Platelickers Unite!

Tin Shed, Alberta St., Portland, OR

2010-06-29T20:58:00.001-07:00

What did i have? A shroom burger.. with sauteed onions.. no chez.. no house sauce (ok... no dairy for this girl).. but added some spicelicious aiole sauce. The sauce made all the difference. Not just your typical burger, but a no added hormones in this burger.. that helped its ranking. Though it tasted a little flat without that sauce..that didn't help its ranking. When i can eat something grown with at least some consciousness .. it affects my eating experience. These factors will always affect the platelicking rating. I just don't enjoy foods as much when they are conventional.. boring!

So.. overall, the burger experience at Tin Shed.. 3.5 LICKS.
View the video for a more personal experience.
Love,
Platelicker Extraordinaire

2008-10-27T09:07:00.001-07:00

Our voting party made the front page of the Oregonian on Sunday! http://ping.fm/BZvW4

2008-10-24T22:36:00.001-07:00

Have a Merkley Halloween!
http://ping.fm/pUVzq

2008-10-24T10:13:00.001-07:00

sending out a special election edition of my e-mail, The Eleven, send e-mail to albertkaufman@gmail.com for a copy, peace!

A big thank you to this community

2008-07-24T14:19:00.001-07:00

hi everyone,

We had a second art opening reception last night @ the Urban Grind for
our Ecstatic Images show (attached photo by Raku Loren). It was really sweet, and I'm feeling a lot
of gratitude for everyone who came to see the show and for the artists
and their supporters who helped put this together.

It feels important for me to say something about support right now.
There's lots going on in the world that is having us focus on lack,
scarcity and problems - and there is good reason to keep track of all
that - but I think it ends up forming a wedge between us which is not
good or healthy. My sense is that in this time of economic recession
(or whatever word you want to put on what is happening economically/
ecologically on this planet right now, and I have a lot of words for
that) supporting each other even more strongly is the way to go.

By this I mean supporting each others' efforts, businesses,
leadership, and efforts along the way. How this relates to the art
show is that I hope that people will come see this art work and give
feedback to the artists - perhaps even buy a piece (you can ask the
barista for a price list) for yourself, a friend, an upcoming wedding
or bat mitzvah - but mainly show your support by showing up - here and
at other places where people in this community are making an effort to
show themselves and put their best efforts forward.

Along these lines I wish we as a community had a couple things in
place, and I may create these or work with others to.

I'd love to see us have a directory that features all of the various
healthcare practitioners and accountants and photographers and really,
anyone who wants to be listed, so that when I'm needing someone to
help me in a certain way, I can reach out to a dancing friend (or they
can connect me to the right person).

I'd love to see us have some sort of community fund so that when
someone wants to take a workshop or pay a gas bill and can't afford
it, they can reach towards that fund.

I'd love to see us figure out some good ways to support the elders in
our community - both when they (and eventually I :) need it and just
along the way.

So, a final word of encouragement - when you see one of your friends
posting something on this list - think about attending, think about
helping to promote their efforts. If you see someone stepping out,
encourage them - send them words of encouragement or recommend them to
someone else - we can stretch ourselves in our dance (we do all the
time) and we can stretch ourselves in our caring and support of each
other.

The info about the art show is below, come see the work if you can
before it comes down next Thursday, hours are below. And, I hear that
both Lloyd and Roxanne will have art work up during 1st Thurs. in the
Pearl - more on that will follow, I'm sure.

see you on the dance floor,

Albert

--------------------------

Urban Art @Urban Grind Presents

ECSTATIC IMAGES

artists from: The Ecstatic Dance Art(ists) Collective:

Ansula Press, Sacred Mandalas
Danielle Levario, Photographer
Lloyd Lemmerman, Painter
Raku Loren, Photographer
Roxanne Patruznick, painter
and a co-created video dance piece!
Beth, alter-creator!

http://www.scn.org/neighbors/beacon/pdx/ei.htm

@ The Urban Grind @ urbangrindcoffee.com and 2214 NE Oregon St.,
Portland, OR 97232
Regular Hrs: M-F 7-5, Sat. 9-5 (wi-fi)
12 Bus from downtown or directions @ http://tinyurl.com/4x2bnk

Back in Portland, Post Oregon Country Fair

2008-07-17T10:57:00.000-07:00

I'm enjoying the view out the backyard and some sweet music from India.

a sweet quote by Ralph Estes

2008-05-06T17:56:00.001-07:00

Life is short, Break the rules, Forgive quickly, Kiss slowly, Love truly, Laugh uncontrollably, And never regret anything that made you smile!

Portland life

2008-04-28T11:48:00.000-07:00

we've both returned safely to Portland, our home. And, it's been such a lovely reunion. For an on-line slide show of our 8 days together in Argentina visit

http://picasaweb.google.com/albertkaufman/PlatelickersinArgentina

and, for some Passover Fun, click here

Eecole will have some more photos of her trip up soon! and, maybe we'll do a slide show, too. hugs. Albert

Argentinian BBQ

2008-04-18T13:29:00.000-07:00

a photo from the ground... sounds like buses and flights have been cancelled, hope that changes soon!!!

also, here's some info on peat fires...thanks to Beatrice, who is in BA right now choking on this smoke..

my thoughts are with you Argentina! Alberto

smoked out

2008-04-17T14:13:00.000-07:00

Y es.. its true.. we have been smoked out for about 3 days now. Its a truly fascinating time here in argentina.. soy soy and more soy.. and in my humble nutritionist position.. we dont need any more! yet.. the people here are in their own way.. being forced to grow it.. the world economy seems to want it.. and mother earth seems to yield tons of it.. a good combination for an overproduction of it.. which is exactly whats happening. We have been in a little town called Baradaro since sunday. on monday we visited a most outrageous house where the bishop comes to stay when visiting. the land and house are owned by the catholic church. we had a vista like none other from the backyard... overlooking the islands that the farmers have decided to burn in order to ready the ground for soy. more soy. its sad. now before I go on.. for all you wonderful worry warts out there who love us dearly and tend to let your imaginations run wild with fret.. we are just fine.. and we are not in any danger.. i just want to explain a hairy situation that is right beneath our noses. .... ok.. here we go..

right now there are cows on the land.. and have been for a long time.. these islands are precious to the people.. and somehow the terrain has withstood the hooves of cows for years.. but this year something different has happened. It might be a response of desperate measures to increase profits because of the recent taxes the president has decided to impose on the farmers... but in any case.. they have set record fires to the islands.. so that they can ¨prepare¨the fields (kill anything in their way) to plant soy.... and now.. they are smoking out all of the Buenos Aires province.. roads have closed.. accidents have happened.. our trips had to be cancelled for our safety.. when the evening comes... its a smoke fest.. literally having to cover my nose .. dont get me wrong.. we can breathe fine.. but it is not contributing to my overall lung wellness!!. My dear knowledgeable soil scientist friend kelly explained to me 2 things.. 1 is that when there is colder air.. it sits on top of the smoke like a big fat blanket.. and until the wind currents change .. or daytime comes with a bit more heat.. the evenings are worse than the daytime. during the day.. the air feels much more clear and the weather has warmed up .. so the smoke dissapates.. but evenings are still hard! and also.. that these poor folks think its possible to put out the fires from the air.. but what they dont realize is that there are several feet of peat or humus layer .. and that the fire will go down deep below the surface and travel.. so the only way to put it out is by flipping over the peat to reach the fire.. but there is no way to get there.. the bogs are too deep for people to walk in.. and so.. who knows what will happen with these fires.. and with the people.. and the land. i talked to a man who is in charge of the area´s greenspaces.. and he was miserable with the knowledge that these farmers are destroying thousands of years worth of work to build the organic layers that keep these islands so fertile. i felt like it was one of the first acknowlegements of destruction done by this agressive soy hunt... and granted this is an extreme example.. Its complicated. I dont blame the farmers for wanting to make money. wanting to survive in a completely unstable economy. i dont know who to point the finger at, really. perhaps its our greed.. our ignorance.. our lack of connection to a greater purpose.. that has infected us at the societal level.. todas el mundo. i feel sadness. i feel angry.

and yet.. i have hope.. somehow, we continue on.. and there is kindness in the world that acts as a salve to our wounds. again... the people here in Argentina continue to treat us with the utmost of respect, concern, and sincerity. They ship us here and there.. despite any troubles that stumble across our path. We continue to have late night dinners.. and late night rotary meetings.. but we are persisting! Last night.. we had homemade pasta.. homemade chicken salad, chow chow relish (that´s green beens.... in espanol)..and flan. This sweet rotarian labored at home to roll out the pasta.. i wonder how he cut it? .. and make a wonderful sauce to boot. Frankly, i think i loved it so much cause i could taste the love put into it. Today.. we dined at a fancy golf club in Alfio´s hometown. Unfortunately , we had to make it quick cause.. they had to get us home while the roads were still open. (seem to close periodically due to smoke!!.. ¨humo¨. its an absolutely gorgeous night.. the sun is setting behind me.. the trees are lit with the warm hues of fall light. i feel lucky to be in a place so far away.. and to experience something so different from my usual life. and yet.. i feel so comfortable.. so at home in this little town. its easy to walk places. the people are friendly. there´s chocolate available. you know.. the necessities.

so.. likely enough from me now. to those of you reading.. i send you a great big kiss ont he cheek , Argentinian style.. and i clank my invisible glass with you..(another one of my absolute favorite argentine customs.. to clank your glass with EVERYONE in the roomm.. its quite a scene!!).. and say Salud! to health.. to happiness.. to wisdom and abundance.. to connection with each other and with the earth,
Eecole

home a week now - gettin busy!

2008-04-17T09:50:00.000-07:00

well, I've been home a week now, and it's been a fantastic homecoming. I've been loving the fresh air, friends, and just being home in my lovely place. I've found a surge of energy and inspiration and am running with it - planning a house concert, a performance at a local cafe, twittering a bunch, and reconnecting to my friends, and the planet in a way I haven't felt in a long time. It's exciting!

Sounds like Eecole is super busy - end of the Argentinian trip - being shuttled around from place to place seeing things, giving her performance for Rotary clubs and I believe attending a weekend long Rotary regional conference this weekend before flying back to Portland. Sounds like due to the burning of crop fields the whole country is experiencing a major smoke situation which is affecting everything...

in terms of activism, I sent out an e-mail for the 11th of April mostly on population issues and am also trying to support a local effort vis the Pangea Day on May 10th.

And I couldn't resist - here's a letter I just wrote to the editor of Food Day, our special weekly section on food in the Oregonian...

have a great day! Alberto

To the Editor:

I appreciated your recent Food Day series on the grocery-budget challenge and liked many of the suggestions in the Savings article. One area that could be expanded is how we can feed ourselves. Your suggestion of planting a herb garden was a good start, but why not replace some lawn with a vegetable garden? The growing season here is long and it’s possible to grow vegetables like kale, onions, tomatoes, radishes, peppers, etc. due to our excellent climate. And, planting fruit and nut trees will provide families with easily harvestable tasty fruit and nuts for years and years.

Two great organizations to look to for information are Growing Gardens: http://www.growing-gardens.org/ and
the Home Orchard Society: http://www.homeorchardsociety.org/

I’d love to see a Food Day article or two on how we can feed ourselves and perhaps some direction and encouragement from the City for people to plant, grow and harvest food for themselves.

Sincerely,

Albert

soon ill just say MOOO!!!

2008-04-13T13:44:00.000-07:00

i think im turning into a cow. i mean it. somehbow i managed to meet up with fish over the last few days.. but my hind quarters are just about ready to be butchered and stuck on a spit! i have eaten more bife (that´s beef).. than ever before. however.. last night.. kelly , vicki and i made our host families an incredible stir fry. TONS of vegetables and chicken and roasted squash with an oustanding coconut sauce.. if i may say so myself. 5 bottles of wine, sorbet and icecream.. and.. guess how much it cost.. oh a whopping $40 to feed 12 people. United states citizens can eat like kings and queens here.. i understnad why people choose to retire in other countries where the dollar is strong in comparison to their currency. it unfortunate that portland is so expensive now.. it wasnt always like that. i want so badly to buy a house. perhps outside the city is where ill need to go. and i want community in a big bad way. i had the GREATEST time cooking with a large group last night.. being around friends.. laughing.. drinking wine.. cooking colorful vegetables... listening to romantic sappy Argintine music. it was awesome. hey friends. can we do that when i return? please?

so.. my trip here has been ok. really great to spend some time just hanging out and relaxing. when we can. othert than that .. been seeing the sights.. oh. did i tell anyone that i went to visit MONSANTO!! i infiltrated the enemy.. it was awful. they are awful. we saw nothing of interest.. of course they dont even advertise where they are.... they are hiddeen under a different name.. of course they arent proud of what they do.. they just tout how important their work is.. but its all a facade to make money. ick... and for those of you who dont know.. Monsanto is the king of genetically modified seeds.. they are patenting their seeds to have the rights... and anyone that happens to grow anything nearby a monsanto crop..can be sued if monsanto´s genes happen to cross with something they are growing. its just awful. but intersting nontheless.. to see their facility. they will grow over 1.5 million seeds next year....(and that might have just been for 1 seed company in japan.. i cant recall).

as for me.. im mostly well.. suffereing a bit from allergies. mold and dog and cat hair.. and eating a lot of dairy i think brings my immune system down. but .. feel pretty solid. just talked with albert.. he is now home.. sounds good.. looks really happy. im looking foward to oregon.. adn my friends.. and life in general at home. i love my life there.. missing it. but also.. know that i have 1 more week here.. adn want to make the best of it. our new hosts are liliana and alfeo.. they are super sweet.. had an amazing ravioli lunch... always.. wine, club soda.. agua con gas.. or sin gas... yum. they have a penchant for putting ice in their wine.. or soda.. they drink tons of pomelo gaseosa.. (grapefruit soda).. it good. i actally have been drinking some coca cola.. and sprite.. well it doesnt have high fructorse corn syrup here... adn its one of the few things offered.. adn well.. yes.. i have to admit.. that sometimes.. the sweet cool bubbly is refreshing!! AGH!! whats happening to me? beef, cheese, icecream adn coca cola. im turning into an american! help!!!

ok... gotta go shopping at the market...making another VEGGIE dinner.. uuuummmmmm back to my healthy roots... red peppers.. here i come!!

love you all..
e

Thank you - gratitude

2008-04-08T18:01:00.000-07:00

I'm full of gratitude for a great trip.

Thanks to Eecole for applying for and getting into the GSE program which instigated me coming along for the first 8 days together and now 3 weeks on my own.

Thanks to everyone who kept in touch and kept me company during the trip, especially Eecole who has been wonderful at keeping in touch even during a busy itinerary

Thanks to my couch-surfing friends - Gabi, Tomoko, Beatrice and Xavier for being gracious, kind and welcoming - i will miss you all!

Thanks to my family for picking up the phone and talking and for being understanding and supportive of this son, brother who likes to work sometimes and travel other times

thanks to Argentina for being such a wonderful and welcoming place full of surprises and beauty

Thanks to Delta Airlines for getting me here and taking me home tomorrow night!

More about today will follow at some point. maybe tomorrow. It was an excellent day full of walking, retracing some steps and taking lots of new ones.

Adios. Alberto

re mem mem remem a member... last days in BA

2008-04-08T04:27:00.000-07:00

well, it's been a fine couple of days in Buenos Aires. yesterday I got up, took the rush hour 41 bus into town, got off at Heras Park, and stopped for breakfast. One of my favorite things is to pick up a local newspaper and read in Spanish about the days happenings. Read about the economy and some entertainment news over some brazilian and costa rican coffee and some media lunas.

feeling a bit like I have a second travel wind going on. a week ago, I was ready to consider coming home and now I'm wishing for just a couple more days.

I left the cafe, did a little internetting and then found my way to the MALBA (museo de arte latinoamericano de buenos aires). Saw 2 great floors of modern art, esp. enjoyed some of the more political pieces. then, walked outside, found my way to a small museum of San Martin and took a nap on a bench. Then, wandered some more and came across this giant, silver flower which supposedly opens and closes as the day goes by.

it was quite impressive. burners would love it. captures the sun, is sitting on top of a giant expanse of water, a fountain, but no fountaining going on. I want to do some more research on this, and perhaps find a video of it opening in the AM....

wandered some more to a plaza, and then saw an amazing tree. one of those that has the trunks that are high off he ground and spreading all over the place, and the limbs that are also low to the ground - one of the widest trees I've ever seen. A couple of the museums I'd picked out to visit were closed due to it being Monday and I may try to see them today, or not. my last full day in Argentina. don't cry for me, Argentina...

anyway, was thinking about joining a group of people who go to dance at something called Bomba, but instead, was just feeling the pulse of the City and felt more like continuing to wander and observe. Found my way to 9th de Julio, and all of the commuters finding their way home.

oh yeah, lunch!!!! earlier on, stopped at this torteria, and had a delicious spinach and onion and egg, perhaps, torta. oh yum!!!! and couldn't help myself and had a brownie with dulce de leche on top of that. yes, my pants are a bit tighter, I have to admit... but soon the flow of good italian food and cafes and things will end, I know... so, it's now or never to sample all of these delights.

sun going down and I was at the big obelisk, watching the stream of commuters and feeling the pulse of BA, AND SMiling.

Ewok is up and trying to climb on me!!! Ewok, go find something else to play with. Beatrice and Xavier have adopted this cute, grey kitten. and he's a big ball of energy.

anyway, eventually got tired at around 8pm and caught the D line Supte (subway) back to Congresso (fully packed with people - hot and sweaty and tired, just like in NYC). then, tried calling Eecole - she's in Pergamino right now, about 2 hours NW of BA. no luck, but got to talk to her sweet hostess, Vivian.

finally, back at the house and I roused Beatrice and Xavier to go out and have some dinner. We ate at this great local place, Vincente, near the Coglan train station. reminded me of life in Munich. local place, nothing around but residential, and there it was taking up a corner and no traffic. lovely outdoor dining. I had a steak and salad and glass of strong wine and water for $30 pesos. about $10US. yummy steak. perhaps my last one here, but we'll see - there is still lunch today :) oh yeah, desert was chocolate mousse , to die for!!!

so, that was that. slept well, and today have been thinking perhaps I'll shop. but the only ting on my list is one of those mate cups and even that is not calling that strongly. but I do plan to take my backpack with me, into the City and see what I see.

mmm, feeling really good and clear. smiling. happy.

Albert

Albert and the Orchids

2008-04-07T18:46:00.001-07:00

Albert and the Orchids, originally uploaded by blmurch.

a lovely photo by Beatrice from our trip to the orchid exhibit on Saturday! check out more of her photos at flickr.com/blmurch.

Buenos Aires Botanical Garden - 4.6 Alberto

2008-04-06T08:38:00.000-07:00

hey there, mmmm, botanical gardens, me like em! and this one is small, but sweet. and free. I might go back for more, but had the place to myself and quiet traffic, comparitively to weekdays.. this morning, early. off to the japanese Garden, had a lovely talk with my sister just now on Skype! best connection in a while, and the call was crystal clear except for the big sound of some movie in the background. Adios, Alberto

..later, ended up in the Japanese Garden, which was lovely and hot, and then walked into the second floor above the restaurant and there was a shiatsu demo going on, so I sat down, and waited, and low and behold had a lovely shiatsu massage on the floor with many others... walked from there to VOLTA, which as the best ice cream in the world - day 2 of my trial... had granizada con dulce de leche and choco caramel, with toppings.. oh, I could go there every day. and have, I guess :)

Next, onto some of the major park nearby, to strowl and watch the people in various size bikes, in-line skates and just living the pura vida life of time in the big park of buenos Aires on a Sunday with family.

today I was meditating on how still my mind has become and calm. it was very lovely and I am happy with where my head is at right now.

then, finally walked to what I thought was the station to catch the train to Coglan, and it turned out I was way off course, settled for the subte (subway) D line to congresso Tucumon, and then a bus (41) to the train station and then a walk to try to find Gabi´s place where we couch-surfed when we first got here. Made it there after about an hour, and the house was full of people from all over the world. mostly, Argentinians!!! Portenos, as they´re known here.

and, it was a baking party, so I am now stuffed with chocolate cake, oatmeal cookies, pudding and lovely Malbec from Mendoza. Oh, my tummy hurts - please don´t make me go out to eat a big dinner now, please!!!

a fun day - nice to see Gabi and Tomoko again. They were in great spirits, and I met a lovely woman from Ireland and one from Belgium. Seems that people come here and just figure out how to stay and stay and stay.

that´s all for now. time to hit the homefront and perhaps read a bit before bed. I¨m whooped.

Alberto

4.5.08 Buenos Aires - controlled (sometimes) chaos

2008-04-05T16:00:00.000-07:00

Hola de Buenos Aires! Where we have been before, and where I took and all night bus ride to last night into this morning. Arriving at the Retiro Bus Station at 8am. Tired, bleary eyed, bright sunshine trying to find my way to the Mitre train line in a building a few hundred meters away and getting lost in the innards of the bus station...

the bus to BA stopped at 1am, and the seats wouldn´t go back very far, so it was a rough sleep.

Got to Beatrice and Xavier´s though, and woke them up (they´d been up till 5am the night before at a dress up party) and we all went straight back to bed.

Eventually, I got up, went to a local cafe, had breakfast, bought some fruit, checked e-mail and then headed back to a Beatrice waking up and a cute little Ewok (their new kitten) nipping at everything. Eventually a friend of B´s named Sarah arrived and we all chatted about this and that until we left and went downtown to an Orchid exhibit at this beautiful Museo Metropolitano (Solo Orquideas). Beatrice joined a group that gets together, takes photos and then uploads them to Flikr. Tomorrow they´re shooting a famous government street together and I may join them.

After hours at the orchids and meeting some of her friends, we went out for Helado at an expensive place in Palermo, but tasty tasty tasty!!! Then, B went home and I took a peak at the Botanical gardens - looking forward to seeing them and the Japanese garden perhaps tomorrow or Monday. Turns out tomorrow at 2pm, Gabi, who we stayed with when we first got here, is having a baking party and dinner at her place, so, I may head over there to say hi.

speaking of which - it´s great to be back in BA. I´m still a little fuzzy headed, but I realize now that I was jonsing for some major contrast to the mellowness of Capilla. That I really needed to get into the City and see some hustle and bustle. so, for instance, on the way back from downtown, I took the 41 bus, which spends about 30 minutes going down a very very busy 34th St. (Manhattan) like world. This Town is so HUGE!!!!!

and, reminds me of some of what we did here when we were here last time which I don´t think we ever wrote about

- walked around a quiet downtown and took in the shopping/pedestrian street (Florida, I think)
- went to see Bob Dylan concert in a big outdoor stadium
- went out for late night ice cream after that
- the night before walking through the streets of Palermo with Gabi and then a delcious steak dinner at an outdoor restaurant
- a day where we were headed to Mendoza, but put our things in storage and went walking in San Telmo and saw tango in the streets
- returning to the bus station, and an overnight bus to Mendoza and then finding our way to our first hostel in Mendoza and then continuing our trip from there.

There was so much in that first week, and I don´t think we ever really wrote much about it, it was intense and somewhat fast and hard and easy and beuatiful, and challenging and all of that.

And now, 4 more days in Argentina. Ahhhhhh, where´s the time gone!!! Part of me is ready to head home, and another part is feeling a little revival. I´ve got a great place to stay and there´s so much to see and do here.

So, instead of continuing to write, I think I¨ll go do some of it!!!

Hugs and kisses.

Alberto

have you ever felt the roof of a cow^´s mouth?

2008-04-04T15:20:00.000-07:00

i did.. today at the ice cream cow farm.. this pocito vaca.. so damn cute.. suckled my middle finger.. it was quite the sensation.
ah the joys of long distance relationships...
then we ate wads of ice cream.. milk from just a stone{s throw away.. that my kinda dairy!!

eek

4.2.08 to 4.4.08 - Capilla del Monte

2008-04-04T07:17:00.000-07:00

4.2 beautiful sky here. enjoy a sunset on the mountains. Amazing clouds off to the west. Deciding what to do tomorrow - climb Uriturco? Take a bus to Cordoba? Spend the day in between or in some place between Cordoba and BA? Stay here a while longer? No clear sense one way of the other. Perhaps should toss a coin or read guidebook.

4.3 - sitting at crossroads and the butterflies come winging through. whatever likes eating butterflies is having its carnival right now - turns out this migration happens a couple times a year here, and the town is full of butterflies, right now, mostly orange ones.. Thousands of them - quite a lovely experience! White ones, too. Different sizes...

Wandered up into the hills last night, hoping to connect with Dan and Rosemary and when that didn´t happen (their re-birthing session went on for 3 hours!!) headed home and watched as the stars came out one by one. Wish Michael was here to tell me which were which - nice to hear of him from Amira.

Tossed and turned a lot last night. Seemed to be a big night for the dogs!! Way too many of them in this town. Finally, after 3-4 days, some news from Eecole. A nice e-mail with a nmber to call her and news of her trip. She sounds up and enjoying herself more - I´m glad!

Though my head is a bit fuzzy, my spirits are high! Gonna go see Conversations with God (movie) at Dan and Rosemary´s tonight at 8. Will try Eek before that.

...2pm - thought I¨d go visit the reservoir on the other side of the Rt. 38, the main road through these parts (how one reaches Cordoba...) - noone mentioned to me the amazing view back of the mountains, esp. from this gigantic rock formation park thingy with incredible views of the Cerro for about 25 miles and off to the West another 25 miles - amazing rock formation hill thing to climb on and around! Brian would love this place. So would so many of my friends. Marvelous giant rock, empty and quiet, and covered with butterflies.

The evening turned out to be a fine one - a friend of Dan and Rosemary´s was visiting (a kiwi) and cooked some lovely millet cakes and a salad, topped off with some Mendozan wine. The movie was interesting, and it was also fun to see Rosemary decorating their house with new plants she´s just bought. I also arrived early and Dan was busy so I sat in the hammock and watched an incredible sunset. The views!!!! oh my God, so beautiful. colorful clouds, making such lovely shapes in the sky, pinks and red and blues and yellows. oh!!

Rebecca was also at the movie and shared that she and Lisa had hiked around on some similar rock formations to the ones I had been on, about 10Km south, that have some magical energy to them. This place is just full of magical energy.

Towards the end of the movie, Eecole called, and we got t0 talk for a half hour. It was good to reconnect after not having talked for a week. So good to hear her voice and what she´s been up to. Sounds like the trip is relaxing, and there is a lot of eating. Also, nice to talk from inside this lovely hammock on Dan and Rosemary´s small deck, looking up into the clear night sky and the millions of stars above. I so wish Eecole could have been in the hammock with me, but it felt pretty close just hearing her voice.

Well, I´ve paid for my hotel, the Apenino - a great home for 5 nights, and bought a ticket to Buenos Aires. I´ll be staying with Beatrice in BA starting tomorrow through to the end of my stay, leaving Argentina on Wednesday. Oh, makes me sad to even say that.

Not sure why I´m leaving here, actually. It´s quite amazing, but I know that inside, I´m being drawn to spend some more time in BA. Hope to make it to Colonia, and some of the sights of that great city. And today? Well, we´ll see, I still have time to climb around some, and I´m enjoying reading an issue of The Greater Good that I have with me. The bus doesn´t leave till 7:30pm, so I have lots of time to see some more of this magical place. But first, lunch!!!!

zoo days zoo days.....

2008-04-03T15:46:00.000-07:00

rolly polly zoo days....
we visited the zoo today. i dont generally like zoos.. but you know.. it was really incredible. this place is special. its beautiful.. and the animals quarters.. albeit wayyyyy smaller than they would naturally have, were beautiful. Landscaping was fantastic. they have rehabilitated over 2300 animals in 4 years.. many are native.. many from africa. i saw the most beautiful tiger today.. who gave us a swimming show. literally just under my nose. and turtles... and alligators.. and a condor... and the most beautiful squirrels... and well.. i saw bat genitals.. im amazed at how similar they are to humans!! their wings were amazing.. as they curled up and tried to rest while we all stared at their privates....
really it was just wonderful to walk around inthe sunshine. Each day here in argentina (at least in these parts) has been gloriously sunny.. perfect weather... blue skies...flowers are still blooming.. butterflies are wondering... im in sandals and light pants.. every day. the movie was one of those crazy 360 degree cinemas.. where you stand upa nd just turn and turn to watch...and they had props of monkeys coming out of the wood work... icicles hanging from the walls.. and a seal that popped out for a moment (all mechanical.. but great effects).

then we went to a place called biogenesis. whew. that was a bit intense. its a high security vaccine and antibiotic manufacturer for animals. they have massive decontamination procedures for anyone that works with the diseases.. really high tech place. they provide all of the viral vaccines for all animals in latin america.. if not beyond. the US is considering having them do some work... as our folks recently came for a visit. no threat to humans to be there.... but if you work in the biohazard chambers.. you need to sign an affidavit saying you will not go near any animals for 72 hours after leaving the facility. pretty serious stuff. i have to admit.. at the same time im grateful to western medicine for its ability to prevent viral outbreaks and remedy horrible bacterial infections.. i was a bit scornful that one of their branches produces massive antibiotics.. likely the ones they have to feed animals kept in concentrated animal feedlots (CAFO´s).. where animals need protection only becuase they are forced to live in such filth... and are fed the same antibiotics as the infirmed (humans) which is ultimately causing a decline in antibiotic effectiveness in hosptials. But.. until our government decides that CAFOs should be banned.. not much will change on that horizon. Despite my antithetical philosphies...the visit was definately interesting. Alas.. to more positive thoughts....

Our host family is just sweet as pie.. and reminds me a bit of my long island and east coast friends and families.... Alberto is our host dad.. and he is smart and funny... and kind... and loves ice cream. Marta is a travel agent and has helped Vicki a bunch with her Iguazu Falls adventure. They have fed us emanadas... have i mentioned.. that i just LOVE empanadas!!.. and did i mention that they deliver empanadas and ice cream anywhere in this country?? Somehow these folks manage to stay relatively thin.. though id like to get a peak at their cholesterol levels....

Tomorrow we will go to an icecream factory ... meet the mayor of Escobar..go to a Japanese Garden then give our presentation to the Rotary Club. Yeah.. some days are just so full i could pop. I´ve gotten much more used to just going with the flow. ive also learned not to eat too big of a breakfast.. cause there is surely an enormous lunch to follow.. and to refuse ice cream, wine and cafe. I was flying through my bottle of lactase pills.. and i think i need a break. my head hurts a bit every day.. but i think its the humidity. it seems to rain here in teh evenings on occasion.. bursting the thick hot air.. and cooling the evenings down. though tonight.. i dont think that will happen. rest and sleep and zorro help. im reading the story of Zorro by Isabelle Allende.. Chilean writer.. its pretty good.. and its a great way to just check out for a while.

A few days ago Kelly and I spent time with Leandro and Valeria in downtown BA. They were super duper sweet and really quite the in love couple. We slept in their living room that they turned into a bedroom for us. it was great to have time with people my own age.. who gave us a bit more of the sobering realities of Argentina. The people here work hard, long hours.. with not much pay. they cannot travel outside the country due to high costs of airline tix. many have never even seen the south of their own country.. Patagonia.. where i would have loved to go. i feel for them.. and it makes me so appreciative of what i have in my life. i love my job.. i love my home.. and my friends.. i have an amazing boss who supports me in this adventure.. pays me well. and lets me work 4 days a week if i want to. i have an amazingly loving family.. albeit.. way too far away..if there is one thing im realizing on this trip..its that family is the center of everyone´s life here.. and i really miss mine.. and i want my own. i feel enormously gratefull.... so here´s to all of you in the united states that make my life the treasure that it is!! Salud .. abrazos y besos y mi corrozon,
Eecole

These are a few of my favorite things!!!

2008-04-02T18:05:00.000-07:00

When the dog bites.. ok just kidding..
so.. ive been in argentina now.. long enought to recognize some patterns..getting to know the ways and means...of them all.. here are some of my favorites..
*the hands.. i love how the Argentinans..when they are fed up.. or if something is far away.. or something is just loco.. they do this flicking of their hands.. and i wish i had a video of it.. but its as if you are brushing the side of your face like you have a mosquito buzzing near your ear!
*Asados.. yes.. so cliche to say i love them.. but you know.. its dazzling to look at all the MEAT they grill up.. identifiable pigs.. split in half.. skewered and roasting next to the campfire... legs.. literally .. of lamb..though iu have to say.. the kidneys.. and brains.. and thyroid dont appeal.. however..
*did i ever think i would grow accustmed to BLOOD Sausage?? um no.. but it is sweet and creamy.. and well.. im starting to dig it.
*the plazas in every city center.. no matter how small the city.. pueblo is a small city.. i just realized that.. all my life i thought it was a house! in this pueblito we visited today.. there was a lovely plaza.. and i learned that everything important.. the church, the municipal buliding.. school.. were all built.. in the spanish tradition, within 2 blocks of the plaza. Where have our values gone.. that everything is now built for the sake of cars.. and not beautiful central places where people meet?
*ceramic arbors.. with flowered vines growing on all of them.. all over town.. though usually in or around the plazas.. places for talk and love and music.. and relaxation.
*men on bicycles with large cloth covered baskets selling large ham, cheese and veggie stuffed bready goodness.. oh my yumminess..
*ok.. this ones not good for the argentinians.. but my goodness.. food is so inexpensive here. in fact.. most things are really inexpensive.. its ridculous.. and speaking of which.. ive been drinking coffee here.. they are small and sweet and just damn good.. though i had to stop..cause i was getting headaches from something.. i think this is my first day without both coffee or wine and i feel much better. no mas for me. at least not every day.
*had my first tango lesson. and it was FABULOUS!!!!!! yipee.... i mean truly. i learned so much in 1 hour.. i just loved it..i hope i get to do it again!!
* i love these internet places.. its the equiv of about $1 an hour.. and there are about 25 computers in this place.. its perfect.. it allows people to get a break by not needing a computer at home. and gives us tourists and great way to stay connected!

Ok.i know there is more.. but i forgot my little notebook on my walk here .. so more on the goodness later.. now here are afew things i think could use some serious improvement

*air pollution.. ugh.. its awful. i was standing in the botanical garden the other day... in the center of Buenos Aires.. (which, BTW ALbertoo....was not that spectacular.. but i only got to a small portion of it.. .. recoletta.. the cemetary where eva perron is buried was much more beautiful.. in a very differnt way...).. and looked at the street.. and could see this fog of grey smut in the air.. its hard to breathe.. that on top of all the damn smoke.. everyone in this country smokes!! its gross. and its been irritating my nose and lungs since day 1.. but fortunatly less people lately have been addicted to that little white stick...

*the driving!! agh!! i swear.. i am grateful every time i get out safely from a car. i tried to calculate how fast our driver was going today.. 140 km per hour! what that.. about 90 mph.. and noone follows the lines.. or rules..i mean noone.. old and young alike.. so.. not to scare you mom and dad.. i know you are the ones who will balk at this most.. fortunately .. everyone has the same mentality. and it seems to be a great dance that everyone does together..

*this country has a serious lack of garbage cans.. everywhere! In houses, the only ones int he houses are in the kitchens! its bizarre! ive grown accustomed to carrying a little bag for garbage with me wherever i go.. and deposit when i finally get the chance. i dont get it.. dont they have dirty snotty tissues to be tossed in the bathroom.. or is that just an american thing?.. which btw.. i learned that it is politically incoorect to say that i am an american.. cause they, too, are americans.. so im from the United states.. and try to be sensitive not to say im american. which.. i totally respect. never really thought about it before. but really we have the word america in our country´s name.. so its natural to say im american. but hey.. always good to be reminded that there are a lot of other types of americans!!

*have i said the smoking is awful?

*where are the vegetables in this country? i need some kale!! help!! actually.. its a really interesting time to be here.. with the farmers striking. and the president causing a real ruckus for the people. i cant get into it now.. but just so you all know.. its not affecting us all that much... and we are fine.. and safe.. adn they will be having discussions over the next 30 days.. so i think it will be more mellow.

allright yall.. my host dad just showed up to pick me up.. so i gotta run! but i send hugs and kisses out to you.. and hope all is well at home.
abrazos y besos..
eek

Mt. Shasta, Argentina 3-31 to 4-2-08

2008-04-02T10:13:00.000-07:00

3-31-08 7:15pm, finally got myself a hat (4 pesos, new and cute with a graphic of the cerro on it...). Took a long walk/hike around town and away from town to the approach of the hike up the Cerro Urtico which I´m told takes 3 hours to climb. Maybe tomorrow - instead it took me about 5 hours to hike my hike. Seeing the river from a few vantage points, a swarm of butterflies great fields of cacti, tropical birds. Met Lisa and Rebecca at the cabanas that R is staying along the way by chance - they hadn´t left their place at all and were chomping on some epanadas.

This is the Mt. Shasta of Argentina - more shiatsu, cob structures, and stones for sale than I´ve seen before and the walk included a short stop at a little eco-village in the making. Seems to be an energy center here - no doubt about it - which may explain why I´m feeling so meditative and contemplative. I´m sitting at the town´s main intersection - 5 streets intercept -lots of traffic and lots of people wandering around.

The one thing I kinda wish I had on this trip that I haven´t brought is a watch. Not sure why, but I´m often curious what time it is. A pair of shorts wouldn´t be too bad, either. Not sure how I missed packing those.

If it doesn´t work out to go to Dan and Rosemary´s land tomorrow, I think I´d like to take a little day trip somewhere. Or not :)

9 more days in Argentina. How to spend them - part of me wants to jet to another place - another part of me is totally loving the energy here - it´s a little Breitenbush meets Costa Rica meets Thailand - but quiet, with interesting old churches and buildings and the neat hippie-vibe. I´m feeling so mellow - kind of beachy, as if I spent the day or weekend at the beach. That is another option, the sunny beaches of Uruguay. But for some reason, this place is just saying ¨hey, stick around a while.¨ So, maybe a couple more days here and then off to BA and a day trip to Colonia.

But yeah, getting a nice ¨what´s the rush?¨feeling here. It´s really a lovely place.

hmmm, walked through a valley or swarm of butterflies today, saw the town zoo - llamas, chickens, ostriches, horses... I´m still in a short-sleeved shirt at 8pm, it´stays light here till about 9pm...

...later, I haven´t written about the night sky - but it´s super clear here - I sat out in front of my hotel last night in a dark field and just looked up at the southern cross for a while, Orien is also very clear.

also, thanks to those who´ve written. Helps when missing home and traveling alone.

4-1-08 - Rabbit Rabbit (my family says this with two summersaults to bring good luck each month).

What a lovely day! Had a nice breakfast of leftover pollo supremo and then the little rolls - out on the deck. Then walked to Dan and Rosemary´s great house with an amazing view (555 Neuquen, Capilla de Monte, Arg.) of the Cerro Uritoco. Turns out the house used to be the lookout/makeout/parking spot before it was built. So, there´s definitely some good juju at this house. And, lovely to be around Dan and Rosemary who are obviously so enamored with each other. The place has little furniture but a lot of great vibes and an awesome view. (...mmmm munching on some eggplant in oil and a delicious glass of red wine, served by Ernesto, a friend of Dan´s I met earlier today - I´m at his restaurant, waiting for the rest of the gang...)

I gave Dan a pamphlet/poster of fruit trees to plant for the Western or Central Texas region - which could prove useful for the Bliss Center some day. We took a taxi up into the hills with guitars a djembe and lots of fruit and veggies. There were 5 of us and we were joined at the site (about 1 KM from where the taxi dropped us) (about 7km from town on a very rough road). There were green parrots and horses, and baby cows and steers.

Lots of cacti, and great views of the mountains on the ride there. And what a great bunch. So positive and welcoming. We checked out the property, got a little tour and then were at the stream, which had been drastically changed by a recent önce in 20 years¨ flood. We all sat around a lovely pool in the woods and put our feet in the water.
oh, there was a small cake at the house earlier, much singing of happy birthday.

Highlights of the day - a great day in the woods - Dan´s original songs which were awesome, and fun to play along to. He reminds me of James Twyman, and I hope to have him at a house concert in Portland some day. an amazing lunch with a rice/olive dish and a lovely eggplant dish. brownie cake for desert that was eventually cut into the shape of a heart and then cut into someone said ¨a broken heart¨ which I turned into AN OPEN HEART. Music and dnacing in the woods. I played and had them all get up and dance to the music - adjusting the rythem... then it rained and we took a break to eat the cake. Real highlight was walking back, waiting for a cab I´d asked to be there at 6pm which never came and then the 7km walk out - rainbows, magical sunshine on us and the mountains - getting to know Lisa and Rebecca better. The incredible sunset and walking into town with everyone.

We also saw a condor up close as we moved into its area early on our visit to the land. It was so refreshing to be with such a welcoming and friendly group of folks doing what I love to do - play music together in a beautiful place. very garden of eden like out there.

Now it´s 9`pm and I´m sitting at a restaurant waiting for those who will gather to get here and share a meal. A great day. Away from electricity, internet, cars, people, - just a great group of people together on a Tuesday enjoying life - lovely!

4-2-08 Nothing like a little noise to start the day with! Cloudy, a bit overcast, a bit colder today, slept through breakfast due to the late night dinner for Daniel which I left at 12:30am - a 3 peso Remis (taxi) brought me the short trip home in the rain. Weird dream last night of losing all the things in my wallet - still had the empty wallet, but was sitting through various garbage to try to find my cards - bank, drivers license, etc. Greetings from the center of town, back at the 5 corners! The town is waking up. Finally, I get it - it´s open and hopping till about 1pm then closes till 5pm and then wakes up again :)

That´s all for today - I spent the last couple hours writing an outline for a cartoon/movie that I want to create for youttube-ization - has to do with population growth. I think Dan inspired me to get on with my purpose and this is a next step. Also, wrote out who I might reach to for support on this venture and how I hope it will happen. Should be interesting. Adios for now.

Alberto

Capilla de Monte

2008-03-31T06:25:00.000-07:00

3/30/08 Capilla de Monte, Argentina!

Just took a rapid, no stops, 2-hr. ride to this remote town NW of Cordoba. Cordoba was jsut a little too run-down and grey and falling apart and rebuilding for me to stick around. And, it was cool to take it in for a day, and who knows, I may go back for a day on my way back to Buenos Aires, if I go that route. Mike Meyer mentioned he has a friend in this town and after some e-mail exchanges I decided to come check it out and meet Jennifer Pillsbury. Also, she´s partly here to visit and help with the Bliss Center - a retreat center that has not gotten off the ground, buty Rosemary and Daniel are the founders and they have a website - blisscenter.org which tells what they´re about. I hope to meet them and for now got a room in the large and empty Hotel Appenino where Rebecca is staying. 45 pesos for my own room w/my own baño and a TV! Wow! Best deal yet.

The town seems pretty empty right now - perhaps end of tourism and summer... but it´s also sunday. Seems like a nice place to hang out for a couple days and maybe hike up to the top of the local mountain which is the largest in this mountain chain at 1970 meters. it looks beautiful from here. this is also the para-gliding center of argentina or so I hear.
I´m reading Eckhardt Tolle´s a new earth and finding it pretty compelling. I also have the MO Couple with me which is next! Am also hoping that Dan and Rosemary might have a book or two to lend me. The bookstores are very limited and expensive when it comes to books in English - Sidney Sheldon, etc... But I did pick up don´t sweat the small stuff, and it´s all small stuff in Bariloche for $4 (that´s the sign for pesos, btw). Some great reminders in there. Also, finished Present Time and the most recent Harper´s and Adbusters (I have a letter to the editor in that one on population growth - when will they devote an issue to population growth - Hello Adbusters!!! Wish I had packed more Harper´s... speaking of wishes - I wish I knew what more on the menu was in restaurants - I¨m limited due to my lack of Espanol...

3/31/08 Capilla de Monte.

had a great day yesterday - exploring the town, meeting up with Rebecca who has been here for a week and has not visited the Bliss Center yet, or the land where it exists... or will exist. we chatted in the Kafke cafe for a while and I learned that she and Mike know each other from the Alladin in PDX, that she´s lived there for 9 months and now has been here in Arg for almost 3 months, mostly studying Esp. in BA for 2 months... And we made plans to meet for dinner. Turns out she´s not staying in my hotel anymore, but I¨m so glad she found that place, it´s lovely. there´s a futbol field out front, and I got to watch a game yesterday which was fun. and dinner turned out to be a larger group in the end. Rebecca invited a Sweedish friend, Lisa and then Daniel and Rosemary passed by and joined us. And, I had one of the best dinners I¨ve had here so far - luckily, Rosemary, who is from San Cristobal, Venezuela (Dan´s from Sydney, Australia) knows how to order and had them make us a big veggie stir fry over pasta which was delicious!!!! it hit my stomach like an old friend coming for a visit. Carrots, peppers, onions, garlic, oh my!!

So, I got to hear the story by Daniel of his Bliss Center goal. How he was traveling around looking at healing, learning about re-birthing, meeting Rosemary at Findhorn in the UK (or is it Scotland...?) and then they travel around and bought some land in Chile and now these two parcels in Argentina, and dream of a place where people will come to heal and heal each other. They are committed to this goal, and yet, have no truck to get to their land, and their tools have recently been stolen. Luckily, they are young and have a place to live in town and they are both obvious shining kindred spirits and I look forward to visiting their land tomorrow as it´s Daniel´s birthday and that´s the plan.

Meanwhile, I¨ve discovered the Buenos Aires Review, I think a daily paper, which has helped me catch up a little on local (Argentina) news and world news. The commentary part is a bit skewed to the right, but not too bad (sort of like the Oregonian...). And, it´s a delicious sunny day - I had breakfast at my hotel (3 croisant thingys that seem to come with every breakfast) cafe con leche and a TV review of yesterday´s road blockages and futbol violence...

This town is gorgeous. Beautiful trees, I sat next to one yesterday, I´d love to know what it was called. I´m sure I¨ve seen it in a botanical garden somewhere in the world before. A huge trunk about 12 feet tall, then into branches. leaves like a mimosa. but the neat thing is that the trunk is about 6 feet in diameter. and, if I had camera... but anyway, just relished it... also bouganvilia everywhere and lovely yellow and white and pink flowers.

the town seems to have a little hippie population that lives around, I see people that look like they could be coming down the hills in Nepal, but they´re speaking Spanish and eyes are shining. So, i bet there´s yoga and perhaps even a vegetarian restaurant somewhere. For now, though, it´s time to check some e-mail and then wander around some more. The town seems to be ending it´s season, and is pretty quiet - I hear there was a big road rally in the area over the weekend, but that hotels will now be closing and things winding down here. too bad, as it´s about 80 degrees, sunny and delicious here... All for now. Alberto

3 27 08 Bariloche and beyond...

2008-03-30T12:17:00.000-07:00

things I notice about Argentines...

they seem to treat each other well, kindly
there doesn´t seem to be a lot of poking fun at one another - there´s a lot of friendliness, kindness, sweetness
there doesn´t appear to be a lot of stress here
people stop and take time for one another
there´s a lot of affection, people kiss upon meeting
a lot of cellphones and a lot of texting going on
way too much smoking (way too much indoors) and a lot of young people smoking
a diet heavy in wheat, pasta, bread
a diet heavy in meat - lots of chicken and beef. where are all the fruits and veggies?
things seem to run on-time
tours leave on time as do buses...
i don´t feel like anyone is taking advantage of me - trying to cheat me because I´m a tourist
not many people speak english, but it´s possible to get around easily with limited spanish
people seem fit and active, not a lot of obesity
jeans are in
not a lot of gardening or landscaping going on

3-28-08

Sitting, too much sitting! the next section of this trip is dedicated to getting out and about. I have been on my ass a bit too much in Bariloche, though I gues it´s partly just a feeling. I´ve seen tons, actually. I feel like I´ve reached some sort of dividing line in my life today. An interesting feeling. once again wanting to no longer carry so much weight around, and wanting to figure out how to get out in nature to exercize rather than using 24-hour fitness. And knowing it´s time to change my diet, permanently - follow Eecole´s lead and also time to cook more.

.. all this while sitting in the tiny Bariloche bus station. This has been the smallest town I´ve been in so far. Spent 4 nights here, a nice place, but very touristy, and for good reason - beautiful lakes, mountains, rivers and glaciers. my time here has been pretty sweet - capitol of chocolate, afterall! But am feeling a little lonely, even after some nice dinner company with the two women from Scotland/Seattle last night. I´m also a little sad to hear that Eecole is having a hard time on her GSE trip. Feel somewhat responsible for her being here. Thought she had to choose along the way to join the trip. She sounded pretty exhausted and finito on the phone last night. But she´s also pretty tough, so hopefully will find her way and make it work for herself. Or, she´ll choose to leave the trip and join up with me! I´m sure she´ll try hard to make the current situation work first :)

...2pm or later - on the bus - some awful espanol movie leads to an even stupider Steven Seagall film ¨today you die¨. Meanwhile, outside, we´ve been passing some pretty incredible scenery for hours. Miles and miles of high plains, scrub, canyons. In the beginning huge lakes and beautiful rivers and mountains covered with snow in the background and now just hundreds of miles in all directions - Eastern Oregon on steroids! Gorges, giant giant sky (gunshots and bones breaking in the background...)

I´m sitting in the front of the bus on the second floor, seat back, feet up, overseeing the world. In an hour or so I know the landscape will flatten out and then be pretty dull until we reach Cordoba - at least that´s my sense if it´s somewhat a repeat of the ride from Mendoza to here.

3.29.08 Cordoba, Argentina

Bright lights, big city! My hotel, the Victoria, is a really old place on the edge of a huge walking pedestrian mall given up to appliance and internet accessory stores. Cool thing about this place? I haven´t seen one tourist yet. Yum, I´m in a restaurant on a random corner, watching people, busy, shopping (it´s Saturday, the next day this area is a ghost town...) and they´ve just given me a delicious eggplant appetizer with onions - garlic - yum! Would love the recipe - and of course - BREAD! can´t live without bread here - perfect for dipping into my eggplant sauce, though. Now, my Banana liquado con agua has arrived - yum!

It´s Saturday and the streets are hopping! Oh, and almost forgot, I´m walking along the walking along the pedestrian mall and after a few blocks look up! The whole way is sheltered (assuming there´s a lot of sunlight usually) (today light rain, though - my first since arriving in Argentina on the 14th...) anyway, the wysteria or whatever that cool bush/tree/vine that´s all over Mexico - is growing up and onto these huge ballustrades - they are like this (need to create a graphic here...)

btw, another insight today is that peoples´driving is kind of crazy but so is their walking! It´s all a crazy dance. In the US people generally stay to the right of each other - not here. It´s a constant dance.

Also, I notice people don´t meet each others´gaze much here. Or, at least, noone is meeting mine. Man, just relishing the moment, leaving the bus station, looking for my hotel, wandering new streets with pack on my back.

I ordered the salmon - probably about a 1/2 pound has arrived looking delicious! Adios!

..later, and you´re not sure why you cross that street and push on ahead in an unknown direction. but eventually you come to a huge museum/church complex with delightful fountains, and the sun comes out and the fountains start being syncopated with a few songs and it´s a lovely moment. Tying in so many other places and times. The Seattle Center fountain - for some reason, Budapest keeps coming to mind all day (probably the soot covered buildings.. falling apart...) the NWA terminal fountain in Detroit and MC Escher - the floors here are tiled in a neat 3D effect.. Oh, and earlier, I was in one of the larger churches here and thinking about why I go in them and that they´re great places of stillness and contemplation. I got locked in the last one and had to be led out a side door which took some effort to be led out through various back rooms.

I ended up in a downtown shopping mall place for a short while and then fled. Noticed that all of the womens´undergarment stores and billboard advertising are like Victoriá Secret and know that the women here have the right bodies for these clothes but wonder if it appeals to them all as it feels pretty conservative sexually here.

There are street dogs everywhere. When you eat at a restaurant, inside sometimes, too. but outside, for sure, the dogs sit and wait to be fed. people pet the dogs.

The ground, and sidewalks are very uneven. Sidewalks have huge holes in them and are in a constant state of disrepair. A challenging place to get over a foot injury!

That´s it for today. I´m actually writing from Capilla de Monte, about 2 hours NW of Cordoba. Decided to leave due to rainy Sunday weather, depressing hotel, and just to get out into nature a bit more... night night!

being intrepid

2008-03-29T06:08:00.000-07:00

after an all-night bus ride from Bariloche (way south) to Cordoba, in the north... sleepy, ready for a shower and will leave here cyber cafe and find a hotel... thought this was pretty fantastic and wanted to share it with Eecole and thought, why not post it for other readers. hugs. Alberto

From Present Time, a journal of Re-evaluation Counseling, page 80 of the January 2008 issue. By Johnny Kline, Brooklyn, NY.

Intrepid is the way to be
what you do is make sure people see
go out there and dare to express
and to share
say what you think
without pausing to blink
claim a stake
and risk a mistake
create something new
without waiting for a cue
step up to the plate
and hit it where they ain{t
take a brave step
where others have not yet
put love in front
whether subtle or blunt
charge toward what{s hard
and ram it without guard
be active and bold
and question what you{re told
throw caution to the wind
push yourslf to extend
feel all that you feel
and know that you{ll heal
make your voice loud
and learn to be proud
let fear point the way
towards the dragons you{ll slay
lock death in a stare
and give him a scare
confront what you dread
turn it to strength instead
make action youir motto
and stop playing lotto
take charge of everything there is
and settle for nothing less than this!

lakes and mountains of Bariloche

2008-03-27T10:00:00.000-07:00

well, usually, I save the blogging for nighttime, but thought I´d switch it around some and tell about yesterday which was one of those great days of travel. A map of Bariloche, Argentina, so you get an idea of just how far south I be at the moment... the furthest south I´ve ever been in my life, I think.

woke up around 9am and realized that it was going to be a sunny one (the dáy´s predictions the day before had been rain...), jumped up and ran to the travel agency people to see about getting on a small-bus tour that I´d learned about the day before to Cerro Trenador - one of the highest peaks around. First, here´s a picture of the place I´m staying, Bariloche.

OK, so, the guy calls around and says no, then says, yes - one of the guys is still picking up people and he´ll come get me. Do I have time to buy a sandwhich for the road? Yes, but hurry. Well, turns out, I can only find some pomelo juice, and hurry back and van/bus thingy is there and ready to go. We drive for a while around beautiful lakes and then enter the national park. And stop at a beautiful aquablue lakeside and take it in, then stop for a while along a crystal clear blue green river and are given an hour to walk along it. MOst of my company was Argentinian except for one Venezuelan, so I chatted with them a little, but mostly was on my own. the walk along this river was delicious. trees and birds and shrubs I¨d never seen before. some I remembered from a trip to VZ many years ago - high, alpine, giant versions of plants I am familir with. Hibiscus... pine.

Anyway, we keep climbing up along a dirt road. more beautiful lakes, more Yosemite meets the Alps countryside. Finally, we come around abend and there it is, Cerro Trenedor. A mighty glacier-topped peak,I think about 3,800 meters high. We stopped for lunch with a great view at a place called Pampa Linda, I took about an hour walk through the woods there, which is probably why my foot it hurting a bit today. Another drive and we were at the base, and actually a little above the glacier, which turned out to be black at our level, and it fallen into a little lake infront of and below us. which was bizaare. it looked likea bunch of mixed vanilla and chocolate chocolates and the high glacier above was just like delicious icing over the whole scene. From there we went even higher, and then stopped for a walk up up up to some amazing waterfalls. Each stop was somehow a little more spectacular than the previous one. But the last two, whew!!!!

I don´t travel with a camera. I prefer to just use my eyes and see what I see and remember what I remember, butI´m a littlesadthat I didn´t have one yesterday. I probably would have taken 100 pictures. of trenador, for instance,which looks like the snowy photo above.

Well, this keyboard is just too terrible for words. So, I may continue this, or just leave it as is. it was a great day. finished off with some lovely cannolis with pesto and spinach at a local pizzaria before bedtime and a short but animated talk with Eecole. Sounds like she´s being kept quite busy and it was fun to swap stories.

Where next? I´m planningon staying here today and then heading somewhere tomorrow. Perhaps up to Cordoba. We´ll see. I´ve decided to spend the day taking it easy, esp. on the foot, and to research where I want to go next. I have two weeks left and it´s a beautiful sunny day. mmmm, nice situation to be in!

Also, there´s something going on in Argetina right now, protests, and I need to do some research and find out more, for a variety of reasons. one, they´re blocking the roads....

Adios

Alberto

as I travel, my brother is a star!

2008-03-26T15:32:00.000-07:00

here, enjoy! he also bakes a great challah, is 42, gay, single and lives in DC...

lunch not to be forgetten

2008-03-26T14:50:00.001-07:00

my goodness..a quick note to say.. we (the rotarians of san isidro and our group) had lunch in one of the most romantic, ideallyc (i dont know how to spell that word!).. magical settings today. i felt like i was in the movies.. out by the grass.. a long table set for just us (about 14).. noone else around.. the green parrots flying above us in and nestling in these beautiful trees above.. green lawn and the most romantic little pavillion behind us.. and a sunset orange mansion in front of us...the house of a woman writer. now a museam .. ok i know it was Virgina something.. but i wasnt feeling well and didnt pay attention to her last name.. but did pay attention to her house, the garden, the weather, the food, and the company. It seems the Argentinians place a great deal of value on their social gatherings.. they are magnificant.. really.. it makes me want to have a great big family where we cook and eat and laugh and drink together..around a great long table... often.

love and hope,
eecole

Bariloche day 2 - Alberto

2008-03-25T13:44:00.000-07:00

mmm, it´s been a nice day so far. woke up late, finally a good night´s sleep in a bed. but I am in a room by a main road, and so, had to instigate headphone action at about 7am. i brought these headphones that I bought (good for working with heavy machinery) and they have been invaluable. first tried these at burning man in 2000 and now travel with them... they´re not as bulbous as they used to be, too..

anyway, a little breakfast at my hotel, and then hopped on a local bus to do the chicita route, around the western part of town. 2 pesos later and I was at the dock for a boat ride which I decided to put off for a couple days cause it´s kind of cloudy out. instead, went into the hotel Lhao Lhao, sounds like I´m in Asia, right? had a nice time there, walking the grounds and taking in the breath-taking view 360 degrees. On my way back into town, decided to make a detour and hopped on a ski lift, ok, that was one of the scariest ski lifts I¨ve ever taken. close to the time with Dad where we were all in single seats, and climbing up the side of a mountain in Austria. at the top Dad said, I´ll walk down :) which was kind of funny cause I think we´d done a 2000 meter elevation gain up into some snow and ice which we could barely walk in in our hiking boots, and he in street shoes....

anyway, the view from the top was sweet, though it´s cloudy today.

btw, got Radioparadise playing over the headphones, feels kinda like home for a moment, which is nice, as it´s day 4 of traveling on my own and I´m a bit lost in my head at times.

One thing that´s on my mind besides reviewing my time with Eecole for the first 8 days and all the adventure we shared (it´s so much easier to hook up with other people when you´re a couple, I think...) is that there is a contract that looks like it might be coming my way. So, I´m keeping in touch with a couple recruiters back in Portland. If they want me to start sooner, I may end up coming back earlier. but right now, my current plan is to stay here in Bariloche for another couple of days (it´s kind of Like Lake Tahoe, btw) except a lot different ... and then head, either to beaches in Uruguay, or perhaps back to Buenos Aires and do day and overnight trips from there. Colonia, that type of thing. Plus, I think BA is just the pulse of this country and I´d love to spend more time in and around it. on the other hand, this place is so gosh darn beautiful, makes you want to twirl and eat an apple.

at the top of the peak there was a revolving restaurant and I feasted on chicken with mushrooms in cream for 22 pesos. about $7. mmmmm, tasty. still haven´t really sampled the chocolate here, but will adjust that right after I finish typing this.

Introduced myself to three yanks at the restaurant and chatted them for one revolution. the view. wow! then, watched a little film about the local scene of nature, and took the scary ride back down the hill.

back in town, found some postcards, visited the local post office and will get to work on some postcards soon.

the woman next to me is using a website called hostelworld.com which she says she swears by and does not use lonely planet which I have been relying on. that and couchsurfing.com which brought us to Gabi in Buenos Aires.

anyway, lots more to do in Bariloche and I´m looking forward to heading high into the mountains in the next couple of days.

Adios amigos,

Alberto

PS - If you´d like a postcard from Argentina, please send me your address.

from Bariloche, Argentina

2008-03-24T17:47:00.001-07:00

well, this cafe closes in a minute or two, and I must buy some

chocolate, from the chocolate capitol of Argentina!!!

yeah, I´m on this big lake, with amazing mountains in the background, esp. to the West. The sky tonight was incredibly beautiful. and the long, 20-hour bus ride is behind me. I find myself having eaten a delicious trout dinner and reviewing in my mind Dylan´s Chronicles which I read most of the day.

so much to write about. if I had a camera with me, I would have been clicking the whole day today. though most of it was flat, once we hit about 4 hours from Bariloche it was like Eastern Oregon on steroids. rock formations like I¨ve never seen - and no development for, well, anywhere.

Got to the town and I think it´s the end of the 4 day holiday and hopefully everything will be in full swing tomorrow.

am staying at the Hotel Februero 7 which has a nice view of the lake, but not from my 72 peso a night room. but... it´s my room. my first with a decent bed, and a bathroom, in 8 or 9 or 10 days. and no interruptions from other hostelers... i´m looking forward to being here. hoping to take a ride on the lake tomorrow or at least a bus ride up and around the lake. it´s a beautiful place and reminds me of Banff, but the desert version.

mmm, am ready for bed.

Alberto

What does meow sound like in spanish?

2008-03-23T18:58:00.001-07:00

Just wondering.. our little gato in this casa seems like he could have a spanish accent..

so.. here is sit.. smoked filled house.. ugh. but A beautiful house! We have been treated like royalty today.. albert my dear. .. im going to have a very different experience from here on out.. no more nasty floors in grungy hostels..and perhaps no more experience of Argentinian life the way most here live it. Ive quickly swung from ants in my pants (a hostel room infested) to luxury hotels and houses with a view of the river.. its a strange transition.. i hope to not be too sheltered while traveling rotarian style.. why do people smoke? it makes me angry.. not at them.. but the manipulative damn corporations that suck the choosing gene from peoples brains...

I remembered today how wonderful it is to just be curious.. to follow my little nose and sense that something interesting is just beyond the corner. I walked a little path along the street.. and ended up in an ecolgical restoration sanctuary.. it was blissful. a long narrow walk cloistered amongst swampy flora and muchas arboles.. and found an outpost to just sit and watch the birds.. a frog.. the sunshine.. and the green. i may have just a few moments of this kind of alone time during this trip.. where my itinerary is nearly set for every day. so i must breathe it in when i can. and i did.. and it felt great.

Albert.. i like your blue oregon post.. i love the idea of traveling.. and bringing the greatest ideas back to portland.. lets make portland an even better place to live!!!

tomorrow we sail to an island.. well.. by ferry.. and learn a bit from our friends at INTA.. an esquela del agricultura.. forgive my mal espanol... i am learning, though!!

Enough for tonight.. Albert.. you are likely on a small chartered bus right now.. and i hope its safe and comfy... and that Bariloche is all you dreamed... and that you eventually .. sooner rather than later...find yourself in a super duper luxururiously comfy bed that cradles you to a long deep and nourishing sleep.

Sweet dreams... Besos y abrazos...
e

A blueoregon blog

2008-03-22T16:03:00.000-07:00

is located at http://www.blueoregon.com/2008/03/mendoza-argenti.html some random thoughts for the day and some ideas about Portland.

a note from Albert to Eecole on March 22nd from Mendoza, AR

2008-03-22T15:08:00.000-07:00

Hola, I can skype from this location in case you come on line. you wouldn´t believe this place. right around the corner from the walking street, with about 100 stations, each with a phone and a camera, it´s fun, i skyped brian last night in canada to hear the latest score on obama clinton...

yesterday, wow, what a ride! but the ride really got interesting after we parted. i tried ricardo, no luck... tried again, tried someone who said they could help if I got in a jam. anyway, finally called the breakpoint hostel, they were full and told me to call pablo. i did and he offered me a place in his apartment. well, very long story short, i ended up in this run down place, sharing the space with an elderly couple, it has a kitchen, is about a ten minute bus ride out of town... and I slept well. it´s kind of creepy, but will work for last night and tonight. once I had put my stuff down and figured out a bit of where I was, I took off for the center city, met two women from PA on the walking stret and we chatted for hours over dinner. then did some internetting and took a cab home...

today, slept till about 9am, i think and then headed into town. bought a ticket for bariloche, I leave tomorrow night at 9 30, and since it´s last minute and the buses (2 a day) are full, i had to take a local!!! it is a 20 hour ride, and I get there then next day around 5. should be interesting to see the sights out the side of a bus, at least. but I like you, want to move on and see some stuff.

i had a great day. really did. missing you, but also relishing our time together and also enjoying being able to take things at exactly the pace I want to today. lots of thoughts in my head and also still coughing a bit and having some diahrea, so that´s been part of my day.

there were flea markets everywhere today, which was neat. also, went to our little food store and had a fish for lunch for 3.50, the place we got the spinach pie things. i intend to get food for the road there tomorrow.

went to the giant park, you wouldn´t believe how big that sucker is. the tour we didn´t have time for, I took, and for 6 pesos got a great ride throught he park and a trip to the top of the world. with a great view of mendoza and beyond.

what else. walked from there to the artist´s street, had dinner of steak and mushrooms and malbec the steak was cooked in. read the end of adbusters, walked from there to here and walked into this very neat old church where mass was being held. stopped there for a while and then a big pool hall and saw the biggest pool talbe of my life!!!

Mendozans have been super friendly today, but haven´t had much of a chance to speak with english-speaking people. but for now that hasn´t mattered much. thought a lot about blogging on blueoregon about some of my thoughts of being here..

sorry you had such an ordeal with getting to BA, I walked into a cafe and watched the soccer game there at one point and wondered if yoiu were ok. i left a message with Tomoko, but I guess you weren´t there by that time yet.

I hope your connection with your team went well and that you´re up to something fun right now.
missing you, loving you.

Alberto

PS, Emilio says hello

traveling apart

2008-03-22T07:04:00.000-07:00

how strange it is to know you are travelling just parallel to someone you love.. yet cannot quite connect.. miss each other in the night.. i´ve just met up with my team in BA.. ready to commence with a different agenda.. though everyone here bends over backwards to be hospitable. i think we will have very comfortable places to sleep while traveling with Rotary... already booked into an estancia owned by one of the rotary club members. beautiful. wooden tables.. comfy couches.. very different from the hostel life. no blaring tv all night long. im happy to have a kindred woman spirit on this trip.. kelly. so grateful to connect with people.

Eleanor.. if you ever read this.. you must know that it is muy importante for you to write about dance.. tell the world about it. The couple that we hitched back from the mountain with just beamed when we told them about our "religion" in the states.. Ecstatic dance. really..i think for them it was a breath of fresh mountain air to know that we create beauty and love every sunday ... that americans are like this. it only reminds me further that we must continue to dance... to love.. to be present... with each other.. i was completely re inspired by their reaction.. and by our own story. i am so grateful to have our dance.. and hope to bring some of that love here to argentina.. and look forward to returning to it.

albert.. wherever you are.. i send you love...

till we meet again..
besos y abrazos!

bye bye love

2008-03-21T12:00:00.001-07:00

mmm, just said a sweet goodbye to Eecole at the airport in Mendoza after a jam-packed week together. wow. i think we´re both a little sore and exhausted. lots of crying. singing together in the restaurant as we said a sad goodbye.

some of the highlights from the week - traveling together outside the US for the first time. learning spanish, the day of rafting¿rapelling¿and trekking and the next day of wine-touring by bicycle and the next day of bussing it to upsujalla, finding a great room, hitching to one of the highest peaks in the area, taking it in, hitching back with these great people, there were great people on the hitch up, too.. and then visiting with Emilio, and then joining our drivers for dinner. the bus ride back to Mendoza today was pretty bumpy, but so beautiful...

now, as eecole flies back to buenos aires, I am in the airport hopefully waiting to hear from someone I{m couch-surfing with tonight. if he doesn^t call me back, I[m not sure what I[ll do. sorry, not sure where the apostrophe is supposed to be on this keyboard.

it{s easter weekend which means that everything is super booked right now. beyond that, actually.

i{m a little nervous. alone. in a foreign country. luckily, I do know mendoza somewhat. so, it shouldn{t be impossible to find a plce to stay.

i miss eecole already. she has been so sweet to travel with. and yes, we{ve also had our challenges, no doubt abou that. I think we learned more about each other and ourselves in this last week than we have in a long long time.

ok, enough for now. it{s time to wait for someone I don{t know to call me !!!

adios, have a good flight, sweetie!!! Alberto

mendoza at midnight

2008-03-19T18:49:00.001-07:00

up and down seems to be a theme here... we are travelling over the bumps of these crazy roads and of our relationship. today.. we found chocolate liquor handmade in the valley of Maipu.. more biking on potholed roads than i was ever interested in.. but the avenues that turn away from the bouncing oversized grapeladen trucks... suddenly surrounded by startlingly huge sycamores and shade. mucho mejor. long relaxed roads that lead to magnificant countryside.. olive trees as far as the eye can see.. piles of grapes.. you just want to reach through the fence and grab handfuls to make y our mouth burst with purple juiciness. ok.. we only picked one. and it was damn tasty.. hate to say it.. but tastier than the wine.. of which we only tasted in 1 place.. out of the 4 stops. too much wine last night left my liver and head needing a rest. ive eaten more lactase pills in a week than i usually do in a year. i can´t help but indulge in the pistacho icecream... and crepes con pesto y verduras (con queso).

I was tempted not to blog at all during the hard times.. but after they passed i realized it might actualy be helpful .. so perhaps more of this consistently? i meet my team on sat.. Albert and i part on friday. its going all too quickly.. and yet.. somehow we manage to PACk it in. so far .. my favorite... i have to admit... sunbathing for the first time in months if not years.. next to a pool looking out at the Andes....eating a fried hamburger with ham tomato and lettuce on an english muffin thing. does it count that the burger was most likely free range?
love out to the world.
master platelicker

leaving buenos aires

2008-03-16T10:43:00.000-07:00

well, we both have a feeling of being in a black hole. this city and the place we´re staying are capturing us, but no, we must flee and see some of the country, with only 5 days left together, we embark soon, tonight, on an overnight bus to Mendoza, the wine country. it´s been a hard morning. i didn´t sleep well last night. stressing out over where we´d go, how we´d get there, etc. see black hole ref above. which led to some difficult discussion between us over what we seek and how we get there... anyway, more to follow when next we find internetski.

adios

yummy steak

2008-03-15T09:21:00.000-07:00

well, just like they said, they got some yummy steak here. we stayed out late last night walking in palermo and eating a delicious steak dinner with gabi, our current host. then went home and crashed at 1 30 am. oh my, we didn´t get out of bed till 2 pm today. which is challenging as we had hoped to go and get some tickets for a plane flight to the south for tomorrow. i´m not too worried, all will go as planned. we are staying in the basement of this gorgeous house located in a neighborhood i´ve forgotten the name of. the house has many interesting features.

oatmeal and eecole call! more later. we hope to go see bob dylan in concert tonight.

alberto

viva la 10 hour flight

2008-03-14T13:09:00.001-07:00

oh my , i´d forgotten what it´like to be on a plane for 10 hours. hard. first time on such a flight that i didn´t resort to watching movies the whole time. talked with eecole about our journey, slept, tossed and turned. it´s been a lovely day so far. and it´s time to go out and see the world. hope you´re all doing well. alberto

HOLA Buenos Aires

2008-03-14T12:36:00.000-07:00

Hola mis amigos!! we are here.. we have landed in a lovely apt in Buenos Aires with Gabriella.. a very sweet woman that we met online from portland. she has a 7 year old son.. and a really comfortable house... we have napped, bathed, and now albi is right at home on the computer and playing guitar and making up songs as I type. we are about to go on a walk to see the city.. do a little shopping and possibly some tango later in the evening. the flight was fine.. except that i desperately wanted to be horizontal. oh well.. caio for now.. love you,
eek and albi.

Pambiche, NE Glisan

2007-07-04T18:00:00.000-07:00

5 licks: Yummilicious! Maybe its all the color of that restaurant that gets my juices going? But that alone would not warrant 5 licks. It's the repeated urges I get to return to dazzle my waitresses with shining plates... the, "oh i'm so full but i can't help myself but to endulge in the very last licks of this savory goodness". Last night we had the Pollo Criollo.. Tender chicken braised in a tangy traditional creole sauce. Served with Cuban beans & rice and tostones. An absolutely savory appetizer.. the Yuca con Mojo ~Tropical yuca root, pronounced YOO-ka, never yukka, a tuber that appears daily on many Caribbean tables. Fried golden brown and tossed with mojo criollo ~ creole garlic sauce-mmmmm... and if you get the Ensalada de Aguacate ~the avocado salad.. and scoop up some sauce and a piece of avocado onto some yucca... ahhh.. what a treat.

The Blue Moose, NE Fremont

2007-07-04T17:36:00.001-07:00

4 licks: The first ever plate licker certified restaurant.... Chef Sheila has put together some delectible dishes your tongue will love to lap. Kick off your meal with strawberry lemonade or with an organic Dagoba hotchocolate. Travel around the world with items on the menu such as the Shanghai Substantial Salad with spicy slaw mix, broccoli and cashews, or one of Ireland’s favorites, the Colcannon – mashed potato/kale/rosemary which will melt in your mouth with its garlicky goodness. Th ere’s no shortage of choices here, the black eyed pea soup is yummy too. Sheila makes you feel at home and part of the neighborhood. She often finds a moment to serve your entree, even though she’s busy as heck cooking away in the back. She will remember your name and get to know you over time. So be sure to try the Blue Moose more than once. The motif never fails to entertain and the flavorful dishes never cease to enchant your taste buds!
The Blue Moose:
4936 NE Fremont St, 503-548-4475
Hours: Sat. & Sun: 9-8, M-F 7-8, Wi-Fi.

Inaugural Platelicker Extraordinaire's Address to YOU

2006-11-25T23:42:00.000-08:00

You may wonder what this is all about..... its about just loving and enjoying every last morsel of food on your plate. It's about eating satiatingly well. Its about eating healthfully- with spirit and mind in balance with your tummy. Its about sitting down to eat- with friends, in community, or by yourself peacefully and taking time to nourish yourself. It's about tasting the rich sweetness of a freshly picked carrot and the delicate hints of mint and backyard picked parsley in a tabbouleh dish. Its about the taste of love poured into your winter warm squash soup made by your honey.. or by some passionate stranger behind the walls of your favorite restaurant. Hey- its about less water needed for dishwashing! and a full understanding and appreciation of all animals & plants on your plate and the hands that pick, kill, prepare, cook and serve you sustenance.

This is not a site meant to encourage you to gorge yourself.. or eat unmindfully in any way.. in fact, in this day and age where restaurant and even some home-served portion sizes far outstretch the average gastronomic capacities...we encourage you to eat to your tummy's true content... pack up the rest (preferrably in some reusable/recycleable/compostable containers) and reheat at home and serve on your favorite plateware.. then lick away.. and giggle, knowing you are having just as much fun by yourself platelicking as you would with friends surrounding and witnessing you in public!

If you happen to have a camera with you while you are lavishing your most recent taste experience, please snap a photo and share. This is a site to spread the platelicking joy.

Tastifiangly yours,
Platelicker Extraordinaire

Welcome to Platelickers Club of America!

2006-11-25T21:28:00.000-08:00

You have arrived! Eat a yummy meal and then, lick that plate clean! Send us a picture and we'll post it here. More to follow from the well-fed folks at Platelickers Club of America!