THE UNITED STATES—1909
WE LEARN a lot about our country through foreign eyes. And the views are particularly striking when written more than a century ago. Thus it is with one of the … Continue reading
THE ORACLE OF DELPHI—ON HIGH TEST
THE GREEK Oracle of Delphi was vaguely known to me. Like so many other things, I knew I could learn more if I wanted with a quick Googling. But how … Continue reading
SPEAKING UP-COUNTRY SWAHILI
WHAT WITH Rosetta Stone© and related foreign-language learning methodologies, there are multiple paths to Swahili. However, for those into Karen Blixen’s Out of Africa, Kenya’s Muthaiga Country Club and the … Continue reading
GUIDE(S) TO PARIS
“PARIS, THE capital of France, may justly be termed the centre of the whole pleasure seeking world…” And for the armchair traveller, there’s nothing better than a stack of Paris … Continue reading
THE WEST INDIES—COLONIAL EDITION
THANKS TO Englishman Algernon E. Aspinall, I offer compelling information here on the Montserrat brogue, John Teach (aka Blackbeard the pirate), a Caribbean counterpart of Forty-Niner’s sourdough, and how to … Continue reading
TASTY TIME TRIPPIN’
COOKBOOKS FROM other eras can be fun—and real adventures in the modern kitchen. Needless to say, I have several examples; here are three of my favorites. This isn’t a cookbook … Continue reading
JAPAN—IN 1950
MY COLLECTION of guidebooks on Japan goes back to the turn of the century (that earlier turn, not our recent one). Two of my favorite books, however, are rather more … Continue reading
ZÉCAR AND THE MIL FOLHAS PROJECT
IT’S TURNABOUT of the best kind: A charming little toy car is helping to reforest an area destroyed by highway expansion. The toy is Zécar. The reforestation is Mil Folhas … Continue reading
MACHINE TOOLS BY JOHN ASCHAUER
JOHN ASCHAUER was a model builder extraordinaire. Whereas others fashioned car, aircraft or architectural models, Aschauer built 1/16th scale machine tools. There’s a permanent collection of Aschauer’s models at the … Continue reading
1964 WORLD’S FAIR
IT’S SAID you never forget your first kiss, your first love, your first…. But what about your first taco? Wife Dottie almost rolled on the floor in laughter today when … Continue reading
Simanaitis Says 