Apr 15, 2026
Alain de Botton on Love, Friendship, and Finding Oneself
A reflection on Alain de Botton’s challenge to romantic ideals, friendship, and the work of knowing oneself.
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Tag: <span>amin malouf</span>
Browse the field notes by date, topic, place, and memory.
Apr 15, 2026
A CGM Continuous Glucose Monitoring, Artificial Intelligence, and the Limits of Cultural Understanding
A CGM, Artificial Intelligence, and the Limits of Cultural Understanding For the past week, I have been wearing a continuous glucose monitor, a device largely designed and marketed for the…
Apr 15, 2026
A French Lunch: Vive la France
A lunch in France becomes a lesson in nutrition, culture, and the social worlds that shape how people eat.
Apr 15, 2026
A Few Hours at Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden
A quiet Miami field note on gardens, attention, and the relief of stepping outside the city’s noise.
Apr 15, 2026
A Physician-Anthropologist Among Indigenous Peoples
A reflection on medicine, anthropology, and long relationships with Indigenous communities around the world.
Apr 15, 2026
Yaqut al-Hamawi: The Great Arab Traveller Who Was Not Arab
A portrait of Yaqut al-Hamawi, the medieval geographer whose life began in captivity and became a vast act of description.
Apr 15, 2026
Goodbye Raghu Rai, the Great Photojournalist of India
A personal farewell to Raghu Rai and the photographs, memories, and human presence his work carried.
Mar 15, 2026
Pinecrest, Edgar Watson, and the moral edge of the Everglades
“To travel is to feel.” - Fernando Pessoa I went to Pinecrest today, though it no longer exists. Not in the way that towns exist-with a centre, a rhythm, a…
Mar 15, 2026
Goodbye, Ricky Café
A farewell to a Miami café that held fragments of friendship, memory, and ordinary ritual.
Mar 15, 2026
Pranayama, Vagal Stimulation, and Blood Pressure
A physician-anthropologist’s reflection on breath, physiology, and the clinical meaning of contemplative practice.
Mar 15, 2026
What Did the Medicine Man Say?
A field reflection on humility, Indigenous wisdom, and the difference between knowledge and presence.
Mar 15, 2026
A Journey from Paris to Miami on Air France
A travel note from Cochin to Miami, moving through cancellations, airports, and the calm of a familiar route home.