Fire Dragon!

"The Chinese New Year is determined by the start of the Lunar
calendar, however the annual division between the signs is not the
Chinese New Year. Rather, it is the beginning of spring, which is the
4th or 5th of February of each year. This is a very complex concept."

My birthday is February 5th. I never knew that it was such a
significant date in Chinese astrology. I also didn't know my Chinese
astrology sign. February 4th is the cut off for Dragon. Whew! Reina
told me that she once read people in China wait to get pregnant for a
dragon baby and also it is a sign that wants to stop its karma...This
is huge for me. Now I can proudly say I am an Aquarius and a fire
dragon.

More on Wikipedia...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_astrology

1976 Feb 4 1977 Feb 3 火 Fire earth 龍 Dragon

Diseases

A very interesting article from We like it Raw about why we get diseases.

"The reality is that disease is caused by toxicity of the internal environment and toxicity attracts nature's scavengers aka microorganisms. Basically, the dirtier the kitchen the more likely the rats are to show up to get their feast on."

More on this on at Rainbow Green Live Food Cuisine .

Mark suggests drinking beet juice daily, for a clean blood and fighting against cancer. Raw beets of course. I can't wait to go back to Montezuma add beet juice to the menu.

Today was a great day, I signed up Reina with a blogger account and convinced her to write her own blog. I can't tell the name yet, as she is experimenting with it for a while but with all the stories she has got, I am sure it will be a hit. Stay tuned for more updates on this in the next couple of weeks.

I spent the afternoon reading, a book Reina lended me, by Paulo Coelho, by the river Piedra, I sat down and wept. I love it so much, I don't want to finish it.

New routine

Wake up, don't open your eyes. Gently find the pen in the book next to the pillow. Try not to move. Scribble whatever you can remember. Don't move or you will ruin it. When finished close the dream book. Open your eyes. Yes, now I have a dream book that I try to capture my dreams... It is a lot of fun and boy, I have weird dreams! Dreams that sheep fly in the air... That could be because of the fewer though:)

I worked in the garden this morning but only a little bit. My energy is still not back to normal...Well I don't know what is normal, for me those crazy hours of work were normal. I now learn, humans allow themselves rest more. Note to self: plan your garden before planting, it is a lot of work...

I also uploaded some new pictures on flickr. This one with the hummingbird is my new favorite. This music, la tema de la reina is also on my computer all the time....

I am grateful to all my friends and family who called and emailed to see how I am doing. I feel loved and happy. I am also grateful to Larry and Marlen who are running Organico without me. Per Marlen, Larry even made mint chocolate rock-cream that was very good when it came out from the ice-cream machine. Making ice-cream is really not that easy huh?

if you work a lot...

Like 16 hours a day, your body might think you are dead already. I
have been very sick for the last 8 days. I came down with fever and
pain in my right side on Saturday. I made it to san jose after a 4
hour bus ride and 2 hour ferry snooze, half dead. It sucks so bad to
sick, to have no one around...however i was fortunate to have arranged
the trip to Panama with Reina. She took care of me like I am her
daughter. I felt so much loved and cared it was touching. we stay with
Kati and Mark, who are also angels who watched over me in 30 minute
intervals, Mark made me herbal remedies, Kati prepared cleansing
drinks and Reina did reiki nights after nights. i know I am lucky,
blessed, have good karma.

After day three my fewer didnt go away and we started to get a little
worried. i hated the idea of going to medical doctor, i don't trust
them, i don't trust the system and i don't have the money to pay for
the bills. Reina found a Chinese doctor. His name is Dr. Chen and he
is a miracle men. He is very scary, serious, a little funny looking
and he started touching me really strong and I was so weak I could
take it. From the little Spanish we spoke, we figured I have infection
in my internal organs that could lead to an urgent operation. He gave
me a Chinese tea, which tastes sooooooooooo bad, and I have to finish
the entire bottle if i don't want an operation.

Fever is gone in the following two days and the pain is almost gone
now. I feel so much better, very tired but still much happier. I can
only eat over-cooked rice in water with nothing, apple and thats it
but no complains. I have had so much to eat, I am sick of cooking and
baking and food anyways. I am shocked that my body stopped me from
working so much this quick, but i have worked so much, so long with so
much stress, what do i expect? I am not sure what I will do, how I
will adjust or even go back to Montezuma. Right now, I am dowloading
Battlestar Gallactica.

ps: Organico is open though, my good friends Larry and Marlen were on
board this whole time:)

Going to Panama and where 200 oranges are missing?

It is vacation time!!!!!!! Well, it is not voluntary, so it really
doesn't count, but what the hell! I am just dying for vacation and I
am headed to Panama on Monday, 7:30 am. I am taking the bus with Reina
from San Jose and will stay there for 3 days. So, I will be out of the
cafe for at least a week and wasn't sure what to do with it...Keep
open or close for a whole week...It is tough because it is already low
season and I am not making enough to pay the rent, on the other hand,
Marlen is the only one I trust 100% and she can only work until
12:30....However, Larry agreed to come in next week! So we will try to
be open...

In the meantime, I got my hands on a good vegan cinnamon-roll recipe.
It's been tough to substitute butter and milk, but I am happy with
what we got. I was planning on posting the recipe but something more
important came to my mind...Cinnamon-Rolls can wait...

Larry has been telling me to track what I am selling and buying, to
see if there is any discrepancy. Of course...I bought 400 oranges this
week, sold 200 oranges (in juices, ect) and we are out of oranges
today...Donde esta los naranjas? No, se! It is pretty sad but a good
wake up call for me. From now on, I am writing everything, what we
eat, sell, sample or trash...Rest is stolen or wasted and the
employees are accountable for that...I just had to learn it the hard
way that this is not my mom's kitchen and I let others spend my
money...UGHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

My new motto!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/lexnger/108839274/
I am going to put this up on the cafe tomorrow as I have new wall
space! Yay! Finally, Bozzo took his sign off! I feel much stronger
already!

Wanna surf?

It is always cool to surf the web with a kid...not sure how they find
these websites but this one is right on! I sure can surf better than I
play:)

http://www.markfennell.com/flash/podsurf/

Casado del Pequeno Principe

I am so far from home, just like the Little Prince...So, trying to
come up with names for the kids menu, I could not help but name the
casado, a typical Costa Rican meal, after him:
Casado del Pequeno Principe:) So cute!

Little Prince eats black sheep beans, grown-up rice, baobab-flower
salad and fox veggie meat,seitan- something not heard of in Costa
Rica....I suspect it is a popular meal in B612.

Any my favorite line, as well as the whole world probably: it is only
with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is
invisible to the eye... I got some crabs and monkeys to tame here, so
much fun!

I found the whole text online in Turkish,
http://arzudurukan.www9.50megs.com/index.htm

New at Organico!

Kids eat free! I am just trying this out, since business is slow and I
have tons of kids hanging out at the place to play with my Nintendo DS
anyways, so, this might help bring their parents for food...Kids
defined: 0-8....Not sure how this will work, but worth a try and I am
curious how people will try to sneak more free food..."I am here for
free lunch, my inner child is sooo hungry!" :)))

So far, the menu has toast and jam, peanut butter jelly sandwich,
fruit plate, grilled cheese sandwich, Casado de Little Prince, Tomato
Queen Pasta....However, we have to have pancakes on the menu for kids,
no??? So, today we mastered Monkey Pancakes with bananas and
syrup....Inspired by Aidan's love for pancakes...
http://www.flickr.com/photos/ozdema2/275601774/in/set-72157594338716137/

He is turning 3 next week and I will not be there for his
birthday...It really sucks...So far I have been with him for all his
birthdays in his life:(((

PS: Thanks Sassy for the awesome recipe, http://www.vegancoach.com

It is raining...all day long...

I had a lousy weekend...My employees are sweet and nice but they are
not vegetarian....not even that, I can not even explain why it is that
important to me that they should not come with ideas like lasagna with
chicken, and no they are not joking...It is hard...I don't have one
single vegetarian friend here, I feel like a total freak and it is not
fun. Well Reina is here...She is vegetarian...Ok, I have one friend, I
feel better already!

It is raining non-stop and people like to eat when its raining
outside, so no complains. We have two new specials on the menu...Ocean
Salad...It is with wakame, daikon radish, shredded beets, marinated
cucumbers in rice vinegar, pickled ginger and brown rice. It has a
soy-sesame seed dressing...Really Yum!

And Save the Fish Ceviche with Palmito, heart of palm...This one is so
good and heart of palm looks like exactly calamaris...Stay away from
the fish, we got it all figured out...

On the ice-cream front, coffee-toffee is a new discovery...I almost
gave up on the vegan coffee ice-cream idea, then Nan suggested adding
almonds and chocolate bits...Voila!

Heading up the hill, who knows who will be up there??? Making a soup
tonight at home. Soup of a thousand comforts...Recipe soon!

Drooling...

Seeing cute guys in Montezuma is nothing new, this town is blessed
with hot surfers, or hunky travellers..and sometimes it can be
hazardous:) Yesterday, I was almost on the floor when I saw this guy,
really tall, dark hair and a big smile on his face ( I noticed all
these in 5 seconds) and had to turn back to check him out one more
time. In between swallowing my drool and looking around to see if
someone noticed my second gaze, I realized he is someone I
know...Vince Vaughn.....I am crazy for him. There he was, in the
middle of Montezuma...I could not believe it! I know it is silly...I
am sure he is not as funny as he is in the movies but who cares.
Anyway, he went by and since we were closed, he could not come in to
my beautiful cute cafe! Damn!

Heartbroken, I headed home...But the universe gave me another chance
to see him! He was on a quad this time (the little 4 wheelers) and I
was walking up with my ipod on, dancing....(I must have looked really
cool from behind!) and we did have an eye contact! I swear! and then
he got so distracted, he could not get up the hill with the quad...It
was pretty funny, he had to restart the quad and all the charisma
washed away and with that shame he could not dare to ask me
out..That's understandable...So I went home, planted thyme, sugar snap
peas, mint and basil...

take that off my face!

I had the most bizarre conversation with Bazo, who told me what the
hell I am thinking that I come here and in four months act like I own
the place (which is a fact not an act), I see him smaller than me
(bullshit) and have guts to ask him to do me a favor.

Favor defined: Remove your sign from my front wall that I pay the rent
for! It took me months to ask him, don't ask me why, I was shy,
stupid, afraid, didn't want to hurt him but at the end of the day, one
thing lead to another and the more quiet I was, the more entitled he
became...

I am shocked but I was warned about him but you know me, I just wish
for the best, hoping everyone is nice....Bullshit! It is a wake up
call for me...So now, lets see what will happen. He was so mad, said
he will take the issue to the landlord and doesn't want me in the
local...I am excited to see how this will play along...Will keep you
posted and I am not afraid.

Just a ps...it is not easy to be a single woman in Costa Rica...Hence
the machete:) http://bakingfairy.blogspot.com/2007/05/i-am-blending-in.html

PSS: I have to write about Nan, tomorrow...She was my neighbor for 5
weeks and I had the best ever time with her. She was an angel, retired
from the military and filled me in on many top secret information that
I can not share with you all:) More stories about Nan...I promise they
are muuuuuch more fun!

I am blending in...

Today I bought my first ever machete! This is the intended use, open a
coconut; however, who knows when a girl would need a sharp knife in
the tropics!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/schmutzie/83132224/

It is 3,000 colones, less than 10 dollars!

Happy Mother's Day

Mom, grandmo and my sister...They don't look like they miss me, do they???

http://www.flickr.com/photos/guliz83/496069278/in/photostream/

Obsessed!

I found it!!!! Finally!!!!

https://www.andrew.cmu.edu/user/tetani/upcycleart/htmls/coinpurse.html

Best Selling Ice-cream and Happy Mothers Day

Banana Peanut butter
Chocolate
Coconut
Mint Chip...

not so good...
Pineapple
Blackberry
Coffee

Lots of requests for vanilla...

Today, was a crappy day, except that we introduced Fantastico
Fajitas....Mom's favorite, just in time for mother's day, I am not
sure if this will qualify as a mothers day gift but mom, I love you
soooooooo much and you are my hero!!!! Thanks to your love for Mexican
food, Organico is turning into a Mexican hotspot...."Margarita on the
rocks" soon! :)

Saturday Fever

"When the heart weeps for what it has lost,
the spirit laughs for what it has found."
-Sufi aphorism-

Dagmar just sent me this... So beautiful, I wanted to share with you
all...I am grateful to everyone around me to make me laugh, jump, cry,
run and stomp on my feet.

By the way, got a beautiful email from Tiana, she is leaving for Tibet
in June and has asked me to have a new special...Black Sheep Dip, with
black beans and papaya! Consider it done! Ok, got to go back and
finish a birthday cake for Leon. Feliz Cumplianos! He is turning
5!!!!!

Days go by...

With new books, new recipes, new friends and lots and lots of
dancing....Not much clients around and I aint gonna sit on my butt!
Since we are closed at nights, Larry is no longer working and I miss
him but I have to admit hanging out at the pool or going to dance
classes and seeing the sunset pink is sooooo nice.

Now, looking for ideas to make some money....Anyone got a good energy
bar recipe?

Slow days

Its been really slow these days, it is stressing me out...So strange,
all this time I wanted to rest a little and now that I can take time
for myself, I am a little lost in what to do...Of course there are
tons of things to do but you know when you are going going going and
then suddenly stop, I am now thinking, wait a minute...It is kinda too
early to think like this, its been only -6 months! Wow!

I watched Pursuit of Happyness last night. The fact that it takes
place in San Francisco made me homesick, yes I do miss home a lot, but
at the same time, how grateful I am to be away from that rat race.

Living this close to nature and its beauty, the clean air, the blue
ocean, the bright green palm trees, mangoes falling down the trees,
ants going up and down on the little trails, crabs all over Montezuma,
trying to find a safe place to lay eggs, monkeys jumping up and down
on my roof (!), it is really magical here.

I am headed to a hammock, with a new book Tiana gifted me, Cave in the
Snow. Its about a woman who became a Buddhist and lived in a cave.
Interesting....

Pineapple Upside Down Cake, literally

Purchasing food is hard. Estimating how much produce we would need is
really painful. Some weeks we ran out of lettuce, some weeks we end up
with tons of tomatoes. Of course tomatoes turn into a juicy salsa and
this week we had so many pineapples, they turned into marmalade as
well as a delicious sugar-free pineapple upside down cake!

The recipe for the cake is simple but the secret is super sweet
pineapples. We found a new local farm that have these super delicious,
sweet pineapples and they deliver weekly. Sweet deal!

Quick reminder, highly recommend to taste your batter first and adjust
sweetness with agave, honey or brown sugar if you like!

Heat the oven to 350 degrees.

Mix together:

2 1/2 wholewheat flour
1 cup coconut
1 cup chopped walnuts (or other nuts)
3 cups of crushed pineapple
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup oil
1 cup rolled oats
1 tablespoon cinnamon

4-5 slices of pineapple (1/2 inch each), chunky centers removed and
filled with cranberries or blackberries.

Saute these sliced pineapples with 1 tablespoon of brown sugar and
place on the bottom of a 9 inch round pan.

Pour the cake mixture on top and bake in the oven for 40 minutes.

Turn it upside down once cooled and enjoy!

We made two of these and one of them fell upside down in the vitrina.
It was hilarious. We had to make it a sample and it was gone in 30
minutes. So, the recipe is a keeper!

Pure Joy

One should give up anger, renounce pride,
and overcome all fetters.
Suffering never befalls him
who clings not to mind and body and is detached.

Dhammapada 221

Discovered! Amaranth

Thanks to Avani, I discovered Amaranth...Bioland has this cereal,
Amaranth con Carob that I started having for breakfast with oats
milk..(blended oats with honey and banana). It is really tasty and
super satisfying. We also put it on the menu today.

"Amaranth (Amaranthus) has a colorful history, is highly nutritious,
and the plant itself is extremely attractive and useful. Amaranth was
a staple in the diets of pre-Columbian Aztecs, who believed it had
supernatural powers and incorporated it into their religious
ceremonies. Before the Spanish conquest in 1519, amaranth was
associated with human sacrifice and the Aztec women made a mixture of
ground amaranth seed, honey or human blood then shaped this mixture
into idols that were eaten ceremoniously. This practice appalled the
conquistadors who reasoned that eliminating the amaranth would also
eliminate the sacrifices. The grain was forbidden by the Spanish, and
consequently fell into obscurity for hundreds of years. If not for the
fact that the cultivation of amaranth continued in a few remote areas
of the Andes and Mexico, it may have become extinct and completely
lost to us.

The name amaranth hails from the Greek for "never-fading flower." The
plant is an annual herb, not a "true" grain and is a relative of
pigweed, a common wild plant also known as lamb's-quarters, as well as
the garden plant we know as Cockscomb. There are approximately 60
species of amaranth and there is no definite distinction between
amaranth grown for the leaf (vegetable), and the seed (grain).

Amaranth can be cooked as a cereal, ground into flour, popped like
popcorn, sprouted, or toasted. The seeds can be cooked with other
whole grains, added to stir-fry or to soups and stews as a nutrient
dense thickening agent.

Amaranth seed is high in protein (15-18%) and contains respectable
amounts of lysine and methionine, two essential amino acids that are
not frequently found in grains. It is high in fiber and contains
calcium, iron, potassium, phosphorus, and vitamins A and C.

The fiber content of amaranth is three times that of wheat and its
iron content, five times more than wheat. It contains two times more
calcium than milk. Using amaranth in combination with wheat, corn or
brown rice results in a complete protein as high in food value as
fish, red meat or poultry.

Amaranth also contains tocotrienols (a form of vitamin E) which have
cholesterol-lowering activity in humans. Cooked amaranth is 90%
digestible and because of this ease of digestion, it has traditionally
been given to those recovering from an illness or ending a fasting
period. Amaranth consists of 6-10% oil, which is found mostly within
the germ. The oil is predominantly unsaturated and is high in linoleic
acid, which is important in human nutrition.

The amaranth seeds have a unique quality in that the nutrients are
concentrated in a natural "nutrient ring" that surrounds the center,
which is the starch section. For this reason the nutrients are
protected during processing. The amaranth leaf is nutritious as well
containing higher calcium, iron, and phosphorus levels than spinach."

Bugday

Thanks to Reina and our quest for finding organic dates and henna, we discovered this site...

http://www.bugday.org/eng/

 

I have decided to close for dinner during the week because I am exhausted and would like to take time to rest. Though we do have business at night and making money, I really want time for me. Yesterday, I had an amazing massage from a friend of mine, Martim at this beautiful, peaceful and romantic house right by the ocean in Cabuya. Cabuya is 10 minutes away from Montezuma and it was my first time. It is so ridiculous that I haven´t been anywhere in Costa Rica but Montezuma and San Jose. Sooooooo sad! Then, we went to the beach, spent time at the house...Martim and Avani came here to take the 40 day retreat with Tony Samara, www.tonysamara.org  They live together like a big family with 2 other wonderful people and I really miss having people around other than customers. It is nice to eat amaranth cereal for dinner with milk and not to worry about how the plate looks...Then we went to a dance class. It was fantastic. It was a free form, jump and feel and express yourself hippie dancing and I loved it. I am more interested in dancing these days than cooking. Maybe it is sooooo hot, maybe it is time to get out to the world and enjoy simple things...

 

I came back to Montezuma at 8, Armando called me the minute we got to town. I left the front door open. All day long! So, better get some rest and take it all in with a big breath. Life is a big wave....

 

"What draws friends together doesn't conform laws of nature. Form doesn´t know about spiritual closeness. If a grain of barley approaches a grain of wheat, an ant must be carrying it. " Rumi

 

 

Eat right for your blood type

Isabel is a fantastic woman, a belly dancer, scientist with a phd,
ex-hippie who lived in Berkeley at the time. She gifted me a wonderful
book about blood type nutrition. The book got my attention right away
because the personality profile for Type A is sooooo me. It is a huge
research and you should check it out for yourself....Excellent
information to fight all kinds of illnesses...what each blood type
should eat, should avoid, ect...

http://www.dadamo.com/

My Type A friends out there, here is the worst news...No papaya, no
mango, no bananas, no cashews, no tomatoes and no garbanzo beans and
no wheat...Probably 90% of the food I used to have in the last 4
months is a no-no on my blood type. Rest makes sense with my natural
choices anyways, no meat, no potatoes, no red peppers no oranges ( I
never liked orange juice)...I am still in shock. However, I have
avocados and coconut, black berries, black beans and walnuts as
beneficial...I will try for some time to avoid these and see if I feel
any different...

I am also supposed to have a lot of green tea...Not much around in
Costa Rica, except for my personal collection of Green Tea Kombucha
from Yogi Tea and Lupicia Tokio from a care package I received from my
friends Christine, Marc, Matthew and Madeline.

i wrote an official note in spanish!

I can't believe it...today i went to the municipality to apply for a
sanitary inspection to update the permit...Marlen spoke to them and
told me all I need is maybe a passport...So I went down there by 8,
hoping to be done by 8:30...I still haven't adjusted to tico times...!

By 8:15 the cab driver showed up at my apartment..he was late 45
minutes without any reason..i was at the municipality by
8:30...department of health representative wasn't there...he only
comes on Thursdays and they told me maybe by 10...I went back to
Montezuma and took the 10 am bus back...This time he was there and he
started talking to me really fast in Spanish, of course, what do I
expect, but I was about to burst into tears...I didn't understand
anything he said and sounded really difficult...then he took out a
couple of forms and asked me to fill them, to pay $50 dollars to the
bank, write a note to the minister of health and make copies of
several things...I saw Isabelle at the bank and she speaks very good
Spanish and had time to help me...Then we saw a couple other
characters from Montezuma who were also delighted to help...its
strange, people like to help here but you have to look really
needy...I hate that, but I have to....

So by 11, I was done...They are going to come for the inspection any
day...We are cleaning non stop....its good....

So, in summary, to get a sanitary permit in Costa Rica, pay 50
dollars, fill out 2 forms, write a note to the minister, copy your
passport, present it to the representative in your town...then start
cleaning and cleaning and cleaning....keep your fingers crossed...oh
by the way, I also discovered the old owner of the place suspended the
license of the place without even telling me.....so evil!

From Country Girl...

Lovely post from Country Girl! She came here with her husband a week
ago and brought me very precious supplies! Many many thanks!

http://ourlifeinthecountry.blogspot.com/2007/04/we-met-baking-fairy.html

P.S. I find the energy from my signature Noni drink....It is really
amazing. I drink it every day...a quarter of fresh noni, orange juice
and mango juice...add spirulina and parsley...

Viktoras tried it and said it is a drink for the "select"....Mercedes
hates to prepare it because it smells really bad and suggests that I
marry the man who likes this drink....It is really not that bad and
the added energy to make brownies, carrot muffins, mango tart,
blackberry, mint-chip ice-cream....hmm what else did I make today???
oatmeal cookies and that's all...maybe miso soup and seaweed salad for
dinner....I am really happy!

Lots is going on with the business though..A few days ago POLICE
FISCAL paid a visit to my lovely cafe. I was dead scared as always but
followed Phil's advice and offered them my banana-mora bread with a
big smile...they gave me a week to figure out the things...I am so
lucky to know Marlen, the ex-ex owner of my spot. She took me to
Punterenas and helped me to get a tax id, ect...It was fun to take a
day off and go for a field trip, even it is to do taxes...I came back
and Larry did an amazing Mexican dinner...He cooks well in general but
yesterday's meal was fantastic. It is probably because burritos are my
comfort food. I used to have one almost every other day in San
Francisco....Oh well, now I see they could be duplicated quite
well...He even made whole wheat tortilla that was a little too much. I
also have to admit he uses the rolling pin much better than
me.....which sucks:))))

Today was also super good, met a customer who works for Whole Foods.
We had a great conversation but I told him that I had to move down
here after spending my whole paychecks at Whole Foods:))) He promised
to send me some contacts for some of the ingredients that I am looking
for...Like raw coconut oil or spirulina...

Warning...Long Post...all is good...

Today marks the end of high season in Costa Rica...It is the end of
Semana Santa and I am so happy...Montezuma was so busy, you would
think I am working on Fisherman's Wharf...cars, cars, cars, loud
music, lots of Imperial and smoke...and of course my business is so
not catering to Imperial lovers and smokers....oh well...Larry is
still coming to work, to my surprise he didnt miss one day and we have
been more smart planning dinners that I sell as lunch specials the
next day. There are not much clients for dinner yet, but whoever
happens to be around, we call them lucky people, they are really happy
with the food...Two little guys got ice-cream yesterday and they said
these are really good (coconut and chocolate)....that makes me soooo
happy!

And then we have our own ice-cream parties, after work...best time of
the day, taking out the buckets and trying out ice-cream...commenting
on little differences between the chocolate day before or the amount
of mint in the pineapple ice-cream...or what the hell I was thinking
to make ice-cream from the cashew fruit...it really doesn't
work....good times, really...

I still have water problems on a weekly basis, but I am resisting to
buy a water tank...need to think about savings, but also need to plan
for the next season too...We had no water last night but it was
raining soooooo much outside. Larry took all the pots out and we
washed them in the rain! Dreaming about a dishwasher and the rainy
season is almost here....

I am hooked to a new shake. Noni Juice, parsley, spiriluna, mango and
orange juice... Viktoras tasted it today and said, this is a juice for
the "select"....He is really funny...Mercedes thinks I should marry
the guy who likes this drink...It is really not bad at all, but it is
not on the menu for now...:)

Including Larry, I have five people working for me now...Mercedes, she
is from Argentina, has been living in Costa Rica for the last 5 years.
I met her through my only Turkish friend in Costa Rica and she decided
to come to Montezuma and help me. She has been working from 7 am to 10
pm with me every day. So so lucky to have her...I am not sure how long
she will stay, as I realize this is really not that much fun if you
are on your feet 16 hours every day...and then we make her walk back
to home, up the hill and plus she is not a vegetarian YET...:)

Then I have Marlin...She is an angel and has been helping so much with
breakfast and lunch specials. We added waffles, tropical french toast
(all vegan) and grilled eggplant sandwich...empanadas, focaccia....

And what else, hmmm, I haven't written so long, it is hard to keep it
all together...but I have been experimenting with nut cheeses
lately...Pinenut Ricotta, Macadamia Feta and Sunflower Cheddar...all
very tasty and easy...I also started to make sour cream/yogurt from
coconut meat and lemon...we serve it with Muchacho Nachos...Tiana's
favorite on the menu...

There is also a new salad...Larry's Compost Salad...with coconut oil
dressing...carrots, beets, daikon radish, tomatoes, avocado, mango,
cashews, ginger and garlic...super tasty!

and last nights special for my only Greek friend, Costas...Doner
Kebap, (they call it gyro in Greece)...We made it from seitan, really
thin cut, marinated in thyme and onions..I stuffed a pita with the
seitan and put some hummus, tomatoes and cucumbers and served with
tomato cucumber salad and cacik (yogurt with dill and cucumbers)...The
verdict?

The Turkish vegetarian doner kebap got an approval from a Greek! All
systems green! Yay!

I am tired...

ran away from the cafe to take a half hour break...its been a couple
days since I sat down and I am very tired...Good news all is going
well...but being open for dinner is pushing it a little too much.
Larry is fantastic and he is still showing up to work on time and
stopped complaining about lack of high-end professional equipment...We
are making progress! Now I am trying to convince him to do raw food a
little bit, he is trying to convince me to add non-organic options at
lower prices...Business side of this deal is really hard...and I am
not even spending any time on that...I trust the universe that things
will work out fine for me. Its been fantastic so far....

Now looking for a lemon tahini dressing recipe...This week is Semana
Santa, (easter) so I will be open all week long...

A new chef and banana-peanut butter ice-cream...

Life is like a big ocean for me these days...Some days I am up and
surfing the wave, some days, I am deep down diving...it is really fun
and interesting. I have 4 people working for me...It is even
surprising to me to see how things change this fast...

and I have a new chef, a true "celebrity" chef, from LA...I met him at
the cafe on my first week and he has been helping me every once in a
while, showing me tricks, ect...Though I wanted him to work at
Organico, he was always too lazy to commit to a "job"...Now, he is
cooking at nights and I am open for dinner...He is also really cute
and funny, so it helps to have someone to laugh with, someone a little
crazy...

Last night we served 28 dinners, full house with a live drums and fire
show....Friday and Saturday all my tables were full at some point...It
is really working and I am happy...

We made banana-peanut butter ice-cream yesterday....really yummy!

Blend 6 super ripe bananas with 1/2 cup of peanut butter or more if
you are peanut butter fan...add a dash of vanilla and freeze in the
machine...super easy and tasty!

Pedal Power

Wouldn't it be cool if the clients picked whatever they want and pedal
their smoothies....no electricity needed....In the first run, I am ok
with finding a way to do it myself, so maybe we can start with one
machine.

Watch out Mc Donalds, we are going to get you!

http://www.humboldt.edu/~ccat/pedalpower/josephSP2004/index.html

All I need a geek with a smile!

All by myself...

In between washing the dishes and making ice-cream and watching the
door to see if there are any clients, I catch myself singing and
smiling at myself and think this is really happiness to me....I have
written so much how hard things are, but it is also unfair that I
don't write enough how happy I am doing what really love...I do mind
doing dishes and taking the trash out, but I love feeding people with
the food I would die to eat everyday, I guess that means good
food:)....And it helps to see people coming back and back and smiling
and smiling....Such a great day!

Last night I tried green tea ice-cream with cardamom and wasnt sure if
it would sell here...I liked it anyways and thought it would be my
lunch for today...Armondo, who has a very Costa Rican palate, he likes
anything fresh but not much into asian flavors..anyway he tasted it
and said this is really good...so it was on the board today...SOLD
OUT! It is amazing to meet with people who have the same taste with
me...I keep learning more and more that I am really not alone.

I also made blackberry, espresso organico and mango-tango ice-cream
today...My new love is working so hard! But, of course the electricity
bill is pretty ugly...the ice-cream machine is to blame:)

Check this out...

http://www.rawreform.com/

New Goal....

Zero Waste...I am very excited to try to eliminate waste at the
cafe...It sucks that there is no recycling in Montezuma. I stopped
selling bottled water already but thats not enough. I have to learn
about composting. I collect the compost but nowhere to throw it or
don't know what I can do with it...I would like to make an herb garden
but not much space around..I can buy planters...any ideas?

Also, coffee grinds should be used somehow....ok, will do some
webresearch on this...

So far, the only brilliant idea I have is saving papaya seeds, drying
them and grinding them similar to pepper....Baby steps:)

Ferry Strike

There is  a ferry strike in Punterenas so I had to stay one more night in San Jose. Hopefully I will be  able to take the 730 am bus and go back to Montezuma. Its been a week I have been closed and I miss my cafe...

Blessing our food...

My friend John came up with this beautiful blessing...It is so precious.

"While each serving has been blessed,  may we suggest that you place whatever intention you wish to create
into the this lovingly receptive and light generating Organico food."

More Love for Cilantro

I love cilantro and I get really sad when my friends don't like it, or even worse some "hate" it. The other night, I was invited to dinner and wanted to try my latest salad recipe on these friends..Apparently, the host "hated" cilantro and he wouldn't even let me open the cilantro bag...To his credit, it is true that when Cenk and i first got cilantro, instead of parsley, I puked. It was aweful...but then I developed this love for it and now, I can't imagine salsa or avocado, or lentils without it...hmmm so good...but ok, I realize people have different tastes...and I also have hope that my new salad with mangos, papayas and avocados will taste fantastic with cilantro than anything else and maybe I can convert some these anti cilanto people...Wishful thinking continues...

Here is what Sarma has to say on Cilantro:

Free radicals are everywhere - in the water we drink, food we eat, and in the air we breathe. The main defense to free radicals (coming from pollution, x-rays, radiation, chemicals, heavy metals) are antioxidants.  Cilantro leaves are rich in calcium, iron, carotenes, and vitamin C, which it happens are great antioxidants.  A Japanese investigator, Yoshiaki Omura, has made the revolutionary discovery that cilantro can mobilize mercury and other toxic metals from the central nervous system if large enough amounts are consumed daily. Reuters reports that cilantro contains a chemical which has been found to kill the Salmonella bacteria that cause foodborne illness.

The heavy metal detox capabilities of cilantro should also make it of great use in the treatment of depression, Alzheimer's disease, lack of concentration and other related disorders.  In other words, this herb can apparently help to keep you happy, focused, and sane!  Just eat it, don't smoke it.

Eat your Cashews!

I have never seen a cashew fruit in my life until Jose brought a bag as a gift. It is incredible. They look like bell peppers with a hook attached...That hook is the cashew nut we eat. One nut per one fruit...It is amazing and also explains why they are so expensive...No more popping cashews handsful, they should be eaten one at a time....well, they are so tasty, this will be hard:)

The fruit tastes interesting...It is similar to a star-fruit, very sour and leaves a tacky taste on your tongue after you eat it...The texture is very chewy, it is best if you chew it for a while and you notice the taste and texture changes if you keep chewing...Also interesting, I have no idea what they are doing with the fruit...You can't find it in the supermarkets, there are no byproducts like jam or pickles...somewhere out there is a land full of cashew fruits, waiting to be discovered...maybe it is used as organic waste and mixed with the soil....Hopeful thinking....

Why are cashews good for you? Cashews are full of enzymes that are good for digestion. They are low in fat compared to other nuts, most of the fat is unsaturated and contain oleic acid which is good for your heart.  They are all roasted though, so not truely raw...

I also planted a couple and we will see if I will succeed growing any....

In addition to using it on Linda's Noodle Nut Salad, we make all kinds of vegan ice cream using cashews like chocolate mint chip or chocolate.nut or coco.nut ...delicious!

Fruit for breakfast!

I wish more farmers understood the importance of organic produce. How important it is to eat chemical free food not only for our physical health but also mental health, too. We spend very little time thinking about what happens after we swallow...Eating is the most real thing we do for our survival, so we can do the things we love, let it be vacationing on the beach, writing screenplays or singing or dancing or whatever you are passionate or destined to do... Eating good food, fresh and organic food prepared with love, is the sign of your self respect, your commitment to your well being and to your comminity as a creative, productive human being.

I get into these arguments with friends all the time, how boring it is to eat "fresh fruit" for breakfast everyday...No it is not. It is refresing, fullfilling and energizing...Then the next question, indulgence....why can't we, the superior human race, indulge a bagel with creamcheese or eggs with bacon? It is an abuse to our bodies. Once you swallow, see what happens...Your body starts working on digesting...and digesting and digesting....for hours long...for indulgence...if you like to indulge, why not indulge your stomach, so it can rest a couple hours for a change?

>From Sarma:

Eat crap = feel like crap.  Eat fruit = feel fresh and yummy.  Eat chemicals = get weird diseases.  Eat natural = be naturally healthy, like we're supposed to be.  Eat raw = live long.  And feel happy. 


P.S. I uploaded lots of pictures from Organico...Enjoy when you have time...

What you eat makes a difference

Just read an interesting post from Meg. on local vs. organic farming article on Time magazine. I face with the same issue everyday...I buy most of the produce from the organic farmers market on Saturdays. But the selection is limited there...So, I go to Cobano to buy more from the farmers market on Mondays. Stuff there is not certified, but claim that lettuce is organic and bananas are organic as well...Rest is not. Still, fruit is ripe, fresh and right from the farm...

If you go another 6 hours from Cobano and come to San Jose, you can buy almost anything organic. Most of it is imported from the U.S or Chile.. Nuts, apples, grapes, peanut butter, almond butter...However, I did not come here to support import-export business. So, do I only offer local organic sesame butter?

I am no Alice Waters and I am confused. Best would be to have my own farm, grow my own vegetables and fruits and offer only produce from my farm. Baby steps, I am starting with an herb garden. Jose gifted me rosemary already, all I need is mint, parsley and cilantro.

Quote of the day

Las escoba nueva barre bien el primer mes! A Costa Rican proverb...

New broom sweeps very well the first month!

All my employees have left within the first month...So true!

From San Jose

One of the benefits of being in San Jose is enjoying fast speed internet....It is amazing how much we take things granted like the cell phone or the internet....Once you move away from it, day by day the importance fades away, it becomes a nice to have but not really a necessity...I kept telling myself that I can't live without a phone...Well, I had to....and I did fine..It is really hard not to have any phone, I could have gone without a cell phone if I had a lan line, but it takes at least 2 years to get one...It is important for the business to have a phone and I am fortunate to have a great neighbor,  Armando, who bought me a new cell phone because my mother was so upset that she had no way of reaching me...Now I have a new phone...Armando, I love you! If you ever come to Montezuma, you have to meet him! Delphin II ROCKS!

Viktoras and Happiness

Viktoras Kulvinskas is moving to Montezuma in a couple months...Its pretty cool to be living in the same town with a guy who started sunflower sprouts...He is a good friend of Jose and gifted me his famous book,  Survival in the 21st Century. Highly recommended...He also liked the avocado ice-cream and said "actually it is quite excellent"...that makes me happy!

 

A review from his book on happiness:

 

A surprising section talks about being happy. Those who condition their happiness (or unhappiness) on accomplishing (or not) their desires are generally unhappy (this is demonstrated pseudo statistically). A superior state ( i.e. happy more time) is to be come happy when things come your way, and stay cool if they don't or things are neutral. Those who don't depend on any wish (i.e. get a car, get a TV, etc.) are happy at any time. No wonder religions preach : give all/everything and you will have everything.

 

Guest House

This being human is a guest house.
Every morning a new arrival.

A joy, a depression, a meanness,
Some momentary awareness comes
As an unexpected visitor.

Welcome and entertain them all!
Even if they are crowds of sorrows,
Who violently sweep your house
empty of its furniture,
still treat every guest honorably.
He may be clearing you out
for some new delight.

The dark thought, the shame, the malice,
Meet them at the door laughing
and invite them in.

Be grateful for whoever comes,
because each has been sent
as a guide from beyond...


From Rumi....

Ice-cream sold in pints!!!!!!!!!

Some guy walks in today and asks for 3 gallons of ice-cream...I start
laughing...Do we look like a store with fridges full of ice-cream in
10 flavors??? Not yet...

Anyway, we agreed on pints...Chocolate and Pineapple....This was yesterday...

This morning he came back, asking for more Chocolate and Banana.....He
is from Nebraska and into raw cacao!

Other than that, this months employee is Linda! She is from Holand and
she is just an angel! So far, my best employee ever was mom but Linda
is out of this world....She is travelling and stopped here with her
boyfriend a month ago and she came back to work for a few weeks...It
couldn't be any better, as I had a group of 15 people for breakfast
for this whole week! She is sooo smart, she got everything in less
than a day...It makes such a difference to work with smart people,
everything flows much faster!

I wish she stayed, but she is on a journey and maybe one day she will
come back....She is on the menu with her special salad...Linda's
Noodle Nut Salad with Soba Noodles, Cashews, Walnuts, Avocado,
Plantains, Tomatoes and Greens with a lemon dressing...soooo good!

I am very happy today....Making good money, meeting cool people,
trusting the universe and taking a few days off to go to the CITY and
meet up with some friends!!!!!

Today's Specials

Cinderella's Pumpkin Pie
Chocolate as in Chocolate

non dairy, non soy, no sugar....and still creamy and heavenly!!!

Stinky Noni is also selling well...I am happy....

Watermelon Radish and a new toy

A must must have equipment for Organico...I wonder how it will slice
the beets....

http://www.beaskitchen.com/blog/2007/02/27/pink-in-a-watermelon-radish-du-rose-dans-un-radis-pasteque/#more-2549

Superfruit of the week: Noni

It stinks but soooo delicious in a super shake and extremely good for you....

www.nonihealthinfo.com
www.tahitiannoni.com

This week, we are blending it up with orange juice. You can add a
little bit of honey and spirluna! Drink it up!

Hiring....

Help spread the word...I am hiring...great opportunity to experiment
in a vegetarian/vegan kitchen, vacation and learn spanish in Costa
Rica.

http://jobs.treehugger.com/job/a43ac651a72f356466e4c6fac66e4160/?d=1

one day....

http://www.envirolet.com/hotpinkwt.html

I will have this...

another employee gone...

This is sooo hard...Angela left today...I didn't fire her, but I was
really upset...There we were so busy, she already took tomorrow and
saturday off (busiest days in the week), I find her sitting outside,
writing recipes with her friend from the next door restaurant. I could
not believe it. Since mom left, there is no one at the cafe other than
me, so it makes it difficult to go between the kitchen and the
cafe...I asked her with my soooo limited spanish a little upset and
then she was upset and started to make faces and spoke so fast that I
didn't even understand a word, except she said no mas trabahar...I
said, that's bueno!...she probably cursed at me too...Oh well....What
is worse, she had a notebook with all the recipes and she tore every
single page because she didn't want to leave it behind. I could not
believe it...

Now a group of 15 people are coming for breakfast next week....It will
be so much fun...I love this action! Some help would be good though,
but please, only if you love preparing food....[por favor]

Meantime, interesting things are happening...His name is Johnny
Menesis...He comes to town from San Jose every thursday, brings
flowers, lettuce, spinach, baby green, sprouts, herbs....plus anything
you ask him to buy from the supermarket, like coconut oil or
cacao...He buys and you pay him the cost plus 10%...very expensive but
it makes such big deal to see him with organic cocoa....

This week, he even bought a big tent for me...10 meters by 3
meters...The biggest investment I made since I bought the cafe...I had
to...In the mornings, there is so much sun, my tables outside are
almost useless...Especially with the new group coming, I had to do
something...Armando is helping tomorrow to put it up.

And of course the ice-cream love is going on...Phil also sent me 3
books and they arrived yesterday. It is so nice to get mail here...It
makes me so emotional, I feel like I am not alone...Anyway, today's
hit inspired from the new ice-cream books was Mint Chocolate Chip...of
course non dairy, non sugar....It is so fantastic, even Jose asked for
a second scoop....I am going a little crazy with the ice-cream
selection though...Today we had Banana, Blackberry, Avocado, Mint
Chocolate Chip, Pineapple and Coconut...

Tomorrow I like to try Green Tea!!!!!!!!

Quote of the day...

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow - "Into each life some rain must fall."

Another goodbye...everyday someone leaves....

Jessica is off to Toronto tomorrow...She has been here more than 2
weeks and I got so used to seeing her every day, I will miss her
terribly...Last week we made made Coconut Dream, a pure delight with
coconut meat and macadamia nights that I sold it all. She works as a
raw culinary artist and..she says she will be back...but it is hard to
plan ahead...so far everyone has been saying they will be back and
only one person made it:) he lives in Costa Rica!

No water all day, so we just organized...it was really good and very
much needed...It feels better at the cafe, with a totally new light
energy...It might have something to do with John's "shamen" blessing.
I am liking it more everyday...

There are two magazines here who came over asking if I would like to
advertise! Hell ya! I guess this is where my business degree kicks
in...I used to love marketing and advertising...Now I handed it over
to my beloved friend Cenk to take care of it..I can't even find time
to take pictures but we will manage something...

I am off tomorrow, taking care of ordering, buying new stuff and
printing new menus. Brown rice salad and grilled avocado and tomato
sandwich just promoted to the main menu! Looking for a sunflower seed
burger recipe...

Hola!

No aqua hoy....Cerrado...Mucho trabaha, limpir, lavar...no mucho feliz...oy ve!

Better it is to live one day
seeing the rise and fall of things
than to live as hundred years
without ever seeing the rise and fall of things.

Dhammapada 113

what a day...

No water all day...it sucks...it is a nightmare and it is even worse
when it happens on a Saturday....and i had a group of 12 for breakfast
and I can not possibly close the cafe....all the shakes and the drinks
are blended with ice but when there is no water, it is just
impossible....so Tiana, Angelika and I kept praying for water and
today went by without any....

However, I sold as much as I did last saturday, closed at 3 and
managed to bake a special order cake and got some extra money from
there too...I sold only mango juice that I buy from an organic farm,
fresh squezed orange juice and water...For food all the baked stuff is
gone, all the ice-cream is gone...

Today was the last day of Tony's retreat in Las Manches...A group of
lovely people heard about the cafe from Tony (www.tonysamara.org) and
came to check it out. Considering that they fasted for the last 40
days, they loved Organico. Luckily, I had some raw desserts and vegan
breads and muffins...At some point there was a line of people all the
way to the door...I also thought maybe we should just be a juice bar
and sell baked treats and raw desserts...Maybe...I do love salads
though...First, I have to find a way to take out eggs from the
menu...Larry also says: "Eggs should go..." I am also trying to be
vegan so we will see...

P.S. Mom arrived home safe and she emailed me already...

Spirulina beats Popeye! 58 times the iron of raw spinach!

SPIRULINA

Spirulina is a microscopic freshwater plant composed of transparent
bubble-thin cells stacked end-to-end forming a helical spiral
filament. Spirulina thrives in warm, alkaline, fresh-water bodies and
because of this unique growing environment, it is one of the cleanest,
most naturally sterile foods found in nature.

It contains more absorbable organic iron than any other whole-food,
with 58 times the iron of raw spinach and 28 times that of raw beef
liver. It is the richest source of natural antioxidants of any
whole-food source, containing every natural known antioxidant. It is
composed of 60% protein, containing all the essential amino acids, and
is also extremely rich in vitamin B-12.

It is a rich source of chlorophyll and beta-carotene, containing more
beta-carotene than any other whole food. This is important because
beta-carotene opens the membrane communication channels of cancerous
and pre-cancerous cells, allowing the body to signal the cancerous
cells to stop dividing. Therefore, foods rich in beta-carotene may not
only be able to prevent but also reverse cancers. Anyone with cancer
or with a high risk of getting cancer should seriously consider
including large quantities of beta-carotene-rich foods in their diet.

Spirulina also contains more Gamma Linolenic Acid (GLA) than any other
whole-food source. GLA helps lower blood cholesterol and high blood
pressure and eases such conditions as premenstrual pain, eczema and
other skin conditions. GLA is useful in the treatment of arthritis.

Because Spirulina is capable of fulfilling the body's nutritional and
biochemical needs, it satisfies hunger rapidly, and is a highly
effective appetite supressant.

Spirulina has been eaten by many cultures throughout history, notably
the Aztecs and Mayans, who used it as a central part of their diet.

Busy Day

Sold out on Turtle Love Salad (sugarsnap peas, green beans, avocado,
cilantro and cucumbers) and Sopa de Amor (summer in a bowl gazpachio)
today...
Sent customers away because we were backed up for 30 minutes, they
ordered anyways and came back to pick up food...
Sold out coconut-almond balls...
Coconut ice-cream with the new ice-cream machine is FANTASTIC. It is
sooooooooo good. I am hesitant to sell it and have it all
myself...BAD:)
I did cry after saying goodbye to mom...
I went to running on the beach...

John told me that I should write every wish I have until it comes
true. I really would like help...vegetarian, male, non-smoker and
speaks spanish. Can you hear me?

impermanance

John left today, mom is leaving tomorrow...i could not pick a better
place to experience impermanence**...it is all changing everyday,
everything is different...nothing i can do to change other than watch
it go by me...i grow stronger everyday and learn to appreciate what I
have...Life is precious and I hate to see a second go by without love.
After all, without love, what is the purpose of living...May all
beings be loved as much as I feel loved by all the wonderful people
around me.

**including the ice-cream recipes, nothing I make twice taste exactly
the same, it was killing me in the beginning now I enjoy the
differences and play with the change and create new things from messed
up banana ice-creams or blackberry shakes...change is good...

David Wolfe and Healing Energy of Living Foods...

http://www.newstarget.com/021540.html

I miss San Francisco...

Here is a short write-up from Cenk...
http://cafefernando.com/?p=62

Ice cream all day long!!!!!!!!

I got an amazing gift today! An ice cream machine sooooooo beautiful,
so sexy and looks sooooo perfect at the cafe. I made my daily special
with it immediately and the difference is unbelievable. Now we have
non dairy, no sugar, super creamy ice-cream made with pure love....all
day long!!!! Thank you, thank you, thank you...You are an angle and I
love you.

Another huge news, I got a week long deal for breakfast with a yoga
group. 12 people...they are coming from NY and it means it will be
tough...It is hard to manage 12 people (well even groups of 3 is hard
for me now) but 12 will be a lot of fun...I will report the variations
on custom orders, I can almost hear eggs with extra tomatoes, no
cheese, added protein powder, no brown rice, extra hummus (!) I know
you will not like this one:)

The bummer news about this deal, I was supposed to go to San Jose to
take mom to the airport, go and do my monthy shopping and take a break
for a day or so....oh well...next month...

I am enjoying life these days...Idil and Amir are here. They are
testing everything and so far they seem happy with the food...This is
the most fun part of having your own place, friends come and hang out,
eat and laugh and eat food....Heaven!

Today's special...

Thank you  for the wonderful b-day wishes...I had a great day at the waterfall then on the beach and ate raw nachos, that weren't very impressive but I am grateful to everyone in my life who have a touch of who I am right now. I love you very very much.  

John is in town and he tasted the chocolate ice-cream last night....and said it was too icy....which is true and then he tried to blend it with a little agave and made it softer and mucccccccch more delicious...I tested it on Idil and Amir in the morning and they loved it...It makes such a difference when a friend comes in and touches something that I am not 100% happy with and voila! Delicious ice cream, all day long...

Idil and Amir decided to name a grilled sandwich and we now have Grilled Cheese Sandwich with avocado on the menu...It is sinfully amazing...

 

 

Happy Birthday!

Tomorrow is my birthday!!!!!!! I am so happy, mom is here, two very
good friends are here for vacation and tomorrow is my day off! Going
to the waterfall, then to the beach then to dinner....I will take a
nap on the hammock....Can't wait....

I am so proud!

Today, I said NO without feeling guilty or ashamed or upset or
down...Just a plain no...It was incredible....even more incredible, I
got exactly what I wanted in less than two hours....This is awesome!

A fine dinner

with mama, senor jose and armando...candle lights, lots of gossip and
our festival salad with sprouted lentils, raw hummus and avocado-lime
dressing...Jose approved the raw hummus and could not believe it didnt
have any garbanzos, (had soaked cashews!)

if you eat only fruits during the day and take your large meal with a
salad and sprouted grains at night, you feel more energetic....per
jose....and it is really true! Mama is trying this tomorrow...will
report the progress...it is really hard for me to try it 100% as I am
testing most of the stuff we make and bake, but even with some cooked
food, I already have so much more energy...Just passing on a
tip...internet cafe is closed, so got to go to home!

Avocado Farm

I want to have an avocado farm...I told this to Jose last night and
this morning he called at 6 am, woke me up and picked us from our home
at 6:20 and we went to his land, somewhere between Cobano and
Montezuma...He showed me his avocado trees, mango trees, water apple
trees and baby palm trees...He has like 20 small avocado plants, they
will turn into ripe avocados some day...

Per Jose, avocado season starts in June-July...Now they are very
expensive, c 400...a little less than a dollar...Speaking of Jose, he
needs to have his own blog...He is like a walking blogger...Don't get
me wrong, he is not a sweet talker, he tells what he thinks and very
very strict...He is trying to convince mom that she should start
eating 100% raw, only fruits and nothing else for a week...She has
only cut meat from her diet so far...He can be very intense too...but
I truly like him.

Tomorrow is my day off!!! We are going to the beach. Mom hasn't seen
Montezuma yet. She has been working so hard, I am feeling really
guilty. She is definitely going to be the employee of this month. She
is so tired right now that she put her head on the table at this
internet cafe and taking a 5 min nap...I need to change the menu and
raise some of the prices. Mom also did some basic cost accounting and
found that I am not charging enough...Drink menu, food menu, dessert
menu and all of it in espanol....How fun!!!

p.s.

I did sell a bottle of Hot Sauce, Made with Love today!

Your's truly, Turkey Habenero

Wanted: Cocoa

No more cocoa left...I have cacao beans and my grinder broke down...No
cocoa in Cobano either, they only have coco with sugar...I tried to
call the supplier directly but no luck...I am sure there are tons of
people coming to Montezuma from somewhere with a supermarket...

I need organic cocoa....any brand, any size would be fantastic....Free
breakfast and our house special chocolate lover shake on me....

P.S. Jose was so happy to hear that I dont have any cocoa left. He is
a hard core raw foodist and is against anything that is bitter,
roasted, including cacao...I am not there yet...

Especial de Hoy!

Sopa de Amor

Mama's especial...Un sopa frio perke aki muy caliente:).Thats all for
my spanish for now...Don't laugh but I think I am learning
spanish...At least I can get away with basic conversation...Its been
only two months, so not that bad for a new comer...

I am so proud of my mother...She was so afraid of bugs last
night...Apparently she didnt even think about bugs before coming to
Costa Rica...helloooo tropics???? Anyway, we had a guest waiting for
us in the bathroom and I was so tired I went to sleep right away...She
bugged me to take the huge spider out from the sink, so she could go
to the bathroom, but I simply could not open my eyes...She tried to
scare the spider by sprinkling water from 100 m away, and of course
that didn't work...We had to bury the little guy...Then she went to
take a shower and there was another one..an amigo!

Looking for a tortilla and taco shell recipe

Any ideas?

Today is a good day...I started to have regulars and it is amazing to
see the same people come day after day, sometimes for breakfast, lunch
and snack...It also helps when they say "it is not only your pretty
face but the food is really good:))))

Mom is working so hard, I am so happy to have her...She has taken over
the finances and the books...Now the cash matches the bills....Such a
relief:))) I think about Minako in San Francisco often...It is an
amazing Japanese restaurant run by a mother and daughter....Here I do
more cooking/baking...

Avocado ice cream is getting popular...I made another batch today...

Homemade almond milk, frozen banana and raw cacao powder, creamier
than ice cream shake is going pretty well tooo!!! Happy!!!! I am
eating mostly raw these days...Trying to get rid of eggs pretty
soon...Now almost everything I bake is vegan, except for moms apple
tart...I will try to veganize it this week...

Going to eat for the first time...We didnt have a proper meal since we
came to Montezuma with mom....I am hungry....

from flickr...

The mother of excess is not joy but joylessness. - Friedrich Nietzsche

Vanilla

Sergio returned back to Montezuma today. He has been so supportive of
me when I first opened and he was the one who found my pipa guy on the
beach...Too bad the pipa guy got a full time job as a security guard
at the local supermarket and I had to take pipas off the menu...but I
know he needs money so can't complain about this too much...

Sergio came just in time with an excellent recommendation for
vanilla...I use vanilla in almost every recipe, but I ran out of the
bottle I brought from the US and the ones they sell here are really
crappy...it is not the real vanilla and has tons of chemicals in it...

Here is my future supplier...I will email them right now...

http://www.rainforestspices.com/learnaboutvanilla.htm

Vanilla

Sergio returned back to Montezuma today. He has been so supportive of
me when I first opened and he was the one who found my pipa guy on the
beach...Too bad the pipa guy got a full time job as a security guard
at the local supermarket and I had to take pipas off the menu...but I
know he needs money so can't complain about this too much...

Sergio came just in time with an excellent recommendation for
vanilla...I use vanilla in almost every recipe, but I ran out of the
bottle I brought from the US and the ones they sell here are really
crappy...it is not the real vanilla and has tons of chemicals in it...

Here is my future supplier...I will email them right now...

http://www.rainforestspices.com/learnaboutvanilla.htm

In cobano

We were at the bank today with my mom, now revising the menu again, probably the 111th time...but now I have a Spanish menu and mom helped with a kitchen menu...we both have a better understanding why Chinese restaurants have numbers....

 

Last night mom and I had a good laugh in bed...It was awesome. I missed laughing aloud and Montezuma is so full of characters it is impossible not to laugh...

 

Missing my sister very much...Her jewelry will sell really well here...Come on darling, move down here!!!!!

email

You can email me at ozlem@organicomontezuma.com

- I am sad today, it was Tom's last day. I am not sure how I will
find help, but here is my request from San Antonio...someone who is
vegetarian, vegan would be fantastic, has some experience with cafes,
restaurants and loves pink. Tom is such a funny guy, he said one day,
'you probably don't want any guys in this restaurant' since I have
everything in pink and hearts...:)))
- I got an email from Andres. He is in Nicaragua and started to learn
spanish. I am so jealous. I barely have time to learn any spanish...
- Water pipe broke down again...
- 2nd blender broke down again...
- We are out of chai, hummus, veggie burgers, tamales, chocolate ice-cream...
- I am making my own almond milk...I really don't want to have milk on
the menu...The best shake ever is Pina-Banana-Almond Milk...It is
fantastic!!!!

Manana no trabahar! Vacassion!!!!

ups and downs

Here is a list...

I received a care package from Samantha with lots of cards and it was
really nice and very emotional!

Mom brought Lane's photos, so we are opening Lane Collins in Ladakh
exhibit by the end of next week...

A client came back from Santa Terasa to eat at Organico!!!! My veggie
burgers are a hit!

Larry came in today and showed me how to make my own almond milk...He
is so fantastic...He is on the menu with his crepe recipe...

Tamales sold out...ordered new ones for Monday...

Got a cake order for next week...

Made our own mustard from the plant mustard leaves...I had no idea
that stuff could be home made...

Here are some downs...

Many friends eat at next door neighbor...they eat dead animals....

I am tired...

I am mean to my mother when she is not fast enough with the
blender...I hate the damn blender, it is soo tired too...

We freeze the fruit to make fruit shakes but they are so damn frozen,
you need water to make it liquid again...then it looses its taste...I
tried to make fresh juice from the fruit today and people complained
it is not cold enough...no idea what to do....

Water pipe broke down...

No more avocados left...

We still can not manage the cash register. Cash doesnt add up to the
bills...Don't tell me how basic this is...I know...One day if you have
your own place, you will understand..or better, just dont go into the
restaurant business...

I miss Andres...

Turkish Delight...

Mom brought some Turkish Delight and I opened a pack to offer to my
beloved customers. I had more than a handful clients who wanted to buy
the whole pack....Does anyone know how to make Turkish Delight????

ananasli kek

Malzemeler:

• 2 su bardağı un
• 2 tatlı kaşığı karbonat
• 1 tatlı kaşığı kabartma tozu
• 1 tatlı kaşığı tuz
• 2 tatlı kaşığı tarçın
• 1 + dörtte üç su bardağı toz şeker
• 1 su bardağı sıvı yağ
• 3 yumurta
• 1 tatlı kaşığı vanilya
• 2 su bardağı rendelenmiş havuç
• 1 su bardağı hindistan cevizi
• 1 su bardağı dövülmüş ceviz
• 1 kutu (~240gr) konserve ananas parçaları

Hazırlanması:

1. Fırını 175C'ye getirin. 22x33cm boylarındaki fırın kabını yağlayın veya yağlı kağıt serin. (büyük boy dikdörtgen borcam da olur)
2. Unu, karbonatı, kabartma tozunu, tuzu ve tarçını karıştırın. Ortasını havuz gibi açıp şekeri, yağı, yumurtayı ve vanilyayı ekleyin. Tahta bir kaşıkla hepsini karıştırın. (mikser kullanırsanız kek çökebilir.) Havucu, hindistan cevizini, dövülmüş cevizi ve ananasları ekleyip kaşıkla karıştırın.
3. Karışımı kaba dökün. Fırında yaklaşık 45 dakika pişirin. Ilıtıp sade olarak veya dilerseniz krema ile servis yapın.

Organico Pictures!

More pictures are on Flickr!

in san jose

Mama arrived yesterday at 10:00 pm...It was so great to see her and hug her...I had tears and it is strange that all these years, she came to san francisco multiple times but I never felt this happy...after being here for two months, absolutely alone with no friends, family took a new meaning in my life. I got a new understanding and appreciation and can not wait to cherish it as much as I can. Good news, she got a visa good for 3 months, usually it is one month, so I will try to convince her to stay longer....but dont know if my living situation will be acceptable by her...

It is really small here in Costa Rica. I saw the taxi driver who gave me a ride when was in San Jose a month ago at the airport...People are in general very very friendly. But there are a ton of jerks, just like everywhere else so you better be careful not to smile too much...I've learned that really fast!

Right now we are in the hotel and chilling...it is so nice to browse the net and not to think about the cafe, though I am collecting new ideas for recipes and checking ingredients...We went out for a typical breakfast this morning and Mom thought, this part of San Jose reminded her the Mission in San Francisco...It reminds me of Istanbul more but she disagrees...

I am uploading some pictures to Flickr! Check back soon!

Raw World

From Wendy! Thanks!!!!

 

http://www.rawworld.org/

Introducing....

TAMALES! con banana papel! Tamales (with banana paper) are a Costa
Rican treat and I wanted to make myself since a vegetarian version is
unheard of here in Costa Rica. Some local friends even laughed at me
but oh well, I kept asking....Gilberto, he is the most friendly taxi
driver here, found me a lady, Teresa, and today she had them ready...I
asked Gilberto a week ago or so and we never talked since....Today, I
called Gilberto to take me back to Montezuma from Cobano, and he said
he has a surprise for me...We drove to the woman's house and I bought
18 tamales or 9 pinas (2 pairs). They are stuffed with garbanzo beans,
rice, green beans and carrots...she also has a boiled egg version...I
am so happy!!!

Tomorrow's special, Tamales de Teresa! and what a perfect timing...we
are almost out of the veggie burgers (the food processor broke down
twice, poor baby is so tired, we can not find a new belt anywhere
close by).....

Got to revise the menu again....

A postcard to share...

From Fritz, Andres' father....

 

 

Day off!

Today is my day off...it feels great to have time to get out from the cafe, but I need to go back and prepare things...This restaurant business is really crazy...You are either working with customers, or preparing stuff for the next days, or decorating, or revising the menu...Sooooooooo much work...

 

Business has been really good in the last couple of days though...People keep coming back...Our coffee is apparently very good and my homemade granola is getting lots of complements...

 

Tonight I am going to watch a movie, Motorcycle Diaries at Sano Banano and eat dinner....A friend of mine asked about my tan, sorry to disappoint you but I was more tan in San Francisco than here.....Oh well, sun is not very good for you anyways...

 

Tranquila!

 

Montezuma

I got some emails and had no time to answer, so here is a post to
satify my curious readers. I am in Montezuma in Costa Rica. Stop by
anytime...

Life here is really different...It is not comparable to any of my
previous experiences, but it is also very hard to describe. You just
have to live here. I am sure it is also different around Costa
Rica...but Montezuma is very laid back, lots of foreigners, very rich
people and very poor people....New Yorkers are the easiest to
identify...They go like, I like the banana mora (berry) shake, no mora
but mango with soy milk with brown sugar and here is my protein
powder, 1 and 1/2 spoons please...PLEASEEEEEEEEE!!!! I thought I was
picky, with my soy lattes...

"We do not take custom orders anymore!"

I hate to make generalizations, but a post about Italians is coming soon! Sorry!

Today, we had our first yoga group come for breakfast and they were
all so happy to be here, loved the town, the cafe and kept telling me
how lucky I am to live HERE! Oh yes, thats exactly what I thought a
couple months ago. Needless to say, I just dont listen to my parents
and have to learn everything the hard way....

Today's hits are chocolate banana shakes with Almond Milk and Platanos
con Queso de Tica con Marmalade Pina o Miel Organico....homemade
marmalade from Angela! It is baked and sooooooooooooo good!!!

Also, I realize it was stupid not to make a list before buying this
place...I will make sure to do it when I sell it....Any interest????

Introducing very banana split...

Super sweet organic bananas with homemade banana ice-cream (non-dairy,
non-soy, no sugar, but totally not a sorbet) with our own Hersley's
SUCK chocolate sauce, Tom's special!

Today was a good day, i got to laugh a lot and we made a killer new
drink...Starfruit Gallactica! Marakuya (passionfruit) is still my
favorite but starfruit is pretty good too...will see how it goes
tomorrow...

Tom also made a watermelon-tomato gazpacho from the Raw Food bible. It
is soooo good. We used Jose's trick and added 3 cubes of beets and it
is my favorite color...PURPLE!

At the internet cafe, typing the menu....It is so hard to keep up with
the menu, changes, prices, new items, stuff that doesnt sell...a.k.a I
LOVE GREEN and PURPLE Salad:))) Purple and green cabbage.....It is
really good but these people don't get it...I am not going to fuss
over it:)))

We are selling iced chai and frosty ice coffee the most...

p.s.
Andres, no worries, you are on the drink menu already with your Sandia
Milk Shake and I miss you very much:((((

Papaya Ice Cream!

Sooooooooo good! and icy!!! Ice cream is selling well and I am adding organic banana split to the menu with homemade banana ice-cream. We ran out of cacao though....So need to figure out a way to make chocolate sauce.

 

Best part of this job is to meet really nice people! Patty, she is a vegan chef from Reno, promised me to send some recipes, so if you are reading this, don't forget!

 

A yoga group is coming for breakfast everyday next week. I need to type a menu for them. All is good! I sold a tiramisu and a berrymisu to a restaurant and they loved it. But since they didnt even negotiate on the price, Tom's wife Carol told me that I asked for too little. $9 for a big cake...Uggghghhghg! Learning, learning, learning....

 

 

 

Missing El Chino!

El Chino, aka Andres left today. He is en route to Nicaragua. He thinks he is half Swiss and half Tibetian, but he looks half Chinese and half Japanese. We had a great day yesterday and made really good money and celebrated with a fine dining experience. Now I appreciate eating out so much. It is such a pleasure to be served, to eat while sitting, to have a conversation other than how many avocados do we have left, ect...

 

Today it was empty and lonely in the cafe. Plus I got yelled by a customer who thought "i am a locco" (crazy) to say no smoking outside. Apparently, I can not ask people not to smoke and blow their smoke inside through the windows.. I am really crazy to stay here and we will see how long this will last.

 

The old owner of the place came again, to pick up some more stuff from the cafe. Since I didnt sign a list of equipment that I bought, she is coming in as she pleases and taking things...Today, I told her not to enter to MY premises!!!

 

Tom is working at one of the best restaurants in Montezuma and today he can not come..I had help in the morning but between 2 and 4, I was alone and it got so crazy...which is a good thing but it gets hectic with no clean glasses, running between the kitchen and the cafe....SCRATCH THAT...TOM JUST GOT HERE AND SAID HE QUIT HIS JOB AND WE ARE OPEN AGAIN!!! Got to go and work!!!!

 

 

 

Going up and down...

I was off yesterday and spent most of the day on the beach...I love
water, I love to swim and just hang out on the beach on the sand...It
just harder now to get back to the 6 am 8pm work days...there is so
much to do...today my beloved mixer broke down...twice...while making
hummus and while making a Berrymisu..Expenses, expenses, expenses....

I am trying to sell desserts to a small restaurant. I made one
tiramisu and one costa rican twist, berrymisu..Now, someone needs to
figure out how much they costed and how much I will sell...

We run out of things constantly...I guess that is a good thing, but
also having too many ingredients is also not a good idea. Last week, I
ran out of bread (wholewheat and seeds) and bought so much and this
week the town is empty and we have tons of bread...Bread pudding is on
the way:))) I miss Tartine's in San Francisco...

Great news, mom is coming next week. That means I get to go to the
CITY!!!!!!!!! I am not going to fly, instead I want the long bus ride
so I can listen to music, sleep and just do nothing...I will also see
Daniel...An amazing healer I met in San Jose. Something to look
forward to...

Larry's Crepes are selling really well...They are vegan and very easy
to make. Wholewheat flour, salt, olive oil, water and a little syrup.

This weeks special drink is Passion Fruit Lemonade. Hmmm, what
else....The other night at dinner with Gina, Jon, Niko and Andres, our
waiter came up to me and said, aren't you the owner of Organico???? It
was a fine moment....

Goodnight!

Andreas is leaving Thursday. It sucks, the hard part now is I meet great people and they leave...These backpackers:((( Tom is leaving by the 20th....In the meantime the local tico girl doesnt want to do cooking, she only wants to serve, but she doesnt speak any English. The tica boy who is on school break, takes days off without telling me...Something new comes up everyday but today my mother and Cenk would have been proud of our progress since I started organizing. I still havent written down my expenses but Tom is on my case with that. I also changed the locks as the old owner and her employee still have the keys...

 

New on the menu....We started to make crepes. Larry, who worked as a celebrity raw chef showed me a super easy vegan wholewheat crepe recipe and we started to make them for breakfast and lunch. Avocado/Tomato with cilantro lime is very good and also we have a jam version. Come and taste some...

 

Another new shake, avocado/mango...it is soooooooooooooooo good!!! I get organic mango juice from a mango farm. I have never had mangos this sweet...I wish you could have tasted some.

 

I also made some coconut milk...and made vegan french toast with it. Added to the specials as tropical french toast...

 

Nothing is going smooth but i learn so much everyday. Like not to order 10 bags of bread because I dont sell that much bread, hence the french toast:))))

 

I am grateful to life and grateful to good hearted people, angles...They really exist...And as always, the snakes and the monkeys are everywhere and they drink nasty things!

 

 

 

Veggie Burger Success!

We figured it today. Oats are a must in veggie burgers as a binding agent...I am very happy with this recipe. Platanos are full of protein and very good for you...Just mix whatever veggies you have and make sure to add beets (raw) and add spices like cumin, cardamom, chili, salt, pepper...a little bit of honey...A trick Sutter thought me and it works great...

 

Latest additions to the team are Tom and Andreas..They are amazing. Tom is from Belgium and Andreas is half Swiss and half Sikkin..He looks like asian...Tom is the master chef, he figured to make fresh spring rolls after one try...They are helping me everyday, working more than I do with no breaks...I could not have asked for anything more...They are here only for two more weeks. It kills me that they will be leaving soon but I am just enjoying working with people who understand what I am trying to do and have ideas and are as excited as I am....

 

We made a 5 gallon lemonade, 2 trays of granola and they convinced me that I have to close one day a week....Monday it is....It is so hard not to think about the cafe...but I need to take time to get organized, to order stuff, do flyers, and go to the beach. I haven´t been to beach in the last month...It sucks!

 

 

Feliz Anyos!

It is 40 degrees and hot outside. The town is very very very busy. There is no vacancy anywhere...and I am closed for today, a decision made late night thanks to Andreas and his father. I was so tired and ready to go home but they asked me to eat dinner with them and since its been a while since I ate in a social environment, I said yes. We ate at this little argentinians place, italian food, very good vegetarian lasagna and best papaya juice (later I learn they add sugar!)....Then we watched the people scream like crazy, dance, celebrate...I dont know why...what are we celebrating? Right after midnight, I was lucky and got a safe ride back home.

 

I made only one New Year's resolution this year and that is to get organized. I am tired of clutter and it is following me everywhere I go!!!! I had an orange, a mango, cash, coins, letters, postcard, cell phone, batteries, tooth brush, business cards from various people I met, calculator, emergency C, 3 pens...you get the idea...

 

Today a group of 8 is coming for dinner at 7pm. We are doing walnut-lentil pate, organico salad, thai curry and brown rice and avocado ice-cream. I also have a lemonade special with passion fruit, marakuya...it is fantastic! Also I met a food photographer, Charlie and he showed up right when I finished a special order cake and he took some amazing photos. He is coming today to take pictures of the food.

 

I managed to get fresh coconuts from the beach and we are selling it in the shell. I am buying 5 a day and it is going really well.

 

May all beings be happy and in peace. There is a 40 day silent retreat that is starting in January 4th. I miss to be silent...

 

 

another day

We made veggie burgers today...It is pure vegetables, no soy or dairy...A few days ago, I tried the recipe on the back of the soya packs and it was so awful, even the dogs didnt eat it..Lesson learned, I listened to Jose, and made it from plantains, beets, carrots and peppers. Now, I am working on a bread, because there is no wholewheat burger breads available here. I made a batch 10 minutes ago and they came out as dinner rolls...round and puffy...

 

I met Jose here, he had his raw food restaurant in San Jose (Costa Rica) for 7 years and now he is planning to retire here. He only eats raw food and critizes me for eating dead, rotten food, even it is vegetables. He is pretty far out and I have hard time explaning him that I am not planning to be a 100% raw food restaurant (at least for a while). So, he is helping me with ideas, how to get organized, recipes, he knows the cheap local produce and even showed me where I can find free ginger...He also discovered that I left the gas open for a couple hours...Pretty serious...

 

I posted a sign for "help wanted", I am no longer looking for a partner. Partnership is hard, I know myself, I would drive the other person crazy..So, I have me, I can do this by myself if I can hire good people. So, now the sign is help wanted...Anyone looking for a job?

 

We are running out of avocados so fast...I added Amor Avocado to the menu, as an open faced sandwich...Toasted wholewheat bread, avocado and seasalt...Yo hombre!

 

Yo hablar espanol muy perfecto! Nessesito mucho pratikar:) Mucho cliente entiende ingles so no problemo!

 

Back to work, I am usually at the cafe from 7 in the morning to 10 at night...it is a long day but there is so much to do....

 

Another special on the drinks menu is Amor Stefy, named after a customer...I am in love with beets here...They are sooooo amazing and good for you and that color, is just to die for!

 

I got another order for a birthday cake...December 31st...New Years is coming, 2007 will be soooo amazing, can't wait!

 

 

Holiday Special at Organico

I made avocado ice-cream!!! We are selling it in half avocado shells...The recipe made around 12, I have 2 left...it tastes really good, interesting and has an amazing color. One of those kitchen experiments turned into something fun...I was making a tart, it was so hot, i had to keep the mousse in the freezer, then i got busy and forgot about it...Now we have an icecream noone has around here...

 

No sugar added, dairy free, 100% organic....The recipe is from Raw Food Cookbook...Highly recommended...If you plan to visit me, please bring me coconut oil, agave nectar and maple syrup!

 

Happy Holidays!

SOLD OUT!

Tropical French Toast for breakfast...Yay! I am happy!!!

it is hard

it is going hard, but i am learning a lot....i dont get much sleep and need to work on my menu...but I am ok...

It all about pink!

It is all going amazing. We finished painting inside, almost done with outside. I am planning to open by Friday. I was shooting for December 15th, and it may really be happening! I have never painted this much in my life, and I hate hate hate the details, taping, edges...Those chairs are killing me....At some point I gave up and let Maritzio take over. He is so patient...(surf expert)...Tiana also finished the sign today. It is absolutely fantastic...I am really not exaggerating. I wish I could share the pictures. Hopefully soon....

 

I need to get going with baking and fine tuning the menu, things are a little bit rough with a new kitchen and a new oven. I baked my signature vegan mint cake last night, and it turned out great. Then, I baked oatmeal cookies and burnt chocolate chips today...I need an oven thermometer...I am happy, very very happy...So far, everyone seems so open to the idea, having a changing menu, vegetarian food, shakes....One thing that upset me the most is, I dont have the ice-cream maker anymore. I wanted to make sorbets....We can't always get what we want, but I got my own CAFE and that is plenty! I am so dirty right now, I need to leave this place and hope for a ride to take me up home...

 

Hasta Luego!

 

 

 

I got the keys!

I got the keys to Organico! Now the board says "Organico Coming Soon!"

 

I started at 8 and now it is 8pm. I had lunch for 30 minutes and worked non-stop. We tried our first meal, Gallo Pinto con Arroz Integral...Gallo Pinto is a typical Costa Rican food, rice with pinto beans. I will serve it with scrambled eggs but will use brown rice instead of white. Margerie, she is Costa Rican and my first employee got terrified when she heard brown rice. She has never cooked with brown rice before. So our first trial was ok. I liked it though, so it will be better as we continue practicing. We are painting tomorrow, so went up to Cobano and bought paint. I salute people who pick colors....It is extremely hard to decide...So many shades, so many combinations...I got some, will see how it will work out. Dagmar, Maritzio and Tiana are helping me paint tomorrow...We are having a party!!!!

 

After I picked the paint today, I came down to the cafe and started scraping the old paint. I have 8 tables and each table has 4 legs! It took me an hour to do one. We got an acid to remove the paint...I had no idea how to use this stuff so in two minutes all my skin was burning. Luckly my next door neighbor, Armando had some plastic gloves and he gave them without hesitation. I only met him today. In two minutes he came out with a brush in his hand and started to help me with the scraping. Tiana came down to talk about the paint and the sign and Armando finished cleaning all the tables. It is amazing to be around people who offer to help without any expectations. A piece of good quality chocolate helps too:)))

 

Same thing with Roger, he is another amazing guy from England who leaves on the beach. He plays guitar and does all kinds of artwork. He found a piece for wood for me on the beach to the sign. He helped me to build the lamps....And all this is happening so easy, I am just riding the wave. I love it. I am so grateful to the universe....

 

About my cough, I found Daniel Frankson in San Jose. He is the most amazing human being I have ever met in my life. Seriously, no one has touched my heart this deep in such a short time, I am speeches. The cough is almost gone and he has opened my eyes so much. He spent 2 hours with me and we did motion therapy, polarity and acupuncture. I am going to San Jose to meet with him again. Life is really fun, it is challenging and exciting. Just the way I wanted it to be!

 

Pura Vida!!!!

From San Jose

San Jose reminds me of Istanbul, before I left for San Francisco...I wanted to be away from Istanbul, now I am back 7 years...Taxi drivers are very nice here though, they dont ask where you are going, they take you even if it is a short ride...

I am here for lawyer stuff also have to start buying ingredients because I am taking over officially by next week. Between now and next week, I will start baking and changing the menu, redecorating, reorganizing, ect...That is the fun part...So, I thought I could buy a couple ingredients here and take it with me. I did some comparison shopping, AutoMercodo (like safeway), Saecco(maybe like Cala Foods, thought I found things cheaper here) and Pricemart (costco)...Pricemart was dissapointing because I couldnt find a good juicer or salad bowls...I need salad bowls. The current place dont have any. Costa Rica is famous for its wood bowls but they are expensive, 30 a piece...I dont want to pay that much, maybe I should, I dont know what is reasonable investment....wood at least wont break but I am confused....Universe bring me some good salad bowls.. I was happy to find a big bag of Ghiraldelli Chocolate though....Chocolate chip cookies!!!!

Meanwhile I am fighting with summer cold....Painful... Really mean one, but it is getting better. The hard part is the cough that keeps me awake. I dont like taking medicine and with my "entiendo poco esponol" phrase, I dont see myselfy in a healers office...So I relied on fresh mint tea with lemon. Nada! Cough is taking over my lungs, I am taking over this hotel...I have to admit, it is nice to be in a home, away from bugs and mosquitos:))) Mom started to think I have a issues with Costa Rican weather (!), so I needed to get better immediately to prove her wrong:)

I emailed Sarah and she was very kind to send me some tips to heal bad cough. And today, I broke down and went to a pharmacy, bought Perebron. I also wanted to get Aloe Juice, but the pharmacist sent me to this natural herbs store 100 meters away. I found the aloe and also something with eucalyptus for broncolito and fenugreek for the lungs...Happly went back to the pharmacy and tried to explain with my spanish that I didnt want the Perebron anymore . He got so mad....(reminds me of Turkey again, this probably not true anymore but it was 7 years ago)...Good thing I dont know much spanish, I didnt let him get away with my C4,000 paid in cash because he didn't have any electricity...

Fenugreek tastes horrible, but it works...Feeling better already. A new day, so many dreams can come true today! Going back to Montezuma in a few hours.

Tica Food Recipes

A great blog....

 

 

Costa Rica Cell Phone Update

I can't believe this...

 

From Susan...

The Instituto Costarricense de Electricidad (ICE) - our friendly local state-run telecommunications monopoly has decided to purchase an entirely new GSM cell phone network rather than expand the current network.

Why is this a big deal? Because with this announcement, we know that it will be at least another year… more likely two-three years before cell phone (telephone) numbers can again be purchased. Believe it or not, this is probably good news.