Anata Andina - Gratitude for Mother Nature

After a long dry season comes the rain and the high plains of the Andes pop with greenery. In this time of fertility and exuberance the naturally reverent native peoples are inclined to celebrate the abundance of life. It is understandable in a world cleaved in two, survival divided into two seasons: The wet and dry, Jallu Pacha and Awti Pacha. When Jallu Pacha rains and the subsequent harvest arrive villages will have quinoa, corn and potato. Just enough to make it another year. Harvest in, it is time to give heartfelt thanks. In their jubilance; the celebrants, dancers and musicians welcome the world. Always the Thursday before Carnival in Oruro, Bolivia; Anata Andina!

 Copyright © Mick Huerta 2013. All Rights Reserved.
mickhuerta@gmail.com
All Accordin' - Travel, Culture, Food & Wine!

"Boulevard of Gastronomy" Lima, Peru!

 In the Surquillo neighborhood, Lima has turned a traditional farmers' market into a pedestrian mall to showcase Peruvian cooking. The result is called the "Boulevard of Gastronomy" and is one of the must see and must eat experiences in this vibrant Latin American city fast producing a reputation as a world culinary hot spot!

Copyright © Mick Huerta 2013. All Rights Reserved.
mickhuerta@gmail.com
All Accordin' - Travel, Culture, Food & Wine! 

Gin Tonic, Bangers and Mash and Bisexual Lovers! - Bridge Bar & Eating House

A long layover is never a thrill but if you’re open to conjuring a good time you can make an imposed sentence relatively painless.

So when anyone crabs about being on lock down at London Heathrow Airport (LHR), I simply say Bridge Bar & Eating House. Time of day is not a concern; they open 05.30 and don´t close ´til after the last departing flight. Quality yet unpretentious ingredients are well presented in a perfectly English manner, Bangers and Mash? Got it! Bubble and Squeak? Got it! Full English Breakfast? Got it! The place is so busy you may be obliged to sit any where space is available. I recently shared a table with a beautiful Lesbian couple who were sipping Gin Tonics at 0:900. Lovely and talkative they explained one was Lesbian and the other Bisexual. 

“Oh?” was my reply. 

When the waiter arrived, I asked for what the taller of the two was having. 

“Come again?” said he.

“Yes, I´ll have what she´s having; Gin Tonic, Eggs Benedict and a Bisexual lover, please.”

The young English waiter stood silent, eyes wide open. The ladies tittered.

“Okay. GT, Eggs Benedict and see what you can do about the Bisexual lover, thank you.”

The waiter left quickly, only to return with my cocktail in hand. 

Now to the idea of travel morning Gin Tonics, you may recoil in horror. But remember it's the journey and not the destination. And how many times in a lifetime are you thrown together with two new Facebook friends? Cin Cin, Amici Miei!

Copyright © Mick Huerta 2013. All Rights Reserved.
mickhuerta@gmail.com
All Accordin' - Travel, Culture, Food & Wine! 

VALPO · Valparaiso, Chile

No rooster´s crow, no braying of burros as in other Andean places. Here there is only the insistence of hungry gulls at first hour and all throughout the day... and the sound of distant marine horns parting the morning haze.

Copyright © Mick Huerta 2013. All Rights Reserved.
mickhuerta@gmail.com
All Accordin' - Travel, Culture, Food & Wine!

Logo Image · © 2011 Arquitectura + Diseño = COPYpeist.com

Bar Union · Santiago de Chile

Home to authors, musicians and to anyone who loves conversation; the Bar Union is one of my favorite spots on the planet. Countless have a list of faves, however, my short list seems to be comprised of traditional haunts that serve food, too. A place were names are known and neighbours have gathered for decades. Another characteristic that appeals is a talented staff  that weathers the years unchanged.

I hadn´t seen Sabino in twelve years. "What retire? I´d be dead next day." he says smiling with his eyes. He´s the fellow who taught me White Sangria on a hot day. He puts wonderfully ripe peaches to the nose. "If you can´t smell them through the skin they will never do. It´s the perfume you see." Once selected, the fruit is pitted and peeled then dropped into a tall glass pitcher with a sprinkle of sugar, all expertly done tableside. A long wooden muddler is used to crush the fruit and release the juices.

Now comes your part. It is for you to select the white wine. It´s Chile! And there are so many wonderful whites to choose from! Lack confidence? No matter. Sabino is quick to guide. Not a barman but a top waiter, first class. Much like the Bar Union, everything as it was done long ago when men were gracious and women were called, "Ma´dame."

Bar Restaurant de la Union
Nueva York 11 Santiago Centro
Opposite University of Chile

 Copyright © Mick Huerta 2013. All Rights Reserved.
mickhuerta@gmail.com
All Accordin' - Travel, Culture, Food & Wine!

Giving Thanks...

Even big cities rife with daily sounds of car theft alarms and overbearing traffic noise can provide an occasional surprise. Just before first light, early morn, cold fingers of cloud gripped this high altitude Andean city. Not quite yet awake, strains of Pavarotti singing Nessun Dorma (None Shall Sleep) filtered above the rooftops, faint and beguiling it wafted as a godsend. I lifted my head and cocked an ear, then rose from the featherbed to draw the curtains and open windows to better hear. In damp morning haze, a neighbour had bestowed a sonorous gift. I smiled at this Latin city and mouthed the words, "Mil Gracias" (a thousand thanks) to a person I shall never meet. For truly this offering, a musical generosity so freely given has changed my day...

Copyright © Mick Huerta 2013. All Rights Reserved.
mickhuerta@gmail.com
All Accordin' - Travel, Culture, Food & Wine!

Żubrówka Bison Vodka

In Poland's Bialowieza National Park where the buffalo do roam, I discovered "Żubrówka Bison Vodka" flavored with buffalo grass. Each bottle sports a signature blade of grass which speaks to authenticity (think agave worm in Mezcal bottles). Because of its yellowish color locals joke that it's bison piss vodka. Being six times distilled, I thought notes of herb, vanilla, and almond where more apparent...  

Of course best when shared, frozen and sipped from a small glass. Yet others prefer Żubrówka chilled and mixed with apple juice, a drink originating in Poland and known as Tatanka. Meanwhile in the UK, it's called a Frisky Bison. Na zdrowie!

Copyright © Mick Huerta 2013. All Rights Reserved.
mickhuerta@gmail.com
All Accordin' - Travel, Culture, Food & Wine!