The Best Thing To Hold Onto In Life Is Each Other

Today I went to the Lyttleton Farmers’ Market with my mother. And she tried everything. She ate olives and smoked salmon (not together). She tried a piece of a Brussels waffle, a chunk of a cookie and a slice of apricot. At one point, her eyes failing her, she reached INTO a bowl of creamy hummus, which she mistook as the creamy interior of a clay bowl and picked at its garnish! Eventually God saved me (and the testers) for her precious legs began to hurt and her head started craving coffee. After our coffee break which also turned into our lunch break because all the sitting and relaxing made her empty stomach super hungry, I suggested we visit the beach. At the beach, we took a 20minute trail by the water and all I thought about there and then was how badly I wish Soroosh were with me. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t want to be ungrateful or anything but this long-distance thing is killing me.

The Brussels Waffle

I’ve eaten a lot of things this Europe trip. Like, a lot. My jeans can attest to that. But even with the tighter jeans, I am glad and grateful to have been able to consume so much deliciousness. Especially when there are literally billions going without food every day.

I ate in Spain, France, Switzerland, and Belgium (Italy and Greece will have to wait for me and my future husband).

Food is just incredible in this continent. This is because, the majority of our favorites derived here: fries, waffles, pizza, crepes, etc.

Though I can write pages upon pages listing the delicacies I gobbled up here, only three of these have actually blown me away. As in, whoosh and into dreamland where my only wish of my sparkling fairy godmother was that my real mother could also taste this or that.

1. Ham, cheese, and lettuce French baguette.

2. Brussels waffle topped with strawberry and Nutella.

3. Handmade pistachio macaroon from a local market.

Forget Spanish churros, Belgian fries or Swiss chocolate. Forget cheese, olives, paella. Godiva? Lindt? Who needs them! My three, those are the ones I vouch to never forget. If I could marry one, well, let’s just say I’d have to first change gender, second religion and third, get used to pampering three women.

Do we really want to travel in hermetically sealed popemobiles through the rural provinces of France, Mexico and the Far East, eating only in Hard Rock Cafes and McDonalds? Or do we want to eat without fear, tearing into the local stew, the humble taqueria’s mystery meat, the sincerely offered gift of a lightly grilled fish head? I know what I want. I want it all. I want to try everything once. (Anthony Bourdain)

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A Silly Post

This is as the title states, a silly post. Though still serious (and honest). Being both is apparently possible. So, I have a few things to say about yesterday and they’re all random so I’m just gonna go ahead and confuse you all.

1.My third post on Savvy Tokyo is up. You can check it out HERE. Side note: yesterday, I complained to my sister that no one even reads my work and next thing, 30+ of her friends have shared this article having asked their friends to read and share it too. So cheeky. I am so lucky to have such great people in my life. I love you big sis. Big big big shout out.

2. Yesterday I also went to Tottori. That’s the prefecture with Japan’s largest sand-dunes and also, my mother’s highlight of my parents’ Japan trip. It was awesome. I especially liked the new South American sand museum exhibition. I also went last year, it was German themed then. Each year they have a new theme and a new team of international artists. A definite must see when there. More info on the actual museum HERE.

3.Last week I bought my mama a pair of identical sandals to mine and sent them to her as a surprise. Yesterday she received them and sent me back a thank you text with a picture of her wearing them with these thick black socks. Very unfashionable. I told her to take her socks off and take a picture in them outside. She sent back a picture of her standing ON a picnic table. Before you think she’s completely insane, let me explain that this is because, back in NZ, I used to do all of my blog photography on this old abandoned picnic table in our backyard (see here here here and here). I liked the wooden background and its location always got natural sunlight. Nowadays as you may have noticed, I take all of my food pictures at the same spot. These wooden boards are actually the floorboard of my lounge, next to my  balcony’s glass door. It’s a silly spot but it has amazing light. Now, the brown boards have sorta become my style. Anyways, isn’t my mother hilarious?! I’ve included some of her other ridiculous (and sweet) messages to make you smile. Some context for the last image, during that 19 minute phone convo, I had continously whined  about being single and for so long. I love my mama.