I´m back from my travels in the USA, land of sensual ribs so tender that the meat slides off the bone; jalapeño burgers slathered in cheddar cheese with jaunty American flags waving out of the top buns; spicy tamales with soft yielding corn meal, salsa prepared at the table with a stone mortar and pestle; bison burgers, bison steaks, bison bourguignon; corn on the cob, husked on the back porch and finished on the grill; ghost chili chimichurri slathered on roasted pork belly; scallop-tilapia ceviche with tostones and hearts of palm; frijoles antioqueños, dripping in lime, cilantro and roasted tomatoes with scallions; clam chowder whipped into a frenzy by the August wind of San Fransisco Bay; coffees as big as your head; Chicago hot dogs, topped with shockingly green relish; Prince Edward Island mussels and happy hour; my brother's homemade jerky, sausages, kimchi and pickles; fried chicken and waffles; polenta with sauteed kale and blue cheese; lemon meringue pie; Enrique's celebrated gnocchi, the best I've ever tasted them; jalapeño-cheddar Cheetos, toxic-orange stained fingers; American breakfast! grits, biscuits, bacon, Hollandaise, the inevitable bison sausage, burritos; the elusive Vietnamese pho, that still haunts me with a craving; micro-beer in every flavor and color; wine from every state; cappuccino from an ancient machine that still only my parent's know the secrets to; bagels with vegetable cream cheese, lox and capers; champagne on the top of Chicago; seltzer in a mason jar; pan-fried lake perch; bourbon; eating crisp yellow squash and digging purple potatoes from my parent's garden; lemonade stands; ice tea...
Thank you everyone, it was glorious!
photo: roasted pork belly, tostones, kimchi and homegrown purple potatoes
