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ardysez

~ surrender to yourself

ardysez

Tag Archives: France

In My Kitchen – August 2014*

01 Friday Aug 2014

Posted by Ardys in Food, Travel

≈ 46 Comments

Tags

Budapest, Food, France, Gallipoli, Hungary, Istanbul, photography, Travel, Turkey

*Warning to those on a diet, this post may be hazardous to your mental state!

Most of the passed month, I’ve been eating from other people’s kitchens in Budapest, and along the Danube to Istanbul! I’ll be writing about some of that, hopefully not so much you will be bored, but for now I’m back in my own familiar surroundings preparing very simple meals to recover from ‘travel tummy’! The problem with eating very cleanly and healthily at home is that when you travel it is very hard to replicate. And then there are the temptations…

Turkish-delight-Turkey

Variety of Turkish Delight

‘Travel tummy’ is different than Bali belly!! Now returned to normal, I have learned my tolerance for certain foods, combined with summer heat, is even lower than I had thought. So, future efforts will have to be more restrained, which of course means passing up certain flavours one would love to experience when travelling… like tasting Turkish Delight while IN Turkey!! While it was very interesting to see all the amazing varieties that come under the umbrella of ‘Turkish Delight’, I was shocked that in my new incarnation of eating almost no sugar for all of this year, they were way too sweet for me. So I did taste them, but they were so sweet there was certainly no temptation to overindulge.

baklava-Turkey

Tower of Baklava

baklava-istanbul

Assortment of Baklava, Grand Bazaar, Istanbul

The Baklava in Turkey was amazing. It was incredible to see, as much as eat, though, again, it was really way too sweet for me to enjoy. I had never tasted Baklava until I moved to Australia 31 years ago. The Greek community in Darwin meant that it was fairly available in cafés, as well as occasionally offered from the Greek family across the street from our house. I used to love it. But now, I taste it more in the spirit of research, than passion. (That’s my story and I’m sticking with it!)

croissant-budapest

As good as it gets croissant, Sofitel, Budapest

The one indulgence that I will forever remember was from the kitchen of the Sofitel Hotel in Budapest. Croissant. And fresh butter. No, croissant is not on my menu normally. In fact I guess you could call me a croissant snob. I declared to my husband a year or so ago that I would not be eating another croissant unless we were in France, where they are quite obviously a level above any others I’ve tasted. But I could tell from one look, these were special. They were the kind one only finds in France, or a French owned hotel like Sofitel. They were small, perfectly flaky, buttery miracles. So yes, I ate one. Okay, two—but not on the same morning. Such restraint. With stunningly fresh butter. I savoured every mouthful, and I swear a little tear escaped my eye the day we boarded the ship and left the Sofitel buffet!

cabbage-stuffed-hungary

Hungarian stuffed cabbage rolls

meatballs-hungarian

Hungarian meatballs

hungarian-restaurant-budapest

Hungarian cuisine, Little Bites of Hungary, Budapest

Two of the most outstanding dining experiences were possibly the most humble. On our second night in Budapest we found a little place that specialised in Hungarian food. Not so unusual, you might think. However, their menu offered a few different ways you could eat, or sample, the selections. You could order a fixed menu consisting of several courses, all in small servings. You could order the same dishes individually, a la carte, as small servings, or as regular sized servings. We seldom want a large evening meal so the a la carte small servings of a couple of dishes suited us perfectly. And the dishes we had were absolutely delicious! We marvelled at what a good concept this was and wonder why we have never before seen a place like it. (excluding Tapas, which is something different again)

squid-eggplant-gallipoli

Grilled squid and eggplant (babaghanouj)

lunch-fish-gallipoli

Lunch by the sea in Gelibolu (Gallipoli)

The other beautifully simple meal was in Turkey, in the small town of Gelibolu (Gallipoli). We ate next to the water and had simple grilled squid, with babaghanouj (grilled eggplant), and grilled fish. Delicious. Since we returned home, I have twice replicated the babaghanouj, and that is without having a recipe. It was that simple. We discovered the secret is, a little tiny bit of salt, and only the tiniest hint of garlic. I have always found baba ganoush recipes called for so much garlic, it was inedible for me (I have sensitivity to onion and garlic family). But the ones we ate in Turkey, in four or five different places, were always very, very lightly flavoured as I have described above. It allows the buttery, mellow flavour of the eggplant to dominate, which we loved. (in the interest of giving value for money, click here for my version of grilled eggplant)

I hope this gastronomic tour will appease your desire for IMK from me this month. I assure you it is more interesting than my own very simple cooking has been. Thank you to Celia at figjamandlimecordial.com for hosting this monthly tour through kitchens around the world! Pop on over there and see what other interesting things are happening.

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‘Plan B’

06 Thursday Jun 2013

Posted by Ardys in art, Creativity, People, photography, Travel

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

American, art, diane arbus, France, jeu de paume museum, Paris, photography, Travel

IMG_1613Two years ago when we were in Paris we had the good fortune to discover the Musee d’Orsay closed. What’s that I say? In fact it was to have reopened that very day, after recent renovations, had it not been for an industrial dispute that kept it closed.  Of course, initially, we (especially I) were disappointed.  Late works by the Impressionist artist Manet are a favourite of mine but difficult to find except in this museum which has a large collection of Impressionist art.  And I was on a Manet jag at that point in time.  There was nothing to do, but resort to our ‘plan B’.

‘Plan B’ took us to the Jeu de Paume museum which specialises in photographic exhibitions.  The weather was unseasonably warm and the queue was unexpectedly long.  Neither of us had heard of the photographer whose exhibition had recently opened, but it was our last day in Paris and we had done most of the things in the city area that we had intended to do so we decided to take a chance that the long queue was a good indication of what lay inside.

The photographer’s name was Diane Arbus.  Like many artists she diligently worked at her art form, but fell into the subject matter accidently.  She became intensely dedicated to photographing those in our society who dwell on the ‘fringes’.  Her own tragic demise, suicide, probably to escape the debilitation of a fatal illness, ended a career that shed light on part of our society in a way little else has done.

When I read the following stunning quotation of hers, it changed forever my view of photography.

They (photographs) are the proof that something was there and no longer is.  Like a stain.  And the stillness of them is boggling.  You can turn away but when you come back, they’ll still be there, looking at you.

–Diane Arbus -response when asked for a brief statement about photographs, March, 1971

Next time, we’ll just make ‘plan B’ our first choice!

(if you select the above link, you will find a portfolio of some of Diane’s work, and very, very teeny tiny at the middle bottom are the forward and backward arrows so you can view it)

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Traveling on my stomach

28 Tuesday May 2013

Posted by Ardys in Food, Travel

≈ 14 Comments

Tags

bread, Darwin, Food, France, Russia, Spain, Travel

Image 2

I am a woman who thinks about lunch while still eating breakfast.  I regularly photograph my food and frequently the plates of those eating beside me. I’ve written a bit about food in early blogs (see Passing Great Grandma’s Baton) but decided I didn’t want to write a food blog, as such.  However, I need to write about it occasionally.  What am I going to do with all these photos if I don’t blog them now and then??

There are people who don’t really care about food except as sustenance.  I am not one of them.  If you are one of them, stop reading now, you won’t enjoy this post.  Every morsel of food I eat is precious to me.  If possible, I like it to be beautiful, delicious and healthy, all at the same time. When pressed, I will settle for two out of three, beautiful and delicious… or just delicious if it’s absolutely necessary.  I’ve been known to choose rosy Corella pears at the grocery so I could photograph or draw them.  Eating them later was the happy by-product. When we travel, I love to roam around fresh food markets, or gourmet shops, to learn about foods I’ve never eaten or even seen.

IMG_2836Who knew Lingonberries were plentiful in Sweden in September?  Or the Germans make an awesome sweet cinnamon and sugar pretzel?IMG_0054  The world is a giant food bowl of surprises.

We’ve had more than a few standout food moments in recent years.  And I’ve photographed many of them! The creme brûlée below was one of them.  Total surprise, recommended by our waitress at a pub called Le Winch Restaurant in Lyon, France.  Honestly, it was almost worth a trip back.IMG_1702

Photographing food and publishing the photos is called ‘food porn’, did you know that?  Very disappointing.  The photos are nice mementos but hardly do justice to the joyous brain waves I had while eating the subject matter.  Hmmmm, perhaps I do get the ‘porn’ reference….

Can I talk about bread for a moment?  Specifically the croissant…in France… with a few tiny fragments of fresh butter here and there.  Heaven. They are just not the same anywhere else.  Sorry.  I’ve done the research.  IMG_2857Having said that, however, the Germans and the Russians know their way around a wonderful loaf of bread too, studded with fennel or caraway, rustic and crusty on the outside, chewy on the inside.  And look at my English friend Joanna’s raisin kefir loaf! Salivating just writing about it…

The American Jewish delicatessens make Rueben sandwiches, and corned beef and fresh pickles like no one else. Remember the restaurant scene from the movie ‘When Harry Met Sally’?  I’ve eaten there, and she was not faking it.  She was having the best pastrami on rye of her life!!  A good Deli (Katz Delicatessen) is a treasure to experience regularly.  IMG_3245We have been known to stay in a hotel because we know it is near a good Deli.  Seriously.

The Spanish know how to eat breakfast… luscious cheese in one hand, a sweet pastry in the other, and a side of fresh figs.  OMG.IMG_0098IMG_2408

I fondly recall… Magnolia’s Restaurant in Charleston, my cousin’s awesome home cooking in Wyoming, delicious Alsace cuisine near Washington DC, spectacular whole Thai fish in Darwin, Tarte Tatin in Paris, the world’s best hot chocolate in Bratislava.  I could go on, and on…

IMG_0224Image 7

IMG_3303Whole fried fish with Thai Chilli SauceIMG_1681

And I will, another time, but just now I hear a piece of dark chocolate calling my name…              So much good food, so little time.

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Springtime in Bethel

28 Wednesday Mar 2012

Posted by Ardys in Inspiration, Life, Uncategorized

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

baseball, Bethel, France, French, home, inspiration, Ohio, Paris, Reds, Spring

I confess the inspiration for this post is from another blog I follow called ‘Becoming Madame’ (becomingmadame.wordpress.com/).  She writes about all things French, and particularly Parisian.  If you are a Francophile, or just an armchair traveler, you will enjoy it.  However, I have just taken an afternoon walk on a gorgeous Ohio spring day. It may not be Paris, but it is no less magical.

Flowering Crabapple

Blossoming cherry and pear trees hummed from bees stealing their share from nectar filled blossoms.  Local inhabitants echoed the busy bees, matching their industrious buzzing with droaning lawn mowers. The smell of freshly mown grass made me ‘heady’ as if I’d just drunk some magical elixir meant to help relive a perfect spring day from childhood. (All you skeptics may say it is the high pollen count, but leave me to my own delusions).

Poplar Ridge Drive

I have flown from halfway around the world so that I could visit my parents and walk the lazy lane from  their house, curving toward the highway, in the glory of Spring.  Robin Red Breasts bounced along in front of me, looking for earthworms and other tasty morsels.  Jonquils, daffodils and tulips nodded their greetings to me as I meandered along.  Red bud trees and weeping cherries modeled their Victoria’s Secret lacy apparel on the runway of Poplar Ridge.  Optimistic August lilies  pushed through the earth toward their flowering mission late in summer.  An uncontrollable urge paused me for a few moments in the storm of snowing petals, and I rejoiced in their satin softness in my hair and on my shoulders.  It is a fairyland.  Perhaps the contrast to the dusty, red arid climate in which I live has magnified the experience, but who cares?  Every texture and color conspired for equal attention to inspire this artist’s creative urges.

Cherry blossoms

And if there was any doubt that spring was truly here, the little squirrel that scampered across the road and brought my eyes to rest on the man mowing his lawn confirmed it.  He was dressed in jeans (the man, not the squirrel!), a Cincinnati Reds baseball cap and t-shirt!  The beginning of baseball season is the surest sign of spring known to a girl from Southern Ohio!!

A sprig of pink tinged Viburnum from the yard adorns a bud vase beside me. Its spicy, intoxicating perfume nearly overwhelms me, alluring, no, mesmerizing me into a kind of spring fever haze (ok, coupled with remaining effects of jet lag!)  I feel almost giddy!  If only someone could bottle this! No wonder so many songs have been written about Spring time.  Join me in celebrating the affirming rebirth of Mother Earth, one of life’s true joys.

(And anyway, here is the chainsaw sculpture of Charles de Gaulle that resides here on Poplar Ridge, so really, what has France got in Springtime that Bethel hasn’t?)

Chainsaw sculpture of Charles de Gaulle by Ralph Silvis

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