GreatFoodFunPlaces.com

From Ice Skating to S’Mores, to Silver Bells and thousands of ornaments on a towering tree, this after-Christmas view of the Hotel Del Coronado’s holiday fun and decorations from San Diego’s Fox 5 will definitely convince you to put the Hotel del Coronado at the top of  your Christmas 2012 celebrations!

A Magical Christmas in San Diego

Ollie Cake Winning Quartet

EXTRA! EXTRA!  READ ALL ABOUT IT!

  Meet the Team!   Meet Ollie!   Download the Recipes!

CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL SCOOP

How are things? I know, I know, I should have written sooner. After all, we’ve been together for five years now – can you believe it? As they say, ‘time flies when you’re having fun’. We’ve definitely had some fun together.

I remember when we first met (almost by accident). I never imagined that we’d hit it off like we did. Back then, everything about you seemed magical to me. You were so different than what I’d known before. You were so full of surprises – and every day I spent with you seemed surreal and wonderful.

Visiting the Forbidden City in Beijing on my very first trip to China in 2005

Remember the day I saw a woman carrying a baby in one arm and using her free hand to help push her husband’s three-wheeled truck (filled with plywood) up a hill? Or the time a man carrying an unsheathed, giant meat cleaver stood next to me on a crowded bus and I was the only person who seemed to notice? Remember the long bike rides I used to take out into the countryside west of Zhengzhou? Those rides always made me feel like an explorer – and each new village I rode into felt like a discovery.

Remember my English students back then? The freshmen wore their over-sized camouflage uniforms while they marched around the campus, looking as if their nervous energy might cause them to combust. Remember the first day of class when they began cheering and applauding the moment I walked through the classroom door? I felt like a Rock Star.

And the food. China, you’ve always seemed to understand the way to my heart. You’ve given me noodles…unbelievable noodles. Fried noodles served in flimsy Styrofoam bowls on the street. Giant bowls of thin noodles in salty beef broth. Thick noodles, handmade by young men in track suits attempting to hip-hop dance, stretch noodles, and entertain large crowds of noisy customers simultaneously. And my favorite – noodles covered in mud-colored, salty, garlic-laden, bitter sauce. Yes, I love your noodles.

But beyond noodles, you’ve opened my eyes to a world of food I never knew existed. You stretched my palate – no, stretched is the wrong word – you destroyed my palate, and rebuilt it China-size; bigger, wilder, better. You taught me to love tofu. And fresh yogurt served in glass bottles with paper lids. And wheat gluten marinated in oil, vinegar, sugar and spices. You served me baked duck heads, deep fried eel bones, barbecued dog, pickled chicken stomach, stir-fried flowers, roasted pig snout, grilled scorpion, and so much more. When I didn’t love the flavor, I loved the ingenuity of your cuisine.

With my friend, Cole, during my first trip to the Great Wall in 2005. I've been back four times since.

For me, China, your food typifies what I love about you. Over the past five years, I’ve never known what to expect. Sometimes you frustrated me with your unpredictability, but I was never bored. As with your food, your people, culture and language have also stretched me into someone new; someone more patient, open-minded, and concerned with the World beyond my own neighborhood. To borrow a term I know you love to use – You’ve truly made my life so much more “colorful”.

As you know, China, I’m in America now. I’ve been here for about a week, and it’s been great seeing my family again. I love America – but you already know that. America is my home – it’s where I’m most comfortable, and where I’ll always fit in best. But, that doesn’t change my love for you. Life isn’t found in comfort.

I’ll miss you while I’m away, and I’ll think of you daily.

Love,

aaron

Aaron Carmichael is an author of short stories and was both a teacher and a student in China.

Aaaah…It’s Cartel Time and oh so satisfying. Lovin’ it!

What do you think this curious little place is?  Would you believe a ‘Veggie Cafe’?

Well…while in Panama, Simon and Erin, (a couple who ‘sold everything’ to ‘travel the world forever’) were wandering around the island of Isla Carenero;  and…

“ we came across this small shop/cafe advertising veggie burgers. We ventured down the rickety wooden bridge and discovered a hippy home on stilts over the water. The couple serve a few vegetarian snacks right from their living room. There are no tables – just choose from a couch in their living room or a cushion on the deck out back (we opted for the latter) . It was a random find and the burgers were seriously tasty. If you find yourself on Isla Carenero look out for this sign for Mukunda…”

Read more about their Panama adventures

And follow their travels on their delightful website:  Never Ending Voyage !

Here are 4 Lucky Facts (Compliments of The Wildflower Bread Company – one of my favorite restaurants in Arizona!)

1. Irish Soda Bread originated in Ireland in the mid 1800’s when bicarbonate of soda was introduced to Ireland.
2. The first parade for St. Patrick’s Day occurred in New York City on March 17, 1762.
3. 36.5 million U.S. residents claimed Irish ancestry in 2007, more than eight times the 4 million-plus population of Ireland itself.
4. There are 4 towns in the U.S. named after a shamrock, the emblem of Ireland. They are Mount Gay-Shamrock, W.Va.; Shamrock, Tex.; Shamrock Lakes, Ind. and Shamrock, Okla.

You are even luckier this week if you are in Phoenix or one of the other towns sporting a Wildflower Bread Company , (see their locations link ): Irish Soda Bread is available.

Made with rich buttermilk in Original and Currant Caraway. Order online now for St. Patrick’s Day.

If you miss this special bread, don’t fret — You’ll get lucky with any one of the other breads!  My favorite? Rosemary Sea Salt –oh yeah!

Check this out: a three-hour Wild Africa Trek – deep into the most-remote reaches of Disney’s Animal Kingdom  and you get to snack on gourmet food!  http://bit.ly/dV6TPz

And … the blog includes a recipe for the Curried Chicken Salad!

Since most of my journey’s these days are to the Phoenix area, and so most of my shared discoveries are from that area, when this post came to my attention, wanderlust kicked in and I found myself dreaming and wishing I could share similar discoveries from exotic lands. Don’t misunderstand:  Phoenix is a fun place! But it lacks a bit of the intrigue of the exotic places we might find abroad, such as a restaurant named “W by Wanlamun” in Thailand.

Having enjoyed my vicarious experience of discovering great food in an exotic location while reading this well-written post (which is supported with intriguing descriptions and pictures), I want to share it –and it’s curious restaurant– with you. I hope you find the discovery as delightful as I did.

Who knows– some of you, while traveling abroad, just might find yourselves in Chiang Mai, Thailand. And when you do, PLEASE confirm for me, the Great Food at this Fun Place!

And until I can get a little further away, I invite you to also visit Wanderlust and Lipstick for great travel tips, guidelines, stories and inspiration!

Please enjoy this post:  Local Flavor: W by Wanlamun

Ok – It’s TIME!  What are your favorite ways to say “Be Mine” on Valentine’s Day?

It is almost February and fair enough to start thinking about hearts and flowers and chocolates and kisses and … oh so many ways to share them!  Seeing Valentines in the stores before Christmas was a bit disconcerting to me; but now with the new year well underway, February just around the corner, and these emails showing up, I am a lot more excited about Valentines!

There are so many places to go, things to do, and ways to say “I love you” –  let’s get started!   (coffee and chocolate, a picnic, a dance, strawberries and chocolate, more coffee…and this is just a beginning)

From Roger’s Gourmet Coffee

From the Farm at South Mountain:

Also available at The Farm for Valentine’s Day:  Quiessence is open for Dinner on Sunday and Monday; Morning Glory Cafe is open on Monday.

From Starbucks:          Valentine’s Day Gift Ideas for Your Sweetie from Starbucks

AND… From the Hotel Del Coronado:    What could be sweeter?

Let’s have some fun! How do you like to say ‘Be Mine’?

What are some the most romantic:  Places, Foods, Gifts, and Celebrations you’ve discovered for Valentine’s Day?

Walking into a grand lobby elegantly decorated for Christmas is always an exciting and fun time for me.  The thrill and excitement must have been anchored into my soul during childhood when we made our annual trip into the big city during the holidays. I was mesmerized by the lights and decorations everywhere and especially the elaborate department store window displays. I vividly recall  a ‘scene‘ with an electric train running through the toys and other gifts around the base of a Christmas tree. And often Santa himself sitting in a big chair in the midst of it all,  handing out candy canes to visiting children. Inside the store were lots of lights and tinsel and towering trees and oversized ornaments…. certainly more impressive than our pretty but simple small town displays of colored lights and small trees.

So last December, when I happened to walk into the Desert Ridge Marriott in Phoenix, AZ,  I was delighted to see the majestic grand lobby in all its glory with huge pots of Poinsettias everywhere and wreaths hanging in the floor-to-ceiling windows. There was no Santa handing out candy canes, but there was a delightful play area for children with a table and supplies for writing special letters to Santa — complete with a mailbox for posting them!

The center of attention in the lobby, was the electric train display: A giant 20’ square display of several trains traveling around and through architectural landmarks built of chocolate! In fact the entire scene was made of food items (nuts, dried fruit & berries, coconut, cookies, raisins, cereal….)  It was amazing! Not beyond description, but since ‘a picture paints a thousand words’, see for yourself…. remember, this was last year but I understand that the display was such a hit, a similar display has been constructed this year with a “gingerbread village featuring a Willy Wonka-esque fantasyland” which will be on display through January 2, 2011.  AND it is my understanding that other hotels have joined in with similar displays, so check them out for your area!–search online for ‘(your area) Christmas Events’ OR specific hotel.com sites. Let me know about the Christmas discoveries you find.