The Nuts in the Kitchen Book Tour has begun. I’m now in Austin, Texas preparing to begin a teaching tour at five Central Market stores (www.centralmarket.com) throughout the state. On the menu are delicious offerings from Nuts in the Kitchen, photos of which will appear on this blog as the tour progresses. The class begins tonight, Wednesday June 2, at Central Market’s North Lamar store (512.206.1014).
What I love about cooking in the U.S. is the trick of finding gorgeous ingredients. I know that during my time in Texas I’ll have no trouble at all. Central Market stores are little havens of perfection, with anything you can imagine at your fingertips.
My trip over here was surprisingly tranquil, thanks to traveling with carry-on only. This has made a huge difference to travel, as one is the captain of one’s ship, the mistress of one’s soul. How many times have I filled out the paperwork for lost bags, losing precious hours of a visit? How often have I wanted to flee from the airport and instead waited, along with other weary travelers, for the grind and bump of the bags to come off the plane. Now it’s a quick in and out, with the only stressful part being the domestic leg.
Why? On international flights a purse isn’t counted as carry-on, so you can have one along with the other two pieces of luggage. On domestic flights, the rules are rabidly clear – two carry-ons, and two carry-ons only, which occasions a deft reorganization that can sometimes result in chaos. “Where are my glasses?” “What did I do with my book?” “Where is the cord to the computer?” Sometimes I wonder at the real reason for two carry-ons when I see people getting on the plane doubled-over with the weight of their bags. It is not, however, for me to ask why.
Each time I return to the U.S. I see more nuts in airports. I’m serious. Is it my book that’s making the difference? I’d like to think so! This time I waited at LaGuardia for my flight to Austin and had some time to kill since the flight was late. I could have worked but chose to walk instead, and stumbled onto this bank of bounty as I did. More nuts than I’d ever seen in one place at an airport stand, and they were selling fast.
I’ll close this entry, short as it is, with a little Austin vision, from a wonderful restauranthere called Garrido’s (360 Nueces Street Austin, TX 78701 (512) 320-8226 www.garridosaustin.com) It was the best margarita I’ve ever had in my life, worthy of being recorded for posterity. There were no nuts in it, but it sustained all the same!
