Fat Belly Traveler

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I can think of no better place to drink Mescal than in Mexico where it is made. The warm dusty or tropical climate (depending on where you are) is perfect for enjoying this age old spirit......and for letting the "spirit in you" out for a little romping around.

Mescal is the predecessor to tequila and has roots in the indigenous Zapotec culture whose ancestors originate thousands of years ago. Mescal is made from the Agave plant of which there are many varieties and Tequila is made primarily from the Blue Agave. The Oaxacan Central Valley is the principal producer and trader of Mescal.

Join us in Oaxaca for a visit to a very unique mescal distillery where thing are still done the "old fashion way." Sonoma County wine tasting rooms have nothing on this!

Labels: Mescal, Mexico

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Xochimilco - A traditional Sunday afternoon in Mexico City.

Five hundred years ago Xochimilco was the agricultural hub of Tenochtitlán, a metropolis of 235,000 inhabitants. Today, due to the drainage of most of the surrounding lakes, the canals of Xochimilco are all that's left.

Xochimilco is in the heart of Mexico City and for Mexican's and tourist alike, Xochimilco is known as the home of the Floating Gardens. It is a series of water ways where colorfully decorated boats (trajineras) weave in and out of the crowded canals filled with happy passengers who are out for the equivalent of a Sunday drive or picnic.

Along the journey the passengers are entertained with mariachi bands and solo artist serenading lovers for hire, and plied with vendors of all types. From grilled corn to hot tortillas and beer, local souvenirs and even flowers, one can have a wonderful afternoon without ever leaving their boat.

The most fun for us was interacting with other "floaters." It felt as if we were personal guest at everyone else's party.

Oyster Barbecue at Tomales Bay Oyster Company. The great fresh taste of shellfish.



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In Northern California, located out on the coast by Pt. Reyes Seashore, are several oyster companies that farm their own oysters. All of them farm their oysters along the marshes of coastal bays and are open to the public. You can buy them to take home, eat them raw at the farm, or at Tomales Bay Oyster Company, you can cook them on the grills they provide.

We love making a day of it as we wind through the redwoods and along the scenic coast. We prepare much of our picnic and accompaniments at home and create a wonderful oyster feast with sourdough bread, garlic butter to dress the oysters, louisiana hot sauce, and a nice bottle of chardonnay. The marshes create such a serene backdrop and the winged wildlife is plentiful.

The monk pounds out the beat on the temple drum in neighborhood temple in a corner of Kyoto.

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Myorenji Temple in the Nishijin section of Kyoto has been on this site for over 650 years. Every day the monks conduct the morning ceremony with the beating of the drum and chanting.

Often time the monks are alone but today we are there with our camera, recording the sound and then adding the images of Kyoto as a counterpoint to the deep beat of the wooden drum.

A San Francisco Bay Area Tradition.

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Let's face it, the Bay Area would not be the same without a Scott's Seafood being within driving distance of wherever you are. Scott's Seafood has been around since 1976 and if you've been in the Bay Area for any length of time, you most likely have had the pleasure of dining in this warm and traditional seafood restaurant.

Scott's in Palo Alto is best known for it's fresh seafood and the wonderful methods in which it is prepared. From a savory Clam Chowder to Dungeness Crab Cakes to their Seafood Sautee, the flavors burst forth with originality and an Old World charm that reminds one of just how closely we live near the Sea.

Be sure not to pass up this Grand Dame of restaurants just because it's been around for 30 years either. There's a reason it has been so successful! The menu is trendy using seasonal, local and organic produce; the desserts are decadent; and the wine list has something for everyone.

Think you've been to Scott's before? Think again!

Inley Lake is in central Burma. Travel is by boat through the floating gardens and to houses on stilts to see silk making, blacksmiths and the temple with the jumping cats.


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The nation of Burma, now called the Union of Myanmar is seldom in the news. And when it is, the story is a continuation on news of the lack of political freedom since the junta took control of the country decades ago.

What is almost never told, about this nation roughly the size and population of France, is of the natural beauty and variety of cultures here.

Inley Lake is an example of how the lack of industrial development has done much to avoid pollution and keep the environment in a somewhat natural state. We visit one of the few places on earth where silk is still spun and woven by hand, where life moves at a slower pace and where knives are still forged by the sweat of the Shan blacksmiths.

Holiday Gift Making with Pam

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In this short video you will learn how to prepare and assemble a beautiful Holiday Gift Basket for under $12.00.

The host is a floral and event designer who enjoys giving homemade gifts that have that "special something," that reminds you that your loved.

Learn how to make Tart-Cranberry Chutney, Spiced and Roasted Pecans, and easy Cranberry-Orange Muffins. Then watch as she packages it all up into a beautiful presentation. If you're on a budget or like the idea of giving handmade gifts, this video is for you!

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The ruins of Angkor are one of the most striking monuments to the past glory of Cambodian civilization.

At Angkor Wat there is an overwhelming sense of history, both ancient and recent. The ancient is obvious with overgrown ruins of temples from the time of the Khmer Kings in the 11th Century. The legacy of the recent history can be seen in the faces and heard in the words of the survivors of the Killing Fields in the 1970's.

During that time as many as three million of the seven million people in Cambodia were murdered by the despotic Khmer Rouge let by Pol Pot. Any person with education, even those with glasses were killed by the cadres of soldiers so young that they were almost children.

Many of those soldiers and the families of the victims are living side by side in this nation still suffering. The feelings and memories will take another generation to become part of the past that is gone, like the days of the ancient kings.

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The remote islands of Tonga are a sailors delight and a natural wonder. The warm people and trade winds work their magic.
The Tongan Islands are 1,000 miles north of New Zealand and 750 miles east of Fiji. Tongan Kings once ruled the South Pacific, the people were renown for their seagoing abilities. Today these islands are jewels in the vast ocean; the sea and islands remain basically in a pristine state, almost a wilderness in the South Pacific.

We set sail in a ketch and crusie between the islands in the old fashioned sail power way. The water and the air are the same temperature and underwater visibility is fantastic.

A group of local muscians serenade us with an island favorite song.

The King Salmon are a taste treat from the cold waters of the Pacific; we join the fishermen.
4 min 54 seconds

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The fine taste of the King Salmon, fresh from today's catch is like no other fish. All the fishermen onboard know and the action gets a little frantic when it is time to land the beautiful fish.

The waters off the coast of Northern California have been rich in the Salmon that gourmets love and that supplies valuable nutrition for the body.

As a fished is hooked shouts of "fish on" are heard and the chaos of landing it often involve the skipper, mate and other fishermen. With more than one fish online at a time the action is fast and furious.

When the limit of 2 fish per person the boat heads back to the harbor early "limited out" and full of happy people. The coast is beautiful and the sea mercifully and unusually calm.

An afternoon in the Marin Headlands, at the beautiful yet somewhat little-known Rodeo Beach.
2 min 59 seconds

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Just north of the Golden Gate Bridge is Rodeo Beach. Our stomping grounds.

The beach is not made of sand but rather pebbles washed smooth from the waves. The water is the open Pacific Ocean, nothing between here and Asia except a few islands 15 miles offshore called the Farallones, where birds and marine life are protected. Rodeo beach offers a close respite from urban life and is a part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area located in the Marin Headlands.

We travel from Sausalito and take the tunnel through the base of the mountain. We come out and are welcomed by a scenic mile's drive to Rodeo beach.

Almost two hundred years ago, during the time of Henry Dana's, Two Years Before the Mast, the classic tale of sailing along the California Coast, small bays like this were the transshipment points for hides from the great rancheros of California. Hides were loaded into open boats, rowed out through the surf and stowed aboard the trading sailing ships.

If you have a chance, Rodeo Beach and the vacinity where hiking and biking abound is worth a visit.

Cooking up a storm with our friend Denny Grey.
3 min 42 seconds

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Everyday should be such a Feast!
E.R. Nurse goes wild in the kitchen on a San Francisco Holiday.

Join us at our seasonal table while our friend Denny Grey (an E.R. Nurse by day) cooks up a magical feast. He makes his living saving lives, but spends his free time celebrating life.

With cooking as his second love, he spoils us once a year with a gourmet spread of delicate concoctions. On the menu this year is Baked Crab Cakes with aioli; Sushi Tuna Tower with avocado tossed in a sesame dressing and diced tomatoes; Polenta with baby morels and gorgonzola; and as if that wasn't enough, he topped the dinner off with a Pear and Ginger upside-down cake with honey-lavender ice cream, from the "Scoop" in Fairfax.

Forestville, California
Calabash Fall Festival - A must "do" for a great cause and lots of fun.
3 min 42 seconds


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Calabash is the annual fall festival sponsored by Food for Thought, Sonoma County AIDS Food Bank, and the Occidental Arts and Ecology Center. It is a fundraising festival in honor of Life, and it is a memorial to all who have lost their life to AIDS.

A calabash is a vine grown for its fruit, which can either be harvested young and used as a vegetable or harvested mature, dried, and used as a bottle, utensil, or pipe.....that is, until Food for Thought got involved. At this unique annual event, over 100 artist create and donate beautiful gourd art for the sake of raising money for Food for Thought and their expanding projects.

This is a wonderful one day collaboration of local artist, musicians, food & wine sponsors, and a community with a whole lot of heart. Calabash Festival - a celebration not to be missed.

Glaciers, Alaska
Explore the chilly waters and natural beauty of Prince William Sound.

2 min 50 seconds

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Prince William Sound is on the south coast of Alaska. Traveling through the sound on a small vessel is a great way to taste the wild of Alaska and to admire the ominous beauty of the glaciers as they break free from the ice shelf that anchors them.

The Columbia Glacier is a one of the fastest moving glaciers in the world, and has been retreating since the early 1980s. The glacier at the present terminus is approximately two kilometers wide, and 550 meters thick, of which approximately 70 meters stands above sea level. Like all Alaskan tidewater glaciers, the ice is not floating but is resting on bedrock below sea level, with a significant fraction of its weight supported by buouyancy.

Join us as we take a beach excursion, explore the untamed wildlife and are humbled by both nature's beauty and her power.

Boudanath Temple, the largest Buddhist Stupa in the world.
58 seconds


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Boudanath is the the great Stupa of Kathmandu. The large dome is festooned with prayer flags and people circumambulate in a clockwise manner as proscribed by custom.

The historical Buddha was born a Hindu Prince in what is now southern Nepal about 2500 years ago. The traditions of both religions are to be seen everywhere in Nepal.

After the Chinese occupation of Tibet in the late 1950's many Tibetans fled to Nepal and India along with their spiritual leader the 14th Dali Lama. Near Boudanath are a number of large Tibetan style monasteries.

Normandy Lunch, France
An afternoon in the French Countryside.
Life is Good! Tres bien.
2 minutes 4 seconds


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France and Food together are a serious subject. The nation that knows better than all the others the value of a well prepared meal enjoyed in good company, can be no other than France. Join our party for an alfresco meal and take in the sights and sounds of this Old World afternoon.

Normandy is famous for its rich, rolling countryside, which provides plentiful pasture for dairy cattle. The dairy produce of the region is renowned: its cheeses are world famous and include Camembert, Livarot, Pont l'Evêque, Brillat-Savarin, Neufchâtel, and Boursin.

Normandy is the native land of Taillevent, cook of the kings of France Charles V and Charles VI. He wrote the earliest French cookery book named Le Viandier.