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Showing posts with label Libros AC. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Libros AC. Show all posts

Monday, 17 September 2018








Find joy in the sky, in the trees, in the flowers.
There are flowers everywhere for those
who want to see them.

~ Matisse



ENJOYING SAN JUAN LIKE A LOCAL






A little red book won fame once because it carried quotations
from Mao Tse-tung, the chairman of the communist party of
China. A little red book recently surfaced in San Juan but instead of
political slogans this one presents useful information about the city and its offerings related to culture, food and art.

Titled "Local," this guide, which in the words of its creators
"contains a distilled menu of selected goodness," invites
residents to rediscover their city and visitors to discover San
Juan as a local.

There is plenty to enjoy and a large area to cover so the
book is divided into sections, each devoted to a different part 
of the city. 

They are: Miramar, Stop 22 and surroundings, Barrio 
Obrero, Loiza Street and surroundings, Condado, Old San
Juan, Cupey and surroundings, Piñero Avenue and 
surroundings.

Each section opens with a brief description of the
area, encapsulating its character and history, followed by
equally short portraits of different businesses and spots worth
stopping by in that particular area.

Lean graphic maps are interspersed throughout to identify spot
locations, with separate listings providing addresses and phones.

With its bright red cover and strong graphic look that relies on
bold sans serif typeface and moody black and white photographs, 
"Local" is not only useful but a beautiful little book that can
easily be tucked into a pocket or a bag. It serves as a much needed
addition to the travel literature on Puerto Rico and, for regular
residents, as a handy listing of all that is worth visiting in San Juan. 

Look for "Local" at Libros AC, the bookstore & café located across
from the Ciudadela complex, near stop 22. Other local stores that
carry the book include Café con Cé on Loiza Street. It sells for $15.




I don't want a future. I want a present.
To me this appears of greater value.
You have a future only when
 you have no present, and when
you have a present, you forget to even
think about the future.

~ Robert Walser


✒︎ EYE ON PRODUCTS: 

Packaged foods make convenient meal alternatives for busy
people with little time to cook during the week but should
never replace the healthier choice of fresh ingredients.
After all, many packaged food contain additives, fillers and 
unfamiliar ingredients that you can barely pronounce.

There are exceptions and two recent finds prove that some
packaged foods can be tasty as well as healthy. 

Hilary's Adzuki Bean Burger is made with minimally
processed ingredients such as cooked whole grain
millet and quinoa, onion, sweet potato, green chilis, 
spices, vinegar, and psyllium Husk Powder. The packet contains
two patties, each providing four grams of protein and also
four grams of fiber. The sodium content is 270 mg. 

The patties are tasty and easily heated in a pan to which 
you've added a spoonful of sesame oil. Cook at low to
medium heat and serve with your preferred accompaniment,
like rice or pasta.

Premium Cod Fillets with multigrain breading, sold under
the Natural Sea label, come in a package containing
four fillets, good for two delicious meals. Occasionally,
the package contains an extra fillet, think of it as your
lucky day.

The breading for the cod is organic and a perfect balance
of unbleached wheat flour, organic whole wheat flour,
canola oil, water, spices, arrow-root starch, onion powder,
yeast, and garlic powder. 

Each fillet has 6 grams of protein and a sodium content of
230 mg. You can easily bake them in the oven or cook
them over the stovetop.

In Puerto Rico, both products are available at Freshmart
Supermarkets at a cost of $4.29 for the bean burgers and $7
for the cod. In every way, a felicitous choice at a modicum
price.



Melancholy is sadness
that has taken on lightness.

~ Italo Calvino


A SIMPLE TIP

Lavender makes an excellent natural repellent for moths.
Tuck lavender-filled sachets in closets and drawers to
protect your clothes and leave a pleasant scent.



©  2018 Lorraine Blasor All rights Reserved











Friday, 12 October 2012

New SJ bookstore, museum tango, and sauerkraut feast




Logo for Editorial Agentes Cataliticos 

The Stop 22 area in San Juan is fast becoming the "it" place to hang out, thanks to its mix of new and established businesses centered on FAB: food, art and books. The latest entry, a bookstore named Libros AC Barra & Bistro, is actually the second bookstore to open in the neighborhood which is home to the superb Museum of Art of Puerto Rico and the glass enclosed Ciudadela residential complex, one of San Juan's most exciting examples of urban architecture.

Located across the street from Ciudadela, Libros AC picks up on the transparency motif with glass windows that allow outsiders to look in and insiders to look out onto Ponce de León Avenue, one of San Juan's busies thoroughfares. The sleek, modern store is actually two places in one: a bookshop on one side and bar/bistro on the other. The side with the books features a large semi-circular shelving unit filled with an eclectic mix of books, mostly Spanish titles with a few English-language books thrown in. There are books on art, poetry, politics, fiction, non-fiction. There are books by Puerto Rican authors, dictionaries, and  children's books. One children's book that might catch your attention is "El Monstruo más divertido del Caribe," by author José Rabelo (Publicaciones Gaviota). This monster story is sure to delight anyone, young or old, with its very surprising twists.

There are mystery books, including two intriguing titles: "El Ojo de Jade" (The Eye of Jade) by Chinese author Diane Wei Liang concerning a female detective's search for an antique lost during China's Cultural Revolution; and, "Critica de la Razon Criminal" by Michael Gregorio in which the two main characters, a magistrate named Hanno Stiffeniis and his mentor, the philosopher Immanuel Kant, investigate a string of murders in the town of Lotting, Poland. (Gregorio is actually the pseudonym for Michael G. Jacob and Daniela De Gregorio, two scholars who teach in Spoleto, Italy.)

There are poetry books and classics by all the usual suspects:  Jorge Borges, John Le Carre, J.M. Coetzee, Truman Capote, Umberto Eco, Ken Follett, Philip Roth. Scattered around the center of the store are wheeled wood carts used to display more books; they are like book islands enticing the visitor to stop and look. And when you have had your fill of books, all you have to do is step next door to the bistro whose standout feature is a pillar all wrapped up in bold-type pages from the novel Don Quijote. The bistro space is trendy and smart, a perfect place to idle away some free time, whether alone or in good company. The menu offers salads, sandwiches and hamburgers, lunch specials, a few à la carte selections, a few desserts. Prices are moderate.

The entrepreneurial duo behind Libros AC, Ruben Ramos and Samuel
Medina, run a publishing house, by the same name. They say their aim is to create a recognized reference point for San Juan, something akin to City Lights, the famous bookstore synonymous with San Francisco.

The other neighborhood bookstore is Cronopios, located on De Diego Ave., close to the Museum of Art of Puerto Rico. This is a small bookstore with a limited book selection but pleasant and homey: there's even a sofa for people to sit down, almost as if you were in a friend's living room. Since it also doubles as a cafe, there is a small open kitchen offering coffee, refreshments and food.

If you are looking to satisfy a hungry appetite, De Diego Ave. has plenty of options to choose from, from grand dining to more casual eating. The lineup includes Mumbay, a newly opened restaurant serving Indian food; Hacienda San Pedro, for coffee and snacks; Rigoletto, for excellent pizza; and the chic Bistro de Paris, one of San Juan's finest dining places. Pricey, yet it offers affordable lunch choices starting from $15.

Last but not least, De Diego Avenue is the "yellow brick road" leading to the Museum of Art of Puerto Rico (MAPR). Based in a former hospital, this is a museum well worth a visit at any time of the week, though Wednesday afternoon is especially convenient. That's because anyone gets in free. MAPR's excellent collection spans the entire period of art making on the island, from the 16th century to the present. The best thing about the museum is that its galleries are comfortable and never too crowded for one to enjoy a work of art up close.


Libros AC
1510 Ave. Ponce de Leon
between Stops 22 and 23
787.998.5130
Hours 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday
10 a.m. to 12 p.m. Thursday
10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Friday and Sat

Cronopios
De Diego Ave.

Museum of Art of Puerto Rico (MAPR)
299 De Diego Ave.   787.977.6277

Photography by Denise Blasor

One should either be a work of art,
or wear a work of art.


Oscar Wilde
 MUSEUM TANGO

Tango, calligraphy, book design, digital photography and stained glass making are among the courses to be offered at The Museum of Art of Puerto Rico as part of the institution's ongoing workshop program. Taught by professionals, the courses run from Oct. 16 to Dec. 22 at a cost ranging from $100 for a digital photography class to $190 for a class in advanced painting. For those who want to tango, sign up early as enrollment is limited. Classes run from Nov. 7 to Dec. 5: Monday and Wednesday nights, from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

There are courses also for the younger set ( 3 to 10 years of age). Subjects include papier maché, creative writing, painting, drawing. One class open to all children is "Talleres de duendes," a creative workshop inspired by Christmas.

Find additional information at www.mapr.org. Museum members get a $10 to $15 discount on classes.

To enroll, go to talleres@mapr.org or call 787.977.4423 or 787.977.6277 ext. 2283 or 2267.



Photography by Juliette Blasor

"But if I'd ever experienced the uplift
that an artist feels when he's creating, I think
I'd have scorned my material environment and
all that goes with it, and I'd have taken wing and
soared away into the sky."

The Seagull by Anton Chekhov







LIVING FOOD

The best sauerkraut on local supermarket shelves?

Gundelsheim's Barrel Sauerkraut, without a doubt. You can find it at
Supermax De Diego and it's tops, with just the right level of acidity and
assertive flavor. Gundelsheim uses only two ingredients for this product
made in Germany: cabbage and salt (a tad high at 430 mg but that's what
drives the process of fermentation!). Sauerkraut, by the way, is an
ancient food, believed to have been introduced in Europe by no less than
Genghis Khan!

Fermented foods are very healthy as they are rich in enzymes which help
with digestion and absorption. That is why they are called living foods,
because they are not cooked, thus preserving those all important enzymes!

Other fermented foods: miso, tempeh, kefir, kombucha.




©  2012 Lorraine Blasor All Rights Reserved✍