Cynthia D. Bertelsen's Blog, page 15

Remembering Mireille Johnston: Memories of a French Food Writer on a Fall Day

As I sniffed the seductive odor of pumpkin pies emanating from the bakery that day, a menu composed itself in my head, shouting “It’s FALL, finally!” I went wild over the cheap chicken thighs at my local Kroger, dumping package after package into my grocery cart. Mushrooms, walnuts, shallots joined the chicken in the cart, … Continue reading "Remembering Mireille Johnston: Memories of a French Food Writer on a Fall Day"

Remembering Jane Grigson, a British Food Writer Gone Too Soon*

Since it looks like I won’t be sitting in a pub quaffing Guinness anytime soon, I decided to dig out a few of my British cookbooks and think of England. Thinking of England, especially if you’re a food-crazed blogger with a penchant for the past, means recalling food writer Elizabeth David, and of course, Alan … Continue reading "Remembering Jane Grigson, a British Food Writer Gone Too Soon*"

Remembering Penelope Casas, a Greek-American Food Writer with a Spanish Heart*

Now this may seem strange to you, and it does feel odd to me at times, but through the six books Penelope Casas wrote and the recipes she shared, I felt a bond with her. Over the years, her books and recipes slowly inserted themselves into my life, their presence like big sisters or favorite … Continue reading "Remembering Penelope Casas, a Greek-American Food Writer with a Spanish Heart*"

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"