What is Kirsten reading? November 6, 2009
I’ve just purchased the new edition of the Larousse Gastronomique - a culinary compendium that offers history, definition and recipes. I have every edition of the Larousse Gastronomique that has been published! It’s fascinating (in a culinary geek sort of way) to see changes of food fashion and definition of cuisine over time.
I also purchased this week Momofuku by David Chang. I love Chang’s easy and honest writing style but more than that I love his noodles!
Mandy and I ate at Momofuku (in NYC) in May and Eric and I had a reservation in November for Momofuku Ko but we were just too busy to fit it into our schedule. It was painful to click “send” on our cancellation email.
The Iditarod is a family tradition February 20, 2008
For many people who choose to move to Alaska, it is a fact that they are distanced from their families and family traditions. Many of us who have come here and have decided to stay and make a new home for ourselves have had to create new traditions for ourselves.
For our family, the Iditarod Sled Dog Race has become an iconic symbol of home and family. Our two daughters, Carly and Amanda, basically know they have to come home for the Iditarod no matter where they are. This year, Carly has been living the winter months in South Africa. She’ll fly for eleven hours from Johannesburg to London and then another ten hours to Seattle and a final three to Anchorage. After that, one final flight by ski-plane to the lodge and she will be home. Amanda is living in Napa, California and will have a little bit easier distance to navigate. The girls will meet up in Seattle and take the same airplane up. There is nothing for an Alaskan quite like the feeling of flying over familiar vistas again - the snowy peaks of the Chugach and Alaska Ranges, Mt. Augustine, or the jagged coastline. Everyone has their own favorite landmarks to notice as they peer out from the airplane window.
For our family, the Iditarod represents many things - the energy of being busy with guests, the excitement of the race unfolding around us, the adventure of meeting people from different walks of life. But it is more than that. It represents the end to the lull of winter and it signals the renewal of spring and anticipation of summer. For me, it is the time to begin to think about the garden and all of its possibilities. I begin by pouring over color catalogs, looking at impossibly beautiful gardens and identifying plants that can tolerate our Zone 3 growing environments. Any Zone 3 plants become potential candidates and then it is a process of weeding through (I know, its a pun) budget, space and time to make my final selections.
For the girls, it’s a chance to come home when they know their help is needed. We are a family that pulls together and extending hospitality in our home is part of who we are. We feed any musher who wishes to dine with us: black beans and rice - my secret is to put a little orange juice and garlic into the beans and I use basmati rice which holds up beautifully through the long day. We add a fried egg in the morning and chicken breasts in the afternoon. We make buckets of fresh salsa We feed all the mushers and our guests and our staff. We also feed “others” - friends that stop by, many of the Iditarod volunteers, guests that fly in to the checkpoint just for the day. It’s sometimes a shock for me to see so many people on our remote and peaceful lake.
The Iditarod symbolizes endurance, commitment, strength - all words we include in defining our family values. For us, it is an event that will bring our far-flung family together, at least once a year, in celebration of who we are and how we live.
