd is packed with Korean restaurants and the only one I have patronized is Wonjo. It was Clare's pick and as a Korean-American with a palate far more nuanced in fermented cabbage than I, her recommendation was enough for me. We rarely strayed from our usual order: the bimbop. A delicious hot stone bowl filled with rice, vegetables, meat and topped with a fried egg. Again, not the kind of thing you would usually order on a 95 degree day but nostalgia for our old lunch meetings and lack of access to good Korean food at home made me do it.

The kids picked over the little plates that preceded the pots - kim chi, spicy root-like vegetables, sesame seaweed, minced tofu. But again, there were no big winners. The glass noodles that I ordered for them did not pass for "pasta" - a typical staple in their diets - the way I hoped it would. Ah, well, more for us.

American Summer Vacation Series 2010: Hunting Humor

The Rainbow Bar is the local watering hole in Hamilton and a good place to go if you want to be reminded you are not from ‘round here or to encounter someone who will challenge you to a duel for standing too close while trying to read what all of his tattoos say. Since the saloon doors opened in 1913 as a pool hall, it has attracted a grizzly crowd with strong views about, well…. hunting. The rustic wooden walls are adorned in classic Montana style with dead animals, rifles and signs publicizing the obvious to all of the believers. My favorites are…

“’Vegetarian’ an old Indian word for lousy hunter.”

“WOLF the other white meat.”

The prize goes to the pool hustler making more than a fashion statement in a t-shirt that read, “PETA: People Eating Tasty Animals” and on the back, “All God’s creatures have a place in this world, right next to my mashed potatoes.”

I mean, really, what isn’t funny about hunting? A cheeky show of the local humor is best seen in the photo above. Look carefully between the two deer heads. Is the other half of the buck peeping in on the ladies room or does one of these poor animals have to look at his own stuffed ass for eternity?

American Summer Vacation Series 2010

So with our great American Summer Vacation eclipsing three completely different parts of the United States, and being that our first stop was New York City and the second two were, how shall we say, a wee bit more rustic, we decided to go easy on the burgers, hot dogs and other hearty summer Americana in NYC and go straight for what we knew would be hard to come by in the Bitterroot Valley and the Great North Woods: anything ethnic. Good Indian, Chinese, Thai and Mexican were all high on the list as well as bagels because I am a lover not a fighter of carbs.

So one sweltering heatwave-warning afternoon with cranky sweaty kids, we hightailed it to the deep innards of Chinatown to a little joint called the Excellent Pork Chop House. This was not an accident but a planned sojourn spurred by an intriguing review by the Amateur Gourmet. And he did not disappoint.

We had the pork chops - I mean, can you NOT have the pork chops at a place called "Excellent Pork Chop House"? As well as the marinated tofu with jelly fish and a few delicious pork wontons as well as the fabulous rice cakes - not the dry "healthy" alternative to crackers that I give my kids but the slightly chewy flat oval skipping stone-like discs that are kind of the Chinese answer to gnocchi - at least that is what my stomach was saying after we walked out into the 96 degree F afternoon in lower Manhattan.

The kids were most excited about all the ice cubes in the water - which you only find in Germany if you specifically request them. We got a few spoonfuls of rice in them and a bite or two of tofu and meat but otherwise, they're sticking to PB&J and string cheese for now. Still, I have to believe that being exposed to different foods will hopefully make them more adventurous eaters in the future .. or drive them in the complete opposite direction resulting in 40 year olds who still eat only PB&J and string cheese. Only time will tell.

American Summer Vacation 2010 Snapshot Series

Sniff and Smash running free after dropping the kids with the grandparents! Vacation is ON!

Sniff and I kicked off our summer vacations with a Yippee-Kai-Yo in Hamilton, Montana (after short visits visiting friends in and NYC and LA). I have stayed on for two more weeks of pure indulgence in the American West- country music twanging on the radio, fly fishing in the evenings, discussing the best way to kill and cook an elk, marveling glorious mountain views under the umbrella of the famous Big Sky. Sniff and family departed for the next chapter of their jaunt- keeping it real and going back to her Wisconsin roots- lazy docks stretching over chilly lakes, accents that turn the English language into a comedy and cheese curds.

In the spirit of summer reading, we are going to post a daily snapshot and a quick blurb about the beauty and culture of the places and spaces we are pondering and exploring on our Great American Vacations! So, check back frequently!

4th of July Is a BLAST!

Fireworks and TweedelWinks- a little something for everyone! Sniff and I have reunited in Montana to meet three new family members, play a few rounds of horseshoes and it being 4th of July in America and all... to blow stuff up! I took this photo on the way to the Reservation to buy the really big stuff. This holiday, as celebrated in Montana, should be called "Pyro's Christmas". The back of my truck is loaded with goodies sinisterly labeled as, "Major Combat", "Solar Spawn", Not in My Backyard", and "Shogun Powder Grid". They call Montana "The Last Best Place"; this is just one reason why.

Tamarind Ginger Fizz: A Sassy Summer Cocktail

From Mumbai to Bangkok to Guadalajara, the tangy flavor of tamarind is a bright zippy addition to soups, curries, chutneys and beverages. I love it and I always have it on-hand as one of my secret ingredients. With summer in full swing, windows are left wide-open, screen doors are slamming behind flip-flopped feet and the BBQ is constantly lit. The days are long and the dry hot heat makes many of us want to” sit and sip” all day long. So, to combat the feeling of lazy sloth-dom , I got busy and came up with this deliciously refreshing beverage.

My inspiration comes from agua tamarindo, or tamarind water, made from tamarind pulp, water and usually lots and lots of sugar. Served everywhere in Mexico, it is a thirst-quenching change from lemonade or ice tea. I have eased up on the sugar and added ginger and lime for a spicy bite. The chili salted rim is a fun surprise on the lips—a great addition to any margarita as well!

**A note about tamarind pulp: I buy tamarind in blocks of the sticky tamarind fruit, the seeds and fibrous bits still mixed in. To obtain usable pulp, put ½ cup of the tamarind in a pot with just enough water to cover. Bring to a boil, then let sit for 30 minutes (or overnight) and press it through a strainer. Your pulp should be the consistency of yogurt. If it is too thin, let the pulp settle and strain out the water. It can be kept in a tightly sealed container, in the fridge, for a week. Salud!

Tamarind Ginger Fizz
Serves 6

¾ cup ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
¾ cup tamarind pulp
¼ lime juice, freshly squeezed
1.5 quarts seltzer water
tequila, optional

Chili Salt

2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon kosher salt
2 tablespoons ground chili, use any dried chili you have and grind it to the same size as the salt

1. Combine ginger, sugar and water in a pot. Boil for 5 minutes, then transfer to a container and refrigerate. Allow the syrup to cool. When it is cool, strain the ginger. The syrup can be kept refrigerated for 3 weeks.

2. To make the chili salt: mix the sugar, salt and chili powder in a bowl. Spread it onto a plate.

3. Combine tamarind pulp, ½ cup ginger syrup, lime juice and mint in a pitcher.

4. Slide a lime wedge around the rims of 6 glasses and sink the rims into the chili salt. Fill the glasses a generous amount of ice. If using tequila, pour 2-3 counts into each glass.

5. Add the seltzer water to the pitcher and mix well.

6. Pour the Tamarind Ginger Fizz into the glasses, and sip away while the grill does its thing!