Soul Searching

So, what have I been so busy doing for the last two years?

2005/2006 – Sabbatical (Indonesia, Nepal, Thailand, Africa)
2006 – Design training program for Acupuncturists & Chinese Medicine practitioners
2007 – Implement course at the Seattle Institute for Oriental Medicine
2007/2008 – First field trip (Bali, Indonesia)
2008 – Second training (NY)

While I was away I got this idea (with nudges from lots of people - Ted Bissell, Dan Bensky, Paul Karsten, and Craig Mitchell) to try and bring Chinese medicine to areas in the world that had limited access to Western health care. The idea was based on my experiences while traveling in the developing world on my sabbatical. I saw everything from a dislocated kneecap, TB, leprosy, and of course lots of malaria. I could see a future in which my brothers and sisters in Chinese medicine could be on the forefront of the battle against disease, poverty, and suffering. A future in which where there was a catastrophe, you would find us. Where there was a war, you would find us. Where there was economic injustice, you would find us. Given that acupuncturists on the whole are an unruly bunch, I thought there would be no shortage of interest in a project like this.

After a pleasant reintroduction to the Gotham Grill on 12th Street (it had been years since I had been there), I was totally surprised by an exquisite find on their wine list. I was feeling in an uncharacteristically adventurous mood (in terms of wine), and I saw something on the wine list that piqued my interest. There was a Rhone by Chateau Rayas - the great CNdP producer. I didn’t know that they made a regular Rhone wine.

A little background, sometime in the early 90’s, I was in France tooling around, and I got it in my head to visit the Rhone valley. In particular, the famed Chateau Neuf du Pape - where so many of my favorite wines were produced. Don’t get me wrong, I like a good red table Rhone as much as the next guy, but i was weened on the CNdP and it has a special place in my heart. So, off to find the Motherland. I drove all around the valley, but since it was not peak season, most places were closed. A few weren’t and I went in and did tastings.