New museum: The CROW Museum of Asian Art

It’s been a few “letters” since we visited a museum, so off we went to The Crow Museum of Asian Art, located at The University of Texas at Dallas in Richardson. It was a total surprise in terms of what we were expecting, and we truly loved it. We had visions of a very small building that was an offshoot of the original museum in Dallas. Wrong! Driving up to the museum you’re greeted by a large building with great sculptures outside.

And inside – fabulous art of every type and style. The museum offers tours for K-12, university and adult audiences that “foster dialogue, explore multiple perspectives and ignite curiosity in an inspiring environment.” The museum’s collections span Europe, Asia, Africa, the Americas, and beyond. We saw folk art, jade pieces, statutes, furniture, masks, paintings, screens – a whole lot of creativity.

All in all, it was a wonderful visit and another reason we are thankful for expanding our art appreciation.

New delicacy: Japanese CHEESECAKE

Having just been immersed in Asian art, we thought it was appropriate to visit a small bakery called Mr. Puffy and try their Japanese cheesecake. The recipe was created by Japanese chef Tomotaro Kuzuno  and is a pastry that is lighter in texture and less sweet than North American style cheesecakes. Definitely mixed reviews. Whereas Barbara really enjoyed the cheesecake consistency and flavor, it ran counter to Laura’s lofty cheesecake standards formed by a whole lot of cheesecake sampling dating back to when she lived in Manhattan in her 20s. So unable to put aside her bias, she found Mr. Puffy to be not all that puffy and a little on the bland side. But we were both glad we stopped by and had a new taste experience.