0 Butte-Aux-Cailles

 Heading off to places no one much goes to in Paris can be a trip. The Butte aux Cailles in the 13th arrondissement is one of those places. More a hidden village than a touristic haunt, it's a step back in  time like Woody's Midnight In Paris. The buildings are small. The architecture idiosyncratic. The cobblestone streets narrow and quirky. Paris doesn't get more villagey than this. I'm a fan of the 13th's big chlorine-free pool. Otherwise I might have missed this adventure to the hinterlands. After a swim nothing is bettter than a light lunch at L'Oisive The 5 minutes away. The food is...

0 KASHA, BLACK-EYED PEA, MACKEREL, FAVA BEAN, TOMATO & MISO SALAD - SALADE DE SARRASIN, DOLIQUES A OEIL NOIR, FÈVES, MAQUEREAU, TOMATE ET MISO

Be careful of those who pat you on the back. They might be looking for a soft spot to plant the knife.- AnonymousHonest hearts produce honest actions.- Brigham YoungThose who know me are aware of the fact that I cherish honest, genuine as well as selfless beings and look for the deep and meaningful things in life. Superficiality, artificiality, triviality, egocentrism and materialism put me off. I reject all the false values that this modern and unethical society apprizes.Calculators, manipulators and profitors are my biggest enemies. I fear them like the pest and smell them from a distance. Actually, I make it a rule to stay far away from anything...

0 When Wanderers Cease to Roam

 I nabbed this cat (one of nine) off  Vivian Swift's blog, because it's near 90 degrees here in New York and I'd like to be padding through the snow rather than hugging the AC.. And I wanted to share with you Vivian's first book, When Wanderers Cease to Roam: A Traveler's Journal of Staying Put.In Vivian's own words:It took me a long time — 52 years — to finally get down to doing the work that I think I was meant to do (this illustrated autobiography thing that I do to communicate my peculiar joie de vivre) and I thank my lucky stars that I finally figured it out. Yes, I wish I’d figured it out sooner, and not wasted...

0 Rose Petals and Saffron

 Last week I took a Persian cooking class with Louisa Shafia of Lucid Food, my niece. Rose petals were on the menu. My 1st encounter with rose petals was at Au Nom de la Rose. I went whole hog buying up the shop - they're so pretty to paint. But eating them wasn't on my menu. Rose petals were a savoury condiment in the class. Louisa said the tiny rose buds are in fact more flavorful. Did I say Louisa has a new cookbook coming out next spring on Persian food? After class I searched for my bottle of Fauchon rose buds. They come from Iran! More exotic class ingredients - sumac, pomegranate...