Always Time To Dance

One thing about Dominicans that endears me is their innate musical nature. They have an almost involuntary response to music — they simply must dance. But the musical culture is not contained merely within the Dominican Republic, it is indicative of the island as a whole, the island of Hispaniola, in which both the Dominican …

Beer & Avocados — Reflections on Santo Domingo

I have been away from the Dominican Republic for so long, eight months, that, in coming back I can experience it more as an outsider while still retaining my inside perspective. Heat The first thing I feel is the heat which is so intense, enveloping and relentless that one has no choice but to wilt. …

Jazz Under the Haitian Sun

I traveled to Haiti three times with my father — first in 1976 for 6 weeks and twice more in 1978 and 1980 for 3 months. The first trip I was overcome, starstruck, by this different land with dark faces and lots of white, smiling teeth; grabbing hands and hungry bellies. It was all so …

The Pearl of Discomfort

It is a familiar oddity of nature — the grain of sand that irritates the oyster, put it in a state of discomfort, and as a result, the oyster covers the sand with an iridescent coating over and over until the end result is a gorgeous pearl. In this day and age where we are …

Cooking at Home: The Missing Link

Whether this is the first post you have read in this blog or you have been following it for a while, it’s safe to say that you have concluded that I like to cook. This is true but I didn’t always feel this way. Although I enjoyed cooking on special occasions, it has only been …