A friend of mine from Washington, DC was driving to Maine for her best friend’s wedding. En route, she called the bride-to-be to remind her to gather “something old, something new, something borrowed, and something blue,” as the saying goes. “Yikes!” the bride exclaimed. She…
The past few weeks have been busy with changes. A big one is that my website has recently undergone a makeover. There’s a fresh design, a new tagline, “Exploring the World of Food, Antiques, and Crafts,“ and a scrollable gallery of some of my photos. I invite you…
Some people visit markets in Paris purely for the fun and cultural immersion, and maybe to pick up souvenirs that can be transported home in a suitcase. I often advise travelers to Paris that one doesn’t need to have a kitchen to enjoy the food…
Fall is the season for agricultural fairs. I remember attending the York Fair in Pennsylvania every September. What excited me then was spinning upside down on the Zipper ride and similarly dizzying effects from eating funnel cake coated with confectioner’s sugar. At this stage in life, I’m…
La rentrée is a big deal in France. Early September marks the re-entry of the local French after a long vacation period, which is often the full month of August. The term is mostly associated with students going back to school for the new academic…
The staccato tock-tock-tock of the high school marching band’s practice and the buzzing of cicadas are two of the surest sounds heralding the end of summer. They pinch me with a feeling of sadness. Summer is a lush and generous season with long hours of daylight and an abundance…
The Internet gives us the ability to connect with like-minded people around the world. Thanks to social media networks, I’ve met many market enthusiasts and have learned a great deal from them. One example is Askan, who lives in Bonn, Germany (the former capital of West Germany) and…
Others get psyched when big-name musicians come to town. I, on the other hand, get juiced up about food markets. And so I’m very excited about the opening of the Boston Public Market. The seeds were planted in 2001 when a group formed to create a public market near the Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway…
There are places where la douceur du climat (the mildness and sweetness of the climate) of France makes it possible to enjoy the good life year-round—and within an easy train ride of Paris. Take, for instance, Rouen especially on a Sunday morning when the city’s…
Somerville used to suffer the slurs of uppity residents in neighboring communities. But increasingly it’s being hailed as the Brooklyn of Massachusetts and one of the hottest ‘hoods around, especially for foodies. With artsy coffee houses, a popular ice cream parlor, donut shop, and restaurants that are turning out some of the best meals in the…