Thursday, October 25, 2007
Jewish Baltimore
It has been a day at sea on the Seabourn Pride. We’re on our way from Norfolk, Virginia, to Charleston, South Carolina. The weather was stormy last night and the rock and roll of the ship did in quite a few passengers. I gave my New York City Food lecture this morning and although I had a very nice turnout, it would have been better if there weren’t so many passengers in their staterooms feeling ill. The water is fairly calm right now, at about 6 p.m. There’s a rainbow in the sky. But the ship is still moving more than we would like it. I wonder how many people will show up for dinner. It’s a black-tie evening featuring chef Markus Gerber’s tasting menu.
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Tuesday, October 23, 2007
Cruising to Baltimore
I’m in Baltimore today, although still aboard the beautiful Seabourn Pride. Yesterday our port was Philadelphia. The day before we were in Newport, Rhode Island. Tomorrow we dock in Norfolk, Virginia.
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Sunday, October 21, 2007
Keeping Busy
I’ve been home from Italy for 10 days – read the last Maven’s Diary item I wrote when I got back – and I haven’t stopped working for a minute. The other night I spoke to the women’s division of Jewish Federation of Central New Jersey and one of the women asked me what I have been doing with all my “spare time” since I left radio. I left WOR at 12:40 p.m. August 24, 2004. That was more than three years ago. I know exactly because it was a memorable moment in my life. I had the nerve to quite my job without another job waiting. I didn’t tell the boss where he could put it, but I came close. Very satisfying! In any case, I haven’t had a spare minute yet.
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Sunday, October 14, 2007
Smelling and Making My Own Coffee
I’m home, back in Brooklyn, and very happy about it. After nearly three months in Italy, not only was I more than ready to smell my own coffee, as my friend Rozanne Gold likes to put it when we travel, but I was more than ready to make my own coffee. I love that morning ritual, and when you are staying with other people, or in hotels, you are deprived of it.
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Monday, October 8, 2007
More Sicily: The End
It’s about time for me to wrap up my travelogue on Sicily. I haven’t even been there for two weeks. I returned to Paestum for my last Cook at Seliano session of the season, as well as for some very pleasant days learning recipes from local cooks. I am now in Naples decompressing at Costantinopoli 104, a beautiful hotel and tranquil oasis in the middle of this fabulously lively city. Last night, to give one small example of what kind of city this is, I went to an anti-Cammora (that’s Neapolitan Mafia) musical rally in Piazza Dante, a main square, and listened to an exciting concert of tarantantellas while watching the young crowd actually do the tarantella. Dancing in the street! It was mind blowing, as we used to say in my youth. The frenetic, nearly hysterical movements of the dancing crowd were just as you imagine from looking at antique paintings and prints. If only they had been wearing 17th century folk dress instead of totally of-the-moment 2007 outfits.
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Sciacca, Sicily
After Mazara del Vallo, we went to Sciacca, a city on the south coast of Sicily famous for its salted anchovies. At least that’s what I thought because the salted anchovies that I buy in New York come from Sciacca. Friends who’ve been there told me to not bother with the city, that’s there’s nothing there to see, except one: Joe (Giuseppe) Falco, the young managing director of Bond 45, the restaurant on W. 45th St. off of Times Square. He was born in Sciacca, or maybe it is his parents who were born in Sciacca, and he does this eyeball swoon every time I mention the place.
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