A Sarabande of Senses

The ongoing nutritional education of adelyn v lee has acquired a new factoid. Almonds produced in the U.S. that are marketed as “raw” are not truly “raw” as farmers are now required to pasteurize all almonds marked for purchase (mandate became effective Fall 2007)

To this, I say “Pourquoi?! C’est une loi de merde!”

I only found this out last week. And that’s because I only became obsessed with eating almonds last week (they are so yummy, why didn’t I realize this earlier?).

This new law came about due to two outbreaks of salmonella, associated with conventional farms several years ago but the industry has now totally overreacted even though there have been no further outbreaks since. What is really troubling is that the FDA is allowing these pasteurized almonds to be falsely labeled as “raw” so that the almonds you will buy in Wholefoods will still say “raw almonds” even though they’ve been subjected to high heat and a five log kill step that basically cancels out all the wonderful nutrients found in the truly raw, enzyme rich, unprocessed almond.

That renders the king of nuts to be a rather useless pellet of fat. Would you pasteurize all fruits and vegetables based on a couple ancient cases of salmonella outbreak? No. So why hose down almonds?!

Hopefully this mandate will be reversed once the government sees the error of its ways but meanwhile the natural foods community is pretty up in arms about the whole thing. And everyone is trying to obtain imported raw almonds from abroad. I have been too, but with less success. Fureur, je te dites.

Not crazy about the actual song, but I like the video…because it basically sums up my life for the past two years in Europe. Traveling alone is a strange experience, incredibly liberating but also sometimes awkward and lonely. I’ve gone through periods where I barely talked to anyone for weeks, but that was a good thing. I didn’t need to be trekking through a rural countryside, I just needed to be away from Paris and away from my habits so I could hear myself think.

P.S. I’ve been to all the places featured in this video, some several times over.

Death Cab for Cutie, I will possess your heart.

Some of you may already know that I live in Boston. Well, that’s kind of a lie. I don’t really live in Boston. I live in Cambridge, which a lot of non-locals refer to as Boston since it’s right next door but technically, it’s a separate entity with a very distinct vibe. Harvard Univ. and M.I.T. are located in Cambridge not Boston, and those two universities contribute a lot to the scholarly atmosphere of this area. I spent part of my childhood growing up in Harvard Square and then spent many summers in Kendall Square when I was doing research as an undergrad. Now I live midway between Central and Inman Squares and I really like it here. It’s pretty low-key and there’s a great sense of community. I thought I’d share a few snapshots of my neighborhood to give you an idea of what it’s like here.

{1369 Coffee House - The watering hole for locals. Small and charming, it’s the quintessential corner cafe. I spend way much time here.}

{Carberry’s - Another great place to hang out. It’s much larger with a more extensive menu.}

{Rosie’s Bakery - I used to go here a lot but stopped recently because I’ve been trying to cut down on processed foods.}

{Harvest Co-op - Instead I go here. I’ve become such a health food nut lately. I want everything to be fresh, organic, and local. This is like my 2nd home. I buy my groceries here, I eat here, I even attend the herbal workshops here. There’s also another Whole Foods store about a block away too. I’m such a hippy nutcase.}

{The Druid is a nice Irish pub. I don’t go here too often but whenever people ask to get together for a drink, I suggest this place because it’s so close by.}

{The second pub I suggest is The Thirsty Scholar, which is a tad farther away but still worth the walk.}

{I just discovered this pet bakery recently. I guess I never noticed it before because I never had any reason to buy dog biscuits until a couple months ago.}

{Inman Square is not a good source for books. I usually walk a few blocks down to Harvard Square because there are tons of bookshops there. Maybe I’ll do a whole other entry just on those another time!}

{Broadway Bicycle School is a repair shop that is indepensible for students who use bikes to get around. Bikes are very prevalent in Cambridge because many students can’t afford to bring a car here due to the lack of parking spaces. At one point I used to own a bike but I was never good at riding it so I just walked. And used the subway, which I hate.}

Because I’m a bit reluctant to show you the exact house where I’m living, I will instead use these two others to illustrate the architecture in my neighborhood. Most of the houses are pretty old, usually at least 50-60 years and many still retain their Victorian roots.

So that’s a brief tour of my surroundings. Hope you enjoyed it. Click below for the addresses to the shops mentioned above.

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More reasons I love New England. As much as I’m in awe of ornate European architecture, I can also appreciate the beauty in simplicity. Given a choice, my dream house with be either a Victorian farmhouse or a historic Italianate but I really adore the undeniable charm of clapboards. I’m going to start sharing more photos of my lovely New England (mainly southeast Mass. and Rhode Island) with you. Most of it will be architectural. Would you like that? I thought it might be fun.

i love this house. you don’t see many with this kind of dark exterior but it’s beautiful.

i want my garage to look like this. how cool would that be? 

note the ship model in the window 

Davoll’s General Store, one of the oldest in the country. Founded in 1793.

Just a quick entry to tie you over until I talk about 1950s style diners in southeastern Mass.

I’ve been driving around a lot along the eastern coastline of Mass. lately, from the Northshore down to Bristol. New Bedford is one of my favorite little spots down in the South. It’s one of the several port-towns of New England that used to be very wealthy but has since taken a sharp socioeconomic decline with the fall of the whaling industry. It is also featured prominently in Herman Melville’s legendary novel Moby Dick and in fact, the New Bedford Whaling Museum hosts annual readings of the book every January.

I’ll talk more about the town in another entry because it’s a really lovely place (well, the historic downtown part is…the residential areas are notorious for their drug dealers…). Walking tours start later in the Spring and I’d like to show you some of the Victorian and Colonial architecture featured on those guided visits so we’ll come back to this in a couple months.

Right now I just wanted to mention a small cafe called Arpeggio. It’s a family-run establishment with branches in Boston and Fall River. The style is supposed to be “Parisian bistro” but as someone who is very well acquainted with Parisian bistros, this one doesn’t come close…even if they serve cafe au lait. The only reason I wanted to talk about this place is because of what I did to my stomach with its obscenely gigantic cheesecake-banana-ice-cream split, amusingly named the “Betty Grable.”

interior of Arpeggio, with crazy guy waving to get in the picture

Lunch started off innocent enough with a spicy roast beef sandwich, the “Tiger Beef.”

Oh, but then what happen?! An unexpected gastronomical massacre. This monstrosity was huge. I don’t even want to think about how many more centimeters of my arteries have been clogged after this.

Underneathe this mountain of whipped cream is three layers consisting of 1) a slice of New York style cheesecake 2) one banana split in half and 3) two generous scoops of strawberry ice cream. Those of you who know me know that I cannot digest cheese in any form. Why then do I force myself to ignore this fact? Why do I have such bold ambitions when it comes to consuming food?

The Betty Grable was delicious but it did a number on my tummy afterwards. Those of you who can take it, I say, “go for it”!

Then, as I was strolling around trying to burn off some of those calories, I happened upon a small video store specializing in hard-to-find foreign and art films. Stores like this are rare around these parts so it was great to discover that in the cinematic landfill of Blockbusters and Hollywood Videos, an independent voice continues to fist up through the garbage. Simmons Brothers has a pretty decent collection of titles but I’ve already seen (or have) most of them. But for those who don’t have access to these films, I highly suggest this place!

Okay, that’s all for now.

Arpeggio Cafe
800 Purchase St
New Bedford, MA 02740
(508) 999-2233

Simmons Brothers Motion Pictures
98 William Street
New Bedford MA 02740
(508) 990-1166

Hello everyone!

We’re having a wonderful giveaway - 7 pairs of handmade earrings by the talented Paola Kathuria. Paola lives in England and has been making jewellery since the 1980s. For more information, see her bio and please take the time to stop by her online shop because there are lots more beautiful earrings, bracelets, and necklaces featured there.

Three (of the seven) lucky winners will also get an 8×10 print of one of my photographs from my trip to Italy last summer. Which ones? They’re going to be a surprise. :)

This is the first giveaway that Paola and I are doing together. If it’s successfull and we see that people are actually interested, we’ll do another giveaway a little later in the Spring. That one will be HUGE so show us that you want it to happen by participating in this one!

{click for the larger image. to see the earring descriptions, click for the rest of the entry }

Instructions: Giveaway ends April 1st so you have 2 weeks to enter. Leave your name and email in the comments section of this entry. And just to satisfy our curiosity, please tell us a little about the styles of jewellery you like and link to any online examples. International readers are encouraged to enter as well. Winners will be selected at random, and then afterwards we’ll email you regarding your preferences (we will strive to give people their top choices) and for further mailing information. All shipping fees will be taken care of so you are getting these completely free of charge. Winners will be announced the first week of April.

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This sweet red bean soup is one of my favorites, particularly because it’s only mildly sweet and can be served as a main dish or as small dessert. My grandmother likes to eat it for breakfast and my mother likes it for lunch during the summer. There are many versions of this Chinese classic but I’m going to share my grandmother’s recipe which calls for five main ingredients - red beans, red rice, black rice, pecans, and dried dates. Some people prefer to add lotus seeds as well but I’m not a fan so I never do.

sweet red bean soup. in the background is some chamomile tea.

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The lotus flower is revered in Chinese culture because it symbolizes purity and beauty. All parts of the lotus plant are eatable, but I want to highlight the roots because I find them fascinating (and because I just learned how to cook them!)

Lotus roots have a slight peach pink color and when sliced, result in these gorgeous patterns. Raw, it tastes rather bland with only a small hint of sweetness but it’s this neutrality that allows for so many possibilities in cooking. You can pretty much use lotus roots like any other starchy vegetable - stir fried, stuffed, mixed in a casserole, or baked (to make crunchy chips). My favorite is stir fry.

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I went to Providence yesterday because I was meeting someone at Meeting Street Cafe. I can’t believe I’ve never heard of this place until now. It is awesome. I am so in love. The Cafe is located, where else but, on Meeting Street, which is perpendicular to renowned Thayer Street on the East side of town.

the ordering counter

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A friend asked me today what I wanted in terms of a home and all I knew for certain was that I wanted a garden. Actually, three - an herb garden, a vegetable garden, and a flower garden. The first two will be laid out in organized plots but the flower beds will just sort of casually speckle the grounds in a systematically unsystematical fashion. I want to be able to go to my garden and pick whatever I happen to feel like cooking that day, knowing everything will always be fresh and organic. I want to be able to run outside and just pluck off some thyme or basil or rosemary without having to drive to the supermarket. I want to have a small orchard lined with apple, cherry, peach, and pomegranate trees. And blueberry, blackberry, and raspberry bushes. And I want a stretch arbor climbing with pink-gold roses.

photo: 2nd edition of the Fete Du Jardin in Honfleur France. ~cote quest magazine~

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