Facing the Pacific and a Tsunami Warning!

Taking up residence facing the Pacific during a Tsunami Warning is by most standards a little foolish. Yet speaking with friend Fernando Jauregui, who lives in Chile; he matter-of-factly stated the ground always shakes a bit in his part of the world. It was his nonchalance that prompted me to carry on with plans for writing a second book while being plied with Chilean wine and seafood.

Daily in the cool of first and last light, I walk the Rio Lluta bird sanctuary just north of the Beach House Inn where I have a cabana with a sea-facing wall of windows making the best of an incredible view. A brisk conversation in a morning breeze with a birder provided much insight; 106 types of birds reported using the sanctuary with 35 rare species counted in that number. He mentioned that this spot is critical for migrating birds as there are few sanctuaries in the Atacama Desert. I've seen this fellow multiple times now, only in the morning and always with a pair of binoculars and notebook. I like chatting with birders. They are caretakers with a keen eye for detail and when approached prove to be a great source of knowledge. We now chat every morning.

As the heat comes on, the marine haze dissipates and birds disappear. It is as well my time to hide in the shadows and produce lines that I then send to my book designer who attempts to make sense of images, stories and travel information provided. I am here a week now. Happy to report, we are making great progress and early results are looking good!

Well, it happened!!! A ripple, an undulation went through the cabana! Whoooaaaa! The floor surged and the walls flapped. Without thinking I picked up my wine glass so as not to spill a drop of the chilled Cousino-Macul Cabernet-Sauvignon Gray I'd been drinking. And a split second later it dawned on me that this was a swell in the mantle, seismic activity! My one word reaction was, "WWOWWWW!" Then back to writing and in another 10 minutes yet another surge! Hahaha! Great! Didn't spill and the sandwich stayed on the plate. Things are just fine... Other guests had left their cabanas and were making sense of things. But they are Chileans and made of steady stuff. With a shrug they all returned to their rooms to avoid the searing Atacama sun... Really nothing for me to do but pour another glass and return to writing as we face the Pacific and a tsunami warning... together.

Now available - "Salsa!The Sauces of South America." Just $3.99 at Amazon.com! Meanwhile, writing continues on - "HotList South America" which emphasizes sites, culture, food and drink that define essence of place; HotList is an essential addendum to your travel guide of choice. 

Copyright © Mick Huerta 2014. All Rights Reserved. 
mickhuerta@gmail.com 
All Accordin' - Travel, Culture, Food, Wine! 

Salsa! The Sauces of South America! A Travelogue of South America's Finest Sauces... made easy!

How was this collection put together? Really, it has been a journey of twenty years making my way into South American kitchens and speaking to chefs and cooks. I would ask, "What is the emblematic sauce, the representative sauce of your country?" Then, "Which sauce is your favorite?" Never wanting to miss a thing, I'd rush to scribble the recipe in my aide-mémoire (ever-present notebook) in the language it was given. Later in the hotel; I’d flesh out context, observations and details.

Eventually then I’d translate recipes into English from the Spanish and Portuguese. And with those notes in hand, I’d enter the kitchen with local ingredients to recreate sauces, always looking for the flavor I had enjoyed on the road. Most times the photographs were taken mid-conversation right there in the restaurant yet others were taken at home in La Paz, Bolivia. No special set-up or gear it was simply a matter of taking advantage of our large set of kitchen windows which daily afford ample unfiltered Andean sunshine, and that light lends a luminous quality to the images.

Most certainly these stories come alive when you cook, a face for every sauce. This is what I had wanted to share in the writing of this book; the living human side to culture and kitchen. To make a recipe from “SALSA!” read the cook's story before you begin. I believe it’ll change your end result. Somehow in the making you will open and enjoy a South American world of flavors, traditions and lifestyles. Now that is something to savor.

And finally here it is! And in all it's colorful glory!  

Salsa! The Sauces of South America!: A Travelogue of South America's Finest Sauces... made easy! 

Copyright © Mick Huerta 2014. All Rights Reserved. 
mickhuerta@gmail.com 
All Accordin' - Travel, Culture, Food, Wine! 

 

 

SALSA! Available in a couple of days, just in time for the equinox!

Honestly, it's amazing and overwhelming  the amount of work and all the challenges you face when writing and publishing a book. Then attempt it from the hinterlands of South America! Daunting! I suppose Life presents the speedbumps and we are to maintain our cool when all the world seems to operate with a "manana" mentality. All the philosophy aside, allow me to say that I loved every minute! Really, every minute!

Available in a couple of days; just in time for the equinox. I like the thought of having an auspicious day for a book launch! Must be the Aztec in me... I'll take a breather from writing as we prepare for the launch party here in La Paz, Bolivia at 3,650m (11,975 feet). Sure to be some Chilean bubbly knocking around, too. In the meantime, we send you our very best from South America!

 Now available - "Salsa!The Sauces of South America." Just $3.99 at Amazon.com! Meanwhile, writing continues on "HotList South America" an essential addendum to your travel guide of choice.

Copyright © Mick Huerta 2014. All Rights Reserved. 
mickhuerta@gmail.com 
All Accordin' - Travel, Culture, Food, Wine!