The 50 things I will and won't miss from Dubai (in no particular order)

1. the people that I have met from around the world that have helped me grow, challenge me daily and represent a broader spectrum of careers and countries than any other place I have lived.

2. the February-April sunsets on the beach, reddish-orange skies every night.

3. Lamb chops, tabbouleh and baba ghanoush

4. My students and their dramatic interpretation and dances to the "tabbouleh song."

5. Karama curries

6. Drives to Barracuda, Ras Al Khaimah, Fujeirah-- Camel crossings and dust storms...

7. Rock Bottom, Rattlesnake and Jebel Ali club, trashy bars being a commodity instead of high end ones like in Tulsa.

8. Ladies Nights at Nelsons..

9. Lulu Hypermarket, the world's greatest grocery store, laser light show and you can pretty much find everything in the world you need there..

10. No left turns????

11. Safety, being able to walk down the beach and leave your bag.

12. the sandstorms where you cannot even walk outside without sunglasses.

13. the tall, attractive array of men from around the world.

14. Being surrounded by some of the world's most beautiful people (motivation to stay fit)

15. the warm water beaches

16. Being a 5 minute drive from the beach

17. January-February race months in the UAE

18. Creek Strider mornings- justification of my binge drinking later in the day

19. Interesting taxi cab conversations

20. zen yoga classes

21. Sumo Sushi delivery

22. Random home delivery services: pharmacy, soda water, etc.

23. Living down the road from some of the world's most interesting architectural projects: Burj Al Arab, Burj Khalifa, the World project, Palm Jumeirah

24. the spices

25. Bur Dubai

26. Cheap flights to almost any country in the world and decent travel times.

27. summer shopping sales

28. Runs around Safa park

29. Opportunity knocks- being able to dream up and do anything if you wanted to stay here.

30. Dinner club

31. Irish village beers before flying out at the DXB airport

32. the Coldplay concert in Abu Dhabi, rain; giant yellow bouncy balls, multi colored paper butterflies: MAGIC

33. late night calls from boys only rivaling university days

34. Fun and frequent stories like McArabia (oh, Kristen)

35. bottles of vino with the girls: Kristen, Tara, Carrie, Kate M, Kate D, Becky and more..

36. Some good gigs: 2 Many DJs, Basement Jaxx, Plump Djs, etc.

37. Lime-tree cafe; yummy goodies.

38. Mall after mall after mall after mall

39. dodgy hospital experiences :(

40. random parking tickets with absolutely no proof

41. runs in Media City

42. Satwa area, a little bit of culture in plastic heaven

43. My neighbors who return baking/ cooking favors equally

44. the lack of local produce

45. A spectacular group of colleagues I have learned from enormously

46. Drinking cocktails on my lil' balcony

47. The views from the freakishly high buildings.

48. Sajid's cooking

49. long drives on the highway in the ford focus

50. not knowing whether the city will be here in the next 50 years but at least having been a part of its craze now..

Thoughts on Raw food, Thai food and on what's good for the soul....

My friend Carol, spent a lot of time in India and Thailand over the last few years and is now a raw food cook. The food she creates is beautiful to look at; healthy and has successfully nurtured a number of people who have dietary and energy issues from their eating habits either in the past or present. I think this is a wonderful thing, particularly for those who have terrible lifelong diseases such as diabetes and are able to live more satisfying lives. Do I think it would ever work for me?

The truth is, over the last 30 years, my dietary needs were most met when I lived in Thailand. Nearly, all the produce was grown within 200 km of where I was living, fish were caught daily from the Gulf of Thailand and variety was assorted. Even with the sesame oil, fish paste, lime juice, chilies and other strong flavoring agents of Thai food, I found it to be healthy, clean and delicious. It is the only place I have lived where I could eat the food all the time, crave the food all the time, and not need variety because my body was missing something.

Thai salads are often raw, mangoes, papayas, chilies, etc. Soups are made with coconut milk, chicken broth or lime juice. Noodles are often made traditionally with bones of the animals in the broth used. Rice is sticky or jasmine steamed and is usually eaten once a day but not with each meal. There are not a lot of sweets and nearly all of them involve fresh fruit. Dairy is rarely used.

Given my theories on my potential mild intolerance for gluten and a definite case of lactose intolerance, one can easily see why this is a positive diet for me. Though as I read the book, Animal, Vegetable, Mineral, I also think that it has largely to do with the fact that the food was from where I lived that I felt healthy.

Living abroad and returning to the freezer stocked with frozen fruits and vegetables, jarred lemongrass and the industrial sized tub of garlic my Mother bought, hardly enchants me. While summer produce will be in full bloom and farmers' markets bustling, the United States and its constant desire for convenience, still requires a push towards making these steps towards supporting local markets and an even bigger bonus, towards improving one's health by eating local, organic, naturally enriched with vitamins of the earth food. Nonetheless, it is time for people with money to get out of a mentality of convenience and get into a mentality of healthy living. With the increase of technology and more reliance upon machines, a return to organic farming in the agricultural world, could be just what the doctor ordered in terms of raising rates of unemployment and combatting obesity in schools.

After all is said in done, I think my basis for discussion here returns to the discussion of everything in moderation. Today, I ate raw nearly the entire day; banana, apple, granola, almonds and vegan gazpacho. However, when I returned home, out of no hormonal or sad feeling or lack of hunger, I gravitated towards the chocolate cake I had made last night, took 5 bites of it and was then satisfied. Clearly, my body knew what it wanted but my mind would have fought that sensation if I thought properly about it.

Keep listening to your cravings. If we lead somewhat balanced lives inclusive of exercise, fun and generally healthy eating, those cravings will result in desire to have all three of those things in our lives regularly creating a cycle of health. Hopefully....

Blueberries and Old Sweaters

Blueberries are one of those fruits that can be so right and wrong all at once. The health benefits are outstanding. One website called them "an antioxidant powerhouse." Another vows that 1/2 cup of blueberries will provide the 3-servings of fruit you need daily. Undeniably, these little blue fruits with a unique consistency have their benefits. Nonetheless, I find that if the least bit off or in any other state then fresh or in blueberry muffins, they lose their tart and become a pure jammy sugar fruit... Blackberries have the same problem, but strawberries and raspberries hold their flavor over pastries, sorbet and jams without being too sweet, but blueberries metamorph into something completely else when they are baked, jammed and essentially bastardized.

Anywise, so I am gearing up for another move and I came across an old sweater. The first time I saw this sweater was on my Dad growing up. I remember cold Christmases, ski holidays and amber moments by fireplaces with family friends and steaming cups of hot chocolate. This old sweater has a history though. Where it started is still unknown. It has held a smell, that fluctuates between a cedar closet and winter foods (hot chocolates, roasts, popcorn and things yummy and comforting). Last time, I was at my parents' house, I ran into the picture of my Dad and my Mom, blown up nearly poster size, black and white from Vail, Colorado. It doesn't say when it is but they look young and particularly happy; maybe, it's just worry-less. There are few lines in their faces and though the photo is black and white, the contrast of their pale but smiling faces against the snow gives them a natural hopeful glow. In this particular photo, Mom is wearing a sweater that I wore out as well. Both sweaters fit them well, exhibiting that circular cycle of fashion. Nonetheless, they have changed and nothing they wear today would fit them or their slightly more loved bodies in that way..

The sweater was around throughout my childhood. It's nordic looking with American colors red, white and blue. Somewhere in high school, when I made one of my yearly trips to the attic to remind me of my past and my parents past, I came across it again and decided to make it my own, along with my Dad's old rugby shirts and my Mom's sweater from that photo. Dad's sweater was way too big, but for a 15 year old girl with unnecessary body issues, it was one of my favorite possessions. And at a time, when Abercrombie and Fitch was big amongst high school students, it paid in coolness to have something retroactive in fashion that was real. It travelled to Russia for a cultural exchange and back. It made it all through long, frost-bitten winters filled with cross-country skiing, too many cups of spilled tea in Upstate New York. It is a sweater that represents love and experience and the passing on of different lifestyles from one generation to the next.

So, today, when I was packing and eating blueberries (hence, the random introduction), I came across this sweater. Next destination is Venezuela and this sweater, might not come in handy there. I have not outgrown it, it gives me warm fuzzies when I see it. Furthermore, it radiates love. Nonetheless, I decided it was time to pass it on, to give it a new life, to make somebody else's family warm or a different kind of family. Who knows it could be a blanket for an Indian construction worker here and eventually be taken back to his own country for warmth for another person. It is still in good shape, nearly 4o years later. So, farewell to my oversized red, white, and blue but overly Nordic looking sweater.

May you continue to make happy, spread love and keep warm.