Posts by Jared Cohee (18)

Invariably when mentioning the words "Poland" and "food" in the same sentence here in the United States, people will immediately say and think "pierogi." While these dumplings of potato or cheese or spinach are indeed delicious, there is also a more finely-tuned and in fact complex world of Polish cuisine. A good place to start sampling is one of Greenpoint's most prominent restaurants: Karczma.

In some recent travels to West Africa, I had the chance to relax and take in life at the speed of Dakar, the capital of Senegal. It takes a few days to fall into this rhythm, a less hectic and pressed schedule that is not only physical, but mental. It might be less productive to our standards, but in the end you actually acheive much more and do not drive yourself crazy with frustration. If it happens, it happens.

Every year in late November, the blond Danish masses of New York City gather in Brooklyn Heights for the a chance to celebrate Christmas in the manner they are used to: With massive amounts of open-faced sandwiches?

While purchasing our tickets in Mopti for the boat to Timbuktu, Saly and I have the pleasure of meeting the captain, who invites us into his quarters, shows us around a little, and even gives us a fried treat with banana sauce. He takes kindly to Saly and from then on we are greeted very warmly by him and his crew who now know us by name.

My first taste of anticuchos and picarones in Perú comes before our visit to the fountain and light show. Before we can sit down though, there is a fight to get us to eat in each particular section.

Congratulations to you President-elect Barack Obama. You ran an amazing campaign, and made history doing so. You pulled a lot of people into this farce that we call American politics, and let me be the first to let you know, we are all still watching.

Some photos to end your week with. These were shot during the recent trip to Chile and Peru that I wrote about.

There are many reasons why the borough of Queens is so amazing, and on this late August Sunday, Indonesian goodness was the proof. First we spent a short 15 minutes or so at the Al-Hikmah Indonesian Mosque in Astoria, perusing the sweets, finger foods, and ready-made lunches served to happy patrons, who must miss the food from home very much. My Indonesian friend left the simple "food bazaar" with a bag full of things to take home. I could not leave empty handed, and picked up some Lemper Ayam, sticky rice and shredded chicken wrapped in a banana leaf, and a couple Pastel, which could have been mistaken for any number of Latin American country's empanadas. After we were satisfied, it was time for the 45 minute walk to Elmhurst, and UPI JAYA, our destination for the day.

It's 32 degrees Celsius, but soon to be 8. But for now, 32, and I am backpacking through Brooklyn. Dirty, grimy. I'm not necessarily ready, but I never am. With the rucksack, I am suddenly an outsider on the subway, not just going to work or going home, but leaving.

Try THIS! will be down south for a few weeks... hopefully gathering plenty of good things to share upon return in October. Completos from Chile, Salteñas from Bolivia, Ceviches from Peru... expect them all!