Bali and Your Belly - A Religious Experience

We arrived at Tanah Lot. En and I walked barefoot over the slippery ocean rocks to get to the temple where I prayed and we were blessed by the priest. The priests are inside the temple under the rock.

This was one of the most spiritual experiences I've had. The spring of water is said to come from God when the staff struck the rock. I understand this is not how things likely went down, but it is considered a holy Hindu temple, and you could feel it and I was happy to receive the blessings. All our travel companions were happy to do so as well.

Where God told the man to strike the ground with his staff; Tanah Lot, Bali

After the temple experience we walked the grounds and went to the restaurant (the only restaurant) that has very limited seating. I'm sure this was all arranged by the agency. We were able to select from a limited set of seafood and fish (as I said, limited seating, limited selection) and En and I were lucky to select the last two crab. They were sized nicely and very active. Once cooked, they were seasoned with chili oil and we ate all fresco at the side of the rock cliff. Life doesn't get much better than this.

2 sea crabs, alive just moments before we ate them.

How is a band related to the temple...?

The Adaptable Muscle

The tongue.

I'll be posting about my vacation soon, but for now, I wanted to put in writing how vivid the flavours of our first meal upon our return - a breakfast of dimsum - could explode in our mouths. We literally had to take pause and allow the sensation to dissipate. It was as though our tongue was thanking us for returning it to wonderful food.

It's amazing how quickly the tongue can succumb to the food available. It's even more amazing how short a time without intense flavour, it's return can jolt us so deeply.

That's when I turned to my husband and said, "I'm so glad we live in Toronto."

Red Velvet Dreams

Have you ever had a food that transports you to a place you've never been? I'm not talking metaphysically, I mean a real place in this world, maybe in whatever era your context of it exists, but nonetheless, it exists. If you were so inclined, you could hop on a plane and be there within a day. But the experience of it may level your expectations. This is what I feel when I indulge in the wonder that is red velvet cake.

My friend and fellow bridesmaid, Aniesa, whipped up a batch of her red velvet cupcakes for our friend's bridal shower. I watched guests peruse the dessert table (I was strategically posted there for most of the event), and the reactions were varied. Some were squeemish at trying something new, something they didn't know, and others enjoyed, but seemed embarrassed to go for a second. Others wanted nothing more than some traditional West Indian desserts, while others (like myself, usually) ate no dessert at all.

Mind you, we live in the north. Most people in this city have never heard of the stuff. Which, we (including the bride) were more than happy for because it meant more for us. And in an age where you can educate yourself on most anything you could want, many people couldn't be bothered. Hell, if I didn't blog the way I did, and meet people from around the globe, I too would never have known of Red Velvet Cake.

Mmmm.... the sight of it, the taste of it, the texture of it, takes me to an afternoon garden party in the deep south, where just the slightest breeze lets you know evening is coming. The rich sweetness crawls in tendrils around your brain. Each sweet cloud is a reflection of all things the south has always striven to be. And though I've been to the southern states, I've never in my life been in a place like this. Though that's where it takes me. And that's worth the calories now and again.