Portland chef Greg Higgins is best known as one of the
forefathers of sustainable, farm-to-table dining in the Pacific
Northwest, which he's been dishing up at his downtown restaurant
Higgins for almost 18 years. ---  But right now, he's about
6,000 miles from Southwest Broadwayâmaking sausages in
Mongolia.  Higgins is there with Mercy Corp's Farmer to Farmer
project, sharing his sausage and charcuterie  making expertise
with local butchers. During his three-week stay, he'll be
blogging regularly for . Here's his first diary:  In two words,
it's Mercy Corps. But in reality, it's much more than that. This
is an ancient nomadic culture redefining itself in our digital
age. I was asked to come here to share my knowledge and skill in
making sausage and cured meats with people who have the world's
greatest wealth and abundance of grass-fed livestock, yet
struggle on many other economic levels.   This is a ruggedly
beautiful place—amazing people proud of their heritage, and in
transition from being nomadic herder