While exploring Roman archeological sites in Europe and the Middle East, I learned about geothermal energy. Centuries ago, the Romans saw the value of this natural resource and used it for their benefit. For example, the Roman Baths, about an hour and a half train ride from London, were constructed in the 1st century C.E to utilize the thermal water with a temperature of 46 degrees Celsius or 115 degrees Fahrenheit.

What does autumn mean to you? For me, for years in New York, autumn meant the arrival of crisp air, the changing colors of leaves, homecomings, the impending holidays and pumpkin spiced everything. In San Diego, there’s still an arrival of moderately cooler air, you can drive an hour or so and watch the leaves change yet your fish tacos are just as tasty as they were a few months ago and your flip-flops never leave your feet. Here, summer reigns supreme and that outdoor lifestyle doesn’t change much throughout the year.

Nayda Collazo-Llorens, born in San Juan, Puerto Rico, is an interdisciplinary visual artist working in multiple mediums including works on paper and canvas, video, installation works, printmedia and public interventions, among others. Through her practice, she examines how our minds perceive the world around us, dealing with concepts of navigation and mapping. 

Plump and misshapen, with a soft, chewy texture that’s reminiscent of pasta or gnocchi, Spätzle belongs in its own culinary category altogether.

Pervasive in Germany, Austria, and Hungary, and stretching into Switzerland and other neighboring European countries, the popular pasta comes in several varieties. But the miniature dumplings usually share a few common threads – a simple dough, heavy with egg and flour, and a cooking method that involves dangling the dough over simmering water so that it cooks on contact.