Is Steve Still Alive?

Tonight I had one of the best meals of my life.  I was sitting at my home in the countryside of Mallorca and was feeling bored and hungry when I decided to venture out to another town in search of something to eat.  I drove about 30 minutes to Manacor, which is Mallorca's second largest city and the birthplace of tennis player Rafael Nadal.  Once I arrived in Manacor I found a place called Factoria Restaurant.  I was greeted by Juan the bartender and he set me up with a table.  I was flying solo tonight and may have actually enjoyed the essence of my meal more because of it.  I can't remember ever having a dining experience that had me savoring every bite from beginning to end.  I was fully immersed in the flavors interacting with my tastebuds, and no joke, I was smiling after each bite because everything tasted so good.

I had the black yucca bread appetizer and highly recommend it because it's f--cking delicious..  I followed that up with the grilled pork dish and there are no words to explain how tasty that was.  I almost drowned in flavor ecstasy and was enjoying my meal so much that chef and owner Tomeu Bauzá, actually came out to thank me for my appreciation of the culinary art he was creating in the kitchen.  We chatted for a bit and then it was time for dessert.  He walked me through each option, but in the end I still couldn't decide so he brought me both, again more flavor ecstacy.

I thoroughly enjoyed my solo date with food tonight.  Chef Tomeu is a super cool guy creating flavorful masterpieces and is grateful to have the opportunity to share his art with others.

Thank you chef Tomeu, Vanesa, and Juan for an amazing dining experience.  I'll definitely be back!

For the past 6 weeks I've been living on a finca (country estate) 2.5 miles outside a small town called Montuïri on the Spanish island of Mallorca (also called Majorca) in the Mediterranean Sea.  Mallorca is part of the Balearic Islands located off the east coast of Spain which includes Menorca, Cabrera, Ibiza, and Formentera. This archipelago has a long history of switching cultural hands over the past 8,000 years and has been occupied by the Phoenicians, Carthaginians, Romans, Vandals, and Moors.  You can see the historical influence from each of these civilizations as well as the religious influence from times of Christian and Muslim occupation.

Everywhere you go on the island you here a mix of Spanish, German, Swedish, Russian, Swiss, Italian and English being spoken.  Even though Mallorca is part of Spain, Catalan is the preferred language of choice by the real locals.  Street signs tend to jump between Catalan and Spanish and aren't often in both.

I arrived in Mallorca on April 19 and prior to getting here, I was craving some good Mexican food, which I had neglected to take advantage of before leaving San Diego.  I've been living in the countryside near a village called Montuïri and there really aren't too many food options nearby, definitely no Mexican food because this is Spain after all.  Anyway, after a couple of weeks in the countryside, I decided to spend a weekend checking out Palma.  After arriving by bus I was walking to my hotel, still craving Mexican food.  As I stopped to check some directions I looked up and saw that I was standing in front of a place called El Aquanauta and saw the word "tacos."  I went in, had a seat and ordered 3 different tacos off the menu.  Each one was great and I was wishing I had a larger appetite and more accommodating belly that would allow me to try more from the menu.  These tacos were easily on par with anything in southern California.

I've been back a few times, not only because of the great food, but also because the staff is super cool and very welcoming.  The chef Raúl is from Mexico so he knows his shit and is a great guy to shoot the shit with.  He's lived and worked all over the world so we've had plenty of good conversations across a wide spectrum of subjects.  The owner Andres actually spent time in San Diego researching taco spots to get inspiration for El Aquanauta, which makes this a very appealing place to hang out when I want a taste of home.

If you find yourself in Palma you should definitely make a point of having a meal here, whether you're looking for Mexican food or just looking for good food, in a cool environment, with a staff that enjoys their job.  This place is a great hang out or meeting spot to get the night started.

Earlier this year I spent 6 weeks in South Africa working on a nonprofit rhino anti-poaching project that I’m involved with called RHINO 911.  This is a video I threw together from footage I shot while I was there.

To support RHINO 911 go to paypal.me/rhino911

The song is “This Is the Walk” by David O’Dowda

I'm amazed at what I see on social media in regards to the tragic event that occurred at Pulse nightclub in Orlando, FL.  Before I go any further, I want to make it clear that this isn't a post for or against gun control and I'm specifically referencing the event of June 12 and not a different mass shooting incident.

Everyone on Facebook and Twitter are talking about gun control as if that were the cause of this specific event.  The gun was the chosen tool for the attack, but the true issue that no one is addressing is how do we fix the root of this particular tragedy which goes beyond the gun and the shooter?  The gun debate is a good debate, but it's not what should be debated when it comes to discussing the casualties, because the reality is these tragic killings could have been carried out a number of ways, almost as easily, and with a potentially more devastating outcome.  What we should be discussing is what caused Omar Mateen to carry out such a violent action.  Whether he was directed by ISIS/ISIL/Daesh or some other terrorist group, or just merely influenced by them is irrelevant, because in either scenario it leads back to them.  So what I don't understand is why no one is focusing on that issue, the issue of how we stop them from planting the seeds of fanaticism into citizens of this country and other countries where their ideology is spreading.

I'm amazed at what I see on social media in regards to the tragic event that occurred at Pulse nightclub in Orlando, FL.  Before I go any further, I want to make it clear that this isn't a post for or against gun control and I'm specifically referencing the event of June 12 and not a different mass shooting incident.

Everyone on Facebook and Twitter are talking about gun control as if that were the cause of this specific event.  The gun was the chosen tool for the attack, but the true issue that no one is addressing is how do we fix the root of this particular tragedy which goes beyond the gun and the shooter?  The gun debate is a good debate, but it's not what should be debated when it comes to discussing the casualties, because the reality is these tragic killings could have been carried out a number of ways, almost as easily, and with a potentially more devastating outcome.  What we should be discussing is what caused Omar Mateen to carry out such a violent action.  Whether he was directed by ISIS/ISIL/Daesh or some other terrorist group, or just merely influenced by them is irrelevant, because in either scenario it leads back to them.  So what I don't understand is why no one is focusing on that issue, the issue of how we stop them from planting the seeds of fanaticism into citizens of this country and other countries where their ideology is spreading.

I'm amazed at what I see on social media in regards to the tragic event that occurred at Pulse nightclub in Orlando, FL.  Before I go any further, I want to make it clear that this isn't a post for or against gun control and I'm specifically referencing the event of June 12 and not a different mass shooting incident.

Everyone on Facebook and Twitter are talking about gun control as if that were the cause of this specific event.  The gun was the chosen tool for the attack, but the true issue that no one is addressing is how do we fix the root of this particular tragedy which goes beyond the gun and the shooter?  The gun debate is a good debate, but it's not what should be debated when it comes to discussing the casualties, because the reality is these tragic killings could have been carried out a number of ways, almost as easily, and with a potentially more devastating outcome.  What we should be discussing is what caused Omar Mateen to carry out such a violent action.  Whether he was directed by ISIS/ISIL or some other terrorist group, or just merely influenced by them is irrelevant, because in either scenario it leads back to them.  So what I don't understand is why no one is focusing on that issue, the issue of how we stop them from planting the seeds of fanaticism into citizens of this country and other countries where their ideology is spreading.