stevenminegar

Living Life Bourdain Style

What Tony taught me, where he took me and how he made me the man I am today This is to all the fans of Anthony Bourdain who felt they lost a piece of themselves three years ago. It is my and others’ mission to restore that. This is for me. This is for you.Continue reading “Living Life Bourdain Style”

Tracing the Ties that Bind – Chile and East Germany’s Intersections in History

The parallels and intersections in Chile and former East Germany’s histories are uniquely fascinating. Both countries’ repressive yet ideologically adversarial dictatorships reached the heights of their power in the 70’s and 80’s and crashed to the ground between 1988 and 1990. Both hosted each others’ political exiles escaping repression in one case and prosecution inContinue reading “Tracing the Ties that Bind – Chile and East Germany’s Intersections in History”

Brazil – The Purest Form of Poetry

Foreward: I’m sitting on a plane about to land in São Paulo. This is my fifth time in Brazil, and I can’t get over how lucky I am to have come here so many times in my life…truly blessed to have the opportunity to reflect on this place. I never set out to learn Portuguese.Continue reading “Brazil – The Purest Form of Poetry”

The Distant Thunder of the 20th Century – Thoughts upon Returning from Berlin, Germany

The 20th century was a test bed for big ideas – fascism, communism, the atomic bomb. — P.J. O’Rourke At the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, tourists smile and take selfies on a cool, sunny day. The air is still, and around me are gleaming new buildings housing embassies, cafes and an art academy. One wouldContinue reading “The Distant Thunder of the 20th Century – Thoughts upon Returning from Berlin, Germany”