I'm just trying to make my rtw trip more concrete and figure out things like visas and shots. This is the list of countries I plan to visit:

China
India
Malaysia
Australia
New Zealand
Kenya
Tanzania
Malawi
Mozambique
Zimbabwe
Botswana
Namibia
South Africa
England
France
Netherlands
Germany
Switzerland
Maybe a couple other countries in Europe...

Doesn't seem too shabby. There are only six countries on the list that I have visited in the past, but not necessarily in much detail. The European portion is the least planned out section of my trip so far. I'll have to give it some more thought once I have the immediate travel concerns sorted out (first thing is to get my Indian and Chinese visas).

Many of you know I'll be the Foods teacher this year at my school. Now I enjoy cooking and baking, but I've never been formally taught it myself (Home Economics was never offered at any school I attended).

my students: generally low to middle class, considered at-risk, some struggling to live on own

my kitchen: pretty small, no fan, will probably fit 5-6 youth at a time BUT I have a food mixer and a food processor and an oven/stove along with maybe a few other nifty items

my class: I'm holding it every Thursday for 3 hours; the youth will need to attend at least two to three classes in order to earn a high school credit; the bonus is that they get to eat for lunch whatever they cook

my ideas: I'm considering a few themed classes along the line of holidays or nationalities, but mostly I want to focus on nutrition and affordability

What fabulous recipes or dishes do you think these youth should learn or would like to learn? So far, a few of my ideas include crepes (savory and dessert), quiche, pizza, homemade pasta, taco salad, sushi, chicken caesar salad, fajita, hummus, lasagna, bannock, chili with cornbread (although I could use a good tried and true recipe for both)...

I just tried making this. As it sets in the fridge, the results are currently unknown. I have a mix of curiosity, excitement and revulsion welling up inside me. If the results are good (or perhaps even if they are bad), I'll be sharing in the very near future.

edit:

SUCCESS! If you like Vietnamese coffee, you'll likely love this coffee gelatin.

If you are a fan of graphic novels, picture books and early film, I recommend running to the library or the book store to pick up Brian Selznick's beautiful book, The Invention of Hugo Cabret. With gorgeous illustrations interwoven with film and text, it slowly unfolds a charming, mysterious story of 12 year old orphan, clock keeper and thief, Hugo, who lives within the walls of a Paris train station.

I won't write much more about it as it's more of a delight to discover this masterpiece yourself in its unusual format. Happy reading!

I discovered that I can buy frozen natto at the T&T Market, and so I've been enjoying it as a snack lately. It is fermented soybeans and looks a lot like lumpy mucas that has a strong cheesy smell. In Japan, it tends to be one of those foods that the Japanese people test on foreigners to see what reaction they'll get. I developed a taste for it so I wouldn't be one of those who "failed" the test.

It is a popular food in Hokkaido and everyone I talked with there claimed it was really healthy for you. I just looked at my translated label and discovered the following is in each serving:

Fiber 12g (48% of daily req)
Protein 8g

That's pretty impressive. I think I'll continue to seek it out every chance I get. I wonder how that compares with edamame (regular ol' soybeans)?

If you haven't seen Wendy McNeill in concert, jump at the chance. She's delightful.

I heard this on the radio the other day, and thought I'd gift it upon you. Laura Barrett is a Canadian singer that I may try to seek out in the future.



Beware of robot ponies.

I'm actually going to be seeing David Byrne in concert in February!

Have a listen here a wonderful streaming version of his latest album that he created with Brian Eno:

http://www.everythingthathappens.com/

Boule loaf from last night's dough - a success! Two loaves made. One consumed with Mort and Jillybean and one given to a man of the mouse variety.

More opportunities to make and consume bread in the near future, possibly coming to a house near you.

About a year ago, I became a microlender to people in developing countries through an organization called Kiva. I was a little bit hesitant that it would turn out to be a scam or that the organization would fall apart, but I've been very, very happy with it so far. Since I joined up and started lending money, Bill Clinton included information about the organization in his book, Giving and various newspapers, magazines and T.V. shows have carried stories about it.

To date, I've started 17 loans:
9 have been paid back in full
5 are being actively paid back - money is just re-invested into new loans
2 have the money raised but it hasn't been distributed to the entrepreneur
1 is still fundraising
0 loans have defaulted

I'm absolutely loving it. Over the year, I've received about three updates from various people to whom I've lent money; this is always such a gift. I really enjoy the process of picking a new person or a new group of people when I've got got money to re-invest (I often choose Cambodia as the poverty there struck a chord in me when I visited the country in 2003). It boggles me a little that it can be this easy to make such a huge impact for someone else.

Would I recommend it to others? In a heartbeat.