~ Namaste ~

Archive for the ‘Photography’ Category

Three days, countless conversations over coffee with friends, Jardin du Luxembourg readings of  Eat, Pray ,Love, and nostalgic day dreaming of Paris – a city I’m still in but already miss terribly, and here I am.

My weekend, which started on Thursday evening, was probably one of the best I’ve had yet. I unplugged from the internet (partly by choice, and partly because we blew a fuse and had no power…oopsie), and embraced the city like a true Parisian, strolling the streets and cafe hopping like it was going out of style. Coffee was sipped and good conversations were had and I found myself pinching my arm just to beg the question; is this really my life?

I took pictures. Lots and lots of pictures. Want to see? I’ll show you. I like to share…

We visited Jeu de Paume, a photography museum, on Thursday afternoon, for our photography class. Part of our photography assignment is to capture pictures of people just as they are in the style of Lisette Model, a famous street photographer whose work is on display at the museum. My friend Jane and I took the streets to play paparazzi yesterday. I made my attempts at embracing Model’s style of catching people in the moment. She says,

“It is the surface I am interested in. Because the surface is the inside…Everyone has a way of expressing one’s own body, not only the face. When people relax and they sit and they don’t even know one is photographing them, they are very much themselves.” 

And I just love that. 

It got me thinking. What would a photograph taken of me without my knowing say? What are the moments that I would want to be captured? How do I want to wear my soul, and show the world all the love I know I’ve got to share?

I asked Jane to tell me something she was passionate about as we sat at La Rotonde, sipping our third cafe crème of the day. She speaks four languages. Pretty amazing, huh? She’s one kick ass soul sistah, if I don’t say so myself.

She told me about how her next language would be Italian, but that Chinese isn’t really up on her list. French and Spanish are under her belt as well as a little Portugese and of course English, which is actually her second language, Spanish being her first. She laughed with excitement telling me about her love of language and communication, teaching me important French phrases, and not so important ones too, and encouraging me to do all the talking on our city adventure so I could practice my French too.

See that? That’s what joy looks like.

This whole weekend, I didn’t take a single food picture. Not one. Okay, I lied. I snapped a picture of this coffee.

But that’s all. And let me tell you, it was so liberating. I realized that I had been putting so much focus on telling you about the actual food I had been experiencing (This is a salad. It has vegetables in it. Yada, yada, yada. No shit, Sherlock. Pardon’ my French… I am, after all, in France), that I had been leaving out the stories and experiences that surround it, the part that would show you what’s inside, like the picture of Jane up there.

That’s what I’ve always wanted this blog to be about. Food stories – the feelings, thoughts and memories surrounding good food and the people it’s shared with. And of course, my silly stories of being a twenty-something yogini, trying to take my practice with me off the mat and into the world, all while trying to just figure myself out – an ever changing, yet intriguing process that I love and hate at the same time.

That’s what I want a photo of me to say. I’m so much more than a body, or a shape. There’s a lot inside this little heart that wants to get out – and I’ve decided to just wear my soul on my sleeve.

If I snapped a picture of you when you least expected it – what would it say? How do you wear your soul on the outside? What would you want a picture to say about you?

Ok, so this will be a mostly picture post (hence the title – a somewhat silent Saturday). You didn’t think I could go without saying anything did you?

Spring Break is upon us, thank God. I don’t think I would have made it another day without a little rest. School has been crazy and I’m so glad to have a whole week to just relax.

Well. Sorta.

I’m pooped after a long day walking around the city. Here’s what we saw…

Disco balls in the metro. Totally normal.

Pere Lachaise…

Montmartre, my very favorite part of the city…

Classy.

Street Performers in front of Sacre-Coeur…

And last but not least…parking in Paris. Always seems like a daunting task.

We went all over the city today, and I’m wiped. Expect a full report tomorrow!

Bon week-end!

When I first came to Paris, I imagined myself dining out in bistros and cafes, eating classic French dishes like  beef bourguignon, or ratatouille or creme brulee, all while wearing a black béret, striped shirt, and a gorgeous French man on my arm.

Okay, a girl can dream.

What I didn’t imagine, is how madly in love I’d fall with the variety of ethnic foods there are in Paris. Ethiopian, Lebanese, Asian…you name it. You can taste all the flavors of the world without ever leaving the city.

Like today, for example. After a meeting at another PR firm in Paris, my friend Jane and I went to Passage Brady in the Indian quartier. It’s a tiny little street with several Indian restaurants, all of which are delicious and very inexpensive.

We walked down the street, browsing the offerings while being solicited to dine in several of the restaurants by the very eager hosts, and eventually chose Pooja.

The decor was dramatic, and lavish and I, of course, loved every detail. It was like we had traveled out of Paris for a little while -

In true French fashion, however, meal’s were offered in menus or formule with several courses. For a set price you pick an entree and a plat, or sometimes an appetizer, main dish and dessert. Or sometimes just a main dish and a dessert. You get the picture.

I went with the 12 euro formule – an appetizer and a main dish that comes with cheese naan and saffron rice. Jane went with the palak paneer, a spinach dish with fresh cheese. Mmmm.

But first, we shared a mango lassi,

and played around with the water glasses like the mature adults we are.

Tee hee.

First up, raiti, a yogurt dish with cucumber and spices that is usually eaten with spicy foods to cool the palette and balance out the burn.

They brought out three spices before the meal came – two of which were very spicy, and the third which was sweet. My favorite was the green one – and yes, these are the technical terms I wish I knew what they were all called, but alas, I do not.

Anyway. Along with the raita, they brought out the basmati rice with saffron,

and cheese naan which words can’t describe.

Although not authentically Indian, cheese naan is one adaptation to French culture I appreciate 100%. I promise you, it’s worth the trip to Paris for this alone   And well worth the gluten coma I’m currently experiencing.

Our main dishes were palak paneer,

and a chicken curry dish that was so tender and flavorful.

We shared everything on the table family style, and sat at the table for over an hour – another aspect of French life I’m really appreciative of.

We left Pooja with very full bellies,

and lingered through the area for a bit stopping in the specialty store,

and got beautified with a little eyebrow threading before heading back to our side of town.

It’s amazing how quickly neighborhoods change in Paris. One minute it looks like this –

and the next it’s that stereotypical Paris street scene…

I made my way back home, taking pictures as I walked through the quartier latin. I have a strange love for the doors here. I have tons and tons of pictures of doors. Just doors. Blue ones, black ones, red ones, strange ones, open ones, closed ones, broken ones. You get the idea.

Strange, I know. But there is just something about them that catches my eye.

I’m currently home, sweet, home, snuggled in some comfy clothes and catching up on a bit of school work. All in a day’s work.

What’s your favorite kind of food? Asian, Indian, American? What is some of the strangest ethnic food you have tried?

I loved today’s Indian food experience, but Ethiopian food is climbing the charts for me too. I also love all the flavors in Mediterranean food. Next up on the list – an African restaurant. It’s amazing how much you can learn about other cultures from food. Yes, some of the decorations in these restaurants are exaggerated to create an experience or feeling, and often times the food is adapted to the local culture (Life, for instance, food is usually less spicy in France than it would typically be in original recipes because that’s what the local culture prefers), but I still think you can really get a taste of certain parts of the world by trying different flavors – and I’m not just talking about the food!

Until next time!

First off – Thank you for your honest and encouraging comments on my post about the ideal size and slenderness last Friday. It’s quite amazing how many people share some of the same thoughts, and I appreciate everyone opening up. I’m certainly going to read through those comments when I need a lift

I spent the weekend soaking up my free time, practicing a different kind of yoga than the physical stuff I spoke of on Friday. This past week was crazy, so I practiced just relaxing and enjoying ever second of the weekend.

I’m still shocked, however, that it’s Sunday. Yet again. Doesn’t it seem like it’s always Sunday!? I feel like I’m constantly ending one week and starting another. And is it seriously the second week of March already!? Time really does fly when you’re having fun.

There was a cold front in Paris this weekend, but it’s a different kind of cold than the frigid, unbearable weather we had in January. The temps were only in the upper 20’s and low 30’s all weekend, but it was a-okay with me. The sky was a gorgeous shade of blue, and the air was crisp, making hints that Spring is just around the corner.

I went all over Paris on foot yesterday starting early at our market, then heading to see some sites in the afternoon. First stop – Cimetière du Père-Lachaise. I actually ran into one of my classmates when I walked into the cemetery – of all the places in the city we both chose Père-Lachaise to visit at the exact same time. Go figure!

I decided to stroll through on my own though, taking myself on a date with my camera as I often like to do.

I wandered around with no direction in mind really – didn’t even get a chance stop by to pay my respects to Oscar Wilde or Jim Morisson. Don’t worry, I’ll pay them a visit soon!

I headed to the metro after a little over an hour there, and what do you know – my friend was leaving at the exact same time. Seriously small world.

I had plans to had to Montmartre…and so did she! Weird! I was headed up to meet up with my roommate, so we took the metro there together. I spent the rest of the afternoon strolling around the area, eventually running into this establishment. Perhaps you’ve heard of it?

(Clearly I have some tiny specks inside my camera – it’s in the camera body, as the specks are there with any lens I put on it…any ideas? I’ve tried cleaning it, but alas, the specks remain)

As much as I’d like to attend a show there, I think I’m gonna have to stick to window shopping on this one. It’s $150 a pop at the Moulin Rouge. Yikes!

Around 4:00pm or so we decided to head to Trocadero, mostly because we saw a bus that said Trocadero on the front and can never resist a gorgeous view of la Tour Eiffel. Why not!?

We never actually made it to Trocadero, however, and found ourselves  distracted by a park that I can’t remember the name of, and eventually at the Arc de Triomphe. 

Paris in a day? Well, we sure did try!

We wandered down the Champs-Elysees until we found a metro stop, then made our way home to rest for a bit before dinner. I had plans to meet up with another friend at a little French restaurant (where I ate the most delicious salad – imitation recipe to come soon!) so after stopping to refresh at home for a minute, I headed right back out run a couple errands before dinner. I picked up a package at school (Thanks for the coffee Mom and Dad!), and stopped to buy some almond butter since mine is nearing it’s end.

Well, dinner turned into a 2 hour event followed by drinks at a piano bar, box full of coffee and almond butter jar in hand.

Normal. Totally normal. Nothin’ like a little almond butter to go with red wine and jazzy renditions of everything from Edith Piaf’s Je Ne Regrette Rien, to Britney Spears’ Toxic.  Good times.

It was such a nice day to spend wandering around, not thinking about school and just soaking up my free time doing whatever came up. Today has been really low key in comparison to yesterday’s adventures – a trip to the Salon de l’Agriculture (stay tuned!), homework, and 21 euros worth of laundry. Gotta love the laundry here.

I took some time to make a delicious dinner tonight given the slow pace of Sunday. Everything I’ve cooked lately is really simple. We don’t have many spices here, even though I keep meaning to go pick some up. Even our cooking utensils are simple – we don’t have a single measuring cup so we make do with what we’ve got.  Like tonight – quinoa measured in a leftover yogurt container.

1 yogurt cup dry quinoa, 2 yogurt cups water. Simple.

Along with my quinoa I made a Bok Choy, Red Bell Pepper and Onion Stir-Fry. So good it deserves capital letters.

Once the onions and peppers cooked down a bit, I added the bok choy and a little bit of soy sauce and sriracha. I purposely made extra so I could have lunch tomorrow since the week is going to get crazy again.

Once the veggies had cooked, I moved half of them to a container for tomorrow, and added some rotisserie chicken (see my post Everyday Pantry Staples for more details) to the pan with the remaining veggies for a little protein action.

Et voila!

I’ve really been loving simple and healthy dinners like this lately. I bought vegetables at the market yesterday with no real ideas in mind and it’s always fun to create something with what I have on hand.

I’ve only ever cooked with bok choy one other time and I’m really liking it. There’s a dish back home with soba noodles, bell peppers, bok choy, mushrooms and other veggies in a miso broth topped with salmon at one of my favorite restaurants… I’m thinking I’m going to have to try to replicate that with a gluten free version soon now that I’m learning to cook with bok choy. Perhaps a trip to the Asian district is in order!

Well, I’m off to enjoy the rest of this Sunday evening – the very little bit that’s left. No worries – I’m certain it will be Sunday again before I know it. I’m especially excited about the next one…Spring Break! I can taste it now…

Question: Have you cooked with any new ingredients lately? Do you ever pick out ingredients you’ve never cooked with…just to see what happens?

I have to start thinking of my next new to me ingredient… So many vegetables and not enough time!

Have a good one!