Matador Network's Blog, page 2216

18 white-hot California restaurants

Smoked ocean trout, trout roe, trout skin, daikon. Photo: T.Tseng

1. Alma – Ari Taymor (Los Angeles)

Alma used to be a pop-up working out of an abandoned building. Most people drive right by it. But enough people stopped in and realized how incredible and daring Chef Taymor can be to make it permanent. And while it’s still on the upswing — it doesn’t have a sign outside, and the staff locker room happens to be the customer toilet — that hardscrabble chic lends itself well to the hipness of the place.

Zoolander was a prophecy. It helps that the food is so good — a tasting menu of salads, fish, and meat.

2. Night + Market – Kris Yenbamroong (West Hollywood)

Along with Ludo Lefebvre (see #7 below), Kris Yenbamroong is one of the most name-dropped new chefs in Los Angeles. It helps that he’s expanding — Night + Market Song just opened in Silverlake. But he made his name in this original location, whipping up awesome Thai food for the WeHo crowd.

In a town that prides itself on its international cuisines, Night + Market came up fast. There’s some debate over whether the portion sizes he serves are enough, but that just means he leaves people wanting more.

Sungold tomatoes, safflower oil, grilled tomatillo consomme at Saison. Photo: T.Tseng

3. Saison – Joshua Skenes (San Francisco)

When it comes to restaurants, clothes don’t make the man, but they certainly don’t hurt. And Saison knows this, because in this case, it gives the customer a clean view straight at what they’re eating.

The kitchen is open, with an old-timey look of copper pots and a custom wood-burning oven. Giant tanks in the dining room hold the live seafood to be eaten. It’s really just smart business — when the 18-course tasting menu costs $250 per person, people want to know what they’re getting into.

4. Sea & Smoke – Matt Gordon (Del Mar)

Matt Gordon is a well-established San Diegan chef, but he’s capricious. And that’s a good thing. He opens new restaurants at the drop of a hat, never satisfied to be confined to one kitchen’s expectations.

Sea & Smoke is his third restaurant, using a wood-fired oven and serving exactly what the name would imply — seafood and meat. With a three-hour happy hour and a giant list of drinks (San Diego is a beer town — more on that below), it toes the line between fine dining and relaxed scarfing.

Meal at Chi Spacca. Photo: TheDeliciousLife

5. Chi Spacca – Chad Colby (Los Angeles)

Chi Spacca, and its chef Chad Colby, want to see people eat so much food that they knock Los Angeles way off of any “skinniest cities in America” lists.

Every meal is a heaping plate of flesh, like the Tomahawk: a 42-ounce pork chop that could feed a table. Order with caution, but eat with gusto.

6. Rich Table – Evan and Sarah Rich (San Francisco)

It’s one of those cute love stories, a husband-and-wife team opening a family-style restaurant. They even serve the food farm-to-table like some small town where everybody knows everybody. Except Rich Table twists it whenever they can in a way only San Francisco could offer, like chicken skin on brandade and sardine potato chips with horseradish crème fraîche.

And that awesome bread they have? You can order a loaf to take home.

Photo: dana robinson

7. Trois Mec – Ludo Lefebvre (Hollywood)

There’s a reputation many people ascribe to the foodie scene in Los Angeles where a hot new restaurant pops open and becomes instantly impossible to book. And Ludo Lefebvre’s new project is exactly that. Of course, reputations exist for a reason, and the tattooed French chef does wonders with his native cuisine.

That initial success sometimes ends with the restaurant being quickly replaced — schadenfreude for those who saw through the hype — but Trois Mec isn’t going anywhere. In fact, it recently opened a new wine bar just next door (Petit Trois).

8. Allumette – Miles Thompson (Los Angeles)

An inclusion on a list on the internet can be a nice honor for an up-and-coming chef. But the restaurant that would become Allumette loved chef Miles Thompson’s food so much they shut down just to reinvent themselves according to his vision, putting him in charge of the kitchen with his Asian-influenced cuisine.

Even for somebody who’s worked in great restaurants before, like Thompson, that’s a hell of an endorsement.

9. Chez Panisse – Alice Waters (Berkeley)

Plate at Chez Panisse. Photo: John

Chez Panisse isn’t new. And Alice Waters is far more established than the buzzy, up-and-coming chefs that make up the majority of this article. However, it would be a gastronomic crime to exclude Chez Panisse from any list of important Californian restaurants.

Waters nearly single-handedly created the tradition of Californian cuisine, marked by an influence of different styles and a reliance on locally sourced ingredients. Chez Panisse continues to pride itself on its relationship with local growers, because for all intents and purposes, it is Californian cuisine.

10. Sir and Star – Daniel DeLong (Olema)

The problem with most hotshot chefs is their egos. Their restaurants make a few lists, become attractions, and get run into the ground. But Daniel DeLong never got to that point. His last restaurant burned down. Sir and Star is almost like a reserved next attempt for him, held out of a room in a previously closed inn with modest prices on locally sourced seafood and wine.

It’s like he doesn’t realize how great his food is, and the manager gives bags of caramel corn after a meal as an invitation to come back again, like people need convincing.

Photo: Arup Malakar

11. Stone Tap Room – Mitch Steele (San Diego)

As mentioned above, San Diego is a beer town. The craft beers that come out of the city are consistently ranked as some of the best in the country. Of those breweries, Stone is at the top. And they know it — hell, one of their most popular beers is called Arrogant Bastard. Brewmaster Mitch Steele makes beers that are stronger and harder to handle than many others, but hey, boldness wins awards.

The brewery just opened the Tap Room in downtown San Diego, less as a bar and more as a beer hall, serving non-traditional bar food like Thai curry flatbread to people heading to the baseball park next door. But the beer still comes first, and when you can order something like chipotle-smoked porter, that’s the way it should be.

12. Ichi Sushi + Ni Bar – Tim and Erin Archuleta (San Francisco)

The Archuletas have been running Ichi Sushi in San Francisco for a while now, and the restaurant is ranked as some of the best sushi in the entire city. And in a seafood town like those on the bay, that’s huge.

While that’s deserving of a place on this list on its own, Ichi Sushi recently moved into another, much larger location that opens up a lot of possibilities for the restaurant. One of those possibilities is an izakaya (a Japanese bar, basically) — Ni Bar just opened in the back. Sake bombs for all.

The French Laundry kitchen. Photo: Dylan

13. The French Laundry – Thomas Keller (Yountville)

Like Chez Panisse, The French Laundry is a California staple. A world staple even, given that it’s regularly cited as the single best restaurant on the entire planet by multiple reputable sources.

Thomas Keller’s Yountville restaurant serves two different nine-course meals a day and doesn’t repeat a single ingredient in any of them. And while including it may seem obvious, Thomas Keller announced in 2012 that he was stepping out of the kitchen, moving into a mentoring role. So while the restaurant maintains the same quality that earned it three Michelin stars, the new kitchen may see some changes in personal flair that are worth checking out.

14. Tiger! Tiger! – Lee Chase (San Diego)

If Stone is great because of its outlandish bravado, then Tiger!Tiger! is its modest but talented younger brother. Lee Chase’s brewpub is set farther out of the city, but given that it’s an actual establishment and not an outlet for a much larger offsite brewery, it can focus a little more on the balance of food and beer. It shines on its own merits.

That’s not to say they don’t serve great beer — in fact, they tap a great variety, including Russian River’s Pliny beers (rated among the best in the world). But the food takes a bigger chunk of the menu than it does at Stone, serving restaurant fare to absorb the alcohol and make sure you get home safe.

Agnolotti, lamb, black truffle, brussel sprouts at Orsa & Winston. Photo: T.Tseng

15. Orsa & Winston – Josef Centeno (Los Angeles)

Los Angeles has always been the melting pot of melting pots. And with downtown LA located squarely in the center of that pot, it makes sense that a restaurant there embraces the free-for-all of diversity that makes the city great.

Chef Josef Centeno is a renaissance man, and his restaurant Orsa & Winston (named after his dogs) features food of all kinds: five-course tasting menus, nine-course menus, omakase menus, breakfast, pastries (there’s an in-kitchen pastry chef), seafood. He sources his rice from Uruguay, because there’s no food you can’t find in Los Angeles, nor in his kitchen.

16. Dirty Habit – David Bazirgan (San Francisco)

San Francisco has always had an aura of sensuality about it. Summer of Love and all that. Dirty Habit plays as both a celebration of that tradition, and the seedy underbelly of the same.

The dining room is a dim, purple affair, and the cocktails hold as large a role in the dinner as the food. Brian Means, the bar manager, gets equal billing with chef David Bazirgan in promotional material, making the place the perfect combination of food and alcohol. That’s probably the eponymous dirty habit.

Yellowtail belly, salmon belly, and otoro nigiri at Sushi Ota. Photo: John Pastor

17. Sushi Ota – Yukito Ota (San Diego)

Yukito Ota is an actual sushi master. And anybody who’s tried sushi (or anybody who’s licked their lips after watching Jiro Dreams of Sushi on Netflix at 3am, at least) knows just how much care and precision goes into such simple ingredients when prepared by someone who knows what they’re doing.

San Diego is one of three main ports on America’s West Coast, so calling Sushi Ota the best place to get sushi in the city really means it’s one of the best places to get sushi in America.

18. Spago – Wolfgang Puck (Beverly Hills)

No list of Californian restaurants would be complete without Wolfgang Puck. The guy defined Californian cuisine back in the ‘80s with his flagship restaurant, Spago.

And while he’s a bit of an old horse in this field of up-and-comers, Spago has recently gone through a full renovation and revamp. Its new look is bright and beautiful, with a fresh “taste of California” tasting menu that highlights farms and vendors from all over the state, making it the ultimate Golden State dining experience, especially for those who think they’ve been there, done that.

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Our friends at Visit California asked Matador how we #dreambig in California. This post is part of a series we’re publishing to answer that question. Click here for more.

We need to stop policing gender

Because rape is not always about sex from Amrit Vatsa on Vimeo.

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I NEVER REALIZED how much I’ve actually gender policed in my lifetime. I might not have said it aloud, but I’ve definitely made judgments about men and women who I thought didn’t “fit into the mold” of what I thought was proper gendered behavior. The people at No Country For Women, an NGO based in India, are trying to fight rape from a multi-faceted perspective. They do a fantastic job of showing how rape is not just about sex, gender, power, or otherwise — it’s about all of those things, and more. Their mission has helped raise awareness on this subject, and brings a greater understanding that rape is not just an “Indian” problem — it’s a global epidemic.

5 ancient villages in South China

Photo above: Trey Ratcliff / All others: Author

Outside its major cities, China has hundreds of ancient, well-preserved villages. Almost stuck in time, these places are windows into China’s past, and have become part of the latest travel trend in China. The Chinese tourism industry has caught on, and many villages now charge visitors an expensive entrance fee. Here are five free, off-the-radar villages in five different provinces of south China.

Huangyao, Guangxi

Empty old streets in Huangyao after rain

Huangyao (黄姚) is an impressive stone village with slab-stone streets. Lined with 600-year-old residences and ancestral temples, the village spans two rivers connected by more than 15 stone bridges. Situated in southeast Guangxi province, Huangyao is surrounded by karst peaks similar to those that make Guilin and Yangshuo so famous (they are two to three hours north).

Set in this incredible landscape, Chinese poets nicknamed Huangyao “the garden of dreams” (yes, Chinese people love lyrical nicknames). There is actually an entrance fee of 100 RMB, but visitors can easily avoid paying it by entering the village through any of the stone gates other than the main one by the parking lot.

Weishan, Yunnan

The ancient town of Weishan in Yunnan

Weishan (巍山) is in Yunnan province, China’s most ethnically diverse province. Although this ancient town is just a one-hour bus ride south of rural Yunnan’s most famous ancient town of Dali (大理), Weishan has escaped commercialization brought by mass tourism. Weishan’s old town, which was an important stop on the Old Tea and Horse Road (茶马古道), is a pedestrianized zone lined with 600-year-old Ming and Qing dynasty buildings that seem untouched by the ravages of time.

What I like about it: ancient architecture, few tourists (except during high season), and shops catering to local people. Weishan lets a visitor see what life in rural China is really about. There’s another off-the-radar village near Weishan: Donglianghua (东莲花), the village of the Muslim caravan leader on the Old Tea and Horse Road.

Qianyang, Hunan

Red lanterns in the ancient streets of Qianyang

Qianyang (黔阳) is located in Hunan province. The ancient town has well-preserved city walls and cobblestone streets lined with dozens of ancestral halls, temples, and courtyard mansions that belonged to local government officials. With its laid-back atmosphere and ancient architecture, Qianyang is a window into what ancient Chinese town life looked like.

So far the town has been spared by mass tourism and commercialization. There is no entrance fee, for now.

Longli, Guizhou

The Chen Clan ancestral hall in Longli.

Longli (隆里) is located in southeast Guizhou province (aka Qiandongnan 黔东南), just two hours north of the Dong village of Zhaoxing (肇兴). The entire town of Longli is going through a renovation process with completion scheduled for 2015. Don’t mind the bamboo scaffoldings and the piles of bricks.

The village was an ancient Ming garrison designed to keep an eye on the local ethnic minorities, the Miao (苗族) and the Dong (侗族). The multiple ancestral halls, city gates, well-preserved walls, and former residence of local scholars and officials are definitely worth a journey by bus from the closest town of Liping (黎平).

So far, it’s still free. But the government is building a new road to bring visitors to Longli. They will probably charge an entrance fee when construction is complete in 2015. One reason to go now!

Huangpu, Guangzhou

Abandoned ancestral hall, Huangpu.

Huangpu (黄埔) is in the ancient port of Guangzhou and is located just a few kilometers east of the city’s new business district, Zhujiang New Town. It’s hard to believe that this sleepy village was once the only port open to foreign trade and a center of opium smuggling in the lead-up to the First Opium War in the mid-18th century.

Huangpu is a great historical place to unwind and escape from the crowds of Guangzhou. Visitors can get a grasp of the city’s storied past, mainly through the different well-preserved temples, ancestral halls, and guild assembly halls that dot the narrow alleyways. Unlike the nearby village of Shawan (沙湾) which shares the same architecture, Huangpu is free and easy to get to from downtown Guangzhou.

World's largest urban zipline

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ZIPLINING IS ONE OF MY FAVORITE TRAVEL activities, but I’m not sure I’d have the balls to combine a zipline and a free-fall jump at the same time. Even though this is an ad for Speed Stick GEAR, it’s still jaw-dropping to watch, as the zipline measures over 600 meters, and sits on top of the White Tower skyscraper (which is 243-meters high). It’s definitely a feat to add to the bucket list, but maybe more towards the bottom.

5 things you can do to combat ALS

Photo via aggie85

THE ICE BUCKET CHALLENGE has officially gone viral, but its authenticity as an agent for change is somewhat questionable. As someone who volunteers frequently in my community and around the world, I know that raising awareness is only the first step; the best way to make a difference, is to create active change. It definitely feels good to be a part of something big, but if you really want to strike out ALS (Lou Gehrig’s Disease), here are some ways to keep the fire going:

Donate. Apart from a five-second ice bath, this is the easiest way you can help defeat ALS. Calculate how much you spend on Starbucks each week, and instead of getting your Frappuccino fix, make a donation. You’ll big up your karma points, and feel good knowing that you’re helping to fund ALS research and programs.

Volunteer your time. There are a few ways to do this. You can volunteer with an ALS Association, by helping to organize fundraising events, facilitate patient services, perform clerical work, and more. Spending time with patients is also a way to really make an impact on the lives of people living with ALS. You can help them run errands, be a greeter at hospitals and clinics, or just hang out with them.

Lobby for more research, and comprehensive benefits. Did you know that there is currently only one FDA approved medicine to treat ALS, that the cause of ALS is still a complicated mystery, and that there is no cure? Every year, families with members suffering from ALS struggle with costly medical bills, time off from work to help care for them, and making sure they receive proper treatment.

Why the hell aren’t we doing more? The Ice Bucket Challenge has been great for raising awareness that this condition exists, but once you’ve gotten wet and cold, take it a step further and make it known to government officials that more needs to be done in order to fight this fatal condition.

Study science and/or technology. Students enrolled in STEM fields are on the rise, but we still have a long way to go before we are able to make the significant impacts needed to combat diseases like ALS. The more we can learn about how the body works, what happens when diseases infiltrate our system, and how science and technology can improve the lives of people with living with ALS, the closer we’ll be to finding a cure.

Do a reverse Ice Bucket Challenge. The problem with the current Ice Bucket Challenge, is that it gives people an easy way out. Either pour ice water over your head, or pony up some cash. While it’s encouraged to both soak yourself and donate, there is no requirement to do so.

The campaign has raised over $4 million dollars so far, but I have my doubts that every single person posting on my Facebook wall has actually made a donation. What if the challenge were like this? “Hey Bill Gates, I’ll donate $50,000 to ALS research if you dump this bucket of ice water on your head!” “Sure Mark Zuckerburg, I’ll match your donation if you do the same!” It would turn the situation into more of a “challenge,” and less of a “this-or-that” choice.

8 people you'll meet in yoga class

Photo: Milopeng

1. The exercise crammer

Their mat is in your way, it’s in everyone’s way actually, and they totally left their yoga block and mat bag in the middle of the room. This is probably the person who was also using the pair of five-pound dumbbells that’s sitting in the back corner of the room and most definitely the person who’s going to “Omg-excuse-me-so-sorry-to-interrupt” their way to their spot 15 minutes after the class has started.

Did they forget that they can actually work out any day of the week, and that they didn’t have to cram in a week’s worth of exercise in one day? I mean, do your thing, noone can tell you that exercise is bad for you, but just remember to be respectful to the shared space you’re in and the people sharing that space with you. The gym is not your home.

2. The flowy-haired Simba

I have long, curly hair and it’s challenging for me to function while doing any sort of exercise if it’s all up in my face. I also know that if I were in yoga class with my hair down, I’d probably whack someone in the face while going from mountain pose to plank.

Take note: If we’re in a yoga class together and you have long hair, but you forgot your hair tie, please ask me for an extra one (I always have one around my wrist). Your hair is beautiful but I’d prefer if it a) doesn’t get in my eye and b) doesn’t choke me.

3. The mouth breather

If you’re breathing out of your mouth (which you’re not supposed to do in yoga) and sound like you’re about to pass out, maybe you need to sit back in child’s pose and calm yourself down. You sound like you’re about to have a panic attack and yoga is supposed to lower your chances of having those.

Maybe go see your doctor? Ask the instructor for a modification? Also, just close your mouth. We love you and love that you’ve joined us in practice, but we’d rather not get your germs.

4. The farter

There’s really nothing I can do about this one. People fart. Whether they choose to fart in their own home or in a yoga class with me is totally up to them. Yoga is supposed to improve digestion. I just can’t help but feel disgusting when I’m in full wheel and relax my neck towards the mat and get this whiff of the human version of cow manure slowly blowing up my nostrils.

5. The mat mover

If I’ve put my mat in a spot that’s far enough to the side of the yoga studio and have ensured that I’ve packed all my belongings away in a locker, I expect that, when I get up to pee before the yoga class begins, my mat will be in the same place when I return. If I get back and my mat is a) crooked, b) pushed even closer to the wall, or c) no longer flat against the floor, I’m going to assume any new faces in the room are responsible for moving my mat for their own convenience(s).

I get it, it’s annoying when people save spots in inconvenient locations, as I’ve mentioned above, but couldn’t you have just waited and asked me to move my mat a little over to the left? War is now on and I’ll do everything in my power to chaturanga lower than you can, even though yoga isn’t supposed to be judgmental.

6. The bum toucher

There’s this one woman in the yoga class I go to, and almost every week she asks me to move my mat so she can squeeze in the front row. So I move my mat over, because there’s no point in starting drama. Then she sets up her mat while I’m chilling in savasana waiting for the class to begin, and her rear end is actually in my face.

I take a deep breath and politely say, “Excuse me?” There’s often no response. And then, when we’re halfway through the class, her butt likes to dust the top of my hair bun as we’re stretching out our hamstrings in a standing straddle forward bend. Can your bum please not touch my bun? It’s gross.

7. The mat-less superstar

If I ever did yoga without my mat, the studio floor would turn into a Slip ‘n Slide. There are, however, some people who prefer to do yoga with no mat, and that’s all good. However, when these mat-less peeps come into a class and get frustrated because there’s no room for them on the floor, I cringe. Did you come in early to claim your floorspace? Did you even wipe down the area on the floor you’re about to get real up close and personal with? Your face is going to touch the floor several times, you know.

8. The showoff

My yoga prep involves hydrating and nourishing my body, brushing my teeth, putting my hair up, and putting on clothes. Some people arrive to class and seem to have either forgotten to wash their faces from the night before or have woken up extra early to coat their faces in eight pounds of bronzer. The best (read: the worst) is when someone comes in and their hair was clearly in hot rollers less than half-an-hour before. I also adore (read: despise) the people who come in with lipgloss. Darling, your lips look fabulous and I’m sure your sweaty mat appreciates that you chose something a little shinier than an everyday finish.

This post originally appeared on Listicle and is republished here with permission.

Why I love Hawaii after leaving NYC

Photo: Micah Camara

1. The pace of life is much slower.

New York City was a wonderful experience, but I couldn’t stand the speed of the city. Cars, buses, sirens, crowds, flashing lights, and the post-work subway rush, all spinning around my head and pushing me down the avenues like a wind tunnel. I became a faster walker — I had to be if I wanted to make the train, then catch that bus, get to class, and not get trampled by the mass commuters.

The transition to “island time” is something I’m still getting used to, but it feels good. Sure, people are regularly late, and any errand will involve “talking story” (the Hawaiian term for chatting) to a couple friends and strangers. It all works out, though, as long as everyone is on the same page. That may be why reggae is so popular here. That slow, rocking beat is a perfect soundtrack for everyday life in Hawaii.

2. Shoes aren’t such a big deal.

When I lived in NYC, I only went barefoot once. It was a decision that haunts me to this day. At 2am down in Alphabet City, I took tiny, painful steps in the high heels I never should have worn. Finally I couldn’t take it anymore. I shed my shoes and braved the unimaginable germs.

Since moving to Hawaii, I’m barefoot about 75% of the day. I walk to the beach, around my house, and even into some stores without shoes. When I do wear shoes, they’re almost always flip-flops, what Islanders call “slippahs.” Bars, restaurants, and even some rainforest hikes are slipper-friendly.

3. Honking doesn’t happen.

I never understood why New Yorkers insist on honking in traffic jams. Honking won’t magically disperse the hundreds of cars inching home at 5pm. And yet, the honking never ceases. I saw it as a language, a cacophony of frustration, like birds in a jungle.

In Hawaii, honking is just not done. When someone honks, you know they’re either from the mainland, or rushing to the hospital. This doesn’t mean there’s no traffic in Hawaii. Honolulu ranks even higher in traffic congestion than New York City. But people don’t honk. The mentality seems to be that we’re all on this peaceful island, and there are better things to listen to than honking car horns. I’m grateful for the Aloha spirit on the crowded highways.

At four-way stops, however, this mindset can be frustrating, and dangerous, when it becomes a game of “You go brah,” “No, YOU go!”

4. Summer weather lasts all year.

Winter in New York is downright painful. The wind tunnels are so piercing that no amount of scarves or hats could keep my face safe. The snow is always grey and slushy, and the warm weather never seems to arrive.

But, oh Hawaii, how I love your year-long summer weather — sunny days, short bursts of rainfall, and the perfect temperature of 85 degrees. The “winter” is a short rainy period between December and April, when the temperature usually drops from 85 to 83. And even when the sun does shine too bright, the salty trade winds cool me down.

5. Buildings top out at about two stories.

I remember how terrible it was when an elevator broke in New York City. My more athletic friends would jump at the opportunity to work their thighs, while I just got sweaty and grumpy climbing 24 flights of stairs.

In Honolulu there are a couple of high-rises, but mostly this island is filled with one-story bungalows. I can’t remember the last time I used an elevator, or climbed numerous flights of stairs. I’m sure my thighs are less firm, but I don’t miss the stairs. Also, I love seeing a full sky that isn’t blocked by buildings.

6. Tropical fruit grows in my backyard.

The fact that I could always walk to the nearest corner and buy apples, oranges, and occasionally sour strawberries was definitely a convenience in New York City. The bad fruit was something I pretended not to question. There was always the option to buy imported mangoes and pineapples from Whole Foods, but they were pricey.

Now I have a bunch of bananas growing in my backyard, a lilikoi — “passion fruit” — vine fruiting, and a hedge of Surinam cherries. Anything I don’t have I can get from my friends who have a farm, or my neighbor who never picks her mangoes.

7. I live in a house, not an apartment.

If you live in New York and are in the 99%, you probably have an apartment the size of a walk-in closet with no elevator in a sketchy neighborhood. Hawaii is plenty expensive. However, I now share a room in a huge house with other housemates, and pay the same amount of rent I did to share a tiny one-room apartment in NYC. Living in a house with a yard and an actual kitchen makes me feel like a real adult.

8. I can afford beach fashion.

Living in Manhattan took a toll on my wallet (and pride) when it came to fashion. I also went to theater school, where every day was a contest to see who could better accessorize their leggings and leotard.

In Hawaii, I can spend the whole day in my bathing suit and sarong and be acceptably dressed for the beach, Whole Foods, Macy’s, a friend’s house, and even Downbeat Lounge. Boys hardly change out of their boardshorts, because you never know when you might jump in the ocean.

9. There are hippies everywhere.

Being of the hippie persuasion in New York City (especially above 55th Street) was a lonely affair. My Birkenstocks always looked shabby next to all the designer shoes. Don’t get me wrong, New York is so diverse that there’s a sample of every kind of person; the vegan musician sits right next to the Wall Street tycoon on the subway. However, I still felt like a minority, and everyone’s token hippie friend.

When I moved to Hawaii, it was like I finally found “ma people.” Everyone I meet is either a yoga teacher, a massage therapist, or a farmer. Parties always involve hula hooping, drum circles, spinning poi (occasionally on fire), and acro-yoga. Potluck dinners are filled with organic, vegetarian, delicious dishes, and I always have friends to garden with.

10. I have awesome experiences — for free.

In New York there were plenty of things to do, but most of them cost money, and were either indoors or required good weather. On sunny days, I’d normally go to Central Park and relax with a book, or walk though my favorite boroughs in search of the perfect cafe. The museums are amazing but, honestly, I said I went to them more than I did.

One day off in Hawaii can be more adventurous than a week off in New York. Surfing, sailing, hiking, snorkeling, swimming with turtles, climbing banyan trees, and jumping off cliffs into the ocean are all within an hour drive. All those activities are also free. I wouldn’t exchange seeing whales breach, or picking wild guavas during jungle hikes, for all the restaurants and art galleries in Manhattan.

9 toasts from around the world

Photo: Peter Roome

Years ago, I heard the theory that civilization sprang up because of alcohol. The hunter-gatherer life required less of a time commitment, the theory goes, than did the agricultural life that led to modern civilization, and the only reason we opted for more toil and strife was because we discovered the joys of fermentation. A day’s work isn’t so bad when you can finish it off with a shot and a pint. As Rudyard Kipling once said, “Payday came, and with it beer.”

As it turns out, this theory is absolute bunk — the truth is we were just tired of being eaten by lions and dying in childbirth — but it didn’t stop me from relaying it to my drinking buddies and then offering the necessary toast: “To civilization!”

Toasts are probably my favorite part of drinking, mostly because I like to think I’m drinking for a cause or a purpose. Am I drinking because I had a rough day? Of course not! I’m drinking to my good friend’s health! As long as her health doesn’t include her liver!

But toasts aren’t just pointing at a random person and then drinking in their honor or to their health. They’re an art form. One that civilizations have been perfecting for thousands of years. Here’s a list of some of the better toasts that go beyond the typical salud and sláinte and simple tributes to health.

Catalonia

Sant Hilari, Sant Hilari, fill de puta qui no se l’acabi. The first part is a reference to the Catalonian Saint and martyr Jaime Hilario Barbal, and the second basically translates to, “Whoever doesn’t finish their glass is a bastard/son of a whore.”

Denmark

Bunden i vejret eller resten i håret is a fantastic Danish cheer meaning, “Bottoms up or the rest in your hair.” More toasts need to be in the form of direct threats.

England

The English naturally have a ton of toasts, but one of the most inexplicably weird is “Here’s mud in your eye!” The origin may be a reference to trench warfare, horse racing, farming, Biblical faith-healing, or simply the sediment in the bottom of a drink. No one’s quite sure. But, hey, they say it anyway.

Germany

Hau weg die schiesse. Basically, “Away with that shit.” Bravo, Germany.

Ireland

If you’re going to use the classic Celtic toast, sláinte, try this variant: Sláinte bradán bod mór agus bás in Eireann. It basically means, “To having the health of a salmon, a large penis, and a death in Ireland.” Another worthwhile toast of Irish origin is Jonathan Swift’s, “May you live all the days of your life.”

Japan

Kanpai! While this is basically just the equivalent of “Cheers!” the direct translation is “Dry the cup.” It can also mean complete defeat or annihilation, which may be the most fitting toast I’ve ever heard. The Japanese may also say Otsukaresama deshita, meaning, “You’re tired,” or Ikkinomi, meaning, “Drink it in one breath.”

Latin America

Salud y amor y tiempo para disfrutarlo. Translation: “Health and love and time to enjoy it.”

South Africa

The Zulu variant on “Cheers!” just means “Cheers!” but it gets on this list simply because of how amazing it is: Oogy wawa

Spain

A popular one in Spain (I’ve heard it used in several other Spanish-speaking countries) is Arriba! Abajo! Al centro! Al dentro! and has accompanying actions: Arriba! or “Up!” and you lift your glasses up. Abajo! or “Down!” and you touch your glasses to the table. Al centro! or “To the center!” and you all tap your glasses in the center. And Al dentro! or “To the inside!” and you down the drink.

And if these don’t work, you can always go for the classic, “Fuckin’ get it in ya.”

People move train to free man

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AS SOMEONE WHO FEARS what would happen if I didn’t “mind the gap” on the New York City subway, it truly warms my heart to see the people of Perth coming together to help one of their fellow commuters. I’m also blown away by the power and strength of these people. Imagine if everyone had just ignored the man that fell, how much worse the situation could have been. Those folks got some serious karma points that day.

5 awesome storytelling festivals

Photo: National Storytelling Festival

All of these events share one common mission: to use storytelling as a way to encourage world change. No matter our culture, we all have telling experiences that contribute to our identities. How many of our stories are similar to those of our national and international neighbors?

Each of these festivals aims to prove that we are not so different. We all experience love, pain, loss, and joy in an infinite number of ways. Storytelling is the oldest form of historical preservation, of self-expression, and it remains an art form around the world.

Here are five major international storytelling festivals worth checking over the next year.

1. National Storytelling Festival, Jonesborough, Tennessee, USA

Background: Organized by the International Storytelling Center, this fest has been taking place since the early ’70s. According to the website, it was the first recognized, public event of its kind in the entire world, and stemmed from a local teacher’s tradition of rolling an old farm wagon into the town square and gathering around it with his neighbors to tell stories. Now the fest has grown into a “cultural movement” and takes place on a three-acre, dedicated downtown campus.

When: October 3-5, 2014

2. Timpanogos Storytelling Festival, Orem, Utah, USA

Background: For 25 years and counting, both national and international storytellers have been gathering in this small Utah city at the foot of the mountain that gives the event its name. This fest has just as many musical performers as oral performers and claims that it could be called a “music festival if it wasn’t for all the stories!” Alongside the musical acts, there’s also pottery workshops and children’s activities.

When: August 27-30, 2014

3. FEST Annual Conference, rotating European venues

Background: The Federation of European Storytellers has been holding an annual conference since 2001, when a project in Paris brought together 15 different storytellers, one to represent every European Union country at the time. The shared experiences and stories of the representatives are said to have made groundbreaking moves in building powerful relations across borders. Since then, the conference has expanded and been hosted in countries such as Norway, Belgium, Switzerland, and Spain. This past year it was held for the first time in Sweden.

When: 2015 dates to be announced

4. Scottish International Storytelling Festival, Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom

Background: This fest operates under a different chosen theme each year and celebrates Scottish heritage with traditional dances, landscape tours, and theatrical performances. The 2014 theme is “Seeing Stories” and is aimed at celebrating connected humanity by gazing “into the future through the dreams, imaginings and visions of the poets and bards.”

When: October 24 – November 2, 2014, with its final weekend falling on the ancient Celtic New Year — Samhainn/Hallowe’en.

5. Storytellers of Canada-Conteurs du Canada Annual Conference, Levis, Quebec, Canada

Background: The SC-CC describes storytelling as an “integral” part of Canadian culture. This conference is hosted in a different part of the country each year. Last year, it took place on Prince Edward Island to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the Charlottetown Conference. The SC-CC annually names a “Storykeeper,” a person who has devoted their life’s work to mentoring, telling, and preserving Canadian stories.

When: July 2-5, 2015