shamash says...

"Garlic Press"

Day 12 of 30:  Our GloPoWriMo 2019 prompt for today is to write a poem about a dull thing that you own, and why (and how) you love it.

Garlic Press

bulbous clove
garlic squeezed into
stir fries
with onion and maybe mushroom
two seconds quick clutch,
the clench and then again more
that silver press
the tang and paper skin washed away
then jointed leg put to rest in
metal rack to dry:
robot knee kneels overnight

such a gentleman waiting

 

~by Kat Shamash ©2019 Kat Shamash

Image: "Garlic Press & Garlic" by Kat Shamash

Day 4 – GloPoWriMo - "Wealth"

Day 4 of 30: Global Poetry Writing Month and National Poetry Writing Month

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Wealth"

the pink sunglasses
the cat eyes and the valet
the bikini coverup in the girl's bathroom
and the fingernails combing hair,
tanned bare feet
on tile shipped in from Italy

the laugh like rain
the feather-gold coins
on bronzed skin
the boa giggle, the wink

infinity pools, liquid crystal
the sighs
the cabana that costs $700 to reserve
curtains and couches
the blue green ocean
the same color
as
the sapphire ring
on the pedicured
toe

mirrors and marble
calamari, ceviche
taffeta and teak

the fast swipe of the plastic, the strong arm
the bruise
that pays for it all

 

~by Kat Shamash

© 2018 Kat Shamash (April 4, 2018) 

#GloPoWriMo2018 #NaPoWriMo2018 

Bring Out the Veggies: China’s Answer to the Bird Flu

 

Sukjunamul, a Bean Sprout/Cucumber Salad: Yum!!

 I’ve been living in Zhejiang Province near Shanghai for going on two years. There are things I love about China, and others that are a bit challenging. Like people dying of the H7N9 bird flu, for example, and the way it brings back memories of another time I wrestled with my own fears of the bird flu while living in Myanmar.

 

I haven’t bought or eaten pork in China, even before there were thousands of pig corpses bopping in the waters of the main river that runs through Shanghai this month. The only domestic protein in my freezer is fish, and my main protein comes when I eat out, which is often.

With diseased pigs and chickens being slaughtered thoughout the province and as concerns about China’s domestic meat market mount, I figured it’s time to start finding some good vegetarian recipes. Besides looking for ways to include protein in my diet by combining rice and beans, including whey protein powder in my morning shake, and experimenting with tofu, I’m finding some great vegetable recipes. The local City Life grocery store has an organic produce section that appeals to me, so I’ve been finding ways to incorporate vegetable side dishes into my menu. The one pictured here is a "Mung Bean Sprout and Cucumber" side dish that I found online at this link. You’ll be charmed by Korean-Canadian Maangchi who taught me, via this video, how to make the Korean dish Sukjunamul. Yummy!

It feels good to chop in the kitchen, music blaring, with a breeze coming though this 13th floor on this Sunday afternoon.  As I ponder on the fact that over half of the world's population is vegetarian, I know that I can live a long, long time without eating any meat at all. 

The Way of Tea

"Water can quench your thirst and wine can drown your sorrows, but only tea can refresh your spirit."

- Lu Yu, Tang Dynasty, "The Classic of Tea", 760 CE - 780 CE

While contemporary cosmopolitan coffee shops are known for 24-hour wifi/caffeine and jolts of espresso for high-energy boosts for a better and faster life, tea houses celebrate the slowing down of things: a stepping away from sidewalk traffic into a ritual that honors that which is timeless.

 

Rome: Prosecco, Espresso, Caffe Greco

We are not Caesar, and we avoided the Forum, so I can say with confidence that The Ides of March was by far our best day in Rome. After days of clouds and rain, the sun and the moon both showed their faces. We couldn’t seem to tear ourselves away from the Piazza de España and by dusk, we were still there, drinking prosecco at a café under moon clouds.

“How do we rearrange our lives to live in this magnificent city?” we ask ourselves. There’s something about Rome at night, especially under a waxing moon, that causes me to think that reinventing my life and steering it against all the plans that drive me forward is the most natural thing in the world to do. Here, in this city of fallen empires and lovers on Vespas, going against the current of one’s well-planned life seems possible, even wise. The words of Keats, once an expatriate in Rome,

Coffee and Italian Food in New York

“We’ve made reservations for tonight at Otto’s in The Village,” said Madam Brooklyn. “If you’re into celebrity chefs, it’s owned by Mario Batali." I hadn’t heard of this famous chef known for his brawn, red hair, and habit of wearing shorts and bright orange Crocks in the kitchen. But, she soon filled me in.

Skybar: My Favorite Bar on Earth

It’s high. It’s cool. It’s invigorating. It’s how I like my Friday nights in the sexiest city in

Asia

.

(image via)

The Year of the Pig

Try buying a piglet and then finding a red dress to fit.

Try burning paper money and trying NOT to free the caged sparrows.

Here in this country “Somewhere in Asia”, this Chinese New Year was celebrated in grand style:

Dragon-chasing, litchi martinis, Chinese dumplings, and the robe of an emperor.

-----photo by shamash

Kiddush in the Suk

Buddha Bar gave way to the chanting of ancient Hebrew text. Matches were lit for Shabbat candles instead of clove cigarettes. The wine I drank wasn’t French. It was blessed. And kosher.

images by Pirate

Surreal Christmas

Outside the screen door, palm leaves in my yard rustle in the breeze. Monks from the nearby Buddhist monastery chant all through the night, and not a creature is stirring, not even a gecko. I’m in my shorts and flip-flops. So much for dashing through the snow and roasting chestnuts on an open fire.