à la carte spirit by ilona fried
Illusion
On the Transformative Power of Blue Boots
Almost a year ago, an image of sleek, cobalt blue leather boots gleamed like a jewel at the top of my Facebook feed. The bright, monochrome booties, made by the Spanish company Camper, cheered me instantly, no small feat considering I had been experiencing throbbing shoulder pain and mounting despair for the preceding two months. … Continue reading
We Are All Skeletons
One day, a day I am unlikely to live to see, humans will no longer care about race. Identity politics will have been relegated to the dustbin of history. Perhaps even identity as we’ve come to emphasize it – based on religion, sexuality, etc. – will be a relic of the past. One of the … Continue reading
Shambhala, Too
It’s been revealed that the Shambhala Buddhist “Emperor”, Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche, has no clothes. An in depth investigative report, spearheaded by a former member of the Shambhala community months before the #MeToo movement made headlines, has turned up searing and horrifying stories of abuse of power, including sexualized violence, over a period of decades. Sadly, I am not … 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
Stripping Away Clothing and Illusions in a Marrakesh Hammam
A handful of us “Unsettled” adventurers in the Medina of Marrakech decided to visit a public women’s hammam (bathhouse), to experience it like the locals. Unlike its upscale counterparts, this hammam is BYOB (bring your own bath gear) so we shopped for supplies. One of our local helpers led us a short distance from our riad to some … Continue reading
à la carte spirit by ilona fried 
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