First of all: cool news! Another Passion blog, written by none other than Rasmus Rasmussen (I swear, it's his legal name) published an interview with me today! The photos are stunning, if I do say so myself, and the shoot was an absolute pleasure. Now to the story of the weekend.
Secret Agent Lover Man and I were supposed to head for Portland this weekend, for a day or two of frivolity, good food, and gallivanting. We had plans to spend hours getting lost in Powells, the "city of books," or what I like to call the Left-Coast Strand. We were going to stay in a famous hostel, eat like kings, and wander the oh-so-flat and pedestrian-friendly roads of Seattle's sister city.
But a mudslide in southern Washington and some incompetence on Amtrak's part left us stranded in our hometown for the weekend. Oych. Nevertheless, we decided we were still on vacation, no matter what! And with that assertion, we set off for Big John's. Because Good Food was still the top of the priority list.
Big John's Pacific Food Imports is kind of like Jerry's Gourmet, from where I grew up. It's smaller, to be sure, and with a more Greek focus than Italian, but the feeling is the same - a warehouse of cheap, perfect Mediterranean meats, cheese, spices and groceries. You're only permitted to buy cheese, olives and meat by the pound - no half-pounds, no wimpy measurements. You must have absolute conviction in your choice of cheese and meat, so they offer as many free samples as you like. SALM and I sampled our way down the counter, and eventually picked up a pound of kashkaval - my father's golden cheese, the one he can't find in Boston, of which he is in everpresent pursuit. We added a pound of sopressata salami, and a pound of juicy kalamata olives to the mix, and decided to drop by SALM's parents' house for lunch.
Lunch at SALM's parents' house is a little like lunch with any big family of good eaters - loud, laugh-filled, story-sparkling. We explained about our mishaps with the train and decided to come back later in the evening to make use of the backyard hot tub. It's not vacation without a Jacuzzi, right?
The next day, we headed for the International District, and walked around, smelling fresh hum bao and roasted duck, cilantro and sesame, ginger and scallions. The Seattle Pinball Machine Museum - a room full of pinball machines with unlimited play for $7 - warranted a stop, as did a neighborhood history museum. Lunch was Sechuaneze food, as only can be found in Chinatown. And after we stuffed ourselves on all things hot, sour, spicy and filling, we walked to Pike Place Market and enjoyed the view of the water, showing each other our favorite spots in the market.
At the end of a long weekend, we rested our tired feet in the always-exciting Left Bank Books. I read about how to shower out of a recycled bleach bottle while living on the road, and how to saddle-stitch your own books. SALM read a giant knitting book and occasionally quoted out loud to me. By the time we made our way home to eat leftover cheese, olives, and Chinese food, there was no doubt left: we'd been on vacation, damnit. Right here in Emerald City.
3 comments:
Kashkaval! Ohh, you can't get it in Burlington, either, but they have it at the Bratt co-op (of course!). My all-time favourite, though, is manouri (I think it's spelled like that...), which you should see if you can find. It's creamy and nutty and amazing on rice crackers!
Jake, you know about kashkaval cheese? How in the world did you come by that??
Bratt co-op! They have an amazing cheese department!
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