The World Beat Festival

This is me dancing the Toshi Toshi at the World Beat. I have no idea how that is actually spelled, but the Toshi Toshi is a Bhutanese guest dance where everyone dances in a big circle. Its simple to learn and it was great fun to see how many people participated.

I must say I was really impressed with the number of performances throughout the day. And the quality! I had no idea we had so much international talent around here. One of my favorite groups was the dance troupe called Paradise of Samoa. They have found a great way to keep young people interested in their island heritage. The dancers ranged from little ones who were probably about kindergarten age, all the way to adults. Not only was it fun to watch them dance dances from around the pacific islands, but it also looked like they had a lot of fun doing it.

The music choices were also quite good and there were concerts in the amphitheater throughout the day and into the evening, including fire dancing at the end of the night. The amphitheater was a popular spot at the festival and I would say there were at least two to three thousand people in the amphitheater during the last couple of performances.

Now, this makes me wonder: why don't we have concerts at the Riverfront Amphitheater throughout the summer? Its a beautiful location for an outdoor amphitheater - on the river with views of the setting sun. Why aren't we, as Salemites, taking advantage of this? I think its about time to use that amphitheater for a summer concert series. What say you, people of Salem?


Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Burlesque!

I went to see the Can Cannibals at The Space the other night! Oh my goodness! Burlesque is so much fun. I think we should have more of it around here. Anyone want to make some costumes and start up a burlesque troop?? Maybe it was just that these ladies seemed to be having so much fun, everyone just wanted to join in.

I Discovered a New Spice!

Okay, I didn't really discover it like Einstein discovered the theory of relativity. I discovered it more like Columbus discovered the new world; lots of people already know about it, but its the first time I've ever seen it.

Sumac is my new favorite spice. I picked it up at the new Downtown Market and Deli on Liberty. I noticed a giant bag of it and thought it must be really popular if it was sold in such large quantities. When I asked the proprietors about it, they enthusiastically explained that it was a spice that could be added to falafel, salads, meats and almost anything. So I decided to pick up a small bag of it and try it out. I got about a cup or so for $2.50 and took it home to try.

It's amazing! I'm serious. It has a fresh, lemony flavor without the sour citrus taste. I've added it to my chicken, sauteed onions with it, and yesterday I sprinkled it on zucchini and put it on the grill. My friends couldn't get enough of the zucchini!

It's actually a pretty mild flavor and just adds a fresh citrus taste to things. It is a pretty dark red/brown color and makes a nice garnish as well as adding flavor.