I just don't know how many cities in the world make sophisticated food and nature so immediately accessible. This week I decided not to go on the ski bus to Mount Hood ( more on that next week when I introduce you to Sandy and Marilyn and the SE Ski Bus!) but instead went on a self-guided walking tour of the Portland Japanese Gardens. So I found myself gazing at a sunny and sparkling Mount Hood through trees and pagodas. The garden is stunning and so peaceful, smack dab in the middle of Portland in Washington Park. I spoke with the head gardener for 15 minutes about lilies and pathways and life. Everyone here is willing to stop and talk and share a piece of themselves - no charge or payback required.
I stopped and mediated on this stone and sand garden and all around was the sound of birds and waterfalls. I swear I could have been in Kyoto. After spending an hour or so feeling so zen I decided to go find some lunch (I can only remain zen so long with an empty stomach) and tracked down a food cart called Ziba's Pitas in the downtown area, about 10 minutes from the pagoda . Ziba's Pitas are everything you could ask for in a Bosnian pita. A light, slightly chewy dough made fresh every morning by Ziba (she starts work at 5:30 AM) and stuffed with your choice of meat, cheese or zucchini. Since I had just been "in" Japan I was feeling vegetarian so opted for the zuccini pita with cucumber salad and ajvar (tomato, eggplant, garlic and paprika) on the side. I was so hungry that I forgot to take a picture so follow this link to get an idea of my delicious lunch - http://zibaspitas.com/about.html.
I hurried home after this to walk along the river with my best friends who were very surprised that I did not want to share my pita with them.
I am now waiting for Ella to pick me up to go with her friends to the french fry cart where you can only go at night so more on that tomorrow but please check out the website. What a city!!potatochampion.com
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