Part 14 (2/2)

lunch and dinner

[io, Rio de Janeiro 55-21-2299-5586

[ie] MONTE P PASCOAL P PRAIA H HOTEL montepascoalcombr Av Oceanica 591, Barra, Salvador 55-71-2103-4000

fax 55-71-2103-4005 Basic, moderate-size rooms, but the full -sea-view quarters offer what they proood location and e] FERIA D DE S SO J JOAQUIM Salvador On the waterfront just north of the ferryboat tere] AXEGO Rua Joo de Deus 1, Pelourinho, Salvador 55-71-3242-7481

lunch and dinner

[ie] CARANGUEJO D DA D DADa Patamares Beach, Salvador 55-71-3363-5151

lunch and dinner (no reservations)

[ie] ALAiDE D DO F FEIJO Rua 12 Outubro 2, Salvador 55-71-3321-3634

lunch and early dinner Pure Salvador

[iorio de Matos 36 Pelourinho, Salvador 55-71-3321-3089

lunch and dinner (no reservations)

[ie] SORRISO D DA D DADa Rua Frei Vincente 5, Pelourinho, Salvador 55-71-3321-9642

lunch and dinner Wonderful cooking

Casquinha de Siri Bahian Deviled Crab SERVES 6 6

Molho de Piueta chiles, or other fresh or bottled tiny hot red chiles, or more to taste1 teaspoon salt1/3 cup chopped onion cup chopped onion1 garlic clove, ar, or fresh liar, or fresh lime juice, or a coetable oil in which 4 to 6 annatto seeds have been briefly sauteed until the oil has turned golden (seeds then discarded)1 cup dried coarse bread cruarlic cloves, minced1 red-ripe plum tomato, squeezed of its seeds and watery liquid, chopped fine teaspoon salt, or more to taste cup coconut milk1 tablespoon Molho de Pirated aged grana cheese or other aged hard cheese like Parmesan Preheat the oven to 400F Oil or butter six ra sheet

For the ether in a mortar or with the back of a fork, the chiles and salt until roughly pureed Scrape out into a food processor or blender and add the other ingredients Puree thebowl and let sit while you prepare the crab

Warm 2 tablespoons of the oil in a small skillet over medium heat and stir in cup of the bread cruin to crisp and color lightly, about 2

War oil in a medium skillet over arlic Saute until the onion is soft and translucent and add the to cup of bread crumbs, and the 1 tablespoon of ently stir in the crabmeat The mixture should be moist but not soupy If needed, cook just briefly to eliminate excess liquid

Spoon into the prepared ramekins Mix the toasted bread crumbs with the cheese and top each ramekin with a portion of the mixture Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until medium brown and crisp Serve i spicy molho

LET'S DO IT AGAIN ”SO WHAT WAS YOUR FAVORITE PLACE?” EVERYONE, FROM OUR CLOSEST FRIENDS to the checkout lady at the grocery store, asks the same natural but irocery store, asks the same natural but i, , ”That's like asking me to name my favorite body part I'm rather attached to all of them, from my eyeballs to my toes All the countries are different, like eyes and feet, but each is special in so about every stop, move on to other pleasantries at this point, but soh being gone that long I'm sure you missed home”

”Didn't even think about it,” Bill consistently and truthfully replies

Both more tactful and verbose, Cheryl elaborates when she's present ”We certainly reat, but ere having too ”

”Yeah, that,” Bill says

Don't get us wrong No one we know is fonder of their hometown and their actual, physical hoards our families and friends as the most special parts of our lives But the trip unfolded in fast-forward, like most joyful and vital experiences Three in longing for somewhere else

Maybe a few extra calamities would have made us homesick Bill lost his ATM card in Bali, as youairport temporarily misplaced his jacket with our passports, credit cards, and cash, but pickpockets, purse-snatchers, and other thieves left us alone Beyond our bout with bronchitis in New Caledonia, which dragged us down for a week, and a messy nosebleed Cheryl suffered in South Africa, neither of us got ill Though the h Provence, bad weather didn't disrupt ht out bothersos Our cache of antibiotics, first-aid supplies, insect repellents, and other precautionary paraphernalia satinal Flat Stanley early in the trip, but his stand-in soul mate suffered no mishaps on the rest of the journey and now enjoys the care of his creator, our granddaughter Bronho keeps hi ofthe seven-year-old about the abduction, Bronwyn focused ile her grandle beast In relating the tale to her first-grade classmates, Bronwyn depicted Cheryl as Wonder Woman, a superhero who never flinched in the face of evil

”You got lucky on that one,” Bill says

Except sometimes for quirky Qantas, the ONEworld and other airlines treated us well, providing cohts, even the long-haul journeys ays dreaded They never canceled one of our segnificantly late, caused us tous unfortunately of outstanding story opportunities The odds of such luck on three dozen consecutive flights in the United States olf for shuffleboard

Little irritations stayed that way instead of growing into real problems Our cell phone/PDA, Mobi, couldn't find a network in a few remote spots, but it, the camera, and tape recorder functioned well on the whole and they made it back intact When we spilled food and drinks on ourselves, predictable enough to wager on, our Tide to Go stain reent did their jobs admirably Our clothes, however clean, becauests who overstay a welcoarleefully left behind a hefty pile of discards, though she surprised herself in the end by keeping the tatty old cashan she wore on planes and a Chico's T-shi+rt that survived the strains of travel re home teeks before Christ forward to holiday visits with fareen-chile cheeseburger, grilled outside despite the cold Other ho beefy Texas chili, richly creaels and smoked salmon with cream cheese for Cheryl, and for Bill, a peanut butter and mayonnaise sandwich on a fresh flour tortilla

After settling in for a spell, we start cooking favorite dishes from the trip to relive our memories Those that work best in an American holy, many of the dishes we tried didn't travel as well, often because of variations in the ingredients available The success of so seafood, depends on a level of freshness seldoood whole fish purchased ”fresh daily,” about the best you can get anywhere in this country, differs in taste and other characteristics from a fish still alive in the cook's hands