notes from new orleans

- never drink sippin' syrup
- i saw steve zahn
- chivalry is not dead (and it makes me feel weird)
- larry flint is a racist

also, pan-african food is delicious. here is a recipe for something called jama jama. the restaurant i had it at, benachin, served it with fried plantains and coconut rice on the side. delishhhh.

What you need:

a few tablespoons of oil
two or three cloves of garlic, minced
one onion, finely chopped
one-half teaspoon cayenne pepper or red pepper (more or less to taste)
two or more pounds of greens (collards, kale, mustard greens, swiss chard, or similar); stems removed, cleaned, torn or shredded, drained
one cup water, or chicken broth or chicken stock
salt to taste

What you do:

Heat oil in a large skillet or pot. Over high heat, sauté onions and garlic for a few minutes. Add cayenne pepper and stir for a minute. Reduce heat.
Add greens to pot. Cook over medium heat for several minutes. Stir greens often, but otherwise keep the pot covered.
Add water or broth. Cover. Cook over low heat until greens are tender -- ten to twenty minutes or longer. Add salt if necessary. Serve hot.

recipe courtesy of congocookbook.com

i get around

i am going to new orleans in 2 weeks!!!!!! i can't wait. i'm gonna eat like a cajun queen and listen to some bounce. it will be nice to hang in a warmer clime.

so far this year, i've gone to israel (tel aviv, jerusalem, tiberius, haifa, golan heights, negev, more i am probably forgetting), philly, and boston. i hope to go to many more places in the 2010. i guess i'll have to wait and see what the future holds.