Chahar Shanbe Suri

Iranian New Year will be at 10:14 p.m. on Monday, March 19th, but today is the first day of celebration called "Chahar Shanbe Suri". We attended a dinner party tonight, met some interesting people and had a great time. Included in the evening is "jumping over fire" (three small wood fires are lit outside) which symbolize giving up winter cold, sickness and problems and turning to warmth and energy. It was fun watching the excited laughing children running and jumping over the fire tonight.

More Food Carts...................

Today it is ultra cold because it snowed almost everywhere in Portland except for downtown. Now the sun is shining but the cold hasn't gone away. Class today was extremely informative as we are now studying in the 1990s. Thursday, our last class will feature current events.

Last week I visited "Fernando's", the first cart I've encountered with really nasty food. (I should have gotten a hint that a Mexican restaurant that features burgers may not be very authentic). The odds are still good so I continued down the street by going to the "Phat Cart" that features Japanese, Hawaiian and Thai food. I ordered a Thai Bento with rice, vegetables and chicken with tomato and onion gravy. Nicely prepared and delicious.

The next cart will be "Krua Bangkok" and I've already checked out the menu. I think that I'm leaning towards a chicken, cashew stir fry but everything on the menu looks good.

Belmont District.......... Another Portland Experience

Yesterday afternoon Gina and I went over to the Belmont Area (narrow streets with quaint shops and small cafes), first for brunch at "Circa 33" and then to Profile Theatre (a small theater with the stage in the center of the room) to see Romulus Linney's "A Lesson Before Dying". Sitting in the theater around the stage brings you right into the drama so you feel like you're a part of the story. The play was excellent so it was an enjoyable way to spend a cloudy Sunday afternoon.

Weekend Update................

It was a lovely week in Portland with two very warm and sunny days and the rest at comfortable temps. We're "thinking Spring" with the hour change in time tonight and Nouruz coming soon on March 19th (Persian New Year). The tradition is to get the house organized, cleaned, repaired, etc. so this week we took care of several little things that needed attention and we're looking ahead to making other improvements in the coming week.

Class ends for me on Tuesday and Roger's classes end on March 15th so we're like little kids, looking forward to Spring break when we can take a driving trip somewhere in Oregon.

Only For Readers...................

For my friends who love to read............. you know that "delicious" feeling when you open a new book and you read the first few paragraphs............... and you KNOW that you're going to love the novel? That is my impression of "The Lantern" by Deborah Lawrenson. I'm only on page 30 but I couldn't wait to recommend it.

Mucca Osteria

My heart and my stomach took a short trip to Italy this afternoon when I visited a new downtown restaurant, Mucca Osteria. The menu and food reminded me of the wonderful lunches that Gary and I enjoyed while spending several days in Rome. This restaurant has only been in business about six months and I didn't know they existed until we walked past their window the other night while going to a nearby Indian Restaurant. It looked interesting so, after dropping Bella off at her "beauty parlour" and after my dentist appointment, I decided to give them a try. I was disappointed to see they were empty but I was greeted with huge smiles and attentive service. It was somewhat like having a personal chef, since he was cooking just for me. I decided to order a two course lunch, starting with Tagliere della casa (five different sliced cured meats with olives, pickles and other condiments served with their home baked bread). The entree was Cavatelli con salsiccia, fresh made pasta shells with Italian pork sausage, parmesan and cream. I felt there was no choice but to finish off with Tiramisu for dessert. The servings were small (thankfully) and it was a great dining experience. This is what I define as an "upper scale" restaurant (ie expensive) so I won't be able to eat there often but I look forward to finding a special occasion so I can justify going back.

Chopollos - Food Cart #9

We are having crazy weather with snow last night and bright sunshine this morning. It's still cold but we're told that it will get up to 60 degrees by Thursday.

After today's class, the next food cart in line was "Chopollos", featuring Mexican food - but also serving Mexican style burgers. For $10 Roger had a chicken buritto and I enjoyed a Mexican style burger - both delicious. I think that I'm turning into a "food cart junkie......"