Apparently a cookbook club is the thing to do. I am part of one that was recently started by one of my social friends.
Cover of the cookbook we cooked from this month.Cornbread.
Luckily the rules are not too strict (some clubs require evaluating the recipes and other rules. Read about how to set up here or if you don’t live in that area or want to find one to join, look at this site) at the Capital Cookbook Club. We get one cookbook to choose from, tell what recipe we are making, and then bring it to the meal on the agreed upon date.
The spread of bean salad, crab salad, peach glaze chicken, cornbread, potato salad, beans, and drinks. There were two desserts.
I do not like cooking anymore so I found a simple way to make a chicken dish. Others had made more effort. It was a lovely evening socializing while eating dinner. In honor of Juneteenth, we made recipes from Watermelon & Red Birds by Nicole A. Taylor, a James Beard winner.
SPAM. Not the sort of spam that you get in your inbox, but the kind that one finds in America. Okay, okay, the other kind is prevalent in America too! The first time I had SPAM that I liked was when it was fried and served with rice. SPAM is more popular in Hawaii as a result of the its introduction to Hawaii during WWII.
SPAM as a canned meat product was invented by Hormel in 1937 as “SPicy meat and hAM” and the use of spam for unwanted junk mail is from a 1970 Monty Python sketch partially quoted here:
Waitress: Well, there’s egg and bacon; egg sausage and bacon; egg and spam; egg bacon and spam; egg bacon sausage and spam; spam bacon sausage and spam; spam egg spam spam bacon and spam; spam sausage spam spam bacon spam tomato and spam …
Chorus of Vikings (chanting): Spam spam spam spam …
SPAM is best eaten warm and fried, but it is also good in a sandwich or a soup. SPAM is a potted meat sort of like a sausage encased in metal instead of intestine. People have strong feelings about SPAM but I think of like sausage. Another thing that should be fried and warm when eaten. And like sausage, you do not want to think too much about what is in it or how it is made.
In the way of urban legends, there is also that idea that SPAM tastes like human and that is why it was so popular in the former Sandwich islands (Hawaii) where the original inhabitants did eventually boil up Captain Cook… such an unfortunate name…
Memorial Day is observed on the last Monday of May. Originally a day to commemorate the dead of the American Civil War, people began observing Memorial day in 1868 on May 30. In 1971, the holiday moved to the last Monday in May to make a three day weekend.
Considered the official start of summer in the USA, this weekend is the first big party weekend of the summer. In some cities, there are events such as laying of flowers, prayers, and ceremonies to honor the dead of all wars. Many women’s war organizations created the traditions that continue today including the decorating with flowers on the graves. (Today, the poppy is considered the flower of remembrance from the poem about Flanders field and the poppies growing among the graves of the fallen soldiers.) Many towns will celebrate with parades, including in the DC area, with the arrival of the Harley Davidson crowd.
A selection of barbecued meats some which show a smoke ring (from low and slow cooking).
But, today, many consider the three day weekend (the first holiday weekend since February), a start to the summer season and reason to barbecue. American barbecue is divided into “low and slow” and grilling. I’ll go into the “low and slow” and those various types, as in Texas or Southern style barbecue, another time.
To mark the start of summer, in Virginia, outdoor pools are only be open from Memorial Day weekend to Labor Day weekend which is the first weekend in September.
The important thing is to get outside and grill something!
Visit the oldest farmers market in the USA in Alexandria. George Washington sold stuff at this market… Free, only on only Saturday mornings 7-12 noon.
Shop at Eastern Market. On the weekends, there are also outdoor stalls with art, fresh vegetables, etc. The market is over 130 years old. Free and on capital hill.
Take a water taxi from Georgetown to Old Town Alexandria or Mount Vernon or to the National Harbor. It’s a cheap way to get a boat cruise.
Go on a wine tour. There is one right in DC and there are many about an hour or two from DC. Read about all these great places from this Washingtonian article.
Harpers Ferry is one of my favorite day trip destinations from DC. Go for a hike up the other side but make sure to learn some history in the town. Free.
Hike or drive in the Shenandoah. You might go there to visit the famous cavern, but driving along Skyline Drive is fantastic too. Or stop for a hike. Fee for entering the park. Or buy a year pass.
Watch a comic or movie at Arlington Cinema and Drafthouse (this is a historic, if tired, art nouveau building from 80 years ago). Price of tickets, but you will likely not see other tourists here.
Take a paint and sip art class. See this list. Or a cooking class or some other class. Check out this site for more info.
Go to a Korean spa like Spa World or King Spa, or go to a hammam. Scrub yourself away to another world.
Americans, gringos, are obsessed with Tex-Mex food and celebrating anything with margaritas, chips, and salsa. May 5 is a day that gringos have taken to heart as a reason to eat Tex-Mex food and drink Corona beer and margaritas (first invented in the 1940s). But what was Cinco de Mayo? Is it Mexico’s national day? No, that is on September 16.
Some bar… I can’t even recall. I think I was with my tia…
Cinco de Mayo, also known as Battle of Puebla Day, is a holiday that commemorates the Mexican army’s 1862 victory over France at the Battle of Puebla during the Franco-Mexican War. The battle lasted one day but the Mexicans won so May 5 is a local holiday. The French went on to win the war but their occupation of Mexico was brief.
In the United States, Cinco de Mayo is an change to celebrate Mexican culture. Depending on which source you believe, the celebrations began in 1863 in Columbia, California by Mexican gold miners celebrating Mexican resistance. Other sources say that in the 1960s, hispanic activists began looking for a way to honor their history and culture. What is clear is that in the 1980s, beer companies started using the day as a sales campaign. In 2013, beer sales ($600 million) for Cinco de Mayo outdid those for the Superbowl. The biggest Cinco de Mayo celebrations are held in cities with large Hispanic populations, such as Los Angeles, Houston, Chicago, and New York.
In 2005, the US government issued a resolution (a resolution is not quite a law but is official) to make May 5 a day to officially observe the celebration of Mexican/hispanic culture.
This was from a Mexican place in Poland.
Today, almost every bar and restaurant uses Cinco de Mayo as a commercial opportunity, and do not really care about the actual reason behind the day. And when the day falls on Tuesday… for Taco Tuesday… watch out. Or take Wednesday off.
The main plaza in Mexico City.
But now you know. Also, as an aside, Mexico City did not have a Day of the Dead parade until after the James Bond movie, Spectre from 2015. Since 2016, Mexico City has celebrated the Day of the Dead with a massive parade, tacos, margaritas, and beer.
Comfort food is, thankfully, different in every place one calls home.
The Finns love their “karjalanpiirakka” or rice pudding filled rye pasties. I think of them as small lifeboats of yum. “Karjala” is a part of Finland and “piirakka” is “pie/pasty/dumpling.” The result is a mild buttery eggy rye taste.
Like all comfort foods, there is a different recipe for every grandma and the preparation and eating rituals lead to stories filled with nostalgia and memory.
If you have a Finn who can share their recipe with you, then go with that. Otherwise, look it up online. If you want to watch a video version of this article, please go to my YouTube channel.
This Finnish dish may not be exciting but I love it. I love the chewy rye, the buttery egg, and the creamy rice pudding. But it also reminds me of my childhood, and nothing is as delicious as food that reminds you of the comfort of a happy place.
Torvehallerne is one of the best food hall markets I’ve been to. I always come here when I visit Copenhagen. They even sell their smorrebrod/open faced sandwiches at the airport.
Sold at the airport as well.Roast pork sandwiches are some of my favorites.
There is a mix of local produce stalls, local Danish food stalls and restaurants, and international food options. The market consists of two covered halls with about 25 vendors in each, a mix of food stalls and eateries. There is also seating around the edges of the halls. Danes love to sit outside and eat.
One of the stalls at the market.In season in June, these strawberries are hand picked.
The market is in a square with a facing skate park square, and located on the metro line. Just north of the walking streets and oh so perfect.
Fresh fish.Fried fish filet. Yum.
The stalls will vacuum pack your food for you so can take fresh meatballs or cheese with you.
Menu at the open faced sandwich stall.
A plus is that almost all Danes speak English. The prices are steep but what cost for edible art?
If you find yourself in Asheville, North Carolina, I recommend going on a food and history tour with Asheville Food Tours. It is a walking and sitting tour that includes food and drink (non-alcoholic can be requested).
Shit on a shingle at Isa’s.
In two hours, you will learn about history and try some of the foods of Asheville. The locations change so no guarantee that you will go to the same places I went.
Grilled cheese and fried okra at Blackbird.
Our tour guide, Sita (as in mamasita — which she told us to call her if we wished), was a font of interesting facts and history of Asheville. This tour is good for those who like fashion, food, drinks, and history.
Sita in front of an image of a tall building.
We had Southern food, learned about fashion history, drank pink cocktails, found out about pensioner history, ate biscuits, heard about famous people history, and something about the hill and tallest building (I was not listening).
A display at the mini fashion museum at Isa’s.
The tour costs $105 (I think) and is a great way to get to see Asheville. For example, Asheville has an old fashioned Woolworth’s. It has a community garden.
Cheerwine. It’s southern thing.
Of the places we went, two of the places were “foreign” and with the other folks on the tour — they were from South Carolina, I would have foregone the taco shop or the Indian stop (the restaurant put on a mini buffet for us so we got out dinner done on the tour!) for a barbecue or second dessert stop like a pie place. That is my recommendation. Seeing the reaction of the blonde faces and how brave they were trying the Indian food… the taco place was too much.
Funny children’s menu…
The tour started well with cocktails and “shit on a shingle” which is sausage gravy on a biscuit. The stop with the fried okra and fancy schmancy grilled cheese sandwich was also great.
The fancy mall, Grove Arcade, has apartments upstairs.
Well it would be for me if I lived in Asheville, North Carolina. But I am a city person so I would not want to live in a cottage in the woods. But Asheville has it all. I can see why this is an attractive place to live. Go on a food tour with Asheville Food Tours to find out more about this city. The Grove Arcade is on the national register for historic places.
A view of the main street.
The airport is expanding too so I have a feeling this place will grow quickly. Asheville was Cherokee land until 500 years ago. There is a lot of history in this town, but as a tourist destination, there is also more than history.
A memorial to where the drovers would take their animals to market.
I had heard about this local diner in Hendersonville, North Carolina, the Dixie Diner. I wanted to go for breakfast. They are open every day except Christmas day. I heard it from the waitress so it must be true, despite what Google maps tells me. I heard that it was the kind of place where people go regularly. A true diner.
The counter.
The Dixie Diner is in the South and the word, ‘dixie’ is associated with the American South. To read some theories about this, click on this link. Driving to North Carolina, I saw at least three gigantic confederate flags. In many cities, the confederate names and monuments have been changed or removed.
The Dixie Diner.
When we entered the diner, there was no confederate flag, but there were American flags. There were other signs of the South but the decor was not too pimped out for tourists. There was one table of regular customers sitting there and they quickly got up and left when we entered. I think they could see that we would be rowdy out-of-towners.
Typical diner chairs.
The diner had a change in ownership in 2022 as the previous owner/long time waitress was murdered. We did not know about the dramatic history of this diner when we went there.
Typical chairs but clearly new.
We were greeted warmly by a waitress holding a pot of hot but weak coffee (American coffee is notoriously weak). The bowl in the middle of the table was brimming with small containers of jam, jelly, butter, and coffee creamer. We asked for milk. The other waitress skulked around pulling her face up whenever I smiled at her. Maybe she is shy.
Biscuit, sausage, home fries, gravy with sausage, bacon, corned beef hash, and eggs.
As we were in the South, we tried all the Southern specialties such as grits, corned beef hash, and biscuits. When I asked about the corned beef hash, I was told that the cook was very proud of his hash and that he had been up since 4 am making that. I asked about the home fried potatoes and asked if they were deep fried (which is what most city diners do these days) and was reassured that the cook was also proud of his potatoes and only fries them on the flat top. Phew.
Grits are made from treated maize.
The diner is quite large and apparently they also have a buffet. We ordered a la carte. We had a complicated order so it was good that there were no other customers. The food came out and it was typical diner food. Nothing grand and not piping hot but fine.
Corned beef hash made from corned beef.
By the time we were on coffee refills, other customers came in. As we took photos, one of the customers told us that we should meet the guy who’s photo was on the wall.
Famous local guy.
When we left, we were no longer hungry. It was an interesting experience eating at a local diner even if the prices were big city prices, with an omelet costing $9.95 and a short stack of pancakes costing $6.95. The breakfast platters were between $7-15 while a side of bacon cost $3.95.
It has been ten years since I left Bangladesh, but luckily I can once again taste the taste of home cooked authentic Bangladeshi food. Mahmuda is an excellent cook and she sells food from her home. You can also go to her place to experience a home cooked meal and learn about Bangladeshi culture. Mahmuda has a huge personality and speaks English with a feisty animated volume.
Bangladeshi food is spiced but not spicy as in hot on the Scoville scale. There is a lot of clove, cardamom, cinnamon, and mustard seed. There is regional food in Bangladesh and a whole type of cuisine, bhorta, that is sort of like “small plates, mezze, tapas, dim sum…” as in you get many small dishes and pay for what you eat. I hope that Mahmuda will make some of these in the future.
Shrimp in a coconut curry.
In Bangladesh, one eats with one’s right hand. I am not so good at that so I eat with a knife and fork. But you can try eating with your right hand if you want to. A meal at Mahmuda’s includes a starter, main, and dessert even though Bangladeshi food does not follow this concept.
The rice being cooked.
The curries in Bangladesh are not as soupy as they are in Britain or the US. Many of the Indian restaurants in the UK and the US are actually run by Bangladeshis. The Brits list curry —chicken tikka masala as their national dish. The first Indian cooks in the UK were from Sylhet in Bangladesh, in what was India. British curry with the heavy use of tomato puree and cream is an invention, probably in Glasgow, that helped adapt to the British love of gravy.
Dal, lentils.
I am not sure what the prices are but with a group, a meal was around $50 per person. One can also order food for pickup.
Oshwya Ghor translates to “home kitchen” in the local dialect of Barishal.
There was also dessert. The Bangladeshis love sweets but these were not too sweet. One was a rice pudding and the other a sort of blondie.
