The Adventures of Las Tres Amigas

 

Thursday, August 23/Saturday, August 25, 2012 – The Adventures of Las Tres Amigas

Let’s travel back in time, to last Thursday, and join Las Tres Amigas (Marcela, Helena y Robina) for “Un dia en DC.”  I apologize for any missing accent marks – I have no idea how to find certain ones on this keyboard.  Furthermore, my Spanish skills have gotten quite rusty.  Since I’m no longer in the classroom, I’m not practicing on a daily basis anymore.

Actually, before Thursday’s adventure with my AHS friends, I had to make a quick dash out for an early-morning errand.  A certain silver-haired gentleman, who shall remain unnamed, accidentally left his cell phone at the C2 (Gary’s company) open house we attended in Reston on Wednesday evening.  Thanks, Eleanor and Gary, for noticing it, bringing it back home, and alerting us promptly so we didn’t have to drive up to Reston to retrieve it. 

Anyway, once that was accomplished, it was time for the exciting part of my day to begin.  Las Tres Amigas gathered first in McLean and then set out together shortly after 10 a.m.  Alphonso, Marcela’s husband, was at the wheel for our drive along the scenic George Washington Parkway into the nation’s capital.  We had a three-pronged plan of attack for the day in DC: 

1. NMAI (National Museum of the American Indian)
2. NGA (National Gallery of Art)
3. Jaleo (a Spanish tapas restaurant).

As soon as we approached the NMAI, it was apparent that the summer season was drawing to a close.  There were hardly any tourists in sight on the streets and the museum itself was delightfully crowd-free.  Now is the time for locals to reclaim their city.  

Marcela, Robin and Helen at NMAI

At the NMAI, we focused on two special exhibits.  The first, A Song for the Horse Nation, examined the role of the horse in Native American history and culture.  As I explored this fascinating and wide-ranging exhibit, I kept thinking of ways I wanted to share the wealth of information with my students (the ones I don’t have anymore).  I was so enthusiastic that I probably subjected Marcela and Helen to much more than they wanted to hear.  Note to my AHS ESOL colleagues:  this exhibit would be a great destination for a field trip, or if that’s not possible, try to use the excellent website in your classroom. 

I’ve included a few photos, but I won’t even attempt to describe everything we saw in the exhibit.  After viewing the Horse Nation exhibit, my brain was so stimulated and my senses were so saturated that I was barely able to concentrate on the second special exhibit.  This new installation displayed toys and games from various Native American cultures.  I’ll definitely plan a return trip so I can appreciate this exhibit properly. 

This decorative horse mask is made of porcupine quills.

Instead of having lunch at the museum’s Mitsitam cafeteria (which features food from Native cultures throughout the Americas), we refueled with quick, over-priced espressos and lattes at their coffee bar before walking out into the August sunshine.  My newest sombrero came in very handy as we made our way across the National Mall.  If you’ve been on the Mall in DC this summer, you’ve seen the massive renovation project going on there.  At this stage, it still looks hideous, but the good news is that it’s scheduled to be completed by the end of the year.  We ignored it, and the scaffolding that currently covers the façade of the National Gallery’s East Building, en route to our next destination. 

The NGA’s West Building is filled with fabulous art, but we pretty much ignored that because we wanted to devote our limited time to the shop, one of the best museum shops I’ve ever seen.  With the tantalizing array of posters, puzzles, jewelry, and more, Las Tres Amigas were like kids in a toy store!  And thank you, Marcela, for commemorating this day with beautiful bangle bracelets for all of us. 

From the museum shop, we rushed up Seventh Street to Jaleo and arrived just in time for our 1:30 p.m. reservation.  Jaleo, one of the restaurants in the empire of celebrity chef José Andrés, has long been one of my favorite eating establishments.  I love the Spanish cuisine, and I love the concept of tapas.  Fortunately for us, Jaleo had extended Restaurant Week by continuing to offer a 4-course prix-fixe menu for $20.12.  What a deal!  Here are just a few of the highlights from our meal:  endive filled with oranges, goat cheese and almonds; an imaginative red beet and citrus salad with blue cheese and pistachios; espinaca a la catalan (spinach sautéed with raisins, apples and pine nuts); crispy fried calamari with a lemony sauce; and salmon on a bed of Mediterranean vegetables (reminiscent of ratatouille).  Of course, we shared everything, and lingered over a trio of delicious desserts: cool apricot sorbet sharing a dish with the creamiest vanilla and strawberry ice creams; orange infused flan; dark chocolate mousse with hazelnut ice cream.  It was a perfect meal in a perfect setting for Las Tres Amigas. 

Thoroughly satisfied, we left Jaleo and set out for a leisurely stroll to a nearby metro station.  Just by chance, along F Street, we came across the Thursday afternoon Penn Quarter Farmers’ Market, where I introduced Marcela to okra.  I guess it isn’t popular in Argentina, but because of my southern background (my mom grew up in Atlanta), okra has been part of my life since childhood.  Mmm, fried okra was an occasional tasty treat on visits to Atlanta and, later, to Texas.  However, my method of preparing okra is a little different, probably more Sephardic than southern.  Here’s what I do:

Sauté some thinly sliced onion in olive oil until it’s transparent and soft.  Add a chopped garlic clove and sauté briefly (don’t brown it).  Add 1 lb. okra (either sliced or whole) and sauté a few minutes.  Add 1-2 chopped tomatoes, fresh or canned, with their juices.  Season with salt, pepper, and cinnamon.  Add 1 Tablespoon balsamic vinegar.  Cover and simmer 15-20 minutes, until okra is tender.  Sprinkle with chopped parsley. 

If you have any favorite okra recipes to share, please do so.  

Thanks to Marcela and Helen for the lovely day.  And thanks to our transportation providers, Alphonso and Matt.  I'm looking forward to more adventures with Las Tres Amigas!