Take Us To Lunch : Living Pura Vida in San José with Cueropapel&tijera

We are continuing our adventures in Costa Rica with Sofia Protti founder and designer at cueropapel&tijera who is taking us on a tour of her regular lunch spot in San José. This place happens to be El Mercado Central where you can find little sodas (eateries) and all kinds of colorful wares. A place you can really soak in some atmosphere, let's go?!!

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I went to El Mercado yesterday! It was nice to visit this time having in mind what things would be interesting to see and to know for other people. I enjoy food so much that El Mercado is like a party to me. Herbs, seafood, vegetables, lots of fruits, the smell of plantain leaves that are so usual at this time of the year to cook "tamales" our traditional Christmas meal... uh! It is wonderful!

I never get bored here, as there is always something new! A different kind of "chili" or a new fruit, or simply a little spot that has been there for years, that you haven't noticed before. As usual, what I did yesterday was to have Fresco de frutas, a frozen fruit juice made of chopped fruits (banana and papaya mostly) and syrup. This is so classic, and delicious. So after the walk you have to do to get to El Mercado, where you need to start your journey is Fresco de Frutas.

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After that, I wander around the market to see the handicrafts. You can find the traditonal market bags made out of "cabuya" (a natural fiber produced here), small leather bags, post cards, baskets, and "hamacas." The coffee shops are all over too.

My favorite picks are the "cabuya" bags because of their colors, the thread, and their long lasting quality. Every housewife in Costa Rica should have one, as all our grandmas did. It is so meaningful to me. Not only for the colors and shape, but for the memories I have going to the market with my grandma. Her bag was aged and had so much personality that I found it unique and special and also because of all the good stuff we put in it. 

Leather handicrafts are also my favorites. I get so much inspiration here as I am always trying to reinterpret the traditional styles into my own modern version of it. 

• • •

Then I finally go back to Soda San Martin. The place where I get my fresco de frutas and my soup. This place was stablished in 1953, and it is well known for the typical local food. Their specialty is the Olla de Carne, a meat soup with a lot of vegetables, but today I was craving the Seafood soup!

Tell us a bit about your country and your work...

What I love the most about my home place is our style. We are easy going, friendly, full of opportunities, education, and progressing forward is a chance that everyone has. 

One thing I would like to see improved is our ambition (in a good sense). Costa Rica is such a good place to live that we easily get into a "comfort zone" that makes us lose our competitiveness. We lack ambition and a sense of empowerment, which I admire in other countries. I studied Industrial Design at the University, but leather has been a part of my life since I was a little girl. My grandpa who was a leather craftsman supported our family by creating leather bookbinding and other crafts.  I loved being at his workshop playing or "working" with little pieces of leather during my free time. I decided to switch from my design career to my grandpa's passion. 

When he got sick, I realized that the only thing I could do to keep him "alive" was to do what he loved.

I did not start the business thinking it was going to be my grandpa´s business forever, and by the time I felt strong and clear about what I wanted to do, I decided to take the best of his work and make my own version of it. So that´s how I founded CueroPapel&Tijera* in 2008. (*leather paper & scissors) 

Costa Rica's essence is easy to infuse into my products. For inspiration, I visit local spots for coffee, talk to people, and I take lots of pictures of every flower I find, the sky, greens in the views, rain, and everything that resembles our country. So I AM Costa Rica and translating this feeling to my designs is something I do through texture, color, and simplicity. A very Costa Rican saying, Pura Vida, means an agreement of life to me! We say "Pura Vida" intead of saying "hi" or "ok." "Pura Vida," is our phrase for everything. We even say it in place of "thanks!"  

So, this is exactly who we are: "Pure Life."

(Follow Sofia on Instagram (@sofiaprotti) to see more of this pure and colorful Costa Rican life.)

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What is one thing you recommend to do in Costa Rica to experience this Pura Vida?

My recommendation would be to see a sunset with a cup of coffee. Trust me our coffee is the best. The air is so perfect and the light is gold. Birds sing and you can have tamales with coffee, which is pretty close to glory I guess.
 

SOFIA'S FAVORITES FOR SAN JOSE:

Lunch spot: 
Soda San Martin in El Mercado Central 

Coffee:
Sofia's daily favorite coffee "1820." The name refers to the year Costa Rica started exporting coffee beans. Coffee production used to be the country's main economic activity (it is now tourism), and still remains the biggest export. 

Sharing always goes both ways, giving and taking. Thank you Alla and Mu-Hsien for taking the time and showing interest in my small unique homeland, Costa Rica. I hope others can also join this giving and taking experience, from which I have already learned so much.

Always welcome to Pura Vida land!
- - -
Sofia 
OTSP Neighbor Profile : Cuero Papel & Tijera  

Thank you global neighbor Sofia for taking us to lunch and sharing your Pura Vida way of thinking and working... I think we are definitely inspired to pay closer attention to nature's kaleidoscope and be open to the inspiration it sends our way!  (Photos: via Sofia) ~ Sofia helps us infuse our life with vibrant colors and simple and pure Costa Rican sensibility through her modern yet rich in history artisan leather bags and accessories. 

 { Alla's Picks }

 { Mu-Hsien's Picks }

• • •     LESSONS LEARNED #44    • • •

Inspiration is all around us, 
you just have to look through a fresh pair of eyes to see it.

 Get everyday adventure ideas @LiveLikeYoureTraveling

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Make Delicious Sweets with Your Instagram Photos

I've heard people say that they'll start being impressed with Instagram when they'll be able to eat the pictures. Well... you kinda can! These three companies are making it possible for you to print your Instagram photos on delicious, sweet morsels.

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1. Boomf.com let's you print on marshmallows, now that is very exciting because fancy marshmallows are pretty in vogue right now. 

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 2. Bakingforgood.com makes it possible to put your Instagram pictures on sugar cookies! I'm a fan of sugar cookies... wait, who isn't!? The photo quality will probably be a bit more sharper then on a marshmallow and these do provide a slightly larger canvas. Now what you'll do with that information is totally up to your own creative interpretation. I'm just saying. 

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3. Cocoagraph.com puts your photos on chocolate bars. Oh my..! This is getting very dangerous very quickly. Then again you don't need to worry because you can Instagram a selfie, print it on a chocolate bar and then eat into your figure to make yourself look skinny! So yeah, no need to be alarmed about the calories. 

And guess what! Now that we have Insta marshmallows, Insta cookies and Insta chocolate do you know what we can make!? INSTA S'MOORS! I kid, I kid, you will probably have a hard time eating these up because you'll just want to stare at them, they'll be so pretty. What you can do to extend the visual enjoyment is to hang these on your Christmas Tree as ornaments. Every day you and your family can sit by the tree, remove one delicious Insta cookie and eat it while sipping some tea, or popping that Insta mallow into your hot coco. I don't know...I feel a new Christmas Tradition in the making! 

• • •     LESSONS LEARNED    • • •

You can make make sweet memories, 
and eat them too!

{ Keep in touch via Bloglovin, Feedly or Facebook }

Take Us to Lunch : City of Dreams, Bogotá with Azulina Ceramics

One of my favorite things to do if I'm visiting friends in another country is to spend a day with them just doing what they normally would on a regular day. I believe the scientific jargon for this is: "observing the locals in their natural habitat". This, I think, is truly the best way to take it slow and really soak in the atmosphere.  I found, I always end up uncovering the true essence of a place better then running around from one touristic landmark to another. And what could be more "normal" then having lunch at someone's regular haunt? 

Well today we have a fabulous Global Neighbor Melissa Moriarty, founder of Azulina Ceramics, who is taking us to lunch with her... in Bogotá!!! 

Melissa is bringing us to Masa, a place where she likes to eat, located in Bogotá's "Zona G" (Zona Gourmet). This area, we hear, is the place to be for not only the best restaurants in town, but also to sample the world. International cuisine is a trend on the rise among the world curious Bogotanos.

Tell us about Masa.

Masa is just the greatest. It is a cafe and bakery located in the Chapinero neighborhood of Bogotá, which is the hip place to be. It has a big family-style table in the entrance and a sunny, outdoor patio. My favorite thing about Masa, besides having Bogotá's best pain au chocolat, is that they are turning themselves into a friendly, neighborhood spot. Patrons are allowed to bring their dogs onto the patio and they offer bike locks for those who show up on two wheels. They are thinking of the little things. And believe it or not, that is a first.

{ Is that CARROT CAKE!??? } 

What about you Melissa, originally from Houston, Texas, you've lived in DC, Boston, Chicago, Spain and Honduras! What has brought you to come settle in Colombia? 

I first visited in 2011 when I joined my uncle on a business trip to Medellin. I fell in love with the energy of Colombia and its people almost immediately. There is just something in the air: there is this good, positive, exciting energy. It is so contagious I get giddy talking about it.

Everyone is involved and committed to making Colombia a better place to live, work and raise children, and as a result new, innovative services are popping up daily. The energy is almost palpable. I am so excited for what's to come.

• • •

Melissa's description made me think about my former home, THE place for incredible energy. NYC that is. In fact, Silvana Villegas, the owner of Masa has studied and worked in NY before moving back to Bogotá to open this restaurant with her sister. Silvana has brought back a bit of Manhattan to Bogotá with a 'make your own' salad bar, not something you see everyday in Colombia. Together with french pastries, world inspired breads, fresh juices and omelettes, it's a brand new way of looking at lunch in Bogotá, traditionally a heavier, rice and beans kind of a meal.

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Melissa with Silvana, owner of Masa

Has your perception of Colombia changed now that you've been living in Bogotá for a while?

No, but the realities of living in a country with old-fashioned, bureaucratic systems makes for some additional hurdles and frustration. I'm lucky in that my company, Azulina Ceramics, is a U.S. Corporation and I deal with all legal and accounting standards according to U.S. laws. However, I have lots of ideas and aspirations to start different businesses and social initiatives here so it won't be long until I am dealing with those 'hurdles'. But you know what? There is so much opportunity here because there are still so many problems to solve and so many people willing to join in on your cause. I love that about Colombia.

What was most surprising thing you discovered about your new home or something you did not expect? 

I've found that Colombians are exceptionally well educated and hard-working, in all things and in all levels of society. I could not be happier to be working with my team in El Carmen de Viboral. From the women artisans to the business development team, everyone works their butts off and makes the impossible possible. I had a misconceived notion that doing business would be difficult for cultural reasons or perhaps because I thought people might be stuck in their ways, but I have been so surprised by how open everyone is to collaborate.

(Photo: Jay Marroquin)

What makes you feel at home here? Do you speak Spanish? 

My friends, boyfriend and boyfriend's family make me feel so happy and at home here. Colombians are generally very warm and welcoming, so it has been easy to meet and make amazing, lifelong friends. And frankly, with that, I could live anywhere. The rest is just material.

As for Spanish, I can speak like a native. I don't look like I can, so I use it as my secret weapon. Ha! 

• • •

{ Melissa's yummy lunch, scrambled eggs with mushrooms and ham,
pain au chocolat and coffee in Azulina's "everyday mug" from the Flora Collection. } 

What is another insider tip (besides lunch at Masa!) you want to give to us planning to visit?

If you are heading to Bogotá download these Apps: Uber and Tappsi. The city is going through some growing pains so their public transport isn't yet easy to navigate and use, especially for a tourist, so I recommend you use Tappsi or Uber to order taxis. Cabs are super cheap, like $5 max to go practically anywhere. I use either Tappsi or Uber at least 4 times per week. Yay technology.

• • •
{ Masa's Mythic Pain au Chocolat looking ever so scrumptious on
hand painted canape plate from Azulina's Lima collection. } 

MELISSA'S FAVORITES FOR BOGOTA:

Lunch spot: 
Masa (Cll 70 # 4-83 Bogotá D.C.) and a second restaurant is planned to open in the near future. 

Getting Around: 
Taking a cab is an inexpensive and quick way to get around in Bogotá. 
• Uber - Is a taxi booking app available in 22 countries, you can request a ride, be picked up in minutes and pay using your phone. 
• Tappsi - A Bogotá based company servicing Latin America. 

Thanks Alla and Mu-Hsien for the opportunity to share a bit about the world's greatest hidden treasure: Colombia. 

Con Mucho Amor,
- - -
Melissa of Azulina Ceramics
(Photos via Melissa)

Thank you Melissa for taking us to lunch and sharing about your new home and also introducing us to Silvana's Masa. You ladies are true global neighbors bringing a bit of New York and Paris to Bogotá and exporting a bit of Colombia to the world! We love that you help bring us all closer together! And we are even more curious now about the city that's making it all possible, Bogotá. ~ Bring a little piece of Colombia into your home and head over to Azulina.com for beautiful hand painted ceramics! 
 

Here are some of our favorites:

{ Alla's Picks }
A tall mug worthy of my coffee worship!

{ Mu-Hsien's Picks } 
A lovely pitcher that doubles as a vase & a cheery mug to start off the day!

• • •     LESSONS LEARNED    • • •

One neighbor's everyday mug,
is another neighbor's global find! 

Get everyday adventure ideas @LiveLikeYoureTraveling

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Take Us To Lunch : Living Pura Vida in San José with Cueropapel&tijera

about 11 years ago

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IDEA50 : Adopt a Party! Put on Your Dirndl & Lederhosen for Oktoberfest

Let me start out by reading you a small excerpt from the baby diary:   

Dear baby Vin, 

When you were born mommy and daddy were so excited! So much so that your daddy decided to celebrate the occasion by drinking beer 3 days in a row. In another country.

To save face, we told your big brother Mo that daddy was on vacation "doing sports and swimming". Of course we did not elaborate that doing sports meant lifting liters of beer and swimming was really referring to the ocean of beer being consumed. 
 

Do I sound a bit annoyed*? Well only because I haven't had a beer in what seems like ages and will not be partaking the rest of the year due to the milk production facilities that currently house themselves on the premises of my person. ***If you're concerned, mom-in-law spent the entire weekend with me and the kids so we were very well taken care of. 

• • • 

Back to the beers...
If you were ever curious what it's like to be at the famous Oktoberfest in the lovely Munich, Germany we've got just the reportage for you. First, a history bit.  

Once upon a time, on October 12, 1810 to be exact, Crown Prince Ludwig of Bavaria married Princess Therese of Saxe-Hildburghausen (I can't pronounce it either). To celebrate the happy occasion the Prince threw a mega party and invited his closest friends, or rather all citizens of Munich to come along, drink and be merry! There were horse races, pig roasts, folk entertainment and lots and lots of beer. Ever since then it has been a yearly celebration. In Germany Oktoberfest is actually called Theresienwiese, meaning Theresa's meadow, because the original party was held on the fields in front of the city gates. Locals to this day call it "Wies'n" for short. 

• • • 

So now that we've got the basics down, let's get to the tough decisions...

My oh my, what to wear!? The theme is peasant "chic" as you can imagine. Imitating how Alpine peasants used to dress. For gentlemen, Lederhosen (Leather overalls) with checkered shirt in red or blue. Fedora with a happy feather and very sexy white socks to the knees. 

Looking sharp boys! Looking sharp! (My Vito is the ginger one in the middle.) 

• • • 

For the ladies, the go to outfit is a dirndl dress. A circular cut dress with a boustier type top. There is usually a white blouse that leaves your ample bosoms on display, you know to show off the plenitude of Bavaria. A cute little apron and you probably want to braid your hair a la Heidi for the full effect. 

Nicely done ladies!  

• • • 

Now on to my favorite part! Drinking and eating!

This is the whole point of this shindig after all. The beer for Oktoberfest are produced by the following brewers who call themselves "Club of Munich Brewers": Augustiner-Bräu, Hacker-Pschorr-Bräu, Löwenbräu, Paulaner-Bräu, Spatenbräu, and Staatliches Hofbräu-München. Now days the beer is golden, but originally it was a strong dark brew called "Marzen" named after the month of March which is when it was brewed and then left to ferment slowly over the summer months. 

*Please note the time of 9.15 AM. Breakfast of champions - redefined.  

Now obviously if you start your day with a liter of beer at some point you'll need to eat. So what's on the menu? How about a very manly pork roast? Or as the locals would say Schweinebraten! 

After you've devoured that beast, you can nibble on a whole roasted chicken... called Hendl.

But a real manly man will STILL be hungry, so it's only fitting to grab a Würstl sandwich!

Or a Weisswurst  with cabbage...

Belly finally full, it's time to be entertained with some music, and order another round.  

And then... things will get fuzzy, very fuzzy... and perhaps a grand leaning tower of
beer will be constructed?... I think putting beers on your head makes you smarter. 

Well I hope you've enjoyed this little manly visit to Oktoberfest in Munich. Are you inspired to come and be part of this crazy volksfest next year? Fret not if you won't be able to catch a plane to Bavaria, your very own city might be hosting a version of Oktoberfest so check it out! 

Oktoberfest near you:  
Amsterdam   /   New York City   /   Chicago   /   Beijing  /   Hong Kong 

Ahh, no beer for me this October, but don't you worry, I shall console myself when I go on a shopping trip to Paris with the girls. I'll be taking Vito's credit card with me. ;)

• • •     LESSONS LEARNED    • • •

It takes teamwork, support and care to raise a child,
and sometimes also a few beers.

Love it? Share it! - We are dedicated to sharing stories that spark ideas and are meaningful to you. The best way to let us know is to post a comment, like below or pin it on Pinterest! ~ For more ways Live Like You're Traveling, follow us on Feedly, Bloglovin, Pinterest, or Facebook. 

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IDEA119 : Bake the Easiest Lemon Tart Just Like the One in Normandy, France

about 12 years ago

Love Without Borders : Meet Me in Sicily... (Italian Agritourismo)

We are so excited to introduce you today to a true "Global Neighbor," J of (A Feathery Nest) Who are global neighbors really? They're people with whom you have many things in common and despite not living near each other, they're always there for you with advice and inspiration! J will be taking us along on a trip to Sicily along with her Sicilian husband R. If you were as curious, as we were, about Italian agriturismo travel from the (Nudo-Italia post), this is a perfect opportunity to preview it before booking your own trip! 

• • •

Sicilia Selvaggia, Wild Sicily 

 In the spring of my final year of college I decided to create one of those new'ish blog thingies that everybody seemed to have. I had "discovered" them the previous summer when I Googled other people's experiences living in New York, before heading up there myself for an internship.

After getting my first blog started, I eventually gathered a circle of people who checked in on me and who I checked in on, too. One of them was a hotsy-totsy, feisty Ukrainian gal that lived in Staten Island and worked in Manhattan. We learned a lot about each other by commenting on each other's blogs and now three blogs later for me (and I believe the same number later for her!), we're still "in" each other's lives, despite trans-Atlantic moves, marriages, babies and 8 years passing. The crazy thing is, we've only ever met once!

When Alla and Mu-Hsien created On the Same Page, I got it. Immediately. After all, what better way to define the relationship between Alla and myself than "global neighbors"—friends that support each other from far away? So of course when Alla sent me a note asking if I'd like to share a story about one of my favorite topics on OTSP, I immediately agreed!

• • •  

Eight years ago I decided the perfect way to bridge my college chapter and the rest of my life would be to travel around Europe by myself for a month. Specifically, Italy. I crafted a plan to do a giant figure-eight of the country, spending the last few days with a friend who would fly over to meet me for the final leg in Sicily. That's how it came to be that I had a witness to the first time my eyes locked with R, the man who would become my husband.

R and I have been married now for almost 4 years, so if you're following the math here, that means that for 4 years I lived on the East coast of the U.S. while he lived on the East coast of Sicily. While trans-Atlantic dating is not exactly what I would call easy (especially given the limited amount of vacation time we get in NYC!), it does make for wonderful reunions.

One year I planned to meet R in Stockholm for Christmas, and then to fly down to Sicily for his birthday before I had to return home. As Christmas was spent with family in Sweden, and his birthday would be with friends in Sicily, we decided to fly to the west coast of the island for New Year's alone before renting a car and driving across the whole of Sicily to Taormina, his hometown, for his birthday.

• • • 

Neither of us are big New Year's Eve revelers, so we looked for tranquil seaside towns to ring in the new year together. We found a lovingly restored agriturismo (a farm-turned-B&B) outside Marsala—which would be a quick drive from the Trapani airport, where we landed from Stockholm, and a good starting point for the two day's drive back to Taormina on the first of the year. After we landed in Trapani, picked up a car, and drove to the Agriturismo Masseria Baglio Tenute Montalto (yes, a mouthful!) on the 31st, we quickly got settled and then back to the car we went. 

• • • 

We were on a mission to find the nearest little town to stock up on the fixings for an in-room picnic: salami, prosciutto, formaggio al pepe nero (Sicilian cheese with black peppercorns), wine, sparkling water, dark chocolate, figs, grapes, mandarines, sundried tomatoes, marinated eggplant, a loaf of bread, and some olives. We found everything we wanted and then some, so by the the time the sun was lowering in the sky, we were camped out at the farmhouse on our bed with a feast before us. 

• • • 

I fully intended to stay awake until midnight, but with a full tummy, and all the sea air I had breathed in while tooling around the coast that day, I fell asleep by 9. R gently awoke me for a midnight kiss and then we both slept deeply until morning. 

The sky was still somewhere between night and dawn when we padded out of our room and took a walk along the water to greet the new year. We weren't the only ones out—a fisherman had been hard at work before the sun rose and was already coming in with his haul when we emerged from our cocoon. With our boots in the sand and a few stones in our hands, we broke the surface of the water with a wish for each ripple we made as we launched pebbles into the Mediterranean Sea—our own morning's work.

• • • 

When we returned to the farmhouse, the Signora welcomed us to breakfast in the cantina. We sat a midst the barrels and iron tools and broke bread as the sun that streamed through the windows went from weak, hazy light, to full on Sicilian rays.

• • • 

After checking out, and receiving a few bottles of wine as a gift from the proprietors (made from their own grapes!), I lugged the massive wooden doors open, and we wended our way back up the coast along the wine road (Strada del Vino), past Trapani, through Erice (which looks like Rio de Janeiro!) where we stopped for lunch, and on to Palermo for the night. The next day we continued on through the heart of Sicily, with a pause to stretch our legs in Enna before arriving home.

I'm so glad that I fell in love with a Sicilian. There's something about the uninhibited, but many-times-over-inhabited land that makes sense to me. The fiery spirits and fiery food, the wildness of the plains, the roughness of the rocky crags, the introvertedness of people living in small, remote hilltop towns where they only speak Ancient Greek, the hooded glances and double-voweled and -consonant'ed dialects that echo Arabic origins, the fierceness and protectiveness of a much-conquered people. I don't think I'd ever set foot in a place that I recognized as much as I did as when I first rode the night train from Reggio Calabria on the mainland to Messina, the port of entry into Sicily.

Of course I could always return by myself if I hadn't met R, but experiencing the whole of the island from left to right, reading it my way, instead of the Arabic way, alongside someone who could guide me, and more importantly, translate, helped me see what I would never have been able to see on my own. There's no passport or visa that will open the doors and hearts of the Sicilians—the only way to gain entry, especially for someone that's passing through, is by the hand of one of the island's own.

Or by a glance from one of her sons.

• • • 

When we reached the summit of Erice and took a walk after lunch near the city walls, we leaned against the stones that have supported many who stopped to inhale the same magnificent views and saw an elderly shepherd herding his flock through the pasture below. He looked up and caught R's eye—perhaps recognizing the soul of his Sicilian brother. Then he directed his glance my way and tipped his head ever so slightly, acknowledging my presence. 

We paused to watch him walk slowly, purposefully, stopping every few paces to check that he was being followed by all of his sheep, and maybe to see if we were still observing him. He finally chose a boulder—his boulder, I'm sure—to sit upon while he took his canteen and wrapped lunch from his satchel, carefully unfolding the waxy paper and linen wrappings. His flock took note and found their own patches of meadow to chew contentedly on. The leader and his followers, all pausing for their midday meal.

R tightened his arm, which was draped across my shoulders and said to me, "Who do you think is the richer man, him? Or, Donald Trump?"

The answer was so clear, I didn't even need to say it aloud.

Goethe was right when he said, "To have seen Italy without having seen Sicily is not to have seen Italy at all, for Sicily is the clue to everything."

- - -
Thanks for inviting me over, Alla!

XOXO,

J. of *sparklingly

• • •   ARE YOU A GLOBAL NEIGHBOR?   • • •

Would you like to introduce us to your part of the world
or take us along on a discovery? Write us!

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IDEA123: Eat with a Local : Share a Home-cooked Meal with New Friends

Have you ever been on vacation and exclaimed: "Oh how nice would it be if we knew someone here so they could invite us to their house for an authentic home cooked dinner!"? Some of the richest experiences I've had while traveling is from sharing a meal with friends in their homes; friend's friends throwing us a bbq-pool party in Brazil, star-lit dinner on a terrace in Portugal, new years dinner in a 100+ yr old lake front family home in Switzerland. It's really not just about the food. A whole new dimension opens up when visiting someone's home. You can see how they've decorated, what kinds of things they have around their house, and of course get to hear first hand what life is like in their corner of the world! It's a real bonding experience that makes you believe, even if for just that evening that we can transcend our differences, cultural barriers and just all be... one big happy village. Isn't it why we travel after all? To connect and to find a little bit of ourselves in far flung places? 

This is why Alla and I are so thrilled to see *eat with a local* companies like these rising. We now have a direct dinner invitation in the homes of our global neighbors!  

• • • 

So where to first?

1 - www.cookening.com World (Mostly Europe)
Founded in France by three friends passionate about food and travel. Check out this veranda dining in the beautiful Vico Equense on the Amalfi Coast with a host who makes his own limoncello from lemons growing in his orchard. Oh...Ciao! 

• • • 

2 - www.plateculture.com (Asia)
Founded in Malaysia by two Lithuanian friends and entrepreneurs. How about a dumpling making lesson with an expat couple living in Singapore?  

• • • 

3 - www.eatwith.com  World (Mostly Europe and Americas)
Founded in Israel, the hotspot for tech start-ups, this company seems to be expanding daily adding new countries and new hosts! How about a real Argentine wood smoked BBQ feast in San Isidrio?    

• • • 

4 - www.bookalocal.com World (Currently mostly Belgium)
Founded in Belgium by an ex-New Yorker. How about a real Belgian experience of Beer Pairing Dinner with Evelyne & Brian. Or for international flavors you can make sushi with a Japanese host Haruko!

This is not only great for when you're traveling, but also right where you live.  Why not try this in your very own city? I can't wait to try a vegan dinner near me and on Alla's list is a Lebanese dinner in Amsterdam! Where will you go? 
 

• • •     LESSONS LEARNED    • • •

Eat culture, not food and you'll leave
the table more satisfied.

Love it? Share it! - We are dedicated to sharing stories that spark ideas and are meaningful to you. The best way to let us know is to post a comment, like below or pin on Pinterest! ~ For More ways to Live Like You're Traveling, follow us on Feedly, Bloglovin, Pinterest, or Facebook. 

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LLYT Challenge : Delightful Eating

You know how while traveling you taste foods you may eat everyday but for some reason they taste so much more delicious!? A lot of the times we just rationalize that everything always tastes better on vacation because we're usually outdoors, the sun is shining, and we just had a dip in the sea. Of course that's a big part of it, but also certain foods taste better because at those locales they're fresher, locally produced, homemade or organic. But does this now mean we can only really enjoy our food for a few weeks a year? Is there no way to gain the same kind of enjoyment from eating year round? Well obviously this is unacceptable and we here at OTSP blog want to do something about it! 

View fullsize

Few shots of delightful eating during our trip to the Loire Valley, France. 

Inspired (or I should say motivation renewed) by my recent success of dinding a fantastic source of delicious liquid gold, or olive oil, this challenge will be to upgrade EVERYTHING my family eats to achieve equal satisfaction. I want to be delighted every time we sit down for a meal and not just when we're on vacation. So join us as we kick off the next OTSP challenge! 

• • • 

Live Like You're Traveling : #DelightfulEating

Let's break this up into three steps. The first being to simply figure out what you eat on a weekly basis. I started by looking in my fridge, pantry and thought about what food we eat every day resulting in this nifty diagram for myself to follow so I can see clearly what needs upgrading, or "delightification".   
 

Step 1: Identify your staples.  

In the fridge:

Milk
Yogurt
Butter
Juice/drinks
Cheese
Mayonase
Sandwich meats
Meat
Fish

In the pantry:

Bread
Cereal
Honey
Jam
Fruits/Vegetables
Tea
Coffee
Olive Oil - Replaced! 
Spices

Step 2:  Raise the quality of ingredients.

I currently buy most of my food in my supermarket or my local health store. I usually buy the organic option but I don't pay too much attention beyond that. There are farms near me and I always wanted to figure out what I could be buying directly from them... 

Things I'll be researching for this step and sharing in the updates to follow: 

• How to source locally 
• Cooking with what's in season  
• Specialized grocery store vs. the supermarket. (Mu-Hsien immediately tipped to shop the "perimeter" as processed foods tend to congregate in the middle sections of the store.) 
   

Step 3: Try Making Your Own.  

My mom used to make cottage cheese at home! My grandma pretty much made everything at home. Perhaps I can transition some simple things to 'home production'? Ahhh... I'm already imagining freshly home baked bread enveloping my family as they sit down for a Saturday morning breakfast... And a tall, dark, and handsome Italian barrista serving us cafe lattes from just milled coffee beans while singing "con te partiro"... (Oh gosh, did I say that last one out loud? How completely inappropriate for a happily married, pregnant lady.) 

- - -  JOIN THE CHALLENGE!   - - -

Is there something you've been meaning to improve about what you eat? What are your tips for delightful eating? 

{ Show Us + Tag it ‎‎#DelightfulEating #OTSPchallenge } 
on INSTAGRAM or leave a blog POST LINK or PHOTO in the comments below.
Photos may be selected for our Challenge Pinterest board:
 

IDEA119 : Bake the Easiest Lemon Tart Just Like the One in Normandy, France

Let me tell you a story about my search for the perfect lemon tart recipe. It all started last summer in Normandy, France where we went on a family vacation. My dad and brother joined from New York, Vito's mom and brother with his girlfriend made us a merry little group of eight. We stayed in a lovely town by the sea called Saint Aubin sur Mer, where time didn't hurry, tourists were not many, yet there were plenty of things to do and see. It was a delicious week of family bonding, discovering the sites and of course eating as many pain au chocolate for breakfast as humanly possible (well, maybe this last one was just my personal achievement).

We stayed at a camping (Cote de Nacre) a ten minute walk from the seaside promenade lined with sunny colored villas, happy little cafes and restaurants. Our mornings consisted of sightseeing, and afternoons in the pool or at the beach and of course no day went by without promenading up and down by the sea.

Walking from Cote de Nacre camping to the beach. 

Pastel villas along the promenade in Saint Aubin sur Mer. (Mo has just two settings, run or sit.) 

But back to the lemon tart...  as you can imagine a family of eight including one 1.5 year old boy and one 13 year old boy there is always someone ready for a snack (or a 5 course meal).

Dinner on the promenade.

On one such occasion we stopped at a cozy cafe with cream colored furniture, nautical prints and walls lined with book shelves giving you a feeling of a sea side day lounge. Lemon tart was the first thing we saw on the chalk board menu and that was enough of a suggestion for all us to order a round. The tart was incredible! The lemony filling was creamy with sweet and tart flavors in perfect harmony. The crust, a wonderful companion, perfectly yummy yet not trying to compete jealously with the filling for attention. The tart was so delicious that we immediately ordered seconds nervous that the cafe might not have enough! Thankfully they did, so there was no need for violence. And since that moment I've been looking for a recipe that will reunite me with my perfect lemon tart...

My brother reclining after the lemon tart and Nutella crape. 

Until finally! I have come across this recipe on Julia's blog.  She in turn found it in a newspaper article about a German illustrator who lived in Lisbon for a while. This illustrator upon tasting this tart at a rowdy summer backyard party asked the cousin of her neighbor, a certain Anita, for the recipe. She then illustrated the recipe which Julia transcribes on her blog. (In English thankfully.) 

So there! A recipe found via our global neighbor Julia, from literally someone's actual neighbor (well cousin of said neighbor) has made its way to me in The Netherlands! AND! What has set off this world wind recipe search? Why a visit to a little seaside town in France called Saint Aubin sur Mer... Now tell me we are not all connected. :)

• • • 

If you are like me and have been searching for an easy way to make lemon tart feel free to raise your hopes high.  Real high! This tart does not require intimidating baking thermometers, high scores on your math tests to perform calculations involving heat, altitude, timing, and egg yolk temperaments. There are two, JUST TWO ingredients for the filling. Condensed milk and juice of 2 lemons, ok 3 if you count lemon zest. That's it!!! The crust? The easiest ever, and you don't even have to have your butter at room temperature. I hate it when recipes call for that, when I want to bake, I must bake right then and there before inspiration leaves me and I can't wait for princess butter to arrive at room temperature. (Excuse me, I'm an Aries, it's a biological fact that I can't wait for stuff.) 

Now I'm not a baker and trust me when I say, you can't do this recipe wrong. I did have to look up how to beat egg yolks stiff on youtube because I wasn't 100% sure of the right way to do it. I know my grandma did it by hand with a fork but after 2 minutes (ok 15 seconds) I gave up and looked it up on youtube.  Here is the video, listen to the nice Italian lady all the way to the end, that's when she tells you how to make your egg whites really stiff.  

Lemon Tart 
Recipe: on Julia's blog.
 

Saint Aubin sur Mer, Normandy, France.
Stay at: Camping Cote de Nacre  (Groups)

Eat at: Wherever speaks to you on the promenade, however for dinner you should make a reservation, and of course lemon tart and other deserts at Aux Bains des Mots.

To do: Visit the town of Cabourg on market day and eat lunch on the promenade, bring your swim suits for when the inevitable desire strikes for a dip in the sea.  Normandy is also the land of apple brandy, do visit Château du Breui, a Calvados distillery and a historical manor house. 

Sight see: Saint Aubin sur Mer is a great base for discovering Normany. Not to miss  Omaha Beach and the Normandy American Cemetery Memorial. Visit the UNESCO heritage site, the medieval monastery Le Mont Saint Michel.  

Take home: a bottle of Calvados. Hemingway would have approved.  

Now, what have we conclude from all this madness? 

• • •    LESSONS LEARNED    • • •

You might find your lemon tart exactly where
you didn't think to look for it.

Love it? Share it! - We are dedicated to sharing stories that spark ideas and are meaningful to you. The best way to let us know is to post a comment, like below or pin on Pinterest! ~ For more ways to Live Like You're Traveling, follow us on Feedly, Bloglovin, Pinterest, or Facebook. 

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IDEA117: Stock Your Global Pantry with Nudo-Italia Olive Oil and Adopt Your Own Tree

Few years ago Vito and I stayed for a week in Sicily, spending some time in Taormina, visiting quietly fuming Etna and taking a spin to see some of the Eolian islands. Even though it was the first week in October, the weather was still sweltering during the day only cooling off pleasantly at night. Compared to the "mainland" Italy, Sicily to me always feels so undiscovered, do full of nature's abundance. It seems that the raw elements are in charge and we humans are mere guests allowed to observe.  

The same feeling applies to Sicilian cuisine. The ingredients themselves are at the very center of cooking, coming fresh from the sea or land. The less is done to them the more glorious their taste is. This really is very surprising in Sicily, the most simplest ingredients are thrown together and are already delicious without a lot of complicated moves in the kitchen. Just a drizzle of olive oil and a twist of salt and you're done! On our first day there we sat down for a nice lunch, a salad (for me) and a simple pizza with pomodorini and ruccola (for Vito). I eat salads for lunch all the time, but this salad was out of this world. Greens, tomatoes, mushrooms, tuna and a sprinkle of corn, and of course a generous splash of olive oil somehow resulting in an explosion of taste! Vito's equally unpretentious pizza got a drizzle of oil as well and washing it all down with a light white wine, we could not have been happier. 

Through out the week over and over we have experienced this phenomenon of delicious ingredients enhanced just with olive oil. Even a basket of bread, which I usually ignore when eating out, would be inhaled immediately with intermittent dunking in a little plate of olive oil and Sicilian salt. We thought about how to bring this "magic" back home with us. Is it even possible? I mean, we can't reproduce the fresh air and sea breeze and sunshine that are so instrumental in making the ingredients taste so good. No, sadly it's not possible at the moment, and neither is a lavish Sicilian summer residence, but there is something we can do to incorporate a big part of Sicilian magic in our cooking... and that is, to use best quality olive oil.  

I was searching for a while to find a great source of olive oil and finally came across a company called Nudo-Italia that offers quarterly olive oil delivery straight from grove. And "straight from the grove" is not just a clever tag line, you'll know WHICH grove the oil comes from! Through their "Adopt a tree" program you can actually browse a list of small family operated olive groves that they work with and choose one yourself. When you adopt a tree you receive quarterly delivery of 1st press olive oil. Recently Nudo-Italia added a Sicilian grove called Barone Pastore located on the Trapanese cost. You can read more about it here. And guess what!? You can actually VISIT your tree, and hug it, if that's what you're into. Yes, yes, you can visit the grove and your tree, as well as arrange for a tour of the olive press and learn more about your olive oil and how it's made. 

Most of the grove owners also operate Agriturismo, which is a farm stay type bed and breakfast. (Check them out here.) What do you know? Maybe that dream summer residence in Sicily is not so far fetched after all... 

Or better yet, take a tour with global neighbor J, of (*sparklingly) to Sicily, back when she was dating her Sicilian husband R, in "Meet Me in Sicily..."

While scheming up a yearly Sicilian getaway, feel free to indulge in Sicilian style living right in your own home.  We've been doing just that by taking advantage of the uncharacteristically warm summer here in the Netherlands and grilling up anything that moves, chopping-up anything that's green and dousing it all in Nudo-Italia olive oil. Ahhh... che vita dolce! 

 Where to find Nudo-Italia olive oil: 

Order on their website & world wide delivery costs are already included in the price.
(Grove photos via Nudo-Italia.com)

And I did not forget about the Sicilian salt! Like the Barone Pastore olive grove, the salt is also found on the Trapanese coast, which is said to have the oldest salt marshes of Europe. (In the US purchase HERE, rest of the world HERE.) 

 • • •    WHAT ABOUT YOU?    • • •

Do you have an obsession with something from Sicily? 
Any delicacies you buy directly from producers?
 

Love it? Share it! - We are dedicated to sharing stories that spark ideas and are meaningful to you. The best way to let us know is by posting a comment, like below or pin it on Pinterest! ~ For More ways Live Like You're Traveling follow us on Feedly, Bloglovin, Pinterest, or Facebook. 

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IDEA112: Cultivate Tranquility with a Japanese Matcha Tea Ritual

Initially I was drawn to Matcha for it's astounding health benefits. Anti-aging, cancer-fighting, stress-reducing, weight-loss aid, superfood status. It blows away other green teas when comparing EGCG antioxidant levels (137 times the amount of EGCG as other infused green teas!)  

Matcha is a premium form of green teas traditionally used in Japanese Tea Ceremonies. There's extra care in it's culitvation process as it's grown in the shade. This causes a greater production of chlorophyll, also adding to its brilliant green color. 

Unique to other teas, Matcha leaves are steamed and ground immediately after picking. Instead of just consuming a portion of leaf infused phytonutrients, the ground form allows you to benefit from the nutrients of the whole leaf! And because of omitting the oxidation process, it prevents the bitter taste, leaving a smooth, vegetal flavor with a lightly sweet aftertaste.  

• • • 

Since digging in to the use of it in tea ceremonies, I am now left with a much deeper curiosity for its rich tradition. Tea ceremonies are elaborate and poetic affairs that are meant to cultivate harmony, respect, purity and tranquility.  

Every detail has symbolic meaning. From the purposely non-ornate tea houses and what's housed inside to calm the senses, to every ritualized gesture in cleaning the utensils. There is a complexity to the etiquette, showing great respect to the manner in which tea is poured and sipped. Now although I may not go as far as  studying the art of Chudo (Tea Ceremony) I AM inspired to introduce another expression of being present into my day to day. Although I already enjoy tea rituals whether in the morning or after dinner, learning about this Japanese art form intensifies my own connection during this process. It is truly yet another example of when, what you put into something is directly related to what you get out of it.

• • •

Before I share a modern adaptation for Matcha, let's take a moment to prepare our minds and channel the tranquility often found in Japanese rock gardens. I sat by this one, a view just steps from a tea house, which instantly brought a sense of calm. One can't help but notice the extreme care that must have gone into the raking. Drawing from that sensibility...now let's make some tea :)

Japanese Matcha Tea Ritual

Take your time. (Even if this only takes a few min.) Every action in making the tea can draw you deeper into the present moment.

Materials 
• Organic Matcha Powder
• Whisk & small bowl

Modern Preparation
1 - Pour a little less than a table spoon of Matcha powder into a bowl (1 tbsp per serving)
2 - Heat water til boiling (1 cup per serving). Set aside to cool for a few min. (optimum temperature for the water is ~175F/80C.
3 - Pour 1/3 cup of water into bowl with matcha and whisk quickly in a zig zag motion until a layer of foamy bubbles cover the top. Should only take 10 sec.

Serve
Pour whisked matcha into a cup and fill the rest with more hot water. Final direction is the most important :)...Take it in. Relish in the fact that you're doing something good for yourself or others!

For a fuller Japanese tea experience...
Learn more about Matcha benefits, discover what a full tea ceremony might entail, watch an insightful video demo, or explore collectible items below: Organic Matcha, Chashaku (matcha bamboo scoop), Chasen (matcha bamboo whisk), Chawan (matcha bowl).

 • • •   WHAT ABOUT YOU?   • • •

What's your favorite daily ritual?
What's your current go-to healthy drink?

Get everyday adventure ideas @LiveLikeYoureTraveling

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