Photography by Samantha Demangate Words by Matt Dursum Spending a day in the markets of Cusco, Perú is what I’ve always wanted. I’m at my happiest in a market. The warm conversations with strangers and merchants, the colors, smells, sounds, they swoon me. In Cusco Peru, getting lost in the markets is a rite of passage for anyone interested in the region’s food and culture. Cusco is a city steeped in history. It was home…
It’s 7am on a Saturday morning in Buenos Aires. The streets are dead other than a dog-walker and an elderly couple walking hand-in-hand across the cobblestone street. The sun lifts and a cool breeze from the Rio de la Plata penetrates the urban grid. Produce stand clerks place fruit and vegetables on makeshift stands on the sidewalk. Cafes and restaurants set up chairs outside. As the morning evolves, the city comes alive with traffic, music,…
Words by Matt Dursum It’s 9pm in a busy Buenos Aires pizza restaurant. Besides the heinous amounts of cheese and incessant noise, one thing bugs me the most. A man across the table, at the far end of the restaurant, is removing, one-by-one, each and every olive from his perfectly good pizza. Then, with a look of disgust, he wraps them in his dirty napkin and throws it on the dirty table for the waiter…
Words by Matt Dursum Growing up, my parents were sugar addicts. From the Sara Lee Corporation’s refined goodies to midwestern-styled Polish pączkis, nothing was too sweet. Like most kids, I hated most of what my parents liked, and sugar quickly became my enemy. The detest I felt slowly shifted towards processed foods. And once I tasted fresh pressed sugar cane juice, it turned my world around. Sugar, when eaten or drunk in moderation, could be…
Words by Matt Dursum Sure, I’ve squatted in a chicken coop, taken a bite out of a living and squirming fish, and greeted a group of men holding machetes with a nervous smile. But why did I feel the most out of place in Oklahoma? Culture shock is a common feeling when we travel, and sometimes we even experience it at home. But what is it and why can it be so unbearable? We can…