International Haiku Poetry Day: Basho’s Journey, Ikebana and Tea Rituals
Cultivating Presence through Poetry: A Japanese-Inspired Reading Ritual
Alexandra Poppy
The Samurai’s Garden: A Meditation on Japanese Garden Philosophy
Lessons in Patience from Gail Tsukiyama
The Art of Slow Living: A Review of The Tsubaki Stationery Store by Ito Ogawa
The Philosophy of Kaizen: Finding Patience in The Tsubaki Stationery Store There is a Japanese concept called kaizen—改善—the philosophy of continuous improvement, of becoming one percent better every day. It is not about dramatic transformation or sudden genius. It is…
April Ritual : come with me to the Land of the Rising Sun
Each day you can admire the moon, the snow and the flowers. Japanese Proverb And sometimes it all happens in the same day. One day I was filming the flowers and preparing my monthly ritual for you, and the next…
How We Look at Art Today: A Review of Jakuta Alikavazovic’s Night in the Louvre
The only way to understand painting is to go and look at it.And if out of a million visitors there is even one to whom art means something, that is enough to justify museums. Pierre-Auguste Renoir What is your oldest…
Feminism and Faith in The Dance of the Dissident Daughter by Sue Monk Kidd
Feminism and religion… Welcome to a landmine subject !But since the point of this series is to talk about lessons learned from books, I was bound to touch on some delicate subjects at one point or another.I should however state…
Discover Persian Culture at Nowruz: Through Books, Culture and Gastronomy
A celebration with more than 3000 years of history, the Persian New Year is one of the rare feasts still observed today that appeal to the whole of humanity.Even if it is frequently associated with Zoroastrianism, historians believe that the…
Recipe : Chicken Fessenjan and Zereshk Polo
Ingredients : 2 chicken breasts or de-boned thighs (around 1kg)1 small onion1/2 tsp turmeric powder1/2 tsp nutmeg powder1/2 tsp cumin powder1/2 tsp cinnamon powder1 litre chicken stock250gr toasted walnuts finely grounded3 tbsp pomegranate sauce (molasses)1 tbsp sugar 2 cups basmati…
Recipe : Kashk-e Bademjan | Persian eggplant dip
Ingredients : 3 medium eggplants1 small onion1 tablespoon tomato paste2 teaspoons keshk (cream of whey, you can find it in Iranian markets)1 teaspoon dried mintsalt, olive oil Peel the eggplants, cut them lengthwise in 8-10 strips, then salt them heavily…
Recipe : Isfahan Panna Cotta
Ingredients : 500ml double cream (I used the light version that doesn’t work for whipped cream but is more digest in a panna cotta)40gr caster sugar3 gelatin sheets2-4 tablespoons rose water1 can of lycheesfresh raspberries With panna cotta, you always…