0 BLACK & WHITE WEDNESDAY #12

~ That Which Remains ~

~ Sweet Like Honey ~


~ Old-Fashioned ~

All three pictures were submitted to "Black & White Wednesday", an event created by Susan at "The Well-Seasoned Cook".

0 Master Painters of India, 1100–1900

Yesterday was preview day at the Met. The Mets new Indian Miniature exhibit opens tomorrow.
200 examples of exquisite small qouache paintings... And not to be missed!

You want to dress 'Indian' - magnifying glasses are provided.

The only other place you'll see this exhibit is Zurich - it was a 2 year collaborative effort. Examples range from worldwide collections including the Queen and Windsor Castle...

A perfect portrait of Mughal emperor, Shah Jahan, builder of the Taj Mahal painted on horseback.

An unfinished miniature reveals the stages of creation...

A film shows how...So many watercolor papers are still made in India...

The original pigments used, many saved in clamshells...

I spent time in India in the fashion biz and fell in love with miniatures - Kumar Gallery let me sit in a back room and go through stacks of painted papers - this is my mini collection.

I came home, immersed myself in gouache and tiny brushes. Here a later variation, painted in watercolor - my niece the chef, Louisa levitating after graduating from the Naturel Gourmet cooking school.

In '97 I went back to Northern India with my sister...

We stayed at the fabulous Jagat Niwas Palace hotel in Udaipur owned by the Maharana Shriji Arvind Singh Mewar. A grand soiree was held in celebration of the new moon. Everyone dressed in white as was the food.

The Maharana and I chatted about miniatures and he invited me to view his private collection after the party. His paintings were protected by two stuffed tigers emerging from either side of the gallery walls.

'You must go past the tigers,' he commanded.

He served me Indian Champagne...

The clock struck midnight...

'I have to go.' I said.

'Ah, you are afraid of me,'

'YES' and ran out the door.

I still get invitations to the annual awards ceremony in March from the kind Maharana.

Lovely Indian treasures are waiting for you in the Met gift shop

And a pistachio gelato at Sant Ambroeus...

Bonjour Master Painters of India!

0 Paris Bowpeep

The French obsession with bows starts early, like day 1.
Bows to the left of me, bows to the right, here I am stuck...

My French friend is visiting and I am inundated with bows..

Bows for shopping in Soho...

(French Girl being French drinks Coke)

No two ways about it...

French Girl is a bow-a-holic

Her favorite jacket by designer Paul Ka with the bow worn aft

I picked up this H&M Lanvin (another bow lover) T-shirt for her

I tried to buy this Lanvin T off the sales help but he wouldn't budge..

Yesterday we browsed at Soho Hollister where the men...

Wear almost nothing.

It's pitch dark inside but there are plenty of bows to be seen.

The chandeliers alone are worth the visit if you're not into buff guys wearing nose-kote...

Back to Paris and bow tops for the preteens..

It's my contention that the French are not so well-endowed upstairs - therefor the bow covers what's missing. No bows on the derriere you will note.

Cafe Pouchkine had the only gateaux I could find with a bow.

BONJOUR BOWS!

0 Paris Quinoa

French Girl is arriving in NYC this evening. She's staying for the weekend! She's bringing us fancy AOC Lentille verte du Puy
Fr Girl made us her own recipe of lentille+parsley+smoked salmon+boiled egg on Jour du Macarons and we've never looked back. We're hooked.

You could say Paris is as inundated with lentille + quinoa as New York was with leggy models last week.

Love the packaging even in Hypermarche Carrfour...

If you're balancing a pastry regime you'll need a stop at Cojean for a salade de lentille bio et green apple right?

MIYOU is another one inside Le Bon Marche.Love their rectangular designer boxes - wish they were not plastic.

More Cojean - salade BCP - beets, celeri, pomme verte + pistache

Have you tried Bob's Juice Bar in the upper Marais?

74 rue des Gravilliers 75003

Yup, I had the salade feculents(?) tres yum (5.50 euros) and leaving me guilt-free to wolf down some Berko tarts.

Do lentilles mix with culture? oui bien sur at le expo Odilon Redon cafeteria

Quinoa makes it to a lunchtime ardoise/blackboardI haven't tried Couleurs de Ferme-I'm always racing to the Metro - 33 avenue de la Motte-Picquet, 75007

I tried Coco Cooks on rue de Seine 75006 - love it. Just a block from Patisserie Gerard Mulot...

So far I haven't seen quinoa or lentille macarons in Paris but you never know.

Whoda thunk chocolate bars with quinoa? Only in Paris.

BONJOUR PARIS LENTILLES/QUINOA!

et bon weekend!!