Hello!
After the thrills and spills of last week's Armchair Adventure when we headed to Papua New Guinea (PNG) for some epic kayaking, we have something a little more leisurely for you this week. We're bringing the Middle East to your kitchen with a 'food adventure'.
If you've been on one of our educational journeys to Israel and Palestine, you will probably have visited the world famous 'Dr Shakshuka' restaurant in Jaffa. The restaurant is famous for, amongst other things, its 'shakshuka' - a spicy tomato sauce and egg dish that is traditionally eaten at breakfast.
From North Africa to the Middle East, many countries have their own variations of this dish. It's wonderfully easy to make at home and also to vary to your own tastes, adding chorizo for instance or varying the level of spice. Serve with fresh bread.
And whilst we're on the subject of Middle Eastern food, one of our amazing STC leaders in Israel, Hasan Mitwalli, once let me into the secret of transforming UK supermarket hummus into the 'real deal' - simply add loads of olive oil and extra crushed garlic. Mix well and... nom nom. You're welcome!
I hope you enjoy your shakshuka and hummus!
Adrian
The Making of 'Locked In' - logistical and filming challenges in Papua New Guinea
If you enjoyed last week's Armchair Adventure, kayaking the Beriman Gorge in PNG, then you might also be interested in this short film about 'The Making of Locked In'. It's an interesting insight into the logisitical challenges of film making in one of the world's most remote places.
How do you safely attach camera equipment worth $500,000 to a helicopter that's flying through extremely narrow gorges? What are the local political issues of access and permissions? How do you train professional kayakers to get decent audio whilst they are (understandably) trying their hardest not to die whilst going over a huge waterfall?
It's not just a question of 'strapping on a GoPro and heading downstream'!