Please note: ATG was “traveling” last week along “Rose’s Ridge” in another “realm” – we’ll be back at the “table” this week!
Until then, here’s a glimpse into our travels in the land of “hula honeys” and a reflection on The Aloha Spirit.
While it may officially be “spring”, not a lot of green has necessarily “sprung” around New England quite yet – which is probably why I’ve been dreaming lately of The Greenbrier in White Sulphur Springs, located in the “wild and wonderful” state of West Virginia.
As a proud barefoot West Virginian hillbilly – who moved to New England over thirty years ago and spends three quarters of the year wearing winter boots – I long to be, as John Denver sings, taken home “to the place I belong” in the hills of West Virginia, especially during this time of year where there truly is a full-fledged, hope-filled daffodil spring. Read more
In celebration of St. Patrick’s Day 2015, ATG is exploring “All Things Irish.” Below ATG contributor and professional photographer J Kevin Crowley reflects on his experience with traditional Irish music while studying in Dublin, Ireland.
The Irish are historically famous for a few things, some more well known than others, some rooted in truth more than others: The land of “Saints & Scholars” speaks to its poets and writers, and its almost ubiquitous Catholic culture. They’re also known for their hospitality, their cheese, and even their smoked salmon.
Of course, around this time of year, and specifically on March 17th, you’re probably focused on the Irish proclivity for “the drink”, be it whiskey or Guinness, and their music, which fills pubs around the world with artists ranging from the Dubliners to the Chieftains, and even the Dropkick Murphys, depending on the bar. Read more
In celebration of St. Patrick’s Day 2015, ATG is exploring “All Things Irish” for the next couple weeks. Below we review the Irish movie “Some Mother’s Son.” Stay tuned for more!
It was with a faint memory of the 1981 hunger strikes in Northern Ireland that I recently watched Some Mother’s Son* (1996) – a movie based on the true story of the young IRA (Irish Republican Army) martyrs who began a hunger strike while being held in a British prison in Belfast for their involvement in IRA terrorist activities.
Refusing to be treated as criminals by wearing their assigned prisoner uniforms, the IRA members began their hunger strike in an attempt to be recognized by the British government as “political prisoners of war.” Ten of the twenty-one men jailed ended up dying as martyrs for their cause, including Bobby Sands, their leader who was elected to parliament while in prison and whose funeral was attended by over 100,000 people. Read more
Russians may not necessarily be known for their fairy tales, but they certainly know how to create a fairy tale setting – or so is the case with the Russians running a cozy restaurant tucked away in New York City’s Flatiron District: Mari Vanna.
Walking into Mari Vanna’s is truly like stepping into a fairy tale setting: adorned with old photographs, worn flowered wall paper of another era, Matrioshka dolls, porcelain figurines, crystal chandeliers, a library full of Russian literature and comfortable linen tables decorated with fresh flowers, it is as if you are entering your “babushka’s” house – the Russian equivalent of “grandmother.” Read more
Bunker down with some Russian vodka and the colorful, contradictory, crazy Comrade Khrushchev! Try also this hearty winter soup and consider reading about the Romanov Sisters as part of our “all things Russia” feature.
Andy Warhol, the pop artist and cultural icon, was a prophet of our time when he said, “…in the future everyone will have their fifteen minutes of fame…” regardless of their ability.
Warhol certainly experienced and explored fame in his lifetime – living it in “wildly diverse social circles that included Bohemian street people, distinguished intellectuals, Hollywood celebrities and wealthy aristocrats,”* cultivating it through the mass marketing of his art and, finally, critiquing it as found in his book, The Philosophy of Andy Warhol.
A biography from the Warhol Foundation succinctly captures just how far ahead of his time he was, writing:
“…a skilled (analog) social networker, [Warhol] parlayed his fame one connection at a time, to the status of a globally recognized brand. Decades before widespread reliance on portable media devices, he documented his daily activities and interactions on his traveling audio tape recorder and beloved Minox 35 EL camera. Predating the hyper-personal outlets now provided on-line, Warhol captured life’s every minute detail in all its messy, ordinary glamour and broadcast it through his work, to a wide and receptive audience”** Read more
As part of our celebration of “all things Russia” for Valentine’s Day, be sure to read our post in Rose’s Ridge, “From Russia With Love,” and try our recipes for Russian dishes from Around The Table.
Please note: ATG is “traveling” this week along “Rose’s Ridge” in another “realm” – we’ll be back at the “table” next week!
Until then: Visit Sugarbush in Warren, Vermont for a day of skiing! Ski down the mountain to a Parisian Bistro, “Chez Henri“, for a hearty french-inspired lunch. Opened for 50 years since 1964, Henri is still serving “a slice of Paris in the Green Mountains.”
While these American gladiators are getting ready to faceoff in a much anticipated – but unusually “deflated” – Super Bowl XLIX, we’re taking a moment to journey over to Rome, Italy where the world’s first gladiators took the “field” nearly two thousands years ago in the Roman Colosseum.
Built in A.D. 70-72, the Colosseum was a gift to the Roman people from Emperor Vespasian, who decreed the construction of a “new amphitheater where the public could enjoy gladiatorial combats and other forms of entertainment.” Read more