One to take to the beach, for a beach picnic…

This morning I turned on Amr Diab and Jazz house music, a bit of Amy Winehouse and some Shiraz Sherif from Putumayo, one of those many easy listening tunes that I like on a morning day off with my coffee and my newspaper. Every time I hear Amr Diab it makes me think of Moroccan Maryam, Marrakesh or somewhere off the Mediterranean coast, I can already hear the sound of Fadel Shaker. 

Last night my mother called me up from America with her New York accent to tell me all about the elections… Dakota, Honey, hold on a second, I’ve got to light my stick and grab a cup of Kawfee. – In New York dialect, that means. “Coffee”. And then, we talked about the elections.

Last night was an exciting night for people all around the world. To me it means a bit of change, but to my mother it means a lot more, because she’s living there. And secretly, she’s  a tad patriotic. I could actually hear the sound of cheering in Times Square right from her apartment. Apparently, Chico and the mother were having a celebration last night. Out goes the Tamales and Tequila. 

I, on the other hand… Didn’t have Tamales, or Tequila for that matter. No, I had steak fillet, sliced thinly with garlic and Lebanese artichokes. And with that, I had apple salad with lettuce, lime juice, mint and cilantro. And, a few olives. Due to the fact that I didn’t eat it all, I saved the plate for breakfast… Of which I had sliced Italian bread, with a spread of butter, garlic and herbs. The combination of flavors is delicious, even though one may find it hard to imagine apple and garlic. I think this is going to be one to take to the beach, when we go for a beach picnic. 

I’m having the best day off, the weather is great, and I’ve nearly finished sealing the envelope on the loves gift… Sending it off this afternoon, before five, because the post offices in New Zealand close early. 

Ciao ~

 

Savoring the taste and the enjoyment…

A delicious dinner and perhaps a glass of Sauvignon Blanc is appealing, particularly if the taste is moorish and unforgettable to the lips, but what else seems appealing is a delicious dinner with a spectacular view. Perhaps the gourmet flavors might be somewhat, quite noticeable against the turquoise blue of a willow plate, blue within the contrast of the ocean view of which it is plated.

Tonight was particularly spectacular, surrounded by the sky and the endless view of the ocean, I sat peacefully, eating the most delicious grilled lamb with intoxicatingly delightful flavors of garlic, lime and pepper. A few Greek olives later, I could taste the very, subtle, redness of grilled capsicum, whilst my fork endeavored beyond my plate, to the somewhat, waiting, Mediterranean salad, laced with Greek cheese, and a bitter-sweet Italian Vinaigrette.

Diminished lays the fading sun, deep into the candy floss clouds as the evening sky awoke, painting what was a blue sky, into a black one, encrusted with stars as intricate as one million diamonds scattered onto a black velvet cloth. One tends to think of a candle light dinner, not yet on the other side of a city wall, but above, or nearest to an ocean peak, where the stars are given a face to reflect upon. 

From the balcony I could hear the sound of Cheb Mami, to another ear it sounds Italian, or perhaps even Spanish, but distinctively, I know of the songs origin, I envisage a belly dancer in one thousand turned sand dunes, cradled by seductive snakes and long pieces of Persian silk.

I moved my silver fork, to catch the taste of my one last lettuce leaf, savoring it within the arrangement, an irreplaceable taste of grilled lamb encloses the very texture of my mouth, but the Sauvignon Blanc slithers past all of these flavors, enveloping them into one taste, a taste and an enjoyment.