Give Dad the World

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Today is my dad’s birthday, but unfortunately I am in San Diego and he is across the country in Atlanta.  But in honor of him and in preparation of Father’s Day (June 17th in the U.S.) in a few weeks, I’ve been searching for some internationally themed gifts to give to one of my favorite men in the world.  Here are a couple different ideas:

For the Stamp Collecting Dad:  The World Encyclopedia of Stamps & Stamp Collecting and some Postcrossing supplies (postcards of his hometown and stamps that add to $1.05)

For the Coffee Connoissuer Dad: The Around the World Coffee Sampler with blends from Sumatra (Indonesia), Ethiopia, and Guatemala from Great Coffee (you could always throw in one of the classic World’s Best Dad mugs too!)

For the Global Fanatic Dad: Gear from the birthplace of golf, St. Andrews

For the Globe Trotting Dad: Do a little DIY and make this hand-sewn leather passport cover from Design Sponge

For the Lifelong Learning Dad: Rosetta Stone

For the Fashion Forward Dad: Personalized map cuff links from Juanitas

For the Softie Side of Dad: Thank him from abroad with a photo of you. 

Let me know if you find any other great global gifts for Father’s Day!

 

 

Global from Chicago

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On Saturday I left sunny San Diego for a long weekend with great friends in Chicago. Although I’m a lot further than 30 miles from home, the trip has still been packed with fun and noteworthy cultural finds. Should you find yourself in Chicago check out some of the following:

Drake Hotel With the gorgeous weather, we found ourselves at the beach right next to the Drake Hotel in downtown Chicago.  This weekend it seemed to be the gathering spot for Brits celebrating the Diamond Jubilee. The Drake is famous for its high tea in its Palm Court.  Served daily, the high tea is definitely a cultural experience worth the small splurge. Even the Queen approves – she was entertained in the Drake back in 1958.

The Paris Club
One of the newer chic places in Chicago happens to be of the French persuasion. For dinner on Saturday we headed to the Paris Club to experience a “French awakening” by Chef Joho. It was a little loud but the food was worth having a yell across the table. Goat cheese pâtè, scallops in butter, and gruyere fondue made up my – dinner. Check out the more thorough review of our dinner  this Thursday at Chewable Chicago.

Julius Meinl
And finally today I sit in this lovely European style cafe in Southport Corridor. With only locations in Vienna and Chicago, this cafe has managed to maintain European charm in the middle of an American neighborhood. In fact as I sit here, conversations in French surround me. Love it! The coffee is superb and so are the cookies.

P.S. Blogging from an iPad is a pain.

Bon Appetit!

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I am kind of obsessed with cheese.  In fact, when hubby is out-of-town, my meal of choice is crackers and some good sharp white cheddar.  But in all honesty, I don’t discriminate. I love it all.  And the stronger the better. So when I saw brie on sale for $6 a wheel while perusing Costco this week, I couldn’t resist.  Brie grilled cheese sandwiches, a mixed green salad, and few Madeleine’s and  LU Pims made up our lovely little French lunch. Delicious food with wonderful people = great Friday lunch.

Our lovely little spread

This is my plate. Melted brie goodness! Yum.

Bébés on the Brain

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This past November, I turned 30.  I believe 30 is this magical number in the U.S. that everyone starts having children or everyone starts asking if you’re going to have children.  Some people ask point blank, some are a little more covert, and then there is my mother. 

Last night she called to update me on some family news and somehow or another the conversation turned to her future grandchildren.  My mom knows me well; she knows that we do want to have kids someday and she is awesome about not pressuring us.  So instead of asking about our family plans, she just states what she’s going to do when our little one finally comes around.  She LOVES her grandkids and enjoys daydreaming about having more. And since my niece and nephew are the cutest kids ever, I really can’t blame her.

But our conversation last night ended up turning to children sleeping through the night and whether you pick them up or let them cry. I found the dialog especially interesting because currently I am reading Bringing Up Bébé by Pamela Druckerman.  I’m not very far along yet, but even in the first chapter Druckerman makes some good contrasts between the American family chaos to the more serene French family.  Druckerman noticed the difference first while at a restaurant in France where she observed the local children eating adult food, sitting in their chairs, and playing quietly.  How many times have you been to an American restaurant only to see parents chasing their children around because they refuse to stay at the table? A lot, right?  If most French children sleep through the night at 3 months, eat broccoli without being threatened, and rarely (if ever) throw a tantrum, then perhaps Druckerman is right and there is something to be learned from our Francophone friends.

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My Swap Meet Find: Prisoner of Tehran

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A few weeks ago I went to Kobey’s Swap Meet here in San Diego. (For my Southern readers, swap meet = flea market.) Kobey’s is a cultural experience in itself. Walking up and down the table-laden aisles, I heard Spanish, Arabic, and Mandarin spoken by both the buyers and the sellers. That’s just proof that all nationalities like a good deal!  For the most part, I go to Kobey’s to browse through junk and buy books at a $1 a piece. On my last visit, I got 6 for $5 and was thrilled.  While not all of my book purchases were worthy of the $1 price tag, Prisoner of Tehran, A Memoir by Marina Nemat was worth $5 on its own.

Although born and raised in Tehran, Iran, Marina Nemat was not the typical Iranian child. Her father a dance instructor, her family of Russian decent, and herself a devout Christian, Marina’s way of life contradicted everything that was associated with the Islamic Revolution of 1979. But it was when she demands to be taught calculus, rather than Islamic political propaganda that she was marked as an enemy of the Iranian government and imprisoned at the age of 16 in Evin, an infamous political prison outside of Tehran. In Prisoner of Tehran, Nemat details her life in prison as well as her childhood leading up to that ominous day.

My interest in the experiences of Middle Eastern women has significantly increased over the past month. Between reading My Embassy Letters and watching Salaam Dunk and Beauty Academy of Kabul, I have learned pieces of the current situation in the Middle East but have lacked awareness of the historical background.  Prisoner of Tehran provides significant insight into the timeline of women’s rights in Iran and helped my fill in some of my historical holes. Not only did Prison of Tehran inform me, but it was also well-written, honest, and redemptive. Nemat has excellent flow and I was able to finish the whole book in 4 days.

If you are looking for a good read that will challenge and enlighten you, I would highly recommend Prisoner of Tehran.

Navigator’s Delight: 7 Fun Ideas for Map Decor

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I have noticed a trend among my traveling companions that we all love maps. Whether vintage, scratch-off, or artistic, there is something that draws us to them.  Perhaps it brings back the good ol days when we were lost in Venice, Cusco, or Kyoto.  Navigator, I am not!  Here are some fun ways I’ve found recently to incorporate maps into home decor:

Kate Sproston Designs pillows could mark the location of your soul mate or soul city. 

Shed some light on the world (or through it) with the All Around the World Hanging Pendant from Naturally Heartfelt.

I saw these scratch-off maps at Paper Source yesterday and want one for me! 

16 maps + 1 frame = all the places I love on Sassafassed

Chalk the world up with HANNAHJM’s Chalkboard World Map

Add some extra seating with this pouf from Impressionen.

Give the kitchen a mini make-over with mapped drawer pulls from Sherri Truitt.

For more map ideas, check out these Pinterest boards:

 

Abroad Blog of the Week: Soulshine Traveler

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If you are looking for adventurous inspiration, Soulshine Traveler is a blog you should definitely check out.  Taking a year off from the corporate world starting last October, Meghan is traversing the globe on the roads less traveled and serving along the way. Currently she is in the small city of Yaroslavl, Russia with Cross-Cultural Solutions (a great international volunteer organization!) working in the community for the next two months.  I’ve only been onto this blog for about 2 weeks but here is what I love so far:

  1. Soulshine’s photos would make just about anyone want to go to Russia.  Unfortunately Russia is usually not on the top of someone’s travel bucket list but I think Meghan’s photos may just be the nudge someone would need to add it to the list. For example (wow, right?):     
  2. Each week on Soulshine Traveler, Meghan shares a variety of online resources she has stumbled upon pertaining to her interests, travel, other blogs, etc. Check out her most recent Dose of Soulshine – the Diary of Foreign Language Class Clown is a good one.
  3. Meghan is an excellent storyteller. I have never been to Russia, however, when I read her last post I could imagine myself in Yaroslavl. Her travel stories are a fond reminder of my own independent global adventures and are truly a delight to read.
  4. But what I think I love most I found out last night in a message from Meghan. She shared with me that she never studied abroad but that perhaps this year of traveling is making up for that.  I have so many students that think once college comes and goes, their chance at seeing the world is over.  I think Soulshine Traveler is indication that this simply is not true. It serves as a good reminder to me (and I hope you) that the world is only a decision away.

Ethnic Food Fair at Balboa Park

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If you ever visit San Diego on a Sunday, Balboa Park is a must.  Each Sunday afternoon from 12pm to 4pm, the House of Pacific Relations International Cottages showcase national traditions from around the world.  This Sunday hubby and I headed to the International Cottages for the annual Ethnic Food Fair.  Each house was open for viewing and had a variety of traditional foods for sale.  There was also great (FREE!) entertainment representing various countries.  Here are some pictures from our ethnic outing:

Dragons danced through the streets courtesy of the House of China.

The House of Argentina served grilled sausages – delicious!

 

Each house decorates both the inside and the outside to represent their home country.

The Beauty Academy of Kabul

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While flipping through Netflix, I came across the documentary The Beauty Academy of Kabul.  Having been thoroughly entertained by Salaam Dunk, I liked the idea of another documentary based on women in the Middle East and I was not disappointed.  The documentary follows the opening of the first beauty school in Kabul, Afghanistan led by 6 American instructors (3 of which were Afghan refugees) and starting with 20 Afghan students.  The film depicts the reactions of the refugees returning to Kabul, the hardships that the students go through to get the training, and the culture of beauty that is hidden due to the Taliban regime.  The film is really well done and worth the download.

 

Elise’s Piñata Coconut Cookies

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In the US, this weekend marks the beginning of summer.  The pools open, school gets out, and its time to throw a FIESTA! For a student event we had a few weeks ago, I thought we could have a little Mexican flare.  (Warning: the food for this event was not authentic but rather inspired by Mexico.  I’m still working on my cooking abilities so you’ll have to forgive.) For decorations, a good old fashion sombrero served as our chip container and then some homemade tissue flowers gave a little more color to the table.  Our menu included fresh watermelon (for $.29 a pound, I couldn’t refuse), individual Mexican layer dip, and Elise’s Piñata Coconut Cookies.

Note on the piñata cookies: So everyone has been raving about these Piñata Cookies from Project Denneler on Pinterest, blogs, etc.  They have real treats inside!

I 100% agree that these cookies look amazing but I ran into several problems when attempting to make them: 1) they take a TON of dough, 2) they take a TON of time, and 3) I am just not this skilled at baking yet.

Here is my much easier version of piñata cookies:

ELISE’S PINATA COCONUT COOKIES

Ingredients:

  • 1 package Pillsbury sugar cookie refrigerator dough (or your own sugar cookie recipe)
  • 1 can vanilla icing
  • 1 cup shredded coconut
  • Food coloring

Directions:

  1. Roll out Pillsbury dough to 1/4 inch thickness and cut out donkey shapes (our in my case, cut out giraffe shapes and mold into donkeys)
  2. Bake according to directions
  3. Divide coconut into four bowl and stir in 3-4 drops of different food coloring into each bowl – I did red, blue, yellow, and orange
  4. Once cookies are cool, spread vanilla icing and then sprinkle coconut in lines to give the striped look

 They aren’t quite as cute as above but they do the trick…and tasty too!