These photos date from July 11, 2009, so I’m a bit off in my date matching (today being the 18th). Early that morning Eduardo, my cousin Natasha’s husband, led us up their neighborhood “hill.” Tom, Ed, and the dogs made it up easily… I huffed and puffed and really wished I hadn’t been wearing hot […]

July 7, 2009. This would be our last full day in Cali before heading to Bogotá the following afternoon. We lunched on chicharrón alongside beans, rice, and patacones. In the morning I poked around the house a bit more, taking pictures of favorite details. My uncle Pedro “Perucho,” his wife Marta, and my cousin David came […]

July 6, 2009. Today the trip from Cali to Popayán and back is made easily in a day’s time. According to my aunt Stella and uncle Joaquín, it hasn’t always been that way. I’m sorry that I don’t remember exactly how long it took, and google is no help with reference to the route. Whether the […]

July 4, 2009. We were up early, had arepas for breakfast, and explored around the house–peeking out the windows, poking around the patio, and getting to know la casa on our second day in Cali. My cousin Juan came over around noon to greet us. After a visit to Juan’s house to find his wife […]

Eating local food when it is in season – elitist though it may be – is a good trend for food in America, one that I hope has more staying power than most foodie fads. To that end, I try my best to try to promote that style of eating, on this blog and in […]

When I travel – which happens far too infrequently for my taste – I focus on the food. That’s probably not surprising. The problem with falling in love with the food of a place that, due to a lack of funds or time I won’t be visiting again in the near future, is the cravings. […]

Every Christmas my father prepares buñuelos for the family on the mornings of the 24, 25, and 26 so that all can have their share–no matter their arrival time. A round Colombian cheese bread, buñuelos are made from corn starch, shredded queso campesino, milk, and a little salt and sugar (we first mentioned them here). They are […]

I am ready to eat Colombian food again. That was not the case when Martha and I got back from Colombia in mid July. On the flight home, somewhere over the Caribbean, I became violently ill and Martha was in the same state by the evening. Although our flu lasted less than 24 hours, eating […]

Some of the best souvenirs are things that you’ll actually use. I’m not saying I don’t buy good-for-nothing-but-being-pretty type souvenirs. I do. I just think souvenirs that do something make for more active memories. Every time we use these wooden spoons and our new parrilla, we’ll think of Stella–in her insistence on our finding a […]