Get That Girl a Sandwich!

I'm loving this new word I found on the blog Pretty Is As Pretty Does (I went to school with the author - go Wildcats!)

Hangry adj. \ˈhan-grē\ to be angry, irritable, disconsolate or mean, as a result of hunger.

As in, "Someone better get me food STAT or I'm about to get hangry." 

Also known as the cause of 85% of all fights occurring in my household between 5-7pm. 

I should just have this apology tattooed on my forehead:

Makes me wonder - why can't I just remember to keep some trail mix in my damn purse already?!?

 Speaking of food - I'm getting so geared up for pizza tonight! 

Do you spend all day getting excited for dinner too? Or...not...?

Bon Appetit!

I'm back, my friends! 

Should we start with the food?

 I think so... it's probably the one thing I miss most so far. I don't know what it is about French food, but everything is so much richer, fresher and more flavorful - including the drop-dead ripe peaches and the dreamy-creamy yogurt. If anything, the French are obsessed with their food and they are willing to pay for the best quality. Cows graze in actual fields (crazy!) and veggies are bought daily at the peak of freshness. All you have to do is look at the size of Parisian refridgerators - teeny, like the size of a dorm fridge - to understand. Shopping is a daily activity; stops at the baker, the butcher and the produce seller revolve around selecting meal ingredients that are simple and incredibly fresh. From there, it's pretty easy to make an amazing meal!

Take a look at the highlight real.

These were just a few of my favorite meals during the trip -- I didn't take pictures of everything I ate, you guys.

I especially want to highlight this place: Le Soufflé, a restaurant completely devoted to light-as-air souffles for every course.

Dinner soufflé...

... and dessert soufflés

And you don't think we stopped at eating, do you? Never! We cooked food, too!

It was Mom's idea to take a french cooking lesson and we were ready for the adventure!

The Boy was an excellent whisker (and the only man there) so he did a lot of the heavy mixing

While I was more focused on the drinking...

Ok, I did some plating too.

Our main course was roasted fish with a very French sauce and herb flan.

Delicious!

Our fearless leader, the chef, helped us prepare this dessert...

Molten chocolate cake with cream sauce. Gah! To die for. It was so fun spending an evening doing something other than just sitting and eating - we were standing and chopping and eating! We had a fun time chatting with our fellow students and doing something out of the ordinary. Good idea, Mom!

 And finally, I must leave you with my favorite meal of the trip. Nope, no soufflé involved. In fact, my favorite meal was the most simple - breakfast at the apartment. Each day we'd gather fresh bread, yogurt, cheese and fruit for the next day's breakfast. Add some coffee and juice, a croissant if you have it, some Nutella for good measure, and you're set! 

Ahh, bliss.

Traveler's A-Z

Apparently, all the cool kids in the travel-blogging club are doing this Traveler's A to Z, and tagging each other and giggling about it. I totally want in! So I'm borrowing the prompt from Adventurous Kate's page and doing my own! Suck on that, cool kids!

A: Age you went on your first international trip:

7. In the first grade, my parents took me to Scandinavia (Sweden, Norway and Denmark). We visited a friend of mine and her family in Stockholm, traveled on a sleeper train, and almost died in a blizzard. From then on, I was hooked!

B: Best (foreign) beer you’ve had and where:

Korean beer, from here.

I don't drink much beer here, but for some reason I really do like Asian beer. Kingfisher (India) and light Korean beers - with Soju.

C: Cuisine (favorite):

Pretty impossible to decide. I've had the best breakfast in Italy (fresh bread, cheese and milk), best lunches in India (homemade curries and salads thanks to Alice, our school cook), best dinners in China (all the amazing dumplings and traditional dishes) and best deserts in Paris (crepes, macaroons and chocolates). I also LOVE visiting McDonald's in foreign countries - though almost never here- just to try all their culture-specific offerings. McVeggie burger, anyone?

D: Destinations, favorite, least favorite and why:

So hard to decide, but I have to say India is still my favorite: Hampi, Varanasi and Calcutta are tops. For least favorite, I have to say Japan. I love-love-loved visiting my buddy there, but it's just one place I don't see myself going back to again and again.

E: Event you experienced abroad that made you say “wow”:

Travelling alone, no teachers or parents, for the first time in India. Dealt with getting lost, bomb-scares on trains, and being the only white person in an entire town. I love how traveling alone pushes you to connect with people.The scariest, and best, thing I've done as a traveler! 

F: Favorite mode of transportation:

Frighteningly young rickshaw drivers, Varanasi, India

Rickshaws! The speed of a car, the size of a donkey, and the navigation of a bat (I swear, it's all about the honking!) Plus, I love haggling over the price. The bullet train in Japan was pretty great too, but so expensive!

G: Greatest feeling while traveling:

Sharing a great moment with someone living a completely different life. I love when you're communicating with someone who doesn't speak your language, and you have that fun puzzle of trying to figure each other out. 

H: Hottest place you’ve traveled to:

India, again. We travelled to Agra, Jaipur and New Delhi in the heat of summer. Great, because there were very few other tourists. Just make sure to cover your head and bring plenty of water!

I: Incredible service you’ve experienced and where:

The fam and Abby at Explorama Lodge, Peru

@ Explorama Lodges along the Amazon River of Peru. We stayed in a few different lodges, each more and more remote and rustic, but the service at all was excellent. Abelardo -Abby, for short- was our private guide for the week. He took us canoeing and pointed out all the wildlife we could hope to see - including anacondas and sloths- in addition to serenading us with his excellent versions of the Beatles hits catalog...

J: Journey that took the longest:

Flying to Australia. Longest hours, made longer by traveling with a bunch of kids I didn't know (on one of those People to People trips). Australia; great. Traveling with other middle-schoolers; not so much.

Runner up: hiking in Nepal. We went only high enough to see Mount Everest-- no where near Base Camp, and it was so strenuous there were times I didn't think we'd make it. (Serious mountain climbing after spending 5 months eating curry in India = bad idea.)

K: Keepsake from your travels:

I'm terrible; I keep and buy everything and then slowly edit through the years. I really value pieces of jewelry I've picked up around the world.

L: Let-down sight, why and where:

You can barely see her! here.

 The Mona Lisa. It's so tiny! You wait in a huge crowd for a glimpse of a painting you've seen a thousand times in books and on tv, when there are so many other amazing things to see in the Louvre. Something you have to do in Paris, so do it, and move on -- quickly!

M: Moment where you fell in love with travel:

I don't think there was a single moment. I was so lucky to grow up traveling with my parents, that it has always felt like very necessary a part of life and who I am.

N: Nicest hotel you’ve stayed in:

here

Easy, the Park Hyatt in Tokyo. This is the hotel where Lost In Translation was filmed. The top floor club has a 360 view of Tokyo -on clear mornings, you can see Mount Fuji towering in the distance. The pool even has wall to ceiling windows from which we watched one of Tokyo's few snowstorms - magical! Plus the toilets talk to you... but that's normal in Japan...

O: Obsession—what are you obsessed with taking pictures of while traveling?:

Goofy things - funny poses, Engrish signs, animals, whatever makes me smile :).

P: Passport stamps, how many and from where?

I don't know.... lots! I'm on my second Passport.

Q: Quirkiest attraction you’ve visited and where:

from here.

All over India, there are shrines called Shiva Lingam- very literal representations of male and female ... uh, union. I've seen ones where the male parts were taller than I am!

R: Recommended sight, event or experience:

Hampi

Here's two. In Paris, visit the flea markets -- it's a really neat experience. You get to take the train outside the heart of the city and see where the normal people live (and shop)!

Outside of Bangalore, India is Hampi - one of the most gorgeous historical sights I saw in that country -- which is definitely saying something! The sunrise there was one I'll never forget.

S: Splurge; something you have no problem forking over money for while traveling:

When I travel, I try not to think about the money. The worst is coming home and wishing you had done or bought something. I still regret not buying more jewelery in India - so much cheaper than here, and so unique! So I try to save money on things like lodging and food - great excuse to try cheap, delicious street food! - and spend more on experiences and souvenirs!

T: Touristy thing you’ve done:

 I do all the touristy things; I love them! There's a reason everyone's doing them, right? I take my picture in front of everything; sure you look like a dork doing it, but it's a great way to remember all the things you saw once you get home. To balance the touristy-ness, I make sure to spend extra time walking the streets of a place and getting to see the other side of the picture, too.

U: Unforgettable travel memory: 

In India, I spent a week working with a women's fair trade cooperative. Most of the ladies didn't speak English but they sat me down with them and taught me a few of the amazing embroidery skills that have been passed down through generations in their tribe. I'll never forget spending quiet afternoons pricking my fingers with needles and listening to them chat as their own fingers flew across the fabric.

V: Visas, how many and for where?

3: India - student visa. South Korea - worker's visa (to teach English). China - tourist Visa. SO lucky to be an American - it's relatively easy to go most anywhere.

W: Wine, best glass of wine while traveling and where?

I am not a wine drinker, but I recently had a great prosecco in Chicago.

X: eXcellent view and from where?:

Shanghai World Financial Building, the tallest tower in China, offers an amazing view of beautiful Shanghai. There's also a wax figure of my man Jackie Chan.

Y: Years spent traveling?:

All my 25, roughly. An international trip ever other year or so.

Z: Zealous sports fans and where?:

mm...here

England. They love their football - watch out if your in a pub on game day.
 And India, where cricket is king. SRK (Shahrukh Khan for the uninitiated) owns his own team and gave them all gold plated helmets.

Thanks for reading! XO, E.

Lime-out

Amazing - it feels like summer here in the middle of March. 80 degrees, I tell you - almost makes you feel like global warming might not be such a bad thing (I keed I keed!) I've been relaxing on my porch, soaking up the sun and craving hot-weather treats....especially all things lime. Observe.

Heaven

 I will admit it. I have a problem. I made it through one bag this week.....and then when out and bought another one. And I may or may not (details are blurry) have eaten some for breakfast this morning. I'm sure that "hint of lime" flavoring is really "green toxic waste powder" so I'm thinking about trying this recipe for homemade baked lime chips. 

from here

You can't enjoy a bag and half (what?) of lime flavored tortilla chips with out a limey-beverage now can you? Absolutely non. SO whip one of these up for yourself (it's a family classic):

-Fill a glass with ice. 

-Top with Seven-up

-Stir in a couple spoonfuls of frozen Limeade Mix

-Mix in a glug of your favorite booze (I like white rum)

-Swirl and enjoy (oh, you will)

So, none of the above things are good for your health you say? That is true. But with the weather outside, I'm sure you are out skipping and jumping around so you'll burn off the extra lime-flavored calories. And while you're out, keep your lips nice and moist with this:

 

Handmade lip-balm (it comes in LIME!) from the cutest little soap shop in Madison, IN --All Good Things. You can order this stuff - made with coconut oil, shea butter, and essential oils -online. Do it, and feel like you're eating limes all day long!

Lime it up this weekend folks - they're green for St Patty's!

xo,

E.

Internationalize Your Life

Yes, I just made up a word in that title. But I really think it could take off.

For today, some tips on getting out of the domestic rut, which may or may not be an .. ahem .. resolution of yours. You may live in a cool city (Indianapolis) or out in the burbs somewhere. Maybe you're even living in the quaint, quiet countryside. But whether you love your hometown or not, there are likely times you feel that your surroundings are, well, a little bland. You need some spice, some pizazz, something different.
You need to internationalize your life.

Now, I don't want to come off sounding like some kind of lifestyle guru. I don't always do the things I'm advising (except the food things -- I'm reeallly good at eating ethnic food), but I want to remind myself to do them more often. So we're all in the same boat here. 

National food flags, from here via Pinterest.

 -Internationalize Your Belly:

This is probably the easiest way to spice up your life (um, Spice Girl shout out anyone?) With immigration and migration as it is today, you'd be hard pressed to live someplace where a great - or at least mediocre- ethnic restaurant isn't within a reasonable driving distance. Like spicy? Try Thai. Like warm, comfort food? How 'bout Moroccan? Need some greasy goodness? Grab a gyro or falafel at the nearest Middle Eastern restaurant. Want something really different? Try Korean. Next on my list to try are Ethiopian and El Savadoran.

If you're not ready to commit to a whole meal, try scoping out the local international groceries for funky munchies. This is also a great way to revisit places you've been and miss. I love going to the Indian grocery, buying some Limca and digestive biscuits and getting all nostalgic and weepy. Visit the asian grocery and sample all the weird candies. My particular favorite are the mini-jello shooters. Or the Mexican Taqueria, where you can often get fresh tacos and tamales from the back kitchen, on top of fresh meats and strange veggies.

-Internationalize Your Workout:

What-what? Yes, you can add some ethnic flavor to your gym routine. I'm BIG into Zumba, a cardio-dance class that combines classic latin dances (rumba, salsa, cha cha) with hip-hop, jazz and even folk dance (we do a nice Greek number.) You feel like Shakira, and if you're in a good class, you'll probably be dancing with a very diverse group of women - all colors, ages and abilities. It's actually pretty inspring.

You don't have to look glamorous to work out. I am proof of that.
Via Pinterest.

If you don't want to shake that thing with a room full of other women (um, ok) then why not try Bikram (hot) Yoga, Tai Chi, or Copoeira? These all pack a punch and offer insight into another culture.

Via Pinterest.

-Internationalize Your Weekend:

Read your local papers (like Nuvo) - you're sure to find some cool ethnic events. Indy has an International Festival, a German Fest, Cinqo De Mayo events, an Indian Market, St. Patty's parades, and all kinds of smaller events. See an international movie - or rent one from Netflix (they have a good Bollywood section on demand.) And if you absolutely live in the boondocks and there are no events or movies, go to the bookstore, select a novel with a funky title, or by an author with a name you can't pronounce, purchase and read. There you go.

-Internationalize Your Work:

This one's a little bit harder, depending on your 9-5, but the truth is: every business nowadays has a global aspect. Whether it's an international market, business trips abroad, or just working with coworkers or customers from different parts of the world, there is generally some opportunity to think globally at work. Sometime during the first week or so of my job, I joined an international-themed committee and since then, I've been asked to lead a group trip to Costa Rica. Very lucky, but couldn't have happened with out some gentle prodding (or begging, if we're being specific) on my part. Talk to people in your office, do some research, and see how you can fit what interests you into your daily grind.

So, there you have it. Or we could all just take a year off and travel the globe...shall we?

Food Memories

I would never say I have a good memory. I forget things all the time and lose track of the funny stories and interesting tidbits of my childhood and youth. But I have an intense and detailed memory for food. Maybe it's genetic - my mom is known to have dreams of a particular piece of meatloaf she befriended. (At the same time, The Boy told me he can barely remember any particular meals - what what?? Tragedy.) Anyhoo, reliving great meals is an excellent time waster (especially at the gym). Yet, it is also an acutely terrible thing, when the dish you are remembering...and craving ... is only available halfway around the globe.

For example:

Via CakeSpy

Chocolat Chaud (hot chocolate) at Angelina in Paris. I know this sounds pretty hoity-toity of me, but honestly, this gilded little cafe is in every tourist and backpackers guide to Paris. And that's not to say that you'll hear 'merican and not Francais spoken here. Everyone from college grads on their continental treks to classy french ladies shopping in the city wants a hit of this chocolate heaven.

So the other day when I was having a chocolate craving, I unfortunately remembered the one and only time I visited Angelina's. It was a late spring morning on a family trip to Paris. Angelina had been on the agenda and the morning had been spent trekking through the chilly city in pursuit of the holy grail of liquefied chocolate lust.

The cafe is an elegant, turn-of-the-century salon and you inexplicably feel compelled to raise a pinkie and tilt your beret upon entering. You may also imagine, as you look around, that Coco Chanel (a former frequenter) will brush by draped in pearls. Seated at a fancy bistro table, you wait, feeling antsy-in-your-pantsy until the waiter presents you with a steaming pitcher of black-brown ambrosia -- L'Africain -- named for the tropical source of the cacao beans-- accompanied by a small pot of thick-as-butter whipped cream. Indulgence -- the chocolate is so rich, and thick, and dark it's like falling down the rabbit's hole into a deep, mystical, world where flavors are heightened almost beyond recognition. Some will tell you to get a pastry or cream puff to go with your Chocolat Chaud - that's gilding the lily and tempting your stomach possibly past capacity, in my opinion, but it's your choice.

In my mind, it's the perfect antidote to this dreary fall day - sitting in Angelina's, sipping a piping cup of L'Africain - pinkie up - dressed entirely in Chanel tweed. Don't you dare pinch me.

Visit Angelina

or try your hand at recreating the recipe here.

Restaurant Review: Passage to India

Passageways, Hampi Ruins, India. Pic is mine.

This weekend, The Boy and I broke out of our normal Indian food rut (we love you India Garden!) and ventured to a new restaurant. Now, most people say "venture" when they really mean drove-at-a-reasonable-speed-to-an-easily-accessible-destination-slightly-outside-my-normal-five-mile-radius but this actually was a venture. It started out easily enough-we knew we wanted to try a place called Udupi Cafe, out on the west side, because it specialized in South Indian cuisine.

 Now, you'll notice the restaurant I'm reviewing is not called "Udupi Cafe." Just hold tight.

We found the sign for Udupi Cafe in a strip mall near Lafayette Rd. (If you're not from Indy, or you are and you don't venture into the Lafayette Rd area, read this NY Times article about the neighborhood. It makes me feel extra proud of my city.) We drove into the parking lot. We read the signs on the store fronts. We drove around to the other side of the parking lot. We read some more signs. We drove in circles, in figure eights, in zig zags. Whatever shape we made with our tires, we could not find a door marked "Udupi Cafe." So, we got out, and a nice lady who had been kindly averting her eyes from our struggles, asked us if we were looking for anything in particular. "Udupi Cafe!" we said. She pointed through a sliding door and directed us to go down a hall and take a left. Success! We walked in and our noses led us to the doors of the cafe -- a cafe with two names, apparently, "Udupi Cafe" and "Passage to India." Of course we'd seen the big, neon signs for Passage to India, but that wasn't what we were looking for, darnit! At this point, who cares what the GD name was- the smells were so good, we would have stopped even if it was called "Indigestion Express" (which wouldn't have been totally inaccurate, actually.)

Passage to India offers authentic, South Indian cuisine. Most Indian restaurants, at least around here, offer North Indian food-cream based curries, naan bread, grilled meats, mmm yummy. South Indian food often has more broth based soups and sauces, fruited rice dishes, and bready delicacies made from fermented rice. Food from the South is also more often vegetarian - as were all of the offerings on Sunday night's buffet. 

There are some memories that stick with you longer and harder than others. Mine mostly happen to be food memories. I can remember some of the great meals of my life more vividly than many of the seemingly important moments of my adult my life and certainly more than about seventy-five percent of my childhood. I'm not sure what that says about me as a person, but it does make me a good candidate to write about international food (just saying.) Anyways, some of my most compelling memories from India are of food. Idli and sambar, wrapped steaming hot in wax paper, eaten (carefully) in the jump seat of our jeep on the way to an early morning field trip. Dosa, filled with spiced potatoes and peas, made by a man with a three-legged dog outside a moonlit temple in Orissa.  Butter and pistachio dessert, fed to us by our sweet, bespeckled cook, Alice, after a delicious lunch at school. So, really the best part about Sunday evening was reliving these memories - and sharing them with The Boy.

 Eating was second best.

Traditional South Indian snacks, including Dosa, Idli, Vada, Sambar and curries from here

The food was awesome. The buffet had a wide variety of items, from your normal north Indian curries, to spicy Sambar - veggie based soup, vadda - little rice donuts, fried gobi manchurian - spiced cauliflower, and much more. To accompany the meal, we were served two dosa- thin, crispy pancakes made from fermented rice dough - think an Indian version of the French crepe. The dosa and idli, in particular, made me want to cry out in happiness.

The salad bar featured Pani Puri - a popular street food made of little hollow fried balls that you punch a hole in, fill with spiced water and crunchies, and pop in your mouth for a delicious, textural bite. These are the nemesis of travelers (water from a street vendor = recipe for intestinal disaster) but so so fun to eat.

Pani Puri, from here

We stuffed ourselves to the brink. Then we went back for more. And then we ate dessert, and chai -- which was almost right, but not quite -- and requested a wheelbarrow deposit us at our car. On the way out, the owner informed us that Friday nights are Indo-Chinese buffet nights.

 Oh Lord, here we go again.

I do have to mention that I had pretty offensive indigestion (I'll spare you the details) that evening and into the next day. The Boy, on the other hand, had few complaints (he who has never been to India and just started eating Indian food when he met me....sheesh.) But it won't keep me from going back.

So, if you're in the neighborhood, give this hidden gem a try. I recommend it. I wouldn't recommend the book though, (Passage to India, by E.M. Forster). I remember hating it in school.