Patti Friday

Tuesday, September 10, 2024

Embassy of Ideas No. 37

Oh hey! Hi!
Pull up a chair.

Let's chat about a few
interesting things.

But before we do....
I have 3 original abstract paintings
ON SALE
50% OFF
Yes indeed!

I'm making room for new work
and these beauties must go to new homes!

Have a peek here.

Thursday, September 5, 2024

Anthony Bourdain's Life and Work

Anthony Bourdain was an American chef, author, and television personality known for his influential work in the culinary world.

Here are some key aspects of his life and career:

HIS LIFE

1. Career as a Chef: Bourdain began his career as a chef and worked in various restaurants, eventually becoming the executive chef at Brasserie Les Halles in New York City. His culinary career laid the foundation for his later work in media.

2. Authorship: He gained widespread recognition with his 2000 book, Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly. The book offered a gritty and candid look at the restaurant industry, exposing the challenges and behind-the-scenes aspects of a chef's life.

3. Television Personality: Bourdain became well-known for his television shows, including Parts Unknown, No Reservations, and The Layover. These shows combined travel, food, and culture, showcasing diverse cuisines and local customs from around the world.

4. Cultural Exploration: His television work was celebrated for its deep cultural exploration and storytelling, offering viewers a nuanced look at various regions through their food and people.

5. Advocacy: Bourdain used his platform to address social issues, such as poverty, inequality, and political conflicts, often integrating these topics into his travel and food narratives.

6. Personal Struggles: Bourdain was open about his personal struggles, including his battles with addiction. His honesty about these issues resonated with many of his fans and peers.

7. Legacy: Anthony Bourdain's impact on both the culinary world and popular culture was significant. He is remembered for his adventurous spirit, storytelling prowess, and ability to bridge cultural divides through food.

He passed away in June 2018, but his work continues to influence both the culinary and travel industries.

HIS WORK

Anthony Bourdain's work was renowned for showcasing a variety of cultural aspects through his television shows and writings. Some of the key cultural elements he highlighted include:

1. Local Cuisine: Bourdain explored regional foods and cooking techniques, emphasizing traditional dishes and local ingredients that define different cultures.

2. Street Food: He celebrated the vibrant street food scenes around the world, often focusing on vendors and informal dining experiences that are integral to local food culture.

3. Culinary Traditions: Bourdain delved into the culinary traditions and rituals of various cultures, offering insights into how food plays a role in cultural practices and celebrations.

4. Social Issues: His shows often touched on social and political issues, revealing how they impact local communities and food systems.

5. Personal Stories: He highlighted personal stories and experiences of people from different backgrounds, providing a humanizing perspective on their lives and cultures.

6. Travel and Exploration: Bourdain’s work showcased the diverse landscapes, historical sites, and everyday life in different parts of the world, giving viewers a broader understanding of each culture's context.

7. Culinary Influences: He explored how various culinary traditions influence each other and how global migration and trade have shaped modern food practices.

8. Cultural Authenticity: Bourdain often sought out authentic experiences, whether through traditional dining or engaging with local customs, to present a genuine portrayal of each culture.

His approach was known for its honesty and depth, often revealing both the beauty and complexity of the cultures he explored.

5 Topics Cultural Photographers Document

A cultural photographer focuses on capturing images that reflect and explore various aspects of cultures, traditions, and societal practices. Their work often aims to document, preserve, and share the richness and diversity of human experiences across different cultures. This can include:

1. Traditional Practices: Documenting rituals, festivals, and ceremonies that are unique to specific cultures or communities.

2. Everyday Life: Capturing daily activities, social interactions, and lifestyles to provide insight into how different people live and interact.

3. Cultural Artifacts: Photographing objects, clothing, architecture, and art that hold cultural significance or historical value.

4. Portraits: Taking portraits of individuals or groups in a way that reflects their cultural identity and personal stories.

5. Social Issues: Highlighting social issues and changes within cultures, such as migration, globalization, and cultural preservation efforts.

Cultural photographers often work to tell stories through their images, offering viewers a window into the diversity and complexity of human life and fostering greater understanding and appreciation of different cultures.

What exactly is 'culture' though?

Culture is a broad and multifaceted concept that encompasses various elements influencing the way people live, interact, and understand the world. Here are the key aspects of culture:

1. Language: Language is a fundamental aspect of culture. It includes spoken and written communication, as well as non-verbal forms like gestures and body language. Language is crucial for expressing ideas, values, and traditions.

2. Beliefs and Values: These are the core principles and convictions that guide behavior and decision-making. Beliefs and values often shape attitudes towards family, religion, morality, and other significant aspects of life.

3. Norms and Customs: Norms are the unwritten rules of behavior that are considered acceptable within a culture. Customs refer to established practices and traditions that are commonly followed, such as holiday celebrations or daily rituals.

4. Art and Aesthetics: Art, including visual arts, music, dance, and literature, reflects and shapes cultural identity. Aesthetics pertain to the appreciation of beauty and taste, which can vary significantly across cultures.

5. Religion and Spirituality: Religion and spirituality play a major role in shaping cultural practices, rituals, and community life. They provide a framework for understanding existence, morality, and the divine.

6. Social Structures and Institutions: These include family structures, educational systems, political organizations, and economic systems. Social structures influence how people interact and organize themselves within a community.

7. Food and Cuisine: The types of food people eat, how they prepare it, and dining practices are key components of culture. Food often carries cultural significance and can symbolize heritage and identity.

8. Dress and Adornment: Clothing styles, traditional attire, and personal adornment practices vary across cultures and often hold symbolic meaning related to status, identity, or occasions.

9. Technology and Tools: The technology and tools a culture uses can reflect its level of development, its values, and its relationship with the environment. This includes everything from ancient tools to modern technology.

10. Rituals and Ceremonies: Rituals and ceremonies mark important life events such as births, marriages, and deaths. They often involve specific practices and are an integral part of cultural expression.

11. History and Heritage: Cultural history and heritage encompass the collective memories, historical events, and achievements of a group. This aspect helps shape cultural identity and continuity.

12. Economic Practices: Economic practices include the ways in which goods and services are produced, distributed, and consumed. These practices are influenced by cultural values and can affect daily life and social interactions.

Each aspect of culture interrelates with others to create a complex and dynamic system that defines a group's way of life and worldview.

The 5 Parts of Anthony Bourdain's Parts Unknown

"Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown" was a documentary-style travel and food show.

The format of the show included:

1. Travel and Exploration: Anthony Bourdain traveled to various locations around the world, exploring diverse cultures, cuisines, and landscapes. Each episode focused on a specific destination or region.

2. Food and Culinary Experiences: The show highlighted local food and dining experiences, often featuring traditional dishes, street food, and unique culinary practices. Bourdain frequently dined with locals and explored the cultural significance of the food.

3. Cultural Insight: Beyond food, the show delved into the social, political, and historical aspects of the places Bourdain visited. It aimed to provide a comprehensive understanding of the culture and people.

4. Personal Reflections: Bourdain's narration and personal reflections provided a distinctive voice and perspective, often sharing his thoughts on the places and people he encountered.

5. Interviews and Interactions: The show featured interviews with local residents, chefs, and experts, providing various viewpoints and stories related to the locations visited.

The combination of travel, food, and cultural exploration, along with Bourdain's unique storytelling style, made "Parts Unknown" a distinctive and engaging program.

Sunday, September 1, 2024

Creating an opening for 'PEACE'

The idea of creating space for peace before asking for it is a profound concept. It suggests that peace requires preparation and intention. This aligns with the teachings of many spiritual traditions, including Judaism.

In Jewish practice, taking three steps back before saying “Shalom” (peace) during prayer symbolizes creating a physical and mental space to invite peace into one’s life. This act of stepping back can be seen as a way to pause, reflect, and prepare oneself to genuinely embrace and offer peace.

Rabbi Zachs’ reference to this practice highlights the importance of intentionality in seeking peace. By creating an opening, we make room for peace to enter and flourish.

Does this resonate with your understanding or experience of peace in your own life?

Saturday, August 31, 2024

7 Key Buddhist Practices

Key Buddhist practices focus on developing mindfulness, ethical behavior, and wisdom to achieve spiritual growth and enlightenment. Here are some central practices:

1. Meditation (Bhavana): Practicing meditation helps cultivate mindfulness, concentration, and insight. Common forms include:

- Mindfulness Meditation (Vipassana): Observing thoughts and sensations to understand their impermanent nature.

- Loving-Kindness Meditation (Metta): Developing compassion and kindness towards oneself and others.

- Concentration Meditation (Samatha): Focusing the mind on a single object to achieve mental clarity and calm.

2. Ethical Conduct (Sila): Following moral precepts to live a righteous life. The Five Precepts for lay Buddhists include:

- Refraining from killing living beings.

- Refraining from stealing.

- Refraining from sexual misconduct.

- Refraining from false speech.

- Refraining from consuming intoxicants that cloud the mind.

3. Mindfulness (Sati): Cultivating awareness of the present moment and one's actions, thoughts, and feelings to gain insight into the nature of existence.

4. Study and Reflection: Engaging with Buddhist teachings through scriptures and teachings of the Buddha to deepen understanding and apply insights to daily life.

5. Ethical Living: Following the Noble Eightfold Path, which includes right understanding, right intention, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right concentration.

6. Devotional Practices: In some traditions, practices such as chanting, making offerings, and participating in rituals are used to cultivate devotion and connection to the teachings.

7. Community (Sangha): Participating in a community of practitioners for support, guidance, and shared learning. This can include attending teachings, retreats, and engaging in communal activities.

These practices are aimed at transforming the mind and behavior to reduce suffering and move towards enlightenment.

Image: The lotus is frequently depicted in Buddhist art as a seat or pedestal for the Buddha and other enlightened beings. This imagery highlights the sacred and transcendent nature of these figures.

Wednesday, August 21, 2024

Tabletop Decor

Tabletop items generally refer to objects that are commonly placed on tables for various purposes, including dining, decoration, or utility. Here are some categories of tabletop items:

1. Dining and Serving Items:

- Plates, Bowls, and Dishes: Dinner plates, salad plates, soup bowls, serving platters.

- Glassware: Drinking glasses, wine glasses, champagne flutes.

- Cutlery: Knives, forks, spoons, serving utensils.

- Serving Pieces: Trays, pitchers, bread baskets.

- Napkins and Napkin Rings: Cloth or paper napkins, napkin rings.

- Salt and Pepper Shakers: Salt, pepper, and other seasoning containers.

- Condiment Holders: Ketchup, mustard, butter dishes, etc.

2. Decorative Items:

- Centerpieces: Floral arrangements, candles, sculptures.

- Vases: Holding flowers or decorative branches.

- Tablecloths and Runners: Cloths or runners to cover and decorate the table.

- Coasters: Protect surfaces from drink condensation.

- Candle Holders and Lanterns: For mood lighting and decoration.

3. Practical and Utility Items:

- Trivets: Heat-resistant mats or stands for hot dishes.

- Place Mats: Individual mats for each person's setting.

- Table Lamps: Small lamps for lighting.

- Books or Magazines: For casual reading, often found on coffee tables.

- Organizers: For remote controls, pens, or small items on side tables.

4. Entertainment Items:

- Board Games: Chess, checkers, or other games.

- Cards and Dice: For card games or other tabletop games.

- Puzzles: For leisure activities on a table.

These items help set the atmosphere, serve practical purposes, and enhance the overall aesthetic of the space.

Saturday, August 17, 2024

Charles Macnamara, Lumber Camps Photographer, Arnprior, Ontario Canada

Charles Macnamara (1870 – December 23, 1944) was an amateur photographer, entomologist, historian, and field naturalist born in 1870 in Quebec City, Quebec. He had a twin brother named Richard (Dickie), who died at the age of 10 due to typhoid fever. In 1880, his family moved to Arnprior, Ontario. When Macnamara left high school at the age of 14 in 1885, he joined his father in working for the McLachlin Brothers lumbering firm until 1936 where he worked six days a week as a bookkeeper. Despite his busy work schedule, he managed to maintain meticulously detailed documents on nature; including beavers, orchids, and soil insects.

My German Grandfather was sent to the lumber shanty at age 12. I wrote about it here.

Around late 1909 and early 1910, Macnamara built a log cabin to function as a stopping-off place he could use to study nature and the woods near Arnprior. Over the fireplace, he painted the Ojibway motto No-piming en-dad jawen-imid – "The dweller in the woods is always happy." This phrase later inspired the name of the Nopiming Game Reserve which was set up by Macnamara in 1920 near Arnprior so that the local and migratory wildlife would have a safe habitat. In August of that same year, he discovered and described a new species of Pseudachorutes (Collembola). He also spent 14 years observing and documenting a beaver colony near Marshall's Bay. The Macnamara Field Naturalist's Club, which was founded in 1984, was named after him.

He learned French and German, exchanged letters with European booksellers and scientists and took correspondence courses with Cornell University where he completed a science degree. While he participated in more social activities in his youth, most of his intellectual life took place over long distance and he became a recluse in his later years. This was made evident by the fact that he declined to meet a German scientist he had corresponded with when the scientist visited Montreal. Macnamara wrote many articles for the Ottawa Field Naturalist's Club and contributed to other publications such as the Canadian Field-Naturalist, the Journal of the American Museum of Natural History, and the British Journal of Photography.

Tuesday, August 13, 2024

Golden Palace, The Oldest Chinese Restaurant in Ottawa Serving World-famous Egg Rolls

I went back!

Recently I visited Ottawa, Ontario.

As is my tradition, I had to make a visit

to my favourite Chinese food restaurant.

Golden Palace.

I said 'HELLO' to my two pink beauties.....

My abstract paintings (2012) are still

hanging on the back wall.

I am so honoured!

My hope is that the guests

find that they add to the authentic

decor of this must-eat-at restaurant!

One word:

Delicious!

Golden Palace, a third-generation family-owned restaurant, holds the title of Ottawa's oldest Chinese Restaurant. For 64 years, guests have trusted them for the quality of their food and the warm, welcoming atmosphere. The renowned Golden Palace Egg Rolls® have gained fame around the globe.

Their Famous Golden Palace Egg Rolls® are now available for shipping within Ontario.

There is a minimum shipping quantity of 2 dozen Famous Golden Palace Egg Rolls®.

For additional quantities, they must be ordered in increments of 2 dozen at a time.

e.g. 2, 4, 6, 8, 10 dozen etc.