Passion for Potions

Ever since I was a little girl I knew I was special. Unlike normal little girls, I have never really been interested in playing with barbiedolls or little ponies, nor did I ever like any boardgames.
My main activity when I was young was brewing magic potions, which off course consisted of all natural ingredients, like dirt from the garden, flowers from the neighbors garden, spiders and rainworms (preferably still living.)  Although I put my heart and soul into every potion, they never really seemed to do much magic.. (a disappointment I am actually still recovering from.)

Although my invitation to Hogwarts seems to have been misplaced by the mailman, my passion for potions continued all through highschool. It's a shame my friends are still laughing about the time I bought a kombucha fungus online and started my own superhealthy fungusdrink-factory...

One day, when I got older and wiser and began exploring other parts of the world, I ran into some fellow potionbrewers when I traveled through western Java (Indonesia.) The Sundanese people, who live in the higher land of West Java, are known to brew a traditional drink called Bandrek.
It's hot and spicy and does not only warm your whole body, but it also cures a sore throat and should even work as an aphrodisiac. That sounds like a magic potion to me! I had to try it, not only because of its qualities, but also because the main ingredients were some of my alltime favourite spices like ginger and cinnamon!

Bandrek totally lived up to my expectations, as liquid fire it burned through my body and warmed me up with its delicious spices, just as promised.
Today, a few years later I still remember the taste of Bandrek and decided to recreate it. After all I àm a trained potion brewer!

After some research and a hunt for ingrediënts I am proud to say I made a perfect Bandrek! And because winter is coming and I don't want you to get cold, I will share my recipe with you. So here it comes:

Ingredients  (for 1 liter of Bandrek)

• 1 liter water
• 6 cinnamon sticks
• 10 star anise
• 20 whole cloves
• 10 all spice berries
• 14 cardamom pods
• 2 stalks lemongrass, trimmed and pounded to release the fragrance
• 12 cm Ginger, chopped into pieces to release the juices
• 1 small red chili
• 4 tablespoons of palm sugar
• 6 pandan leaves (pounded to release the fragrance)
• 6 lemon leaves
• half can of unsweetened coconutmilk

Most of the ingredients were pretty easy to find at the local market. Finding the pandan leaves was the biggest challenge, but I found them at a Thai store. I promise you 'vanilla of the East,' as pandan leaves are often called, are certainly worth the search, as the flavour doesn't compare to any other spice. 

The preparation of the drink is easy. Just mix all the ingredients, except the palm sugar and coconutmilk, in a cooking pan and let it cook for about 20 minutes, untill you smell all of the spices releasing their delicious flavours.

After 20 minutes, add the palm sugar and coconutmilk, stir it through and cook for another 5 minutes.
Done! It's that easy! just put it through a sieve and serve it hot.

Because as a true potionmaster a like a little dramatic effect, I chose to serve my Bandrek in a skullshaped glass.

Blending into Paris

Participant observation.. It's the key method to any anthropological research. Because in order to research a culture you'll have to blend in, so you won't accidently affect local behaviour.
As an ex-wannabe-athropologist I sometimes still feel the need to invisibly blend into cultures and subcultures and observe them from within. It's interessting to detect the sublte diffrences in people, only caused by the place the were born and the people and culture they grew up with.

Having spent a lot of time in Paris, I tried absorb French culture like a sponge, just trying to become just as chique and sophisticated as a true Parisienne. Because let's be honest, walking through the city of love, you can spot the diffrence between the tourists and locals from miles away.

It's not just the way Parisians dress or what they eat, it's the whole air of belonging in Paris you'll have to capture if you want to blend in. So if you ever feel the need to become a Parisian, (or just walk through Paris without being harassed by tourist-targetting criminal gypsies) here are a few pointers:

1. Yes! it's obvious and predictable, but the first thing you'll have to learn is speaking French! It's not only the language of love, but also by most French people just considered as the superiour language. If you're trying to be French but fail to speak the language, you've allready lost major points!  

2. Disguise. An important thing if you want to blend in, is looking like you belong! But French style is not easy to copy. You would expect all haute couture and high heels, but in reality a true Parisian looks like it didn't take any effort to look flawlessly fashionable. Skinny jeans and timeless classic clothing are probably the basics. Red lipstick helps with the finishing touch (only for female wannabe-parisians though ;)) But the rest of your disguise probably has to come from your attitude.


3. Hurry and multitask
Speedwalk! never just stroll, you're allways in a hurry! Even when you're making your way through the crowded metro-labyrinth. At first it will probably be quite a challenge to avoid bumping into your fellow running Parisians, so for a good preparation you'll have to make sure you'll know where you're going. You wouldn't want to blow your cover by being caught looking at a map.

When you're in the metro, never make eyecontact with anyone, but immediately pull out your book! Reading a book is always a good way to look French, whether you're standing in the metro, walking speedwalking on the streets, or sitting in a café. So never ever forget your book!
Another musthave prop is a cigarette! Smoke on the streets, whenever you get the chance.
In the morning, when you're hurrying to work (while smoking of course) stop at least once at a café to order a coffee at the bar, take 5 minutes to drink your coffee, read the newspaper, put some money on the bar and hurry on! You probably didn't really enjoy your coffee or read much news, but remember you're not doing it because you really want to drink coffee or need to read the newspaper, you're merely making a point, your a local!

It's important to always keep up your air of French arrogance and keep your distance. Others are not really worth your attention, with the the ironic exception of 2 things:, kissing and fondling your lover wherever and whenever you can, and being a good citizen. That means allways helping strangers with babies and standing up for pregnant people, old people and people with small children. Everyone will immediately hate you if you failed to notice an oppportunity to stand up for someone in need. (Ironically this rule absolutely doesn't apply to the countless 'clochards,' the homeless people, begging for money on the streets. They are to be ignored.)

Once you've perfected your French act and managed to fool some locals, its time for the final test; inviting them over! Now you'll have to decorate your appartment like a true Parisian and luckily that's pretty easy.  Start by covering every inch of wall with decorations, posters, paintings, photographs, anything really.
If you can't see the colour of your wallpaper, It's allready looking pretty French, but it's not quite finished. Because the most important thing in a Parisian interior is..... Chairs!! In every corner or empty space of every Parisian appartment you'll find a chair (or more!) The more chairs, the more Parisian your apartment will look! Chairs Chairs Chairs

 Just count the chairs in the pictures above, I rest my case..

The final touch in your Parisian apartment is the fridge! First of all, put at least 8 pots of mustard in it! Different kinds of course. I don't know why but it seems to be a necessity. The only thing left to do now is decorating the outside of your fridge.  Because French people love to cover it with their collection of refridgerator-magnets. Preferably collected abroad, but you also have to have food-magnets, wine-magnets, holliday-magnets etc. Just an example:
 

I think we've covered the basics by now and all you amateur-anthroplogists and wannabe-Parisians will blend in perfectly.

My own proudest moment as a fake Parisian was when I was running the streets, smoking and looking French, when suddenly some lost Dutch tourists asked me for directions (in English.)  Unfortunately I was in a fake-hurry and I decided I coudn't risk blowing my cover by speaking English (I still have to practise my Frensh accent) or worse:  Dutch! So I explained them in French where they had to go. They didn't understand a word but I was really proud of myself for passing this important test ;)

Redecorating Versailles

Recently I visited le Chateau de Versailles, the magestic manifestation of French Francophilia near Paris. Once you step into the home of Louis XIV, Marie Antoinette and all of their rich and famous friends, it's not hard to imagine time-travelling back to the time of the French revolution.
Hundreds of rooms, richly decorated, walls and ceilings covered in paintings, gold, silk and chandeliers. While you follow the inevetable stream of incredibly annoying japanese tourists and loud schoolchildren, you dream away and wonder how there ever could have been a time, where people lived in such extravagance and prosperity. (While the rest of the country starved of course)
I've seen the palace before, so I didn't expect any surprises. It's not like Versailles interior desigers are trying to keep up with the latest trends anyway. And personally I think even Mr. Ikea himself probably wouldn't be up for the challenge of refurnishing and redecorating the entire Chatea.
But to my surprise, there was something different about Versailles. While wandering through the palace I discovered more and more subtle and less subtle proof of the fact that Marie Antoinette had recently developed a new-found love of contemporary art.
And we all know there is no accounting about taste, but one can certainly say Marie Antoinettes new additions give a refreshing twist to her formally very classic interior .

 

Some pieces seemed to fit perfectly in their place

 Pretty marble lions, covered in lace

 Louis' breakfast table was being attacked by giant lace lobsters

 These pumps, made out of cooking pans, became the centerpiece of the famous 'Salle des miroirs'

The ceiling of the painting gallery made me think of a chinese carnaval.

And last but not least, my favourite piece showed that the extravagance of Marie Antoinette clearly knew no boundaries..

A Pink helicopter, covered in ostrich feathers and pink Swarovski chrystals. I bet Paris Hilton would be pretty jealous! ;)

After some research I found out this was the work of Portuguese artist Joana Vasconcelos, who's Versailles exhibition is supposed to be an ode to women’s achievements, both in the private and public spheres. 

Vanconcelos isn't the first contemporary artists who got the honour to exhibit at Versailles. 

Earlier the Japanese artist Takashi Murakami shook up the palace with his Manga-style statues. 

And also the famous American  balloonanimal-artist Jeff Koons once  had a chance to decorate the palace according to his own 'special' taste

I'm sure there will be some critics who won't appreciate this project, but I think it's a wonderfull mixture of old and new, classic and modern!

The Paris-New Zealand Diet

The last year, I've spent some time abroad; for two months I 'studied french' in Paris, and later I went to New Zealand for 3 months to work and travel around. Eventhough both places were so different, from what I'm used to at home and especially from eachother, they both inspired me to change my eating habits..

Paris
In Paris, the city I love so much, everything seems to be so cultured. I love the haute couture fashion, the language of love, all the stylish people, the countless museums with beautiful art and of course.. La Cuisine! The french kitchen is classic and so refined. The city is full of the best restaurants in the world and on every corner you can find a petit Pattiserie with delicacies which are actually to beautiful to eat, but even more delicious.

While I was In Paris I found out what the secret is of French women, who manage to keep a perfect figure in the middle of so many irresistable temptations..  Only eat whats worth eating! Only eat the most beautiful perfectly combined meals, prepared with love, because that tastes so much better then 10 times as much ugly manufactured, loveless, gross things. Off course this way of eating has a pricetag, but it's all about priorities. Like all french people I just chose to rather eat one piece of culinairy art and starve the rest of the day, than eating a lot of anything else, because it's just worth it!

New Zealand
On the other side of the world (literally) I went back to basic. The family I stayed at only ate organic and preferably home-grown foods. They were vegetarians, with the exception of animals they hunted themselves, because that would be a waste of good meat. As used-to-junkfood citygirls we called adapting to our new New Zealand lifestyle 'bootcamp,' and spent our time in the garden, nurturing our patatoes, cabbage and lettuce and eating it for dinner.

I have to admit that I did feel pretty healthy with my natural food, free of preservatives, chemicals and of course grown with love.

The revolutionairy Diet
So now the time has come to combine the best of both worlds into my revolutionairy Paris-New Zealand Diet! Because I know these rules will make me look like a Victoria's secret angel in no time!

1. Only eat, whats worth eating
2. Don't wast the joy of eating on food, which is processed in some factory, where instead of love, they put chemicals and preservatives in it.
3. Pay attention to eating my carefully selected food, because 'the chosen ones' deserve to be eaten with as much love as with wich they were prepared.

My devotion to this revolutionairy diet has allready resulted in me making myself this delicious and very healthy Salad for lunch:

Ingredients: 
Rocket salad
Little Gem salad
Cucumber
Chicory
Grapefruit
Smoked Salmon
Dressing











Bon appetit!

God is a Chocoholic

As I was roaming the streets of Antwerp yesterday, just innocently shopping (and looking for the giant cathedral, which seemed to have dissappeared..) I suddenly got drawn into the former royal palace of Antwerp. Not because it is such a beautiful building, or because Napoleon once lived there, but because Chocolatier Dominique Persoone opened a shop there and I was just not strong enough to resist the temptation of the the delicious chocolates inside.

Once I stepped inside I had to face the challenge of keeping my wallet closed. Rather would I have bought a huge chocolate dog sculpture, chocolate lipstick, chocolate massage oil, chocolate books and even the chocolatebar-shaped counter. (Because that would look pretty cool in the kitchen of my future home) But I didn't and I'm pretty proud of that! :)








Apart from all the eatible chocolate, they also sold the chocolate shooter, once invented for a birthdayparty of the rolling stones but later presented as the socalled solution to the problem of every chocoholic.. Calories! With the shooter you can sniff chocolate to get the  taste of chocolate without eating it! It sounds fantastic, but I allready tried it once though.. Its funny and it does kinda work, but it definitely doesnt compare to eating it!

Off course I couldn't leave the shop without buying something so I had to try the really intriguing assortment of chocolates. My budget allowed me to choose 8 different flavours. And I allready regret not stretching my budget to buy more, because as crazy as these chocolates might sound, they were all DELICIOUS!

My top 5 chocolates: (within the flavours I tried off course)

5.Italian Javanais (White chocolate ganache with fresh basil, a chutney of sundried tomatoes, marzipan with black olives)
I have to admit I had my doubts about this one, but somehow it really worked
4.Espelette (bitter ganache, marzipan, slightly smoked chili pepper)
Because I like things spicy, even my chocolates
3. Carasel (Caramel ganache with fleur the sel)
Its just a classic combination of deliciousness
2. Bollywood (White chocolate ganache flavoured with saffron and a mild curry) sounds weird, but I like curry and appearantly I like it even more when its in a chocolate
....
1. BACON!
I know... but I promiss it's just the best combination ever!


So if you ever go to Antwerp, go to the chocolate line and try them all! Because I know that if anyone will ever ask me what my favourite chocolote flavour is, the answer will be: Bacon!