paris in bloom

As you've heard from myself (and possibly others), Paris has been enjoying the most beautiful spring thus far. Dare I say there's been more sun and blue skies than all of last year put together? Pollution aside, of course. The flowers are thrilled! And apparently, so are the ladies and gents of Instagram, who 'like like' the fleur shots most. I doubt this is news to anyone but an Instagram novice like I.

With that said, one of my most liked 'grams was entirely flower-less. I took it a few Sundays ago, after having asked Lorelei to meet me for my favorite meal of the week in her quartier. I'd heard so many good things about Mamie Green. (Un)fortunately, upon our arrival, we discovered the vegetarian resto was nowhere to be found. A new eatery had sprung up in its place. Or Bloom-ed, rather...

Bloom serves a delectable array of mostly Île-de-France-sourced products (read: local) and two brunch menus. We decided to share the sweet and savory at a table outside: dark roasted coffee, pressed beet juice, country bread, preserves, pain au chocolat, turkey breast, julienned vegetables, terrine, brie, tomme des Pyrénées (cheese), baked egg, delicata squash, lentil salad, and apple crumbles.

It was just about the best brunch I've had this year; though today's at my preferred bobo locale comes in a close second. (Sigh). Now, each time such a memory is made with friends, I can't help but think of how I'll refer to it in the not-so-distant future. "When I lived in Paris..." Fingers crossed life's got something that looks as pretty, smells as sweet, and feels as good in store for next season.

basic abundance

"Life feels so abundant right now." I can't even tell you how many times I've said that in the past few weeks, nor how happy my certainty of the fact makes me. The craziest part? Not much has changed since I felt so out of place this summer. I still spend most of my time interning, and the rest of it trying to enjoy life in Paris on a tighter-than-ever-before budget. Now, I just happen to have a thesis topic instead of a boyfriend. And much to my (relieved) surprise, that slight shift seems to have been the right one. I'm overwhelmed with gratitude for the serendipitous trip to Sweden that provided the mental and physical space to realize it.

I've been focusing on people who inspire and animate me, and directing my modest finances towards local treasures and quality meals. The one above, for instance: brunch with Gillian. It lasted five hours and Sol Semilla was only our first stop. Like I said, abundant; and on an individual level, too. I've been reading, walking, and cooking to my heart's content. I've also done some preliminary thesis research, and thus am over the moon with excitement. If I share something super fun (like a recent Macklemore concert), will you be patient as I geek out and tell you all about it? Maybe take the weekend to consider it? :) have a good one!

bienvenue, l'automne

Happy first day of fall! Paris seems to have taken pity on my autumn blues because I left PageYourself's office on Friday to this:

That, my friends, is what temperate weather looks like. This has obviously been a very exciting weekend as a result. Beneath yesterday's blue skies, I ran to the bank, the post office, the market, the grocery store, and the laundromat, multiple times. Then I came back to my apartment and scrubbed it in its entirety. Lorelei and I toasted to Saturday's productivity at Joséphine last night.

Post-equinox, I met Lara at Bob's Kitchen for Sunday brunch: coffee, filtered beet-apple-ginger juice, and buckwheat pancakes topped with fruits rouges. Yes, yum. We wrapped up our date at the Musée des arts et métiers, marveling at the great lengths of human imagination as we caught up on the latest in each other's lives. She is delightful. And the rest of my day continued as such with reading, watching, and making lentil soup (recipe to come!). Fall, I am just loving you so far. Thanks, Paris, for playing along.

super nature superfoods

Healthy, it's an elusive concept. My definition? Being healthy is spending time with people I love eating food I enjoy, food that nourishes me in the ways I need nourishing; falling asleep soundly and dreaming for 7+ hours; taking every opportunity to use my legs to explore, my arms to carry, and my core to hold it all together; taking alone time to reflect, rejuvenate; letting myself cry sometimes, but trying to laugh more often than not. To me, being healthy is being happy, and in that happiness, treating myself and all around me well.

My individual understanding of "healthy" becomes especially interesting when I place it in a distinct cultural context. Previously, it's been Ecuadorian, Chilean, and French... and now, even more specifically, it's Parisian. There are characteristics that remind me of the New York health food scene: organic open-air markets, green juice bars, vegetarian cafés. And then there are others that are distinctly Parisian: 3-course, prix-fixe brunches with dessert, for instance. A recent experience at Super Nature comes to mind.

Boy have I been craving healthy, in every sense of the word. The craziness of these past few weeks has meant lots and lots of mental stimulation, but it's also meant less girls nights, green vegetables, and quality rest. I've been sitting at my desk more often than not and stress-induced insomnia has all but replaced a good night's sleep. I can tell, too. I feel sluggish, breakouts have been more frequent and my clothes don't fit quite like they used to. And it's because the Hive last weekend that I reflected on it.

Believe it or not, I used to identify as "a healthy food blogger." I studied nutrition, ran a few races, and drank a ton of green smoothies. And then, at some point, I lost interest. I wanted to be able to embrace travel and food without worrying about whether or not it fit my narrow view of what was "good for me." I reveled in the joie de vivre. I become more flexible in my lifestyle. But, I never stopped caring; I still believe that if we don't feel our best, we can't possibly enjoy all the goodness around us. So, this is my pledge to focus on healthy living a little bit more in these weeks to come. It is possible to embrace healthy in a (dare I say it) healthier way, even here in Paris. And with that, I'm off to bed. Looking forward to cleaner eats and exercise tomorrow.

what's a bobo?

A bourgeois-bohemian, of course! I'll admit I only became familiar with the term since living in Paris. David Brooks, author of Bobos in Paradise, defined bobos as "highly educated folk who have one foot in the bohemian world of creativity and another foot in the bourgeois realm of ambition and worldly success." In reference to the French version, The New York Times explained: "Bobo takes over where the old Mitterrand-era label "gauche caviar," or caviar socialist, left off. Less political and more materialistic than that group, French Bobos design their lifestyles in a mix that includes the rarest luxuries, middle-class classics, senior citizen string-collecting strategies and student-style cheap 'n' chic." Quite the classification, huh?

Especially as I apparently live amongst them. While researching my post on Joséphine Caves Parisiennes, I found a negative review which read: "someone in the 17th has told their friends that there is a cool underground rock club on rue Moret and they are bringing their HSBC gold cards in droves." Ahem. Though I recognize the privilege I have to be pursuing a master's degree in Paris, please know that I am living completely on loans and only have flexible spending money because I reside in a true chambre de bonne. And, 9/10 times I brunch on the weekends, I do so at my neighborhood 3 Pièces Cuisine.

            

This casual, retro eatery is both cool and cheap in the 17ème. For only 11€, half the price (or more) of most Parisian brunches, I regularly enjoy noisettes, juice, a croissant or pain au chocolat, quiche/tarte/tartine with salad, fries, and/or a baked egg... plus a housemade dessert. It is fantastic (and filling) fuel for an afternoon of studying, even without "the best" coffee. Maybe one day I'll be confident enough in my French to check out their happy hour; according to one Parisian twenty-something I recently met, 3 Pièces Cuisine becomes a pretty fun bar, too, bobo or not. Cheers to the weekend and happy Cinco de Mayo to you!

sweet & savory in marrakech

This past week, I officially became a paid (!) teaching assistant (TA) for an undergraduate course: Food and Communications. I'll be helping my former professor with two of her other classes as well, but this one is the one I'm most involved and interested in. Surprise, surprise, huh? I'm very much nerdily excited.

The students are required to read two readings for next week; one being Food as a Cultural Construction by Anna Meigs. In the article, she explores "how food and eating ... are understood as a means that unite apparently separate and diverse objects and organisms ... in a single life" by the Hua, a small population living on Mount Michael in Papua New Guinea. A few excerpts:

"Food systems are, like myth or ritual systems, Douglas says, codes wherein the patterns by which a culture 'sees' are embedded."

" Reciprocal gift exchanges, often of food, bind members of a society together in relations of mutual participation and unity," (Mauss).

"Eating is understood and analyzed by Robertson Smith as a way of establishing physical unity not only with the deity but also with one's fellow humans." 

"In the act of eating [in the Hua conception] one is connecting oneself with the world, opening one's body and one's self to the dynamic influences of properties, vital essence, and emotions of other organisms."

In general, I approach food in four ways: nutritionally, based on cravings, for convenience, and/or in the spirit of tradition. This is why eating, for me, is such a vital part of any travel experience. I put aside most of my food-related habits in order to embrace those of the people raised in the place--thereby, beyond simply enjoying their culinary delicacies, understanding (or at least, exposing myself to) their culture even further.

On our Saturday evening in Marrakech, Leslie, Anna, and I headed to Jemaa el Fna. Each week, in this large historical square, local restaurants set up stalls to serve dinner. Anna's handy guidebook advised us to focus on those stalls which were visibly popular with the Moroccan community for the best and most fresh food.

I'm pretty sure we began with bowls of Harira (tomato-based, chickpea) soup. I'm only uncertain because we didn't ask :) just ate. Next, we ventured to another stall for our main course. I enjoyed a bowl of beef couscous and roasted potatoes... which both went un-photographed because I simply ate it too quickly.

To wrap up our dinner adventure, we walked over to the carts serving mint tea and dessert. I opted to try what I believe to be similar to these Moroccan-Date Bonbons. And, I didn't like them, at all.

Honestly, when it comes to dessert, I mostly just love chocolate. Furthermore, I wouldn't consider myself a big fan of Moroccan food in general. My palate just doesn't understand why fruit has such a prominent place in savory dishes, and apparently it doesn't understand desserts spiced with cardamon either.

I do appreciate Moroccan cuisine a whole lot more though. Begrir or Moroccan pancakes, for instance, are amazing; especially when paired with fresh, salty eggs, natural strawberry marmalade, sesame bread, and the best fresh-squeezed orange juice... ever a.k.a. the phenomenal breakfast at the riad.

I've also discovered how freaking good a tagine--a slow-cooked dish with traditional spices, tender braised meat, aromatic vegetables, and sweet prunes--could be. We spent our Sunday exploring the "new city" and stumbled upon an unassuming Café Bourneix. Their beef tagine, the second of my 3 courses, was fantastic.

Unfortunately or not, besides these two "authentic" meals we dined at restaurants which visibly catered to tourists. It seemed as though the only eateries flanked with locals served fast food... even if there was great Moroccan food to be found elsewhere. This led me to hypothesize that eating out didn't have the same significance to Moroccans as it does to Leslie, Anna, and I. I could be wrong or I could be right, I don't know. 

Either way :) it was a wonderful experience. I have one last Marrakech sight to share and then it's catch-up Parisian time with a bit of news. Wishing you a great weekend! I'm off to visit my French family in Melun.

good to be back

Get ready... I'm about to "glorify busy". For as brilliant (yes, trying to sound British) as last weekend was, I returned to Paris with quite the insane week. I have one midterm paper due on Friday, another due on Monday, and one more due Wednesday. In addition to the extra stressful workload, I've begun interning twice week which is not only an amazing opportunity, but a disconcerting elimination of most, if not all of my mid-week free time. Then there's laundry to be washed, markets to be visited, and yet another friend's birthday in need of celebrating. Oh, and did I mention all is not well with family? Distance doesn't make it any easier.

You might say I'm a bit of a wreck at the moment, and if so, you wouldn't entirely be incorrect. I must admit I smiled and sighed on my walk from the metro today though. I had a Bob's Juice Bar green cocktail in hand (thanks for the rec, Gillian!) and picked up une demi tradition (half-size traditional baguette) along the way. Even though I'm not at my best, it is good to be back... or dare I say, home.

le dimanche

I'm not sure if you're aware or not... but Paris isn't a very convenient place on a Sunday. Very few stores are open and hardly any service providers are available, leaving countless French people and Francophiles to truly taking the day off. Just imagine how "unproductive" the day must be in a small provincial town!

This can be frustrating for Americans, and understandably so--we're accustomed to having 24/7 access to anything and everything and most of our life "stuff" gets done on the weekend. Still, I'm choosing to embrace this foreign concept. My sole Sunday responsibility is to spend quality time with someone I adore? Merci bien.

[Buffet brunch at Monseiur: coffee, tea, pear juice, orange juice, croissants, scrambled eggs, mesclun salads, pain au chocolat, fruit salad, pancakes, bread, cheese, butter, jam, and frommage blanc topped with a berry compote]

[My date for the day: Marie]

[A longer than expected visit to Musée Carnavalet - (see more photos here)]

[market-shopping at Bastille and window-shopping in Le Marais]

Sure, I may have had a whole lot of reading to do for class (which I did do, eventually), but I couldn't have asked for a more perfect Sunday.

["êtes la plus belle" = "you are the most beautiful/fairest of them all"]

the amazonas

There's something really incredible about being in the Amazon, a vast tropical rainforest I've probably known about my entire life yet never actually seen. There's something kind of wonderful about traveling almost completely by boat over countless river fish including piranhas, and perhaps, an anaconda or two. There's something bewildering about having breakfast in Colombia, lunch in Brazil, coffee in Peru and still being able to make it back to Leticia for dinner. Hopefully these photos are able to capture even just a little bit of that.

[morning meal at Amazon Bed & Breakfast: fruit, juice, fried egg, cheese, bread, café con leche]

[a snack exchange with "Shakira"]

[meets & greets with wild squirrel monkeys]

[almojábana (a type of Colombian corn bread) snack]

[Colombian "barbecue" lunch: fish soup, fried fish, cabbage slaw salad, steak and peppers, red beans, white rice, patacones]

[more animal interaction at a Peruvian reserve]

[light dinner with live music at a corner pizzeria]

[another early and delicious B&B breakfast after bed ]

 

[a visit to a Peruvian nature reserve]

[one of the three fish I caught fishing]

[an awkward moment with a wild iguana]

[a fabulous lunch of lemonade, chicken soup, fried fish, steak with peppers, cabbage slaw, white rice, and a baked banana]

[a relaxing afternoon at the lodge with wild & hungry capybaras]

 [a much-needed vanilla ice cream treat from Mimo's]

 [late night dinner: Club Colombia, mahi mahi, patacones, salad, white rice]

[a very sweet and thoughtful morning birthday cake from the B&B  staff]

 [a visit to Brazil to tour a chocolatier, shop at the market, stop by a shipyard...]

[...and take a look at a modern Catholic church]

[a bandeja paisa birthday lunch at Restaurante Tres Fronteras del Amazonas]

And then, of course, there's something unbelievably special about sharing all of it with my grandmother. We'll discuss in more detail at a later date :).