3.25.2008

le regard.




les yeux des êtres vivants possèdent la plus étonnante des propriétés : le regard. il n'y a pas plus singulier. on ne dit pas des oreilles des créatures qu'elles ont un « ecoutard », ni de leurs narines qu'elles ont un « sentard » ou un « reniflard ».

qu'est-ce que le regard? c'est inexprimable. aucun mot ne peut approcher son essence étrange. et pourtant, le regard existe. il y a même peu de réalités qui existent a ce point.

quelle est la différence entre les yeux qui ont un regard et les yeux qui n'en ont pas? cette différence a un nom : c'est la vie. la vie commence là où commence le regard.

dieu n'avait pas de regard.


--métaphysique des tubes par amélie nothomb

3.24.2008

jaune.

i've come to really like yellow. especially when it comes on a daffodil.


3.16.2008

la guerre {ou l'opposition à la guerre}

yesterday, through rain and hail, i attended the annual peace rally and march in downtown portland. unfortunately, it's become a tradition every spring. i can't believe its already been five years since we first invaded. i remember watching the night vision images of apparent military targets being bombed, that night in march. and then being condemned at school the next day for denouncing the war and the 'leader' of it. funny how so many of those who told me i was wrong changed their opinions before graduation two years later.

i ended up marching with some SDS {students for a democratic society} kids, mostly from reed. we were acting as a shield around the earth first and anarchist groups in case the 12 bike cops that were following their {and only their} every move decided to violently take matters into their own hands. apparently there's also a lot of hostility between older, less liberal {but somehow 'open minded'} folks who often try to get the 'rebel kids in all black' arrested. imagine that. luckily, all was peaceful and the portland police reported no arrests.

{here's a picture of the march reflected in the sign for the world trade center.}

les trucs.

over a week ago i went to the goodwill outlet, affectionately and accurately known as 'the bins.' i went mainly to look for more glass jars to store things like flour, sugar, etc. but i ended up finding some other good stuff too.

like these boxes that were for carrying cassette tapes but now aid in my attempts to wrangle the mess on my desk.



this awesome, vintage, butter yellow samsonite bag.



this super warm and cozy sweater that is basically like wearing an afghan.



this cute little green pot. {mom, if you pay for shipping, it's yours}



and this nifty little jacket.

3.11.2008

une année.

la salade des dieux.

the following post will either make me out to be a complete kitchen/foodie nerd or extremely pretentious. and maybe if i'm lucky, both. but that's a risk i'm willing to take because i just made the most amazing salad, which i have humbly dubbed the salad of the gods.



tuesday seems to be 'use up as much random food as possible before it spoils day', so when i wandered into the kitchen to make dinner i wasn't expecting much. but when i opened the fridge and saw a head of lettuce, half a granny smith apple, half a red onion, and some goat cheese, i had a light bulb moment. these are all the makings for a wonderful salad. so i got to work. it was more labor intensive than i'd like for a week night, but it was definitely worth it. i caramelized the red onion in a balsamic/red wine reduction. then caramelized the apples in some brown sugar and cinnamon. then gingerly poured the goopy concoctions over a bed of lettuce sprinkled with pecans and crumbled goat cheese, which happened to have red peppers in it. then, just for an extra protein kick, i topped it with a poached egg.

i don't normally fall head over heels for a salad with warm toppings but this was definitely an exception, perhaps even a new rule. i also have the bias that salads are light and dainty and never substantial enough to form a meal, but this combination is definitely filling and satisfying. the flavors may be a bit much for some, but it was just what i love. several very strong flavors precariously balanced together that just explode in your mouth as if one bite would be enough to explore the complex world in the bowl, but one is never enough. salty/tangy cheese, nutty pecans, crisp lettuce, sweet apples and onions, and tangy balsamic. it went perfectly with some crispy roasted garlic sourdough i had stored away in the freezer.

if you'd like to make this salad, which oh my god why wouldn't you?, i've tried to recreate it in recipe form below. i was completely free forming, so feel free to do the same, it's all guesstimates anyways.

the salad of the gods:

serves 2, prep time about 10 minutes, cook time 20 minutes

4 cups lettuce of preference, torn
3 ounces goat cheese, crumbled
1/4 cup chopped pecans

for the onions:
1 tbls. olive oil
1/2 red onion sliced thinly
1 clove garlic, minced
6 tbls. balsamic vinegar
a splash of red wine
1 tbls. brown sugar
salt and pepper to taste

for the apples:
1 tbls. olive oil
1/2 granny smith apple, cubed
1/8 cup water
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tbls. butter
sprinkle of cinnamon

2 eggs {optional}

separate the lettuce into 2 bowls, making sure it is torn into manageable {ie: bite size} pieces. divide the pecans and cheese evenly and sprinkle on top of lettuce.

heat 1 tbls. olive oil over high heat in sauce pan. add red onion. cook, stirring until lightly browned. lower heat to medium, and add garlic, balsamic vinegar, wine, sugar, salt and pepper. let simmer, stirring occasionally until liquid reduces and is a syrupy consistency. remove from pan and set aside.

in same pan, heat 1 tbls. olive oil over high heat. add apples and cook until browned. add water and cook briefly until apples start to soften. reduce heat to medium and add brown sugar, butter and cinnamon. let simmer, stirring occasionally until liquid reduces and is a syrupy consistency. remove from pan and set aside.

in clean pan, poach or fry eggs just until cooked, while yolk remains soft.

while eggs are cooking, spoon the onions and balsamic mixture over the lettuce {the liquid acts as the dressing}. do the same with the apples. then top with egg.

eat while warm and enjoy!

3.10.2008

un monde plus doux.

today's a softer world:



sounds like a wonderful idea...

les yeux ouvertes.

last week i helped set up an exhibit called eyes wide open. it consisted of about 100 pairs of combat boots for each american soldier from oregon who has died, several hardhats commemorating oregon contractors who have died, a long trellis of thousands of prayer flags each representing one american soldier who has died, and several hundred shoes greatly under representing the loss of iraqi civilians. i think it was a rather impactful visual representation of the human cost of the war thus far. i was especially affected when laying out children's' shoes that have iraqi names and ages as young as 6 months printed on them. the organization sponsoring the traveling exhibit was in iraq before the initial bombing that was only supposed to hit military targets but actually killed thousands of civilians. they collected some of their names from the morgues around baghdad after the first onset of attacks. hopefully the exhibit helps to promote discussions about the war, helps people visualize the loss, promotes peace and above all, honors those who have lost their lives.

les premières fleurs.

i still can't get over the fact that the first blooms of spring appear in february here. when i was growing up we were lucky if we were able to pick the first few daffodils peeking up through the snow for mothers' day. whatever the calendar says i am really happy that spring is on its way and that it doesn't get dark at 5 anymore.

to springtime:

3.08.2008

mardi.



{double americano @ stumptown 128 sw 3rd}

3.05.2008

putain!

will someone please pour some water on her already. the flying monkeys have been circling far too long.

3.03.2008

Je ne peux pas cuisiner!

up until recently i have pretty much thought that the idea of someone who can't cook as a myth. well, like most myths, the truth has been dispelled and in my college years i have encountered several people who cannot cook. thinking back i can't really recall if i ever really learned to cook or if i just intuited the directions in my kids' cookbooks or maybe it was the hours and hours of foodnetwork my mom used to {and still does} watch. whatever the case, i easily can prepare various meals for myself, but the lack of that skill by some of my fellow classmates has made me wonder, whatever happened to home ec? there weren't any home ec classes where i grew up. we had a somewhat faulty culinary arts program that often lacked funding and qualified personnel but nothing like the home ec classes you see on high school sitcoms. why is this? is it anti-feminist to teach students how to cook because that would be insinuating that is all that women can do: stay at home and cook for their families? i would argue that now, in the twenty-first century, a home-ec style class would be extremely beneficial. i'm all for women being independent, as well as men and with more and more young people embarking out on their own after high school and college they should have the know how to prepare a meal. and with a large proportion of this nation's population overweight, i'm sure there are many who would benefit from the knowledge of preparing a simple, cheap, quick, and healthful meal at home as opposed to continuing the proliferation of our fast food nation.

on a similar note {that is really nothing more than a rant}, it would be wonderful if there were more recipes and cookbooks tailored to cooking for one. maybe there are, but i haven't found them, yet. i love cooking and trying new things but i also don't usually want to eat the same thing for five nights in a row to prevent wasting food. maybe someday.

on another similar note, this past weekend i made the most un-freaking-believably delicious scones. i first read about them on one of my favorite food blogs tea and cookiesa few months ago when i was still in france, lacking in free range of a kitchen, not to mention navigating the grocery store to find all the ingredients and then converting everything to metric and centigrade. then several weeks ago i finally printed out the recipe. then another two weeks to gather the ingredients on errant trips to the store. then another week to let my life calm down. then, finally, on a quiet, sunny saturday afternoon i mixed up the cheeseboard collective's cherry corn scones that tea writes about here. {by the way, if her writing and photos can't convince someone to move to san francisco, i don't know what would} when the scones finally made it out of the oven, they were definitely worth the wait. hot from the oven with just the perfect balance of a crusty outside, creamy biscuity inside, not to mention the lovely sweet and sour cherry gems. so perfectly balanced they don't even need any extra butter or jam. they are a great companion to a hot cup of earl grey. the combination just might be the thing to get through these {hopefully} last few weeks of portland wet and cold, and hours of homework.