It was in Venezuela where I had my first kiss

The day arrived with big hope and much enthusiasm, presidential elections in Venezuela.

How can I forget my dear Venezuela? I had my three kids in Venezuela, my first job in Venezuela, and my first kiss in Venezuela. Even though I have lived there in three different times, each time I saw a vibrant city, happy people, magnificent nature, and wonderful weather all around.

Today I am making Venezuelan arepas. They are a round bread made of pre-cooked corn meal.

You can fill them with almost anything: cheeses, meats, fish, chicken, vegetables, sauces, creams. 

The dough is usually made with water, though I sometimes make it with vegetables juices and add more nutritious things like toasted sesame seeds, oats, flaxseeds and spelt flour. 

This is the pre-cooked white corn meal a packet seen in all Venezuelan households.

These are my colorful arepas: for the yellow I added turmeric, for the blue, cabbage with baking soda, and for the red, beet.

For the orange I added carrot, the green, spinach, and the white I did with water and added the additional spelt flour, flaxseed, sesame seeds, and oatmeal.

There are particular things that I miss. The aroma of coffee every morning, the smell of freshly baked bread from the bakeries. Dawn with the view of the mountain El Avila, the friendly and joyful Venezuelan people, and, of course, las areperas. They are everywhere and some are open 24 hours a day.

Arepas filled with carne mechada (shredded beef), avocado and chicken, black beans and cheese, and tomatoes with veggies.

This my version of "Reina Pepiada." It is made with avocado, chicken and mayonnaise. This arepa was made with the beet dough and garnish with micro purple radish.

In a very personal sense, I always remember the good times with families and friends in Venezuela. All those memories are linked through food:

Eating at the big table at my grandparents home, my grandfather David going to the market Sunday morning and coming back with huge boxes of fresh food ready to be shared with everyone. 

Las cachapas at my abuela Theo's, the welcoming big Sunday soup (hervidos) de mi tia Marisol, el pan de jamón, and the smell of hallacas on Christmas.

The gourmet dinners with written menus at my Dad's and Orietta's, having a fresh juice with my Tita.

Fresh fish (pargito frito) at the beach, tequeños at the piñatas, cachitos from the bakery.

Early Sundays buying flowers and having breakfast to catch up with my friend Maria Ines. 

The Shabbat at Jacob's mom's. 

The chicken brassery with yuca for lazy days.

The nanny, Luz Marina, helping me make scrumptious meals. 

My mom's super healthy meals, way before people used to even talk about organic. 

My grandmother Dolores cooking for me special food because I didn't like anything.... 

And today I have my heart set on a peaceful, secure, and happy Venezuela to come..

All my love to Venezuela!

Are you eating farmed salmon?

Watch the trailer and see by yourself, this is one of the reasons why I do not buy farmed salmon.

Farmed salmon is significantly higher in toxins, it may contains antibiotics and pesticides. Wild salmon is superior nutritionally, it is higher in omega -3 and better environmentally.

For me the best option is wild Alaska Salmon. They are the best, even their taste and texture are different. If you buy them frozen, buy vacuum sealed and check for the FAS ( frozen at sea).  It is caught, processed and frozen while still at sea.

 And please, always  ask were the fish comes from?

Environmental Defense Fund

Pure Salmon Campaign 

This is one of the reasons I like France

Because of their cuisine reaches to every one even to school lunches in France.

Their menu is a five course meal for lunch.They are concerned about the children having the pleasure of eating, sitting at the table, sharing and having a conversation. Kids have at school bouillabaisse, escargots, mussels, while Americans kids at school eat pizza and hot dog.  All food are made fresh locally and well balanced: they even have hors d'oeuvre. This makes me want to live in Paris.

I hope school lunches in USA make a change, I do approve of  all the movement from Jamie Oliver's Revolution about educating and changing school systems, I feel sorry to see kids that don't even know that tomato sauce comes from a tomato or  potato chips come from a potatoes, that is very sad. I was lucky that when my kids where small we were living in Santa Monica, California  and  the principles of the school were that all the food had to be homemade and healthy, you weren't allowed to bring any kind of fast food and the meal had to be packed in a green way, no trash to throw away, little table cloths, fabric napkins, forks and knives they all had to be in small container. Even at children birthday parties there didn't allow soda, and cakes could only be sweetened with fruits. Maybe in Santa Monica everybody is more aware and informed towards the healthy lifestyle.

I raised my kids to be concerned, have knowledge and be curious of what they eat. People were amazed to see such small kids at the grocery store reading the labels of food products. Later we moved to Florida and that was a different story, my children couldn't understand why the school teacher would give them kool-aid and sweets as treats for good behavior in the classroom, even the pediatrician would give them sweets at check ups. They used to tell me: Mom they are all crazy how can they give us this, they don't know anything. 

This one of the reason I love France.

THE AMERICAN CHEESE

Los Quesos Americanos, siguen dando vuelta alrededor del mundo. Ahora les toca en Brasil donde van a estar participando como parte de la programación en la Bienal de Sâo Paulo Polo de Arte Contemporáneo.

El memorial de América Latina presenta la exposición Trans Contemporáneo en conmemorativa del Bicentenario de la Independencia de América Latina .
"The American Cheese" se esta presentando en la galería Marta Traba como una propuesta al Arte en las fronteras geográficas, políticas y lingüísticas.

Las fotos las hizo Esteban Pulido durante la campaña electoral, fueron impresas con emulsión fotográfica sobre rebanadas de queso americano, procesada en un cuarto oscuro con los productos químicos tradicionales de la fotografía en blanco y negro.
Estuvieron exhibidas en Forward Food una tienda especializada en quesos de Norman, Oklahoma. Donde fueron fotografiadas todos los días para documentar su descomposición hasta el día final de las elecciones.

Estos quesos como Pop Art, para algunos fueron controversiales hasta dieron que hablar en los noticieros de CNN.

Me encanta, la idea del arte y la politca en la comida. Y como todos los quesos hay los que son madurados, ácidos, aromáticos, astringentes, como también frescos, fuertes y firmes. Aunque este no se puede comer.