Alpujarras

Alpujarras, a set on Flickr.

Hey remember when I was in the Sierra Nevada? I wrote the post Coffee Tastes Better well, these are the photos!

Happy 21 to my coloc (roommate) Laura

I raided two boulangerie's this morning by the apartment to make this birthday breakfast!

Happy Birthday Laura!

Starting with the top left side,
- Raspberry cake wrapped in soft meringue
- Strawberry fruit custard tart
- Creme brule
- Apple tart
- Chocolate chip chocolate cake
- Strawberry fruit custard tart
- Chocolate gateau
- Lemon tart with soft meringue
- Hard meringue (pink and white)
- Sweet bread with sugar
- Mille feuille

A Moveable Feast

I was lent this book by a fellow tutor and have found it easier to read on my trips outside of Paris rather then in a cafe while in Paris. I really appreciated this Hemingway. I've tried some of his other works and maybe it just wasn't the right time for me to read them but after this I'm willing to revisit. I think this is a good Hemingway to start with especially if you are a woman. (If you've read his other works you'll know why I say that)

A lot of moments in the book were so perfectly captured I had to stop and just appreciate the truth he is able to convey with so few words. There were many memorable passages for me. If you have ever been poor, hungry or in love I think you'll appreciate this little book.

There are many versions of 'A Moveable Feast', I quite enjoyed the one I read expect for the last chapter that was drawn out but worth the last page. The Arrow Books, Random House publication (photo above) is more in favour of Hadley then of his second wife.

If you're living in Paris and having a short trip to get away from the city I highly recommend this book to give you a fresh perspective for your return.

Diving for the first time

Parmesan Lost

So my mom's facebook satus an hour ago read:
Is seriously saddened by all the loss of Parmesan cheese due to the earthquake in Italy...was impressed they called in the military to try to save the cheese! Have been off dairy for 10 days (even in my tea) as tribute to lost Parmesan... Someone should write an ode(or parody) to "Parmesan Lost"...

So I said 'I'm on it' and wrote...

Parmesan Lost
For My Mom
An Ode to the Parmesan cheese that perished in Italy

All the great mouths that you feed
Now for your fast recovery they plead
You cover each inch of the floor where you fell
The clock tower was so sad it crumbled as well
Gone are the sows
Traumatized are the cows
This is more then split milk
This is worse then wine spilt on silk
Those of us who are your number one fan
Say, Without you our dishes are bland
All those salads without your grace
No one will say, That pasta was ace!
Grana Padero are cheering at your fall
Although they too lost more then a wall
100,000 of them 300,000 of you
The lettuce in Ceasers wont know what to do
You're still the most expensive cheese of the lot
Millions of edible dollars this damn earthquake got
If the Parmesan had seen the earthquake coming
Maybe the wheels could have gone running
But alas the last earthquake was 700 years ago
How were they ever to know?
Each photo shows a hell for cheese lovers
Now is the time to cry with your mothers and brothers
Oh stinky cheese adieu, farewell, goodbye
Hopefully building codes will be better so no more of you die