Tag: culture

vejigantes, costumed and masked adolescent boys at carnival in ponce puerto rico

Celebrating Carnaval in Ponce, Puerto Rico

February 26, 2016

Carnival. That party that happens before Lent every year, with places like Rio de Janeiro or maybe Venice coming to mind. Images of lithe, bronzed women in sparkly costumes and huge feathered headdresses or intricate masks and elaborate gowns and suits.

But the truth is that Carnival is celebrated across the Caribbean, and in a number of places around the world. While New Orleans’s Mardi Gras is perhaps the most widely known version in the United States, Ponce, Puerto Rico’s second largest city, is also known for its Carnaval, known as Carnaval Ponceño.

more “Celebrating Carnaval in Ponce, Puerto Rico” …

A group of people all wearing clothes made from the same cloth pose with a sign for their group

Top 4 Cultural Experiences of 2015

January 1, 2016

I had the opportunity to take advantage of some extraordinary experiences and participate in some wonderful cultural exchange this past year. It was truly wonderful and I cherish these memories, and as this is the time of year to look back and plan ahead I want to share some of those memories and cultural experiences from around the world.

more “Top 4 Cultural Experiences of 2015” …

The Arab American National museum facade made of white stone with a dome

A Visit to the Arab American National Museum

July 31, 2015

Earlier this week, I went to lunch with my grandma. I had wanted falafel and she knew the best place to get that would be East Dearborn, which is home to a large Arab-American population. On our way back, we passed the Arab American National Museum, which until that moment, I did not know existed, and I was intrigued. I resolved to research and visit the museum soon. Thursday ended up being the final day for an exhibit showcasing some of Khalid Albaih’s political cartoons and so I made it a point to go and check it out.

more “A Visit to the Arab American National Museum” …

A minaret of a mosque silhouetted with the sun directly behind it

Iftar: Breaking Fast on the First Night of Ramadan

June 19, 2015

Yesterday was the first day of Ramadan, and as a non-Muslim in a majority Muslim country I prepared myself and set out to try and get a sense of what this religious fasting looked like here in Egypt.

I ate leftovers and fruit in my cousin’s apartment, filling up before I left as I knew finding food outside would be difficult. I pulled up a walking tour on my iPod that visited eight mosques and Islamic structures and ended near Al Azhar Park, where I intended to watch the sunset, listen to the call to prayer and possibly people watch families picnicking the breaking of their fast.

Unfortunately, I didn’t get to visit all of the sites and I never made it to the park to watch sunset. Fortunately, I got to experience Egyptian hospitality and broke fast with a family in the back streets of Cairo, truly giving me an experience of what iftar, the evening meal during Ramadan, is like.

more “Iftar: Breaking Fast on the First Night of Ramadan” …

Two boys sit on a ledge in front of a white wall looking at the camera

5 Favorite Things About Cameroon

June 5, 2015

Things have been quiet here on my blog lately, but that doesn’t mean it hasn’t been on my mind. I arrived in Cameroon late on May 10th, and 3G arrived only about a month before me, so connectivity is a bit sparse and pricey. I’ve also been going “up and down the country,” as they say here, and along the way I’ve seen and experienced a lot of things. And I still have a week left! For now, here is a list of some of my favorite things about Cameroon.

more “5 Favorite Things About Cameroon” …

Kumari: the Living Goddesses of Nepal

March 29, 2015

One of the main tourist attractions in Kathmandu is Durbar Square. There are several temples, both Buddhist and Hindu, concentrated in a small area. There are lots of people milling around, selling things and generally living life. However, there is one building that is particularly sacred. It’s the home of Kathmandu’s kumari, a living goddess.

more “Kumari: the Living Goddesses of Nepal” …

Thai Food: Som Dtam, Spicy Papaya Salad

February 27, 2015

Way back, two years ago, when I found out I was going to be spending my service in Northeastern Thailand, my host family from training took me out to a ส้มตำ (som dtam) restaurant and ordered a couple different kinds of this spicy papaya salad and told me, “People in Isaan eat this a lot.”

They were right (it’s on the lunch table at school every day), and they introduced me to one of my favorite Thai foods. Som dtam is a spicy salad made with shredded, green papaya. It literally means “sour pounded,” which makes sense considering the unripe papaya is kind of sour and to make it, you pound up all the ingredients with a pestle and mortar.

There are so many different kinds of som dtam, with a variety of regional specialties (Isaan-style includes fermented fish and rice-paddy crabs) and even one made with a bunch of different kinds of fruit. I’m going to share a recipe on how to make my favorite version: som dtam Thai.

more “Thai Food: Som Dtam, Spicy Papaya Salad” …

Thai Food: Khao Soi, Curry Noodle Soup

February 24, 2015

Despite what is pushed as a singular Thai identity, Thailand is full of diversity, which becomes even more pronounced when looking at the various regional dishes.

One dish that is specific to Northern Thailand is ข้าวซอย (khao soi), which is like a noodle-soup with curried broth that also includes coconut milk and is topped with deep fried egg noodles. Khao soi is similar to a dish that is featured in the cuisine of the Shan people of Burma and is also eaten in Northern Laos. Khao soi literally means “cut rice,” referring to the way the noodles are prepared – by steaming a large sheet of rice noodle and then cutting with scissors.

This dish is not typically served at Thai restaurants outside of Thailand, so if you are looking for a flavor of Thailand that you may have never had before, click inside for a recipe.

more “Thai Food: Khao Soi, Curry Noodle Soup” …

Thai Food: Guoi Dtiao, Chinese-Thai Noodles

February 20, 2015

ก๋วยเตี๋ยว (guoi dtiao) is one of the most ubiquitous street foods in Thailand and is a kind of noodle soup. It’s probably one of the most customizable Thai dishes out there, from start to finish. You get to choose the noodle size, whether you want broth or not, the kind of broth and the meat. Plus, at the table you can add flavorings to your bowl as you like it. 

Guoi dtiao is a dish that is Chinese influenced, as so it is one of the rare things in Thailand that you eat with chopsticks (there’s also an Asian-style spoon for the broth). This dish is pretty strictly eaten at street stands, and so rather than give you a recipe for guoi dtiao, I’ll give you the steps to ordering your own bowl.

more “Thai Food: Guoi Dtiao, Chinese-Thai Noodles” …

Thai Food: Pad Ga-Prao, Spicy Fried Basil

February 17, 2015

This dish is one that is found in nearly every restaurant in Thailand, is simple and filling. It’s called ผัดกะเพรา (pad ga-prao), and literally means stir fried basil. It’s made with any variety of available meat – usually chicken or pork – but I’ve personally had it made with tofu and fried egg as well.

The basil is not your ordinary Western basil, but rather, Thai holy basil. There are quite a few varieties of basil in Thailand (holy basil, hairy basil, sweet basil), and Thai holy basil can be kind of difficult to find outside of Thailand, so sometimes Thai sweet basil is substituted instead, but it doesn’t quite have the same flavor. Click inside to learn how to make your own ผัดกะเพรา.

more “Thai Food: Pad Ga-Prao, Spicy Fried Basil” …