[.happy.midsummer.]

"Glad Midsommar!" wrote my Swedish friends opening or closing their emails or sms yesterday. It's midsummer. I called my mom in Yogyakarta. "Happy midsummer, mom!" - and she bursted into laughter, realising it was one of many influences I got from working closely with the Swedes for many years.

It is practically 'summer' all year round here in Jakarta. Leaves on the trees are always green, flowers keep blooming, the sun shines approximately 12 hours a day, every day. Still, I'm fascinated at how the word "summer" always brings such a happy feeling to most people.

And this midsummer weekend I really enjoy a quiet time at our terrace-turned-into-restaurant, thinking about my friends in Sweden who must be celebrating the midsummer in the storybook-like countryside right now. I looked at the neighborhood's tiny park just across the street. I noticed that if we really pay attention, we still could hear the voice of birds singing, though often masked by the noise of cars passing by. Can it create a midsummer feeling, somehow?

Now, I would like to have these for lunch...a beautiful feast at the home of cookbook author and Indian cooking authority Maya Kaimal. See all the pictures and read the article on Country Living.





pictures from Country Living