à la carte spirit by ilona fried
Food
When an Introvert Walks into a Bar…Learning How to Act Like a Local in Spain
Travel can reveal some painful paradoxes. While I visit other countries to experience different cultures and see how other people live and eat, I have less curiosity about my own country. I often feel estranged from Americans who are proud to be locals and have inherited or developed a pride of place. I never derived … Continue reading
How a Fungus Helped Me “Functionally Integrate” Myself
When I began walking on the same trails in the same woods, I wanted to see if I could transform my addiction to novelty-seeking by cultivating pleasure in one place. To return to a familiar patch of ground felt like a constraint in a Feldenkrais Awareness Through Movement lesson, where the strategic use of limitations … Continue reading
When a Transit Annoyance Morphs Into Adventure
When I think about Boston’s MBTA, my soul shrivels. Having enjoyed far more efficient and pleasant transit in other countries, its squeaky trains, delayed buses and cumbersome kiosks grate on me. Yet, in avoiding it I’ve constrained myself. Driving into the city and finding parking is stressful and costly. Using Uber adds up. Since I … Continue reading
Anthony Bourdain, Food and the Soul
I knew of Anthony Bourdain but hadn’t watched any of his shows until I learned of his passing. In viewing parts of several episodes, I discovered that we had been kindred spirits: lovers of food, travel, exploring the unknown and, also, appreciators of simple pleasures. In one tribute to his life, there is a video … Continue reading
Reverse Culture Shock: Being Moroccan in MA Brought Mixed Results
Moroccans share. They share tight spaces, such as cramped food stalls and narrow alleys. They share tea with visitors. To my initial shock, they even share taxis. To enter an occupied cab felt disconcerting but I quickly learned it’s faster and cheaper to ride in a car that already had a passenger, especially if they … Continue reading
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