In the Marin Headlands hostel, we did not know there’s such a place to organize a gathering … Live music by The Barefoot Quales – these little boys are so talented on the strings. If they are already so good at this very young age, wonder how they are going to turn out when they are a bit older… so promising if they keep practicing. So talented already.
The appetizers table with mouthwatering international dishes so fitting a celebration of a person so adventurous and well traveled.
I may need a refresher course as I hope to engage in a cleansing ritual start of 2017 – for that review of basic Aryuvedic cooking is essential. I highly recommend
Jyoti and here’s some endorsements I thought was well deserving of her course… The course I took was 4-days but this is a more “express” course done in 3 days.
Sri Sri Ayurveda Cookery Course: “Art of Wholesome Cooking”:)
Sponsoring organization: Art of Living Foundation USA
Dates:Jan 27 2017 – Jan 29 2017
Timings: Friday 6:30pm – 9:30pm Saturday & Sunday: 10:00am – 4:00pm
Venue: Private Residence in Palo Alto
Teacher: Jyoti Jain
Contact:
Jyoti Jain @ 6505969583 OR
jyoti@jainfamily.com
As a comment for the course I took … it was a wonderful review of Aryuvedic concepts such as Doshas (your unique “constitutions”) and Gunas (qualities, innate tendencies – can i say …Dharma?) in the context of Samkhya philosophy … Having grown up with a lot of diversity in people, foods, cultures … I tend to think that we probably should put everything in cultural context – for example, in Aryuvedic cooking, mushrooms are considered a no-no but from other Asian food cultures, that hold mushrooms as almost medicinal, this concept is questioned. I tend to think that we can just take what works in the local indiginous land of that practitioner. Maybe back in India, eating mushrooms caused some unwanted outcome but in China, the opposite held true … and there are SO MANY varieties of mushrooms, some poisonous, some hallucinatory, some just yummy. In Japan, dehydrated Shiitake might be used as soup stock for vegans and vegetarians so …I would not rule them out. SO, the theory and the philosophy probably has to adapt to the land of the people … SO in USA, in California … here again, somethings are probably alright to change and adapt as long as the intention remains the same.
I appreciated my exposure into various spices and how they are used as spices are not something that we use heavily in Japanese culture. Japanese taste is all about the beauty of artful presentation, the simplicity, non-oil but savory UMAMI based taste, natural seasonings, delicate flavoring and as this famous Shojin cuisine chef master said … it’s about how we master pure “water” and how skillful we are in the art of cutting and slicing, i.e., the mastery over the knife use (after all it’s a sword/shogun culture with precision based forms and shapes) in how we cook. It’s not so much about heat and very little oil … so …I really enjoyed learning about a cooking method completely different. We did share one thing though – that was, how we appreciate plant-based foods and believe that food serves as our best … medicine.
Cooking with Gratitude … OMG, so Japanese… so many common threads I recognize.
Could these be? Yes, sticks of butter, organic butter from Whole Foods.
Not Vegan as we made Ghee!Clarified Butter … definitely an ingredient NOT used in Japanese cuisine so …interesting especially the current vogues seems to vilify butter – perhaps it’s more about moderation and portion control:)
It might be interesting to explore use of EV olive oil or avocado oil to replace here in California just as an option:)
Spices and Herbs are the key !
While these recommended books may help, best to learn from Jyoti herself – it’s all 5 senses at work when you learn from a good teacher. Once you have the foundation learned from a good teacher, you can then make substitutions and modifications to – experiment to fit your own unique needs. That’s the fun.
A friend said, Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday here – it’s the ONLY truly American holiday really. As immigrants, we all find this American celebration to be truly special. While many complain how they do not like the taste of turkey, etc. I have come to think that perhaps it’s just not cooked correctly. AND having had a vegan Thanksgiving cooked up by Vocal Vegans, there’s something for everyone on the table. It’s a celebration for all on this land. It celebrates the hardship people endured on the new land; it celebrates the fruits of such labor in a form of a harvest; it’s about sharing; it’s about putting aside differences and coming together. I love this holiday too … it’s about friendship between white people and the native Indians; and about sharing for the common good and … PEACE.
So happy RSVP’ed YES to this beautiful celebration with beautiful people.
Thank you to our beautiful hosts. Thank you for your generosity. Most of all for your friendship.
Appetizer table full of cheese nuts spreads breads dips salads …
The best crusty buttery golden rice and saffron infused rice tossed with special berries.
So pretty.
Spinach +Salad we brought. Sadly avocados turned color but initially they were beautiful green:)
Stuffing , sweet potatoes, rice and … and mashed potatoes too !? Oh my goodness. Oh my goddess ?
And oh did someone say dessert? Pies?! I actually had to pass at first but … broke down for a slice of cherry pie after quite a bit of belly rub!
In Gratitude. Thank you to the beautiful chef and hostess extraordinaire. Thank you for adding in the European and Middle Eastern flair while serving up a very traditional American Thanksgiving feast. I always learn so much from other cultures and appreciate sharing the stories we each have.