Philadelphia's Chinatown

I was not able to afford a trip to Beijing for the Olympics but I did decide to visit Chinatown often in order to learn and explore the richness of this culture. Chef Joe Poon was kind enough to give me a private tour for a video piece I was working on.  His famous, "Wok and Walk" tour has been featured on The Food Network and The Tonight Show. I highly recommend a tour with this very talented and enthusiastic chef.  Joe showed me restaurants, book stores, the Asian fruit stand (a word of caution, you will create quite a stir if you try to eat the Durian fruit...the odor will try get you noticed far and wide!).  I was able to see exactly how those fortunes got into the cookies, which by the way began with an American who wanted to lift the spirit of men experiencing difficult lives.

Chinatown holds a wealth of visual delights for a photographer.  I loved immersing myself into the excitement of the Chinese New Year as well as the everyday movement and flow. Confucius thought that knives were a sign of aggression so that is why we now use chopsticks.  According to legend, if you are given a pair of uneven sticks, you are going to miss a plane, train or bus.  The egg is a symbol of fertility while the noodle symbolizes long life - I stayed with the noodles! From tasting bubble tea to learning the art of Chinese calligraphy and joining hearts with those in the local Buddhist Temple, Chinatown has so much to discover. 

Two Buttons- Importer of World Wonders

Recently, I read in the local paper that Liz Gilbert (the author of "Eat, Pray,Love") and the man she fell in love with while in Bali, her husband Jose, opened Two Buttons in Frenchtown, NJ.  They share a love of the beautiful and have brought back very interesting pieces of art and hand woven cloth from around the world to share with others.  Since I thoroughly enjoyed reading her book and find it fascinating to learn about the art of other cultures, I was off...a short 45 min. drive from Philadelphia.

Jo Liddell, an artist from Scotland (I am on the left and Jo is on the right in the picture above), greeted my friend and I with an offer of wine, water and/or popcorn along with a hand made fan.  I knew this would be fun!  Not only was there going to be food but Jo was the type of person who just radiated warmth.  She introduced us to Jose.  I could have sat at his feet for hours just listening to the amazing stories he shared with us regarding each piece of art we inquired about.  I am now the proud owner of a sculpture from Bali that brings protection to the home.  In Jose's words, "It is like having a guardian angel from Bali." This certainly works for me!