Category: Restaurants

Carolina Capers: “No Kings,” Fiction, & Food

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FLAG DAY 2025

Peaceful Protests Here & Across the U.S.

Yesterday was Flag Day, typically a time to celebrate the Stars and Stripes and the principles of freedom for which it stands.  The holiday commemorates the adoption of the American flag by the Second Continental Congress in 1777.  When I was growing up, my father, a Navy veteran, very purposefully hung a flag on the front of our house each year.  As did many of our neighbors.

Yesterday was Flag Day with a difference.  Yes, there was an event in D.C.  Many of us chose not to watch or celebrate it.  Instead, in large cities like Philadelphia and Chicago, in medium-sized ones like Atlanta and Tallahassee, and even in some of the smallest towns from Morrisville to Pittsboro to Seneca Falls, ordinary Americans gathered to protest the actions of the current administration.  Called “No Kings Day,” it was an opportunity to rally against the deportation of law-abiding individuals, to call out the unwarranted firing of public servants, and to stand against the brutal attacks on science, healthcare, and higher education.  These protests were peaceful ones.

The Chief Penguin and I participated in the “No Kings” demonstration here in Cary.  It was our first demonstration.  We carried our homemade signs and waved at the passing cars, appreciating the many drivers who tooted their horns in support.  When I had read that 800+ people had signed up to attend, I was a bit leery about what to expect.  I went prepared with my phone and ID cards and was happily surprised by how much larger the crowd was and impressed that everyone seemed to be enjoying the experience. 

Dressed in red or blue and white, some holding kids by the hand or pushing strollers, all ages were represented.  Yes, there were a few speeches, but most of the action took place at the intersection, extending well beyond the four corners of this heavily traveled thoroughfare.  

Some folks even chanted.  We were very glad to have been part of it all.  Power to the people and the power of the people!

POPULAR FICTION

Atmosphere: A Love Story by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Author Reid (amazon.ca)

Taylor Jenkins Reid is the author of several novels including the commercially and critically successful The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo.  Her latest one, Atmosphere, is set in the 1980’s and features astronauts training for a mission on the space shuttle.  Joan Goodwin is a self-proclaimed nerd who has always loved the stars and dreamed of going into space.  Unappreciated by her sister and a loner, she is an astronaut when women were still a novelty.  Yet Joan becomes friends with both the men and women astronauts in her group.  In the process, she learns new things about herself and discovers love where she never expected it.   

Reid did her homework; the space program details, and the shuttle flight are realistic and gripping.  The characters are well drawn and fleshed out, especially Joan’s delightful young niece Frances.  Some of the philosophizing about God and the place of humans in the universe is a bit heavy-handed.  Nonetheless, the action is fast-paced, and I raced through the book in less than a day.  Just right for a beach vacation.

DINING DELIGHTS

Changing light installation at the Fenton

This was a week of dining treats.  The Fenton for dim sum, a nearby Indian restaurant, and a popular ice cream parlor.

Brewery Bhavana in Fenton

Last fall, we liked very much the lunch we had at Brewery Bhavana, a Chinese restaurant in Raleigh, and even sampled two of their beers.  This time, we made our first visit to the Fenton complex and the new branch of Brewery Bhavana.  

Outdoor seating at Brewery Bhavana

At 5:30, the restaurant was full of couples and families, and just two tables were free.  I was glad I’d made a reservation.

This dining room is smaller than the Raleigh one and the menu shorter, but we loved what we ordered. Refreshing cucumber salad with its hint of heat; light, almost fluffy buns filled with curried chicken; and pork and chive dumplings.  There are two chicken entrees and Peking duck if you reserve ahead for it.  Add in a cocktail or a glass of wine or beer and you’re set.  We will be back to dine but also to explore Fenton’s other dining options.  Not to mention being tempted by the goods in the Williams Sonoma and Pottery Barn stores. 

Saffron in Cary

Saffron is in a nearby mall with both Harris Teeter and Walmart stores.  The Chief Penguin and I had poked our heads into Saffron one time but not eaten there before.  Lunch this week was the best Indian food we’ve had since moving to North Carolina!  We shared an order of samosas and rosemary naan and sampled the garlic naan.  

He ordered lamb vindaloo, and when it wasn’t quite spicy enough sent it back to up the spice level from medium to hot.  Success!  I ordered the chicken curry medium, and it was simply delicious.  The portions are very generous and come with jasmine rice.  We each took some of our entrees home to savor again.   

Andia’s Ice Cream

One of us is a big ice cream fan, the other an occasional indulger. We joined a group for the first round of an ice cream rating competition, Scoop of Approval.  Andia’s has several locations in the Research Triangle including the one in Cary we visited.  Smart tasters purchased the six-flavor sampler, while the Chief Penguin and I stuck with one scoop each, French vanilla for him, the prize-winning double dark chocolate for me.

Started and run by Andia and her family, Andia’s ice cream has won many awards.  Andia herself is the only female Grand Master Ice Cream Chef and one of just 15 of such chefs across the U.S.  As for the ice cream, the vanilla was excellent and the chocolate good, but not as deep dark as I would like.  Andia’s creates many more flavors besides these, including summertime options such as lemon poppy and lavender lemonade.  The perfect treat for a hot day.

Note: All unattributed photos ©JWFarrington (some rights reserved.). Header photo is a view of some of the people participating in “No Kings” in Cary.

Manhattan Moments: Textiles, Film, & Food

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TEXTILES AS ART

Woven Histories: Textiles and Modern Abstraction (MoMA)

Weaving by Stolzl, 1928

We headed to the Museum of Modern Art specifically to see a members’ preview of some delicate flower paintings.  That exhibit was unexpectedly closed, so we opted for the textile and fabric exhibit I had also noted.  Featuring 150 pieces, this exhibit spans creative works from the early 20th century to the present from Europe and around the world. It focuses on textiles or fabric as art, not just craft.

“Torcik (Cake)”, postcard of handwoven sweater by Otowska, 2010

 I was also drawn to some of the wall hangings and the various weaving techniques.

Detail of Anni Albers’ weaving
Cojin I-IV, Teresa Lanceta, 1999
“Fishnet” R. Wilson, 2011

VIEWING: WEST BANK DESTRUCTION

No Other Land (streaming available)

Winner of this year’s Academy Award for Best Documentary, No Other Land, is a graphic and personal account of the ongoing destruction and demolition of West Bank villages by Israeli soldiers from 2019-2023.  The West Bank on the Jordan River is one of two territories that comprise Palestine.  Filmed and told mainly from the perspective of Palestinian activist Basel Adra and Israeli journalist Yuval, it is heartrending, upsetting, and powerful.  

Over decades, Israeli soldiers have routinely targeted these mountainous villages (Masafer Yatta), bulldozing homes and a new school, threatening residents, and shooting at those who get in the way.  Residents are essentially captive in their villages; they need special permits to enter Israel and often don’t own cars, also subject to restrictions.  Basel Adra’s daring in shooting these scenes live is admirable, while the watching the tentative relationship between Basel and Yuval develop into a genuine friendship is heartening.  Highly recommended! 

DINING: YET ANOTHER ITALIAN RESTAURANT?

Il Gradino (Lexington near 62nd)

I’ll Gradino interior

While out walking, we happened on Il Gradino and decided to check it out.  The reviews were very good and so we booked.   It’s a small space with white tablecloths and polished service.  We began with two tempting specials, fried stuffed zucchini blossoms for me and artichokes Jewish style for the Chief Penguin.

Chicken cutlet

For entrees, I had a lovely chicken cutlet saltimbocca style with asparagus spears topping the prosciutto and cheese, while the CP enjoyed a large bowl of linguini cacio e pepe (cheese and pepper.)  It was a lovely meal with some different Italian dishes.  Another addition for our list of favorites!

Note: All photos ©JWFarrington (some rights reserved.) Header photo is a detail from “Shape-Up” (1976-77) by Alan Shields.

On the Move: Spring to Budding Spring

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This post is a mix of comments from North Carolina, a recent novel, and a note about spring in Manhattan. 

DINING IN THE TRIANGLE

Taste Vietnamese Cuisine, Morrisville, NC

Big bowl of pho (tastevietnamese919.com)

The Chief Penguin and I regularly join the Adventurous Eaters group for lunch at a different restaurant each month.  Our area is home to a wide variety of ethnic restaurants, and it’s fun to explore a new place without having to navigate there ourselves.

Taste Vietnamese Cuisine is a small eatery that graciously accommodated our gang of twelve.  Menu offerings ranged from rolls to start—spring, shrimp, and summer ones; several choices of pho (Vietnamese soup with rice noodles and meat); sandwiches (banh mi); and entrees such as the Saigon Special which included a sample of almost everything!  

I opted for a straightforward and tasty chicken BBQ banh mi with the customary carrots, cucumber, daikon, and jalapeno slices, while the CP enjoyed chicken pho with bean sprouts and jalapenos.  Everyone was pleased with the food and appreciated the friendly service.  We’d happily return to try more dishes.

NEW FICTION: ON AN ENGLISH FARM

Broken Country by Clare Leslie Hall

Hall (amazon.com)

Broken Country is Clare Leslie Hall’s first book published in the United States.  She’s also written several thrillers published in the U.K. Set in rural North Dorset, England, this book’s bucolic setting masks the backbreaking work of life on a farm.  There are lambs to birth and always fences that need fixing.  Hall’s writing here is lovely and feels true.  

The novel moves back and forth in time from Before to the late 1960’s.  Beth and Frank and his younger brother Jimmy have known each other for years and been friends.  Gabriel, from a wealthy family, is a bit older and an aspiring writer.  He and Beth fall in love, and she hopes to join him at university when she’s of age.  

After their unexpected break-up, Beth agrees to marry farmer Frank and they have a son Bobby.  Some years later, Gabriel, divorced with a son of his own, returns to Dorset and he and Beth re-connect.  Her marriage is tested, tension builds, and there is violence and then a death.  

The book is told almost exclusively in Beth’s voice and from her perspective.  How can she be involved with two such very different men?  There are twists and turns in these very human relationships, some predictable, others not.  For me, the ending combined grace and forgiveness with resolution.  Broken Country is a Reese’s Book Club title. Recommended! (~JWFarrington)

ON TO THE BIG APPLE

As is our custom, we headed north to Manhattan a few days ago.  From gloriously blooming spring in North Carolina to early spring in New York.   The trees here have not yet fully leafed out and are mostly soft green.  Tulips abound in sidewalk beds and up and down Park Avenue.  Red, yellow, or pink, they are fully open, but not yet past their prime.  It’s a lovely time of year.

Note: Header photo of the soft colors of early spring in Manhattan by JWFarrington, tulips by GC.

Carolina Comments: Demonstrating, Reading, Eating

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POLITICAL PROTEST

Hands Off!

Hands Off in Raleigh (L. Lawrence)

It has been gratifying whether personally or vicariously to experience the fabulous turnout in the many Hands Off protests across the country and around the world.  Family members and friends of ours participated in Greensboro, Raleigh, Philadelphia, Indiana, and D.C.  

In Greensboro
Greensboro

These demonstrations send a powerful visual message of anger and outrage over the brutal dismantling of the U.S. government and cavalier disregard for the rule of law.  May that message be received!

RECENT READING: RESILIENCE IN WARTIME

Author Hunter

One Good Thing by Georgia Hunter

Over the past decade, I’ve read quite a few historical novels about World War II.  Spies, undercover librarians, and brave ordinary people are featured.  Most of these novels are set in France, Eastern Europe, or Britain.  One Good Thing takes place in Italy from 1940-1944, initially near Bologna and Florence and ultimately in Rome. 

Lili and Esti became good friends at university and remained so when Esti married Niko and had her son, Theo.  Life was relatively good until the imposition of Mussolini’s Racial Laws targeting Jews.  When Germany invaded Italy, life became more dangerous for Jewish Lili.  With her friends involved in the Resistance, Lili is persuaded to join their effort and take a bunch of refugee children to hide out in a convent in Florence.  For her, this begins several years of upheaval, multiple moves, and dangerous encounters despite carrying a fake ID.

This is a novel not only of resilience, what individuals will risk when their freedom and livelihood are in peril, but a depiction of close friendship and extreme loyalty. It is both compelling and thrilling.  You will be there with Lili in her struggle to survive and find a safe place for the future.  Hunter, part of a family of Holocaust survivors, is also the author of the bestseller, We Were the Lucky Ones, now adapted as a series on Hulu.  Recommended! (~JWFarrington)

EATING OUT

Sushi-Thai Cary

Interior of Sushi-Thai

This combination Japanese and Thai restaurant is a short distance away in a strip mall behind a gas station.  It was recommended by friends.  We walked there and sampled several dishes from the Thai portion of the menu.  

Our first course was crispy shrimps in a blanket followed by pad Thai with chicken and spicy basil with chicken.  We requested medium spicy and found that this was probably hot enough for both of us.  The entrée portions were generous, and we ended up taking some home.  We’ll be back to try the other half of the menu!

Academy Street Bistro

Regular readers know we walk downtown often.  A favorite stop late in the day or for an early dinner is the Academy Street Bistro.  Several weeks ago, on the spur of the moment, I suggested we stop for a glass of wine.  I had pinot grigio, the Chief Penguin had an Old Fashioned, and we shared a tasty plate of fried calamari with peppadews.  The perfect way to celebrate an early spring day!

We had heard that the soup of the day on weekends is lobster bisque.  Thus, we had a mission, get there on the right day to sample it.  Yesterday we sat outside and dined early on small bowls of lobster bisque followed by ahi tuna for the CP and a large Caesar salad for me. Everything was good.  The day was warm, and there were few other people outside, making it preferable to the noisy, bustling inside dining room.