new-found hobby

Working in restaurants on and off for seven years, S became somewhat of a foodie. In college, she went off the meal plan her freshman year so that she could cook for herself, though her culinary range was admittedly limited, consisting mainly of frozen veggie stir-fries. She went through a Michael Pollan-inspired phase, eschewing all things packaged, experimented with a month-long vegan and gluten-free diet, and after giving up meat in sixth grade did not become a full-fledged omnivore until we started dating. Early on in our relationship we came to the tacit understanding that we would both be happier if S cooked while D’s forays into the kitchen were limited to doing the dishes.

Thanksgiving

Last year we celebrated Thanksgiving in a combination Italian/Indian restaurant in a tiny Tanzanian town in the foothills of Mt. Kilimanjaro. We had summitted on Thanksgiving morning and this unorthodox restaurant was the best alternative we could find to turkey, stuffing, and cranberry sauce. This year, we headed to Watamu, to celebrate with our friends on the Kenyan coast. Because of the vagaries of the State Department bureaucracy we had Thursday off, but not Friday. Given how many of our colleagues we saw in the airport en route to the coast, the Embassy might as well have stayed closed Friday as well.