Love2Chow

Edinburgh UK

Hike Edinburgh's Holyrood Park to Arthur's Seat!

September 14, 2019

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History

Traveling Back in Time to Colonial America: An Escape from Hurricane Dorian

September 08, 2019

Colonial Williamsburg

Virginia USA.

Twelve years ago, our 11 and 6 year old children declared that the historic Williamsburg area was their favorite place to visit, choosing it over Disney, Rome and California. Last week, we had the opportunity to rediscover Colonial Williamsburg as adults. The perspectives of the gentry, tradesmen, free and enslaved African Americans, shopkeepers, religious minorities, military leaders and even lawbreakers in 18th century America truly came to life through conversations, tours, re-enactments and an Escape Room adventure set right in the original Public Gaol building of 1722!

The Fife and Drum corps

We were stretching our legs on Labor Day, after driving 15 of the 18 hours or so to the Outer Banks from a midwestern family gathering. Our friends, the same family with whom we had explored Williamsburg 12 years ago, were already enjoying beautiful sunsets and early morning fishing, along with our son. Then we got the text... Although Hurricane Dorian was not predicted to reach NC for another three days, the county had just issued evacuation orders. Despite the beautiful current conditions, it did not make sense for us to push on into the evening for a single ocean sunrise before a mandatory evacuation. Fortunately, we found a great deal on a two bedroom suite at the Historic Powhatan resort in Williamsburg, VA only an hour away.

The resort was beautiful, with lakes and fountains and gazebos centered around a historic building, the manor home of the architect Richard Taliaferro, who designed the Governor's Palace and Wythe House in Colonial Williamsburg. The building is open for self-guided tours and ghost hunting (for a fee) in the evenings. Interestingly, Taliaferro reserved a special fireplace design feature for use in his own family buildings, which can be seen here. We enjoyed a fabulous dinner of meatloaf in tomato gravy and shrimp 'n grits at the Food for Thought restaurant, enjoying the many quotes and other tidbits on the walls.

Taliaferro Manor House at Historic Powhatan Resort

The next day, after our friends arrived, we were very pleased that we had said "No" to the ticket discount offered by the resort, which would have cost us two hours of vacation time. It turns out, Colonial Williamsburg had a much better deal for us (see Tips below). We got annual passes for less than the price of a one day ticket. There is so much to see and experience, and a multiday pass is highly recommended. Even the programs that appear on the schedule every day, such as Order in the Court, Entertainments at the Play House and The Necessity of Order in Battle, cover different topics from day to day.

Order of the Court

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Chow chows

Chow chows! Precious 鬆獅犬 (lion-dogs) from China

September 03, 2019

The chow chow is an ancient breed of dog, so beloved according to legend that it was allowed to lick up the little bits of blue sky that fell when the stars were placed.

Dignified in appearance, but not always in behavior, chow chows are extremely versatile dogs, having been used as imperial hunting dogs, guard dogs, sled or cart-pulling dogs, herd dogs, pointers or as sources of fur and even food. Chows come in 5 colors, red, black, silver-cinnamon, blue and cream. Blue chows in particular are believed to scare away evil spirits, and one monastery in China was famous for breeding blue chows. Many of the foo dog statues that appear at the entrances to temples and other buildings are likely modeled after the 鬆獅犬 (sōng shī quǎn) or 鬆獅狗 (sōng shī gǒu), which roughly translates to "lion-like dog."

Of course, chow chows are also very lovable dogs, and may have enjoyed a position as a companion dog not only in our modern society, but also at least as far back as the Tang dynasty 唐朝 (618-907). This scroll painting from the collections of the National Palace Museum in Taipei, Taiwan, clearly shows a blue chow pup in a scene of domestic tranquility.

My photo of the bottom left corner of the painting.

Through most of my married life, I have had the privilege of being loved by two chow chows at a time. Hence the double play on the name of this blog: Love2Chow(s). Our journey as devoted chow owners began because we were curious about what a "blue" dog could possibly look like, and came home with Aurora, followed in two years by little red Cedar.

Although we originally thought we would like adding a cream (red, white and blue chows) or trying a male, it seemed that fate intervened to steer us back to two more precious blue girls: Sierra and Melia. Sierra has the distinction of being the furriest of them all, and Melia has an unusual love of swimming. Most chow chows are waders and splashers, but dislike swimming. The red and cream chows we have known seem to like keeping their feet clean, but the blues don't mind a little mud!

On a doggie day hike, only little Melia had the courage to jump into Blue Hole.

Post photos of your dogs on Instagram or Facebook!

Tag @love2chowblog and hashtag it #love2chow

https://www.love2chow.com/2019/09/chow-chows-precious-lion-dogs-from-china.html

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Eat in

Suzhou Double Gold Chow Mein 两面黄炒麵: Preserving a family heritage

August 20, 2019

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Eat out

An Afternoon Tea in Covent Garden

August 13, 2019

The Whittard of Chelsea Covent Garden Tea Bar

London, England, UK.

Afternoon Tea in London with all its accoutrements is truly a special treat! Whittard of Chelsea serves a delicious spread of finger foods accompanied by a truly excellent tea selection at their Covent Garden Tea Bar. Best of all, with all-day tea service from 10 to 10, you can enjoy tea with friends or family without the need for advance reservations.

First a note on terminology. There are several British tea traditions and high tea is not the same as afternoon tea. Furthermore, there are other lesser known tea times. You might have heard of elevenses, which was not invented by Tolkien for the Hobbits of Middle Earth, but consists of a late morning work break with baked goods and hot tea or coffee. According to historian Bruce Richardson as reported by NPR, the tradition of elevenses probably arose in the 20th century, but is now well engrained in British culture.

Afternoon tea for the upper classes became popular in the mid 19th century, when tea prices dropped after the introduction of 茶 (pronounced cha or tey)* from China in the 17th century. Also known as "low tea" because the crustless finger sandwiches, scones, macaroons and cakes were served around low tables surrounded by low armchairs or loveseats, it was reportedly popularized by Anna Russell, the duchess of Bedford and friend to Queen Victoria, as a fancy snack between meals. In contrast, high tea refers to a hearty early supper with tea that was enjoyed by the lower classes after work. These meals of kidney pie, potatoes or breaded fish with buttered toast and scones were served at a high dinner table or countertop with a pot of strong tea to nourish and revive body and spirits after a long hard day at work. Then there is cream tea, a variant of afternoon tea focused on scones with clotted cream and jam.

Irrespective of what time you wish to enjoy your tea with cakes and other food, the Whittard Tea Bar in the downstairs Whittard tea shop at Covent Garden is truly worth a visit. With a choice of over 100 loose leaf teas ranging from traditional to inventively spiced, the afternoon tea gives you a chance to sample new flavors with little risk. They will switch your pot to a different tea if you dislike your first selection. They also serve coffee, hot chocolate and cold beverages, as well as spirits and tea-infused cocktails. Plus it's fun to explore the shop and taste the samples of both hot and iced beverages. Notably, only the most popular teas come prepackaged. For the real selection of loose leaf teas, go to the back of the shop.

We asked our hotel to check on availability, and then set off for a lovely walk to the Covent Garden piazza. The first Whittard storefront we walked in directed us to their larger downstairs shop, where we were seated right away. Walk-ins are also available, and there was a small line forming by the time we got our tea. The three of us all opted for the full Whittard Tea experience at 30 pounds a person. This consisted of finger sandwiches filled with coronation chicken salad, egg salad, buttered cucumber or smoked salmon with lemon cheese. The type of chicken salad was originally prepared for the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953, and consists of tender chunks of chicken breast in a curried mayonnaise dressing. This was our favorite of the sandwiches.

Search This Blog

Hike Edinburgh's Holyrood Park to Arthur's Seat!

Traveling Back in Time to Colonial America: An Escape from Hurricane Dorian

Chow chows! Precious 鬆獅犬 (lion-dogs) from China

Suzhou Double Gold Chow Mein 两面黄炒麵: Preserving a family heritage

An Afternoon Tea in Covent Garden

A Decade of Rib & Wing Fests at Seven Springs

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Search This Blog

Hike Edinburgh's Holyrood Park to Arthur's Seat!

Traveling Back in Time to Colonial America: An Escape from Hurricane Dorian

Chow chows! Precious 鬆獅犬 (lion-dogs) from China

Suzhou Double Gold Chow Mein 两面黄 炒麵: Preserving a family heritage

An Afternoon Tea in Covent Garden

A Decade of Rib & Wing Fests at Seven Springs

About Me

Follow Me

Translate

Popular Posts

Blog Archive

Categories

Suzhou Double Gold Chow Mein 两面黄炒麵: Preserving a family heritage