Cynthia D. Bertelsen's Blog, page 15

Announcement: Podcasts Now Available for Some Blog Posts, But …

I’ll start by apologizing. Why? In order to create podcasts for old posts on “Gherkins & Tomatoes,” I must unpublish, then immediately republish, previous posts so that the Anchor app kicks in. This will not be the case for any new posts I create from scratch and share via text-to-audio. Though what that means for … Continue reading "Announcement: Podcasts Now Available for Some Blog Posts, But …"

Remembering a Mexican Female Chef: Patricia Quintana*

Who? Before there was Patricia Jinich, there was Patricia Quintana. The other day, searching for a particular recipe – shrimp tacos like the ones I ate in Veracruz once upon a time – Patricia Quintana’s name came up. Ah yes, her I remembered. Sad to say, she passed away in 2018 of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. And … Continue reading "Remembering a Mexican Female Chef: Patricia Quintana*"

Discovering Masa and More: A Taste of Honduras

To get to the masa seller’s shack, I walked along a narrow path of hardened mud, about twelve inches wide, bordered by deep watery ditches and tall scratchy grasses on both sides. And women passed me, going the other way, back to their houses, large woven baskets balancing on their heads, the aroma of fresh … Continue reading "Discovering Masa and More: A Taste of Honduras"

Velveeta and Wonder Bread: Cooking at the Pompeii of America

In my 16-year-old mind, the 4-mile trail to Ozette might as well have been the 2500-mile-long Route 66. My thoughts pivoted between the stone-heavy backpack slamming against my hips and the sweat running into my eyes, blinding me with salt and transforming me into a bull’s eye for scores of kamikaze deer flies. Finally, I … Continue reading "Velveeta and Wonder Bread: Cooking at the Pompeii of America"

Writing a Memoir? Have I Got the Perfect Book for You.

Well, yes, I confess. I am writing a memoir. Or trying to. It may never see the inside of two book covers. Maybe the impulse to do this is just a function of revisiting two shoeboxes full of letters I wrote when I knew nothing about anything, but thought I did. Or it’s a result … Continue reading "Writing a Memoir? Have I Got the Perfect Book for You."

Hospitality, a Forgotten Concept in Today’s World: A Tale of Ice Cubes

Open-air markets symbolize community to me. Time as commodity – which is how we view it in this country – disappears in the hustle and bustle of these markets. What matters is relationships between people. Community. And hospitality, in other words. Hospitality takes many forms. Learning how to recognize those forms takes much time, sometimes … Continue reading "Hospitality, a Forgotten Concept in Today’s World: A Tale of Ice Cubes"

Memories of Chaos: Reflecting on Dictatorship

There’s something very disturbing to me about witnessing 20,000 armed soldiers in the U.S. Capitol building. Why? Perhaps this story might explain why. At least partially. I lived on an island in the Caribbean – Haiti – for nearly three years. My husband Mike worked with a USAID-sponsored farming-systems project, surveying Haiti’s agricultural infrastructure by … Continue reading "Memories of Chaos: Reflecting on Dictatorship"

Truth versus Belief

The most brilliant propagandist technique will yield no success unless one fundamental principle is borne in mind constantly – it must confine itself to a few points and repeat them over and over. ― Joseph Goebbels, Hitler’s Minister of Propaganda ___________________________________ I am a stickler for the truth. Or at least as much as any truth … Continue reading "Truth versus Belief"

Memory, My Old Friend

As Notre Dame burned on the night of April 15, 2019, all my memories of Paris converged, accordion-like, folding inward, into that deep place of mine where not much gets in. Sobs, tears, disbelief. History ignited, bursting into flames, before my very eyes. Never mind that history, by its very nature, changes day to day, … Continue reading "Memory, My Old Friend"

Smörgåsbord: Perfect for the 2020 Holiday Season

This year – and I know you know this as well – the holiday season will be nothing like it used to be. A few weeks ago, I thought I’d throw together a Christmas meal of meatballs and lefse and that would be it as far as my efforts would go. But then I changed … Continue reading "Smörgåsbord: Perfect for the 2020 Holiday Season"