Momma hits Italy

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I have been telling my mom she has to get out of the country for awhile... see something new, experience a new culture, new scenery... Travel is so important, I feel you not only learn more about other cultures when you travel abroad- you learn about yourself, your opinions and what truly matters to you.

So here it was... she was invited by long time friends to take a trip to Italy. A friend of a friend has major cash, so on and so forth- basically they would have places to stay, like, POSH places to stay. They would visit multiple cities and sites... I was super thrilled for her to have this chance ( and a bit jealous as well!! ) and was insistent that she not pass up the opportunity.

So it was decided- my dear sweet mother was going to Italy.

She is back now and had a wonderful time. She learned that Italy is gorgeous, that Europe is so different in so many ways than what we are used to here... she saw cities, town and architecture that far out dates anything here in the US. She also came to the realisation that quite a number of Italians are rude. They travelled into Switzerland for a day and according to her, the Swiss made the Italians look like sweethearts. I guess the stereotypes are often true.

Bottom line- she had a beautiful experience and I know for a fact it changed her life. Now she wants quality olive oil, good imported balsamic vinegar and Italian peach tea (which was difficult to find the particular brand on the internet)... her photos are lovely and I am waiting for her to gather up 30 or so of her favorites to share on my blog. Once she has decided on which photos she wants to post, I will be uploading them.

I am happy that she can share her photos and experiences the same way I did.
I have also been writing about specific photos from our travels in Southern Africa, a sort of revisiting of certain moments that we shared while traveling and working abroad.

Once I have that finished I will be posting these as well...

In other news- I am starting a separate blog called Under the Acacia Tree. This blog will be my way to share stories and recipes from Africans living in the Dallas- Fort Worth area. I know quite a few Africans, from all over the continent, living here. Most of the people I know are successful in business, many of them own restaurants serving their native cuisine.
I was inspired by a book called African Salad. This book was published by small independent company in South Africa, having only four books under their belt. It is such a fun and incredible book. They traveled all around South Africa, going into people's homes and collecting recipes and at the same time, capturing the beauty of people and culture. The people and recipes shared with us in the book show all parts of the spectrum of South Africa. You see large Cape Malay families, where the grandmother shares a traditional lamb stew recipe.. contemporary mothers sharing recipes that provide a quick, but healthy meal their hungry kids. A favorite of mine is a man who shares his special potjie recipe... a potjie is firstly a dutch oven, but the food created in such cast iron pot is also called a potjie.. basically a slow cooked stew of meat, vegetables and sometimes beans or rice. So what makes this man's potjie recipe so special? An entire liter and a half bottle of Coke!!

So this book is so great and the idea is wonderful. And then this idea popped into my head!
I know South Africans, Algerians, Egyptians, Nigerians, Kenyans, Congolese- all living in my area. They have stories and recipes from home- how they came to live here- how they hold onto the recipes from their homelands... so yeah, that is it. Under the Acacia Tree is in the works.
Once I have it together and functioning, I will post a link on this blog and hopefully you will subscribe.

So until the Italian Momma post, the reflections of Southern Africa post and the start of my new blog- take care..

Joshua

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