Serge the Concierge

Fall under the Spell of Lura, Free Chicago Concert by Portuguese Singer, July 9

If you are lucky enough to be in Chicago this evening of July 9 and not afraid to fall under the charm of Lura, the Portuguese singer will be treating happy ears to her sensual voice as displayed in 'Oh Naia' (below).

Even better, the early show (6:30pm) is Free.

Location: Pritzker Pavilion, Millennium Park (info: 312-742-1168)

Sharing the bill with Lura is Megitza Quartet.

Lura's latest release is 'Eclipse'

Found out about this Summer Freebie via Chicago Reader.

Recent Music Bit:
3 Days of Peace and Yoga, Wanderlust, Music Festival with a Different Recipe, Lake Tahoe, July 24-26

Young Person's Guide to Tanabata, Star Festival at Japan Society, NY, July 12

Rather than offer a lecture on Tanabata, the Star Festival, the Japan Society in New York decided to stage a play on July 12 at 2pm.

Here's the program:

A child-friendly theatrical performance introduces Japan's famous Tanabata legends (Hikoboshi and Orihime) in an interactive setting with songs and dance by performers from Theatre Arts Japan-KIDS-. Afterward, participants will make paper ornaments and their own traditional tanzaku, thin paper strips for writing wishes and to hang on bamboo branches.

Recommended for children ages 3-10 and accompanying adults.

Tickets:
$15 per family (up to five people), $10 per family, including at least one Japan Society member.
Space is limited. Advanced ticket purchase is highly recommended.

If like me (until today) you never heard of the 'Star Festival' here's what Wikipedia has to say about it:

"Tanabata (七夕, tanabata^?, meaning "Evening of the seventh") is a Japanese star festival, derived from the Chinese star festival, Qi Xi (七夕 "The Night of Sevens")．

It celebrates the meeting of Orihime (Vega) and Hikoboshi (Altair). The Milky Way, a river made from stars that crosses the sky, separates these lovers, and they are allowed to meet only once a year on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month of the lunisolar calendar. The celebration is held at night, once the stars come out."

In related news, from July 6 through 10, 2009, the Consulate-General of Japan in Houston presents the Tanabata Festival through origami, wish-cards, and traditional decorations in the atrium of The Shops at Houston Center.

Muza-Chan (a Romanian expat in Japan) in Customs and traditions of Japan - Travel impressions from last years Tanabata (July 6, 2009) gives us her take on the event.

I took the liberty to borrow one of Muza-chan's photos from her piece (above) taken at the Asakusa Shrine as an illustration.

Tradition and culture on the menu of Tokyo Thursdays # 95

Previously: Anime Expo 09 opens in Los Angeles, Covers all Trends from Shojo to Seinen

London cheaper than Caracas according to The Guardian

I wrote recently about various ways to find Freebies in London.

The Guardian goes one step further in Bargain London by Benji Lanyado and claims that London is cheaper than Caracas.

I bet Hugo C. will protest.

Married with children, they suggest London's City Farms such as Hackney City Farm (sheep, pigs, chickens, ducks, rabbits, calves and bees).

Need competitively priced accomodations, he mentions the youth hostel YHA London St Pancras (pictured above, from their site) with prices from: Adult: £21.95 Under 18: £16.50 (british pound is the currency quoted).

The place had a recent thorough makeover.

10 Commandments of Espresso, Number 1: Thou Shall Not Twist

I would not say that this is my top pet peeve as far as food service goes but it ranks up there.

What is that doing there with my cup of coffee?

So repeat after me, number 1 in the 10 commandments of espresso: thou shall not twist...

Here is a little coffee education for all of us from Illy (via 1st in Coffee):

Espresso Myths Exposed

Espresso coffee, while apparently a simple drink, is in reality a complex product. It is derived from 1500 chemical substances (800 volatile and 700 soluble). When prepared correctly it involves 13 independent chemical and physical variables. There are many myths and misconceptions surrounding espresso. We'd like to debunk a few of them.

Myth #1: Espresso carries more of a caffeine jolt than regular brewed coffee.

FALSE: The illycaffe blend is obtained by carefully selecting from different sources the best Arabica beans, which have a richer taste and a lower caffeine content than the lesser prized (and less expensive) Robusta beans. Because a cup of espresso takes no more than 30 seconds to brew, less caffeine is extracted than in drip coffee—which takes anywhere from 5 to 7 minutes.

Myth #2: Lemon peel is the proper garnish for a cup of espresso

FALSE: Lemon peel is not traditional in Italy. It is used to counteract the taste of over-roasted, bitter espresso. The oil in the peel blocks the bitterness. There is no need for lemon peel in a proper cup of espresso.

Myth #3: Bigger is better

FALSE: Large cups don't do espresso justice. The proper portion of espresso is one ounce, and the cup should be very small so that it holds the heat. Thick china cups are preferred. Large cups dissipate the heat and the crema (foam) which carries the aroma in a fine cup of espresso.

Myth #4: The darker the roast, the better the espresso.

FALSE: Over-roasted coffee loses all its complex flavors—they go up the chimney and leave you only with bitterness. Illy carefully roasts its coffee to the optimum level to bring out all the flavors inherent in the bean. illycaffè purchases only arabica beans for its blend and sorts the beans using electronic instruments which evaluate the color and automatically reject beans that are either too green or overripe. About 50 coffee beans are needed to produce one cup of espresso, and only one bad bean can ruin its flavor. In order to better balance the aroma, illycaffè prepares the blend from nine different lots of arabica before roasting and uses an air-cooling system versus the more common water-cooling system.

Myth #5: Put your coffee for espresso in the freezer for freshness.

FALSE: Freezing the coffee coagulates the natural oils contained in the bean. In an espresso, those oils emulsify producing the wonderful body and satisfying mouthful of this special cup of coffee.

Myth #6: Espresso is hard to prepare.

TRUE AND FALSE: Traditional espresso preparation is complicated unless you are properly trained. That is why Dr. Ernesto Illy and his team developed the E.S.E. system. Their objective was to find a way to create a perfect cup of espresso—a happy outcome of that quest was a method that was also convenient and simple. So simple, in fact, that Dr. Illy's 4 year old granddaughter proudly prepares her grandfather a perfect cup of espresso when he comes to visit using the E.S.E. system.

Faith Willinger shares her up close and personal experience living in Italy via The Crema in my Coffee.

Should doing things without knowing why be considered ignorance?

I borrowed my illustration (the original Bezzera machine?) from the History of Espresso ( College of Education at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign).

Be a Dog with a Bone, Get some Wednesday Uplifting with Peggy McColl

I am not that big on motivational speakers and the latest secret sauce on how to fix everything.

I do appreciate the accent on the positive put forward by Peggy McColl on weekly radio show Attracting Abundance (Wednesdays).

Her book, Be a Dog with a Bone shares some of her recipes on how to make your dreams realities. She seasons them with a healthy dose of humor.

Here are some of them:

• Teach an old dog new tricks; the tricks of success
• Bark for what you want
• Stop chasing your tail
• Be a little dog with a big-dog attitude
• Lap up your success

A little Wednesday uplifting