eating in laos
the thing i love most about lao food is how multi-dimensional the flavours are. tangy, spicy, comforting... all at once.
i don't think "complex" is the first word that comes to mind for most people when they think of lao or thai cuisine. you see vendors whipping up spicy salads and omelettes at streetside stands and shophouses all over the place, and it all seems a bit easy. but watch the chefs closely and you'll often see that it's more complicated than it looks, sometimes involving 30-or-so steps of fast-as-light motions... so much so that you give up any notion of recreating them at home. lao and thai dishes are some of the least understood and most underestimated cuisines in the world. they make french cuisine seem simple by comparison.
i don't think "complex" is the first word that comes to mind for most people when they think of lao or thai cuisine. you see vendors whipping up spicy salads and omelettes at streetside stands and shophouses all over the place, and it all seems a bit easy. but watch the chefs closely and you'll often see that it's more complicated than it looks, sometimes involving 30-or-so steps of fast-as-light motions... so much so that you give up any notion of recreating them at home. lao and thai dishes are some of the least understood and most underestimated cuisines in the world. they make french cuisine seem simple by comparison.
london - the cool kids
canal saint-martin
when you're visiting a city like paris, returning to favorite spots can be risky. whether it be a cozy cafe or a beautiful perfume store tucked in a quiet alley, places can change or disappear. and it's quite rare that the joy of returning to a special spot exceeds that of discovering it the first time.
right?
and yet, i'm always going back to my favorites. i feel like i need to make sure i was right -- right when i discovered that the eastward view from a certain point in the luxembourg gardens was perfect. right when i felt the early morning light on canal saint martin was so pretty it made up for everything i didn't like about the city...
from the fast lane
when i moved into my apartment here in helsinki 6 months ago, i was handed a thick booklet containing rules and regulations for tenants. initially, i only read the section on rubbish disposal and recycling, but one day i decided to translate a random page as a finnish language exercise, and discovered this:
tenants may hang or dry out their belongings on terraces during afternoons on tuesdays, thursdays and fridays. the cumulative weight of such items may not exceed 200 kilograms at any one time
...
tenants may use their terrace to dry their rugs and carpets on mondays and wednesdays between 1 pm and 5 pm. floors 4 through 6 may "shake out" dust from their rugs and carpets between 3:30 and 4:30 pm. lower floors may do this between 2:30 and 3:30 pm or during the last 30 minutes of the period...
it goes on. i love it! it's all logical really. who wants their laundry covered in someone else's carpet dust? but would you expect people anywhere else to follow such rules? hmm, maybe japan. anyway, that's how i realised it's true what they say about finns and rules.
... which made it all the more strange to see people doggy-paddling in the fast lane at the yrjonkatu swimming hall, where i have been doing laps after work (all those salmon steaks and mashed potatoes must be dealt with somehow). there is a lane for "water-walking" and "slow swimming" so you would expect the fast lane to be reserved for swimmers doing laps free-style, butterfly or breast-stroke, right? somehow, i was more disturbed by this supposed rule-breaching rather than the fact that over half of the swimmers were naked --bathing suits are optional-- and wearing shower caps.
but if i'm going to swim, i want to swim! i put on my goggles and swimming cap and swam between the two lanes of doggypaddlers, thankful that there was enough width. i did about three, 50 metre laps of free-style and paused for a rest when i heard a whistle. i was violating the rule of rotations between lanes! i couldn't quite understand the rule that the swimming hall monitor was trying very hard to explain.
so now i am doggy paddling with the rest. it's much more tiring than proper swimming if you want to cover the same distance, but it does allow you to keep moving for much longer. perhaps it's not such a bad way to burn calories.
after swimming, i usually go upstairs, where i get a nice view of the entire swimming hall and its art deco interior. they offer a choice of three different saunas and personal cabins for resting, and the cafe serves champagne and a variety of drinks as well as snails in garlic and a nice beetroot and goat cheese salad. i feel like i'm in a thomas mann novel, perhaps an aristocratic tuberculosis patient at a posh davos sanatorium, circa 1920...
cameras aren't allowed because of the nudity, but i couldn't resist!
tenants may hang or dry out their belongings on terraces during afternoons on tuesdays, thursdays and fridays. the cumulative weight of such items may not exceed 200 kilograms at any one time
...
tenants may use their terrace to dry their rugs and carpets on mondays and wednesdays between 1 pm and 5 pm. floors 4 through 6 may "shake out" dust from their rugs and carpets between 3:30 and 4:30 pm. lower floors may do this between 2:30 and 3:30 pm or during the last 30 minutes of the period...
it goes on. i love it! it's all logical really. who wants their laundry covered in someone else's carpet dust? but would you expect people anywhere else to follow such rules? hmm, maybe japan. anyway, that's how i realised it's true what they say about finns and rules.
... which made it all the more strange to see people doggy-paddling in the fast lane at the yrjonkatu swimming hall, where i have been doing laps after work (all those salmon steaks and mashed potatoes must be dealt with somehow). there is a lane for "water-walking" and "slow swimming" so you would expect the fast lane to be reserved for swimmers doing laps free-style, butterfly or breast-stroke, right? somehow, i was more disturbed by this supposed rule-breaching rather than the fact that over half of the swimmers were naked --bathing suits are optional-- and wearing shower caps.
but if i'm going to swim, i want to swim! i put on my goggles and swimming cap and swam between the two lanes of doggypaddlers, thankful that there was enough width. i did about three, 50 metre laps of free-style and paused for a rest when i heard a whistle. i was violating the rule of rotations between lanes! i couldn't quite understand the rule that the swimming hall monitor was trying very hard to explain.
so now i am doggy paddling with the rest. it's much more tiring than proper swimming if you want to cover the same distance, but it does allow you to keep moving for much longer. perhaps it's not such a bad way to burn calories.
after swimming, i usually go upstairs, where i get a nice view of the entire swimming hall and its art deco interior. they offer a choice of three different saunas and personal cabins for resting, and the cafe serves champagne and a variety of drinks as well as snails in garlic and a nice beetroot and goat cheese salad. i feel like i'm in a thomas mann novel, perhaps an aristocratic tuberculosis patient at a posh davos sanatorium, circa 1920...
cameras aren't allowed because of the nudity, but i couldn't resist!
autumn in helsinki
is turning me into a strange person.
in the middle of a rush-hour tram, i am hissing: "is that you, winter?! not your turn yet!" and i'm doing bikram yoga! crazy!
on the silja line to stockholm
i've always lived in cities near rivers or oceans, but i've never felt so close to water as i do here in helsinki. my apartment has a nice view of the kaisaniemi bay, and the fastest way to work is along the water.
i think of something my late grandfather once told me at our old apartment on 52nd street overlooking the east river. he hadn't gone out all day, so i asked if he wanted to get some fresh air. he said no, it was okay, he had spent the whole day by the window, and watching the river made him feel connected to the world and helped him forget he was in a strange country where he couldn't speak the language.
alvar aalto's house
alvar aalto's house in munkkiniemi is full of familiar objects: the savoy vase, the beehive pendant lamp ..... but to see all of them together, in the way they were used by the designer himself, is something special.
aalto's works and many other iconic finnish designs are from the 30's - 60's. what's interesting is that these were decades of great instability, with the country ravaged by wars and war debts. that people could embrace new, modern aesthetics even in such times says a lot about finland.
aalto's works and many other iconic finnish designs are from the 30's - 60's. what's interesting is that these were decades of great instability, with the country ravaged by wars and war debts. that people could embrace new, modern aesthetics even in such times says a lot about finland.
the long days of summer
it's 10 pm and i ought to go to bed because i have a 7 am start tomorrow. but how can i when it looks like this outside?
my favourite finnish phrase right now is aurinko paista, which means "it's sunny." doesn't it sound beautiful? i wish i could say it every day!
my favourite finnish phrase right now is aurinko paista, which means "it's sunny." doesn't it sound beautiful? i wish i could say it every day!
lilacs in full bloom
it's like the whole city is wearing an amazing perfume. it's quite dreamy.
someone i recently met told me that living in finland changes people. foreigners who experience its harsh winters and gorgeous summers can't help but change, she said. and how? i asked a bit apprehensively.
"they become extreme," she answered. "maybe they become a bit tough and a little crazy, withdrawing a bit in the cold months and then being totally mad-happy in the summer."
tomorrow is the eve of midsummer.
the cat doesn't know
the best part of cod is the cheek. in japan, it's called neko shirazu, which translates to "the cat doesn't know." apparently, even japan's fish-loving cats miss out on this bit because it's so small and hidden behind the eye and jaw cartilage. which is a shame really.
i ordered the cod cheeks at oaxen krog. i normally find table-side service a bit embarassing, but i was quite happy to watch this preparation, the cod cheeks and tongue combined with lobster and a nice rich broth.
ohh kitty... you don't know what you're missing
helsinki
it's been 2 months since i moved here, but this weekend was the first time i had a chance to look around and appreciate what a gorgeous city it is. and realise that it's summer already! where did spring go? i'm struggling to get my camera settings to adjust to this sudden explosion of light.
various shades of pale at suomenlinna:
mid-century fika
cafes say a lot about a culture. in tokyo you often see salesmen napping between client visits, and in new york, you might find yourself next to someone talking loudly, at a mile-a-minute, about yoga, dating or politics.
the fika, or coffee break, is a big part of stockholm life. i'm glad i stopped by the very classic cafe valand, where time seems to move slowly and quietly. the interior is a mid-century design lover's dream... i felt like i could sit here forever, but alas, i had a flight to catch. yes, on to finland!
the fika, or coffee break, is a big part of stockholm life. i'm glad i stopped by the very classic cafe valand, where time seems to move slowly and quietly. the interior is a mid-century design lover's dream... i felt like i could sit here forever, but alas, i had a flight to catch. yes, on to finland!
it's official!
i'm moving to finland! i'll start work on april 1. there's so much to plan and think about, and i'm a bit overwhelmed at the moment... but very excited.
and i guess i should stop complaining about the cold now.
i love (+new yorkers who love) liszt
last night jean-yves thibaudet opened the franz liszt bicentenary concert series at carnegie hall. the program began with the consolations, followed by les jeux d'eaux... some of my favourite pieces.
as i sat down in my balcony seat, getting ready for some moody 19th-century romanticism, i heard from one row behind me a true newyawk (ok, i don't know exactly which) accent: "so let's see here, the program says he's gonna start with the consolations, which is, frankly, a warm up piece, and that makes sense because after that he's playing jeux d'eaux which is one helluva knuckle-buster... " he made me chuckle, reminding me of the scene in annie hall, being stuck in a theatre line next to a man holding forth on fellini and samuel beckett.
but rather than annoy me, this enthusiastic, pre-concert commentary made me quite happy. i love the way many new yorkers are ready to share their thoughts on just about everything, and that they have no shame or inhibition.
as the last applause was winding down, i heard this gentleman tell his companion: "just amazing! he's got so much refined technique but he's also got this wild verve... a genius, i tell you! that last encore alone was worth the price of this ticket!" i almost turned around to tell him "yes, yes, i agree!!" you don't find people like that anywhere else, really.
oh no, i'm getting a bit sentimental about new york! it's because i've been thinking about moving. to somewhere quite far! i'm dying to tell you everything. soon, i promise...
as i sat down in my balcony seat, getting ready for some moody 19th-century romanticism, i heard from one row behind me a true newyawk (ok, i don't know exactly which) accent: "so let's see here, the program says he's gonna start with the consolations, which is, frankly, a warm up piece, and that makes sense because after that he's playing jeux d'eaux which is one helluva knuckle-buster... " he made me chuckle, reminding me of the scene in annie hall, being stuck in a theatre line next to a man holding forth on fellini and samuel beckett.
but rather than annoy me, this enthusiastic, pre-concert commentary made me quite happy. i love the way many new yorkers are ready to share their thoughts on just about everything, and that they have no shame or inhibition.
as the last applause was winding down, i heard this gentleman tell his companion: "just amazing! he's got so much refined technique but he's also got this wild verve... a genius, i tell you! that last encore alone was worth the price of this ticket!" i almost turned around to tell him "yes, yes, i agree!!" you don't find people like that anywhere else, really.
oh no, i'm getting a bit sentimental about new york! it's because i've been thinking about moving. to somewhere quite far! i'm dying to tell you everything. soon, i promise...
photographing tokyo
often, i'll see a photo and know right away that it was taken in japan. but it takes a while to figure out what it is that i recognize, the give-away in the picture.
sometimes it's simple -- a vending machine, a stop sign -- other times it's more subtle, like electrical lines that criss cross the skyline, or a decorative cement block. it's something i think about when i take snapshots of tokyo. the scenery is so familiar to me that i need to make a conscious effort to recognize what's beautiful or interesting. it helps to be away for a while and have the eyes of an outsider.
recognizing the extraordinary in the every day seems to come naturally for my friend hidemi, a photographer whom my friends refer to as "that crazy friend of yours..." it was a treat to go for a walk with her around ebisu and shibuya, stopping here and there to take photos of the weird and beautiful.
recognizing the extraordinary in the every day seems to come naturally for my friend hidemi, a photographer whom my friends refer to as "that crazy friend of yours..." it was a treat to go for a walk with her around ebisu and shibuya, stopping here and there to take photos of the weird and beautiful.
happy new year
everybody in tokyo seems to be talking about one thing this new year, and that's "danshari" -- a word using the three chinese characters for "refusal", "abandonment" and "separation" (断捨離). it's meant to signify the pursuit of a simple and uncluttered life, by throwing away things you no longer need and learning to live with less. there's no doubt that a decade of deflation and economic stagnation is forcing people to re-evaluate their behavior. about a dozen people i met this past week have cited it as a resolution for the year.
but i'm all for new year's resolutions, and here are mine:
- read books more slowly. book-devouring all-nighters are a bad habit from high school.
- more japanese cooking!
- more photography. maybe try landscape this year? which means i'd need a new lens (danshari, danshari...)
- get back to swimming.
- learn a new language. i'll keep you posted on this one...
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