Sunday, September 26, 2010

State Street Study...

There was He.
Middle-aged, foreign, cultured and robust.
He sat on a rigid, unforgiving wooden street-side bench. It didn't look comfortable, but He didn't seem to mind.
He was focused, intense.
His fingers flashed and rattled across the brazen guitar strings.
It was obvious that He was an expert in the field of Spanish Guitar. He was playing so vividly that a large crowd of slack-jawed bystanders began to form.
His hands continued to strum, his melodies flowed, rose, and crashed, and His smile cracked.

There was She.
Young, haughty, glamorous and busy.
She walked on extreme, unnecessary heels. They didn't look comfortable, but it was in the name of "looking good".
She was preoccupied, elsewhere.
Her voice heightened over the obnoxious noise of some guy on a bench.
It was obvious that She was an expert in the field of Haute Couture.  She was talking into her phone so loudly that a large crowd of bystanders began to stare.
Her mouth continued to run, Her words meshed, strained, and shivered, and Her pace quickened.

And there was I.
Silent, intrigued, captivated, and fascinated. 
I sat on cold, harsh metal. It wasn't comfortable, but I couldn't pull my gaze away from the art in front of Me.
I was present, enraptured.
My interest piqued as I watched a potential exchange fizzle. 
It was obvious that I was an expert in the field of Passive Observance. I was watching as She obliviously hurried by absolute beauty that a large crowd of bystanders noticed.
My thoughts continued to wander, and I debated stopping Her or paying Him, instead my ears perked, and I just kept listening. 

Wednesday, September 15, 2010

Homemade Lebanese Pizza...

Lebanese Pizza

Ingredients:
1 piece Pita bread (rosemary works quite well)
5 Kalamata olives
5 slices cucumber
3 baby bella mushrooms
1 fresh onion
1/2 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 teaspoon thyme
1 dash cili powder
1 dash black pepper
(Note: this hummus recipe makes a lot more than is necessary for this recipe. Also, picture shows two pizzas, but ingredients listed are for one. Simply double amounts for best results.) 

Directions:
1. Using the link above, make homemade hummus (ingredients: 1 19 oz. can garbonzo beans,  3 tbs Tahini paste, 2 tbs olive oil, 4 tbs lemon juice, 2 cloves garlic, 1 tsp salt, dash of Cumin)
2. Spread hummus over pita bread
3. Spread olives and cucumbers over pita
4. Sprinkle  1/5 tsp of thyme on pita
5. Chop onion (only use about 1/10 of onion) and mushrooms
6. Sauté mushrooms and onions in olive oil for about 2 minutes (until mushrooms are brown)
7. Add dash of chili powder, dash of black pepper, and rest of thyme to mushroom/onion mix
8. Spread mix over pita
9. Munch

I realize that this dish is not distinctly Lebanese nor is it actually pizza. But here's the deal, this is what I made myself for lunch (making up the recipe as I went), and it was just too good not to write down. So, if you happen to try this, let me know what you think of it! I'll be scarfing these more and more often. 

Tuesday, September 7, 2010

Fahrenheit 451

-To Terry Jones and the Dove World Outreach Center


For the non-German-speaking population, it reads:
"Where they burns books, they will end up reading bodies"
The plaque rests at the edge of Babelplatz in Berlin, the site of the Nazi book-burning rallies.
The quote was originally spoken by Henrich Heine in 1820