pédaler dans la choucroute

MATZO MEAL FROM MATZO MATZO BALLS

2021-04-03T21:08:00.001+02:00

Matzo Balls in France.

Matzo ball mix does not exist in the south of France, nor in Alsace. When I have seen a box, (like in Paris) there’s garlic in the mix, which I can't eat. I gave in and made them from scratch. I love matzo balls. I can eat them all year long.

This is no Tori Avey 5-page recipe; it's a weird recipe, because of the ingredients, but they turned out to be the best matzoh balls I’ve ever made. Making matzo into meal was a pain in the ass, but for a recipe of only 6 matzoh balls, it was worth it. A Seder table of 10 would have killed me, so I need to figure a better way to grind-up matzo.

I used Heumann’s “Tartines” style pain azyme for the meal. They are the closest thing to matzo I remember from the States. About 3 of these Tartine matzos make about a ¼ cup of meal in a Cuisinart, less the cracker bits that never ground up (which I ended up making into balls separately, and turned out pretty damn good).

INGREDIENTS:

A very good ¼ cup of fine ground matzo meal from matzo.
¼ tsp baking powder (optional for Passover)
½ tsp JL Ramen noodle vegetable flavor-pack powder. (the only pack I can find w/o garlic or other crap in it-and the ramen are decent. They come in a green package and I buy them at Grand Frais).
1 large egg
1 T light oil (colza/sunflower…)
Sprinkle in some frozen chopped parley (boxes are at Picard…)
Do your own stock, or use some of the flavor pack from the ramen noodles to make a stock (this is why I do not add salt to the matzo ball mix).

Fork-mix matzo meal, baking powder, frozen parley bits and flavor pack spices in a small bowl. In another small bowl, fork mix together the egg and oil until well blended.

Pour egg mixture into the dry mixture. Mix all together with a fork until just combined. Do not over-mix. Put the bowl of matzo ball mixture covered in the fridge and let rest at least 30 minutes.

Bring your cooking stock to a nice simmer-boil. Form the chilled matzo meal mix into 6 27g each lightly rolled balls. Keep ‘em light.

When broth is boiling, reduce to a simmer and drop the matzo balls gently into the liquid. Let cook 30-45 minutes until fluffy and soft. Keep the pot covered, turn them over only once during their cooking time. The balls are ready when they are floating and bouncing on the surface of the water. Cook longer if they seem dense or tight, that means they haven't cooked long enough. The should look soft and airy.

Mazel tov!

COFFEE CAKE WITH CINNAMONY-SUGARY STUFF ON TOP

2020-12-13T11:54:00.003+01:00

Sundays are still difficult for me in France.

I want to cook, bake, meet up with friends, go to a movie, have a drink together. No schedule, just go with the flow of the day. Holiday time is even more difficult. Going out always meant bumping into a friend, which led to a drink, a trip to see Christmas lights, just hanging out.

I'm not being whiny; it is what it is. My friends are not here or not close enough to show up at the door unannounced and welcomed. I'm not sure if that will ever exist for me here; I really don't think it exists even for French people. A day filled with happenstance and no rdv? Doubtful.

Maybe I'll make a coffee cake.

Cake:

57g butter melted

1 egg

1/8 tsp salt

1 cup buttermilk

Zest from one clementine (don't zest it yet)

250g flour 65T

60g sugar, which includes a packet of vanilla sugar (@ 11g)

1.5 tsp baking powder

½ tsp cinnamon

½ tsp powdered coriander

Topping:

115g butter

100-105g muscovado sugar

1T flour

3/4 tsp cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Cake:

In a large bowl fork mix all dry ingredients except the salt.

In a medium bowl melt butter in oven, leave out to cool. Zest the clementine into the melted butter.

In medium bowl whisk salt, buttermilk and egg into cooled butter. Add this liquid mixture to the dry mixture. Mix well; it’s a dense dough. Spread into an 8” cake greased pan.

Take about a 1/3 of the butter and with your fingers shred it into the topping mixture till crumbly. Spread this mixture on top of the cake. Slightly swirl it around the cake. You can't really 'swirl' but sorta try; it will make dents and pocket, don’t worry. Cut the rest of the butter into small pieces and sprinkle it on the top of the cake. Bake in oven for 30-35 minutes. Let cool in pan till butter is absorbed into the cake.

Eat the clementine, have a piece of cake with hot coffee.

PLUM BUTTER

2018-08-22T20:41:00.000+02:00

PLUM BUTTER

I miss Michel. He's been dead more than a month and all I want to do is cook. Sleep and cook.

My return to L.A. feels almost surreal. Nothing's changed. I imagine Michel walking the woods, returning to the apartment, watching Zorro, having sausage and pickles for dinner.

Comme habitude, I call to make sure he is alright. He tells me he misses me, he misses my family, he misses L.A. When will I be back? Soon, I tell him. Before the fresh walnuts arrive.

Fuck, I hate this...

I can't find a decent plum to save my life this summer in California. In the Moselle, they are sweet, deep and so juicy. What happened to the plums of my childhood in California? We had beautiful plums. There was a tree in our backyard aching with plums. Sweet, luscious, beautiful plums. All that surrounds me now are these weird roly things of blah.

I tried making a thick plum butter with what I could pilfer from a few trees. Michel would be pleased. With a good faisselle, Michel would be oh, so pleased. Fuck, I miss him so much.

Nobady knows what a faisselle is in L.A.

(what I did with the plum quantity I had on hand)
900 grams plums, plus one or two set aside - washed well.
150 - 170 grams turbinado sugar (depends on the sweetness of the plum)
3 fluid ounces water
juice from one lemon

Split plums in half, remove pits, keep them and count them! Do not peel. Cut into small-ish pieces. Place everything (including the seeds) in a 3-6-quart nonreactive saucepan.

Add the water, sugar and lemon juice. Cook on low heat until the fruit is very soft, about 20 - 30 min. Remove from heat, add a tiny splash of brandy/b&b/whatever. Let cool.

Remove seeds. Add the extra plum/s cut into small pieces. Purée plum mixture with its liquid in a food mill.

Return puréed plums to very low heat, stirring frequently to prevent scorching, until thick enough to liking; between 10 - 30 minutes. Depends how thick you want it to become when cool.

Remove from heat and let cool completely.

Go find some faisselle...

ZUCCHINI WHOLE WHEAT MUFFINS W/FLAX

2018-06-16T20:53:00.000+02:00

It's only June in California, and already I have found 5 huge zucchini left on my doorstep.

6 muffins

3/4 cup whole wheat
1/4 cup flax meal
1tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp or good pinch
1/4 tsp good allspice

1/4 cup nice strong honey
scant 1/4 tsp maple extract (very strong stuff)
1 large egg
1/4 cup canola or light oil
some zests from a lemon
9.5 - 10 oz (270-275gm) the whole zucchini quickly pulse-chopped in Cuisinart (keep liquid)

(if you want: small handful walnuts, toasted, finely chopped or/and some currents)

In a sieve over a med bowl, add first six ingredients. Put aside.
In the mixing bowl, mix the egg, oil, extract, honey and Cuisinart-ed zucchini (easier to measure honey if you measure the oil first).

Sift dry ingredients into the med bowl. If using currants/walnuts add them now to the sifted mixture.
Pour dry bowl stuff into the wet bowl stuff. Fold well with spatula.
Put aside while prepping pan and oven (give the baking powder time to start working).

Preheat oven to 350 degrees convection, a 'little higher if not convection. Butter well a 6 muffin tin, including top of pan. When oven heated to right temperature, fill tin completely full to top with batter. Put in oven.

350F, 20-25 minutes, until lightly browned and pick comes out clean. Cool in pan @ 10 minutes.

VELOUTÉ AUX CHÂTAIGNES ET AU LARD

2016-12-10T13:22:00.000+01:00

Velouté aux châtaignes et au lard

toujours y'a des conneries avec des recettes dans Saveurs
(Spécial fête hors séries no26 hiver 2016)

dec. 2016

-3C. chez lidl, marché de noël, promenade en Allemagne,apéro avec des amies. la soupe elle nous attends ce soir.

50-70 cl de bouillon de volaille, selon la consistance souhaitée (mois de bouillon plus d'eau chaud)

1 bocal de 400 g de châtaignes au naturel (420 g marque Carrefour dans une bouteille pellées au feu)

40 g de noisettes entiers

20 g environs de beurre

10 cl de crème liquide (plus - jusqu’à 25 cl)

8 tranches fines de poitrine fumée

1 petit oignon (moitié d'un très petit. si plus on a le goût d'oignon et pas du châtaigne)

1 brin de persil plat (ou cerfeuil or curly parsley)

Pelez l'oignon et hachez-le. Faites le revenir sans coloration dans le beurre pendant 4-5 min. Ajoutez les châtaignes puis versez le bouillon. Faites cuire à petits bouillons pendant 20 min. Mixez avec la crème et ajustez l'assaisonnement.

Faites dorer les tranches de poitrine fumée et les noisettes sur 2 plaques différentes pendant 10-15 min. dans le four à 180C.

Retirez les peaux des noisettes en les frottant dans un torchon puis hachez-les. Ciselez le persil.

Servez le velouté avec la poitrine fumée croustillante et les noisettes hachées. Parsemez d'un peu de persil, poivrez et ajoutez éventuellement un filet d'huile de noix (si vous voulez…)

The instructions for these recipes on Pedaler, they probably make sense only to me. Ask if you have questions.

GRATIN D'ENDIVE AVEC DU JAMBON CUIT (SANS BÉCHAMEL)

2016-12-10T11:33:00.000+01:00

Gratin d'endive avec du jambon cuit

(sans béchamel)
..it's my mother who made this when I was a child, then my wife, now me. And now you, ... my wife. (...Michel)

déc. 2016.

Il faisait froid, froid, froid dehors avec du brouillard. Les luminaires de noël étaient très lumineuse.

4 belles endives

170 grammes de fromage râpé du--comté est mieux, mais on peut se servir de gruyère, du emmental…

4 tranches du jambon

qq. noisettes du beurre

qq. filets d'huile d'olive assez pour cuire les endive dans une poêle

Cuire les endives avec l'huile d'olive dans une poêle doucement, couvert pendant au moins 20-30.min.

Regardez-les chaque 5-10 min., tournez-les sur chaque face. Enlevez les feuilles extérieures s'ils deviennent brûlés.

Préchauffer le four à 200 C, gradin 2

Quand c'est fini de cuire, laissez-les refroidir (un peu). Enrober-les avec le jambon, mettre dans un plat en pyrex. Saupoudrez-les avec le fromage, un peu de poivre et une pincée du noix de muscade. Parsemez le beurre au dessus.

Cuire pendant 15 min. regardez-les quelque fois pour voir si le fromage est bien gratiné.Servez-les tout de suite, et bon appétit !!!

The instructions for these recipes on Pedaler, they probably make sense only to me. Ask if you have questions.

QUINOA TABBOULEH

2015-06-30T06:04:00.003+02:00

Quinoa Tabbouleh
I leave for France soon and must clean out my fridge...

juin, 2015
I want to go I want to stay I want to go I want to stay...

2 - 3 bunches curly parsley with small, young leaves, stems removed.

1 small bunch of mint leaves.

Handful of ciboulette.

1 zucchini

1 hot house cucumber

1 – 2 lemons plus some zest.

olive oil

salt

pepper

1 cup quinoa

tsp of butter or olive oil

70 – 85 grams sun-dried tomatoes, finely chopped

(I use 1 package Trader Joe’s dried tomatoes)

Peel cucumber, cut in half, scoop out seeds. Clean zucchini,
cut in half, scoop out seeds (if any). Place both, cut sides up on a plate,
sprinkle liberally with salt. Let sit while quinoa cooks.

Cook the quinoa:

In a pot put quinoa, 2 cups water, the butter (or oil).
Bring to boil, then add finely chopped tomatoes, cover and simmer for @20 minutes until almost all the water is absorbed. Remove from heat, fluff with a fork, keep covered and let cool completely.

Rinse and pat dry the cucumber and zucchini, loosely
big-dice. With Cuisinart, chop into small pieces. Place in very large bowl.

Chop finely together in batches, the parsley, the mint
and ciboulette. Place in bowl with other stuff. Add freshly ground pepper @ 7 turns. Add cooled quinoa and tomatoes. Mix well.

Now, this is really by taste and how much/little oil you like in your tabbouleh.

Lightly salt. Add some zest then add the juice from one lemon and a few filets of olive oil, mix well. Taste, see if it needs more salt or pepper. Let it sit just a few minutes and see if you need more lemon juice and olive oil. Gets better with time in the fridge - lasts me a week of eating.

The instructions in the recipes on Pedaler, they probably make sense only to me. Ask if you have questions.

THE 2012 FRENCH PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION: A PAPER NAME

2012-04-20T00:20:00.006+02:00

A large brown envelope arrives in the mail. Inside are 10 campaign flyers, perhaps an updated voting card and 10 thin slips of paper about the size of an index card. Each carries the name of a presidential candidate.

On Sunday, with your paper names in hand, you go to the local bureaux de vote. You take one last glimpse of all the candidates' faces plastered on the wall before you walk inside, take a small blue empty envelope, enter an 'isoloire', choose a paper name and place it in the envelope. Then you seal it, slip it in the transparent 'urne justement', have your voting card stamped and voila, you're done.

Take that, you sad chad.

It's a voting system that sounds somewhat archaic, but damn, it really works.

And the French seriously turn out to vote. Voter turnout is normally high - higher than the US, that's for sure.

The French are also serious about abstention - voter abstention, that is. The presidential runoff in 2002 saw a markedly high abstention rate and there is concern people will stay away from the polls, or white vote, again this Sunday.

A white vote, or blank vote, can be a vote done in a way to show ones dissatisfaction with the choice of candidates or with the current political system.

In France, a white vote can be as simple as not showing up to vote, but for the most part it is expressed by placing more than one paper name in your envelope. Place two, ten - even none or tear a name in two. Seal the envelope shut - à voté.

The right to vote in France commenced in 1848, and by 1913 voting became private, with each citizen placing their choice in an envelope which was then deposited into an urne, or ballot box. In 1944, women were given the right to vote.

Click here to view 'Les élections municipales du 29 avril 1945' which includes personalities such as singer Marie Dubas, scientist Madame Curie, actress Jeanne Boitel and Yvonne De Gaulle engaged in the french voting process.

Current polls suggest less than 70% of voters will show up on Sunday. I'm not sure about that. Most people I've heard talking about the election plan to vote, they just have no clue whom to vote for. People are frustrated. Jobs are lacking, and the cost of living continues to increase. It's pretty crazy here.

The candidates have until Friday night to say their peace. Then it's tic-a lock, no more talk until 8:00 pm Sunday night when the results will be announced. Then, on to the big finale...

Phew boy - France, I wish you the best.

Images:
Paper names: Marine Le Pen, Eva Joly, President Nicholas Sarkozy, Jean-Luc Mélenchon, Phillippe Poutou, Nathalie Arthaud, Jacques Cheminade, Francois Bayrou, Nicolas Dupont-Aignan and Francois Hollande.
Let me Grow Up: Little Marianne asks De Gaulle in 1965.
The (Un)Official President's Portrait: Published in 2010 by the group Reporters Sans Frontieres.

Institut National de l'Audiovisuel:
an awesome web archive with historical radio and film programs from France.

YAY! GUESS WHO CAN BE NAMED HEIDI THIS YEAR?!

2012-03-17T10:47:00.009+01:00

In 1926, the Société Centrale Canine (SCC) decided that all dogs registered in the Livre des Origines (LOF) and born in the same year would be given a name beginning with the same letter, excluding the letter Z (not too many name choices in French).

Then in 1976, this practice was standardized for all animals and excludes the letters K, Q,W, X and Y, for the same reason as Z. You can add a nickname between the time an animal is identified with the S.C.C. and when he/she is given a birth certificate.

Pretty wild, yeah?

For genealogy purposes, I get it; this same year, same letter practice makes it easier to place an animal's date of birth. I'm not sure if this naming game is the same for mutts, but pretty much all the people I've met with animals in France do tend to follow this system.

2012 is the year for the letter H. Not that the H is even pronounced in French - it's the thought that counts...

So France, 'ei-dee' would be a lovely name for your Kitty, Fluffy or Bowser, don't you think?

Click the image above for a better view.
Links:
Société Centrale Canine
CHAMPIONNAT DE FRANCE 2012 will be held in Metz this year - yay!

EXPRESSIONISMUS/MI: GIVE ME LIGHT

2012-02-07T11:56:00.007+01:00

Often during winter the skies in Lorraine are grey. When grey skies begin they continue well into March. Grey skies can be lovely for awhile but then the grey…well... makes one feel grey.

I have learned to appreciate this time of year with its coldness and slowness, but the grey still trips me up. I’m simply not wired for so much grey.

My body expects light, tons of light and color, all the time. In California, color and light are everything. We wear orange in January and pink in February. Our winter skies are normally a clear, bright blue, and though we need every drop, we become terribly grumpy if it rains for more than 5 days.

So when I entered the Expressionismus & Expressionismi exhibit at La Pinacotheque in Paris, my chin dropped. I had numbed to how intense color and light could be. I embraced it instantly.

Not only are the paintings from these German expressionists filled with bright bold dancing colors, but the walls throughout the gallery rooms are also richly colored in yellow, blue, green and violet.

Nice!

The exhibition compares theoretical differences from two groups of German expressionist artists, Der Blue Reiter and Die Brücke. Both shared a passion for color, however it is explained that Die Brücke artists chose to see art as a discovery, driven by instinct and emotion, while Der Blaue Reiter’s spiritual approach with color and line had a more theoretical and intellectual basis.

The artists from both groups created a prolific amount of work which the Nazi regime labeled as “degenerate”. Thousands of pieces were either stolen or destroyed, so to see so many works by various artists from this period was quite an experience.

I tried to practice the exhibition’s comparison theory but soon found it all a bit tedious. Overly analytical plaques and wall talk seem to be common in French exhibitions, but by the end of the yellow room, I was just trying to look French by politely skimming through all the wordiness - except for the biography plaques, which are extremely interesting. However, once in the blue room, I stopped reading plaques and walls altogether.

This theoretical comparision is an interesting basis for an exhibit. These artists piddle-paddled amongst themselves far too often that surely theories blended. They had affairs and bickered together, and some just started group after group after group after group. Artists need one other, even when they don’t need each other, if that makes sense.

One thing is certain the paintings are bold, colorful and beautiful to look at. Intellectually induced or not, these artists sensed how the body requires the spiritual, instinctive and emotional necessity of light and color.

And I do love me some light and color.

IMAGES (starting top left):
-Thionville in January.

-Auguste Macke: Couple sur un chemin dans la forêt, 1913.

-Members of Der Blaue Reiter left to right: Maria & Franz Marc, Bernhard Koehler, Vasily Kandinsky, Heinrich Campendonk, Thomas von Hartmann in Munich around 1911-1912

-Karl Schmidt-Rottluff. Self-portrait with Cigar. 1919

LINKS:

La Pinacotheque, Paris

RECIPE/RECETTE: BEET HUMMUS

2012-01-26T17:09:00.017+01:00

Beet Hummus
(Based on a recipe by Clotilde Dusoulier)

300 grams beets par-cooked
35-40 grams tahini
1/2 shallot
1 tsp. olive oil
1 tsp. lemon juice
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1/4 tsp du sel
@ 10 twists of the saveur pepper

Mishn everything in a cusinart at pulse. Tastes better the next day.

Recipes on Pedaler probably only make sense to me. They are here so I don't forget what I did.
If you can comprehend my scratch-notes, yay for you! Ask if you have questions.

MARK ROTHKO: THE KITCHEN AT WHITECHAPEL GALLERY

2011-12-16T18:22:00.041+01:00

I hadn't read closely the description for the exhibition

Rothko in Britain

. I expected perhaps paintings by Mark Rothko done in Britain or at least from a collection in Britain or maybe painted while eating digestive bickkies in Britain, but the exhibition turned out to be really an exhibition about an exhibition.

There was only one painting present by Rothko, Light Red Over Black (1957) which was shown during Rothko’s first British solo show held at Whitechapel Gallery in 1961.

The exhibition is about this particular exhibition. It displays wonderful photographs, film footage, detailed correspondences between Rothko, galleries and other artists as well as a series of recordings made by visitors to the original 1961 event.

It captures a slice of art history that is sometimes overlooked when speaking about art - the making of an exhibition. The Whitechapel Gallery’s 1961 exhibition introduced the work of Mark Rothko and abstract expressionism to

Britain

. It was ground breaking and effective. People spoke about it for months. I believe much of its success lay in Rothko's keen involvement with its installation.

CLICK IMAGE TO MAGNIFY ROTHKO'S INSTALLATION SUGGESTIONS

Rothko’s detailed instructions on how to display his works are wonderful to read. They are specific and include explanations as to what height a painting should be hung and why a particular color white should be used on the walls - important elements in creating the most impressive visual experience for the viewer.

I overheard a docent speaking about Rothko’s compulsive and overly obsessive instructions and about a canvas just being painted red and black, then being sold for exorbitant amounts of money.

The docent also spoke about how Rothko’s early works were far better than anything he ever did after 1949, and "would you really want something like this hanging in your kitchen?"

To which a voice from the crowd cried "I'd love a Rothko in my kitchen!"

I wonder what would make a docent-type-like person go off in such a way...

Rothko was Rothko. He painted - hard. His life was utter drama. He was clear with people why the art was worth what he expected from it. And people have continued to make a ton of money from his work long after his suicide in 1970.

Rothko's detailed instructions allowed a richer experience for the viewer. Written music comes with instructions - why not art?

Rothko did create awesome artwork before 1949, that's for certain, but I’m not quite clear what having a Rothko in your kitchen had to do with the exhibition - but there yah go.

Though I was really craving me some Rothko paintings, I’m glad I went to this exhibit. It was an insight into Rothko and into the world of art during a highly creative period, which I found important to learn about as both an artist and as a viewer of art.

The William Sasnel exhibit is also currently at Whitechapel Gallery. It’s a good, juicy retrospective of the artist’s work from the past ten years. It’s worth seeing - just try not to be overly critical of the pukey wall color used in the main gallery.

Below is a short clip of curator Nayia Yiakoumaki speaking about the Rothko in Britain exhibit.

Links:
Whitechapel Gallery
About Mark Rothko
Nayia Yiakoumaki

Image above:
William Scott, Mark Rothko and Kate Rothko in Somerset, August 1959

WATER

2011-02-18T17:03:00.005+01:00

I see, with mindfulness, how good habits can be obtained in a very short period of time. I also see how good habits can be easily sabotaged (by me) in an even shorter period of time.

I'm focusing on how to make good habits so routine in the pattern of daily life that I don't need to even think about them. They are just done, like brushing your teeth.

Bim-Bam-Bum-Done.

To be sure I have 64 oz of water each day, I decided to be French. For the most part the French drink, meaning; not sitting at your desk guzzling a plastic bottle, nor drinking while driving, nor drinking while shopping, taking the metro or bus, or reading in a bookstore. It means DRINKING a glass of water ONLY.

Before preparing my meals I drink two 6oz glasses of water. It's easy enough for me to do and takes seconds to finish. Then, after my meal, I drink 2 more 6oz glasses of water. By the end of day, voila - 72 oz - Done. Any other water had during the day is a prize.

Doing this habitually takes care of two things: I am sure to get my daily water intake, and I make sure to sit down and have three meals a day. When I skip a meal, I skip water, neither of which are good to do.

In France, mustard is sold in "glasses", similar to how we in the US have jelly "glasses" ( hmm, a country where its children collect mustard glasses rather than jelly glasses? Something to ponder, America) So a 6 oz mustard glass (sans moutarde) is always kept on the table in the kitchen.

The benefits of drinking 64 oz of water everyday means I pee a lot, which allows my body to get rid of toxins in my body. My skin is looking faaabulous, dahling. And drinking before and after meals tends to make me not feel "hungry", 'cause I gotta lose some kilos. A good thing all around.

Bim - Bam - Bum - Done.

HAVE YOU A LETTER FOR MRS. TYBURY?

2011-01-01T16:28:00.018+01:00

My morning walk ended, not in the forest as I had planned, but through a small village just outside the forest, and it was the perfect walk.

I discovered a brook, a grotto with Mary and the dying naked Jesus covered in snow, firecracker remains, a luthier's shop, oh, and I did not fall - not even once.
Nothing planned, for today has yet to come about. It's been day of instinctual direction. So far, no complaints. In fact, what a great way to begin the New Year.

Take note of what is happening around you. Trust it, as well as what is to be, will be, eventually. Perhaps pushing and shoving in a planned direction gets in the way of the really, really good stuff, and who wants to miss the really good stuff?

Mrs. Tybury is from a gentleman walking his dog whom I met this morning. Someone I would have never met if I had gone on my planned route. He knew just a little bit of English and was proud to has use of it this morning with me; sentences he learned from his sister who lived for a short time in South Africa. "Good Morning, How are you today? What time do you close? Have you a letter for Mrs. Tybury?"

Happy New Year! May you accomplish much and discover lots of really, really good stuff this year!

Extrait from the film "Je Chante" with Charles Trenet, 1938

C'est la vie qui va toujours
Vive la vie
Vive l'amour
La vie qui nous appelle
Comme l'amour elle a des ailes

Oui c'est elle qui fait chanter la joie
Quand tout vit c'est que tout va
Quand tout va la vie est belle
Pour vous et pour moi

Je sais bien que demain tout peut changer
Je sais bien que le bonheur est passager
Mais après les nuages
Mais après l'orage

On voit se lever joyeux
L'arc-en-ciel dans vos yeux
Tout est beau comme un mirage
Quand la vie va mieux.

Vous qui rêvez d'un désir fou
Vous qui chantez la jeunesse
Vous qui pleurez d'un air très doux
Le cœur empli de tendresse
Stop ! Arrêtez-vous un instant
Écoutez la marche du temps
Voici, la vie....

xox - heidi

Image above:
Forest walk outside of Terville, France

AI WEI WEI: WHEN THINGS GO RYE WITH SUNFLOWER SEEDS

2010-11-28T14:30:00.002+01:00

I think an artist who is clear on their intent make a stronger artist. I know that sounds stupid and basic, but believe me, there are many artists out there simply throwing up and tagging it art without understanding (or caring) what just took place, which is cool, I guess... just doesn't draw me into their world.

I am the first to admit that I can get too complicated in the theoretical art process (note to heidi...). It’s hard not to keep adding more and more stuff to a work. There’s a fine line between complexity and complicated in telling your story. A complicated piece can tend to remain... well... complicated. And that can overshadow an artist’s ultimate message. A complex piece has layers yet to be discovered. And that can pull a viewer into your world.

Does that make sense?

To be clear about your intent is really important, because when you are done with your work and feel you have expressed what it is you want to say, all sorts of things can go awry -things completely out of your control. The work itself must be able to stand on its own.

I visited Ai Wei Wei’s installation Sunflower Seeds at the Tate Modern.

Talk about a complex piece with intent.

This exhibit had quite a buzz circling about it due to all the media attention Aei Wei Wei has received and also due to outside circumstances which required changes to the installation. Even with these physical changes to the installation the work remains a really beautiful piece.

The exhibit is made up of more than 100 million individually handmade porcelain replicas of sunflower seed husks, painted entirely by hand. The millions and millions of sunflower seeds (which are not sunflower seeds) fill a long large hall.

The piece is a thought-provoking commentary about society, our place in society, isolation, the beauty of a single amid the masses, and mass production. It is a complex piece that is exhibited in a very uncomplicated manner.

Initially, people were able to walk through the seeds. They would lay down, roll about freely through the installation, pick up the seeds, squeeze them through their toes. They would stand in the seeds and stare.

However due to health concerns, the viewers' interaction with the piece has changed. Walking freely amongst the seeds was put to an end, and to stop the pilfering of seeds the installation could no longer be placed at arm’s reach. Museum attendants now drift between the viewer and the seeds.

I enjoy Ai Wei Wei’s stuff. His artistic abilities are strong. Whether I agree with his point of view or not, he is always clear with his intent. Ai Wei Wei understands how to emote artistically, politically and poetically through his works. His pieces, initially seeming minimalist, can be very complex.

Now static and physically detached, Sunflower Seeds feels as if you are looking upon a vast sea from the shore. You physically move towards it. You feel isolated among it. You want to touch it. You want to be a part of it. You want to just stare. The sound of crunching seeds is gone, except for the video which is shown outside the hall. The silence in the hall sometimes was overwhelming.

Same everything, different experience. Even with the Tate’s installation issues for this piece, Sunflower Seeds remains poetically very, very strong.

When an artist has intent and things go awry, who knows, something explosive or subtle may take place. Perhaps something will happen never imagined by the artist. Even toxic porcelain dust can create a very complex layer indeed.

Watch the 15 minute video below, being shown at the exhibit. Click on "full screen" to really enjoy its beauty:

LA TOUSSAINT Á L'ITALIENNE

2010-11-02T18:39:00.020+01:00

Autumn this year in the Lorraine is amazingly sweet. People are all a bit giddy by the sunlight and crisp blue skies we are experiencing.

Me Like It

With such an abundance of clear skies lately, many took advantage of the beautiful weather to clean and prep their loved-ones' cemetery plots for the upcoming la Toussaint.

People take scrub brushes, buckets and rags and spend dedicated time spiffing up burial plots of those they love. A dirty cemetery plot on la Toussaint could leave people talking for weeks.

Certain plants and flowers willing to take on the frigid autumn weather adorn tombstones, leaving everything, well, colorful and festively pretty. Like a big flower party. The cemetary in Villerupt is where I go each year, and say howdy to the graves of Michel's family. It seemed especially colorful this la Toussaint.

A small village located spitting distance from the Luxembourg border, Villerupt was home to many iron works and mines active as far back as 1872.

The population of Villerupt has primarily been that of immigrants, mostly from Poland and Italy, searching for work and a better life for their families. It was, for many years, a village of people living and working alongside one another.

Villerupt is small, and the iron works and mines are no longer active. Much of the young life moved away in order to find work, but many return this time of year specifically to celebrate la Toussaint.

In Villerupt, the cemetery is filled with names almost everyone knows or knows of; the Lathuile family, who ran the local bus service, Schuster, the owner of the local mortuary, Juras the 17 year-old resistance fighter killed in Senon. Mayors, teachers, co-workers, lovers, living eternally together, covered in flowers.

La Toussaint at the Villerupt cemetery is a time to hang out, catch-up with family and friends, talk about those who have passed on and those who still remain in this corner of France known as Meurthe-et-Moselle.

Much hand-wringing, kissing, embracing hands and faire le signe de croixe can be seen. It's lively and loving.

Some may find la Toussaint a bit bizarre, almost morbid. But really, I find it a time of reflection and calm space.

A time to think upon those that have died and what memories remain within my soul for them. What of my place here on earth. A time to see and touch family and friends living far from home.

It's really quite beautiful.

And every year, around this same time, in this itty-bit of a village named Villerupt, is held the prestigious Festival du Film Italien de Villerupt.

This year marks the 33rd edition of one of the longest running film events dedicated strictly to Italian cinema.

No subtitles, no dubbing, the films are viewed in Italian. There are speakers, lectures, 7 venues showing Italian films all day and night for two weeks straight.

In Villerupt?!

Villerupt, during its factory boom-days, boasted a population of over 17,000, with a majority being from Italian descent. It now has less than 9,000 inhabitants.

During the Festival, more than 40, 000 people arrive to see the latest, most renowned films, filmmakers, directors and writers of Italian cinema.

The Festival acts as a cultural bridge for many between their Italian home and adopted France. I really don't know how many in the US even know about this Festival, but people from Villerupt eat it up.

I imagine both la Toussaint and the Festival du Film Italien de Villerupt stir up memories, sad and lovely, for the people of Villerupt.

Memories about life and death. About the life here in France and the life left behind in Italy. The blending of both worlds into the one life lived here, that is rapidly disappearing.

Perhaps, every autumn, it is good to be reminded of the life we have the chance to breath, and the people who have touched our past be remembered, wherever we are, be it far from home or in your own back yard.

Á plus.

SOLAL'S PAGE PRIVÉE #1

2010-09-02T20:55:00.013+02:00

BONJOUR TOUT LE MONDE!

Cette page était crée pour Mr. Booger Breath lui-même...SOLAL!! Et lui, seulement peut voir cette page.

Mr. Pas Beau m'a dit que tu aimes les batteries - c'est les drums baby, les drums! Voila ce dessous c'est les drummers fabuleuses:

Le première je te montre est Buddy Rich sur le Spectacle de Jerry Lewis. Jerry Lewis est un homme très drôle et un bon musicien - mais ici Buddy Rich jouet des batteries très vite - Jerry n'a pas de chance...

Et aussi, Gene Krupa - ici avec Buddy Rich - ils sont en train de
faire le "challenge". Mais les deux
sont extraordinaire - oui?

Alors, regardes bien Mr. Lionel Hampton. Il jouet des batteries ET le vibraphone, qui est comme les batteries et piano ensemble. Il peut jouer de
vibraphone comme ça car il a étudié des batteries bien sure :

En fin, Mr. Jeff Hamilton. Mr. Pas Beau est venu avec moi quand j'ai fait le tap dance (claquet) avec Jeff Hamilton et les Frères Clayton - Beau, beau, beau - pas, pas beau - très beau!! Il jouet de chanson " A Night In Tunisia" un chanson très famouse dans le jazz - Il fait le mélodie avec les batteries....oui Mr. Hamilton, lui, il est "top drawer".

Alors, Va Mr. Booger Breath (non, tu es Mr. Trés Beau, vraiment), vas jouer!

xoxox beezes, heidi

RECIPE/RECETTE: ANN'S CHEESE MADELEINES

2010-09-02T18:15:00.001+02:00

Anne's Cheese Madeleines

100 grams flour
5 grams levure chimique
50 grams sugar
70 grams butter
2 eggs
120 grams comté rapé
1/2 citron
a pinch of salt ( 2 grams)

Faites together and let settle in the frigo for about 15 minutes. Put in prepared madeleine mold (Anne used silicone). Cook at about 180C for 20 - 25 minutes.

Recipes on Pedaler probably only make sense to me. They are here so I don't forget what I did. If you can comprehend my scratch-notes, yay for you! Ask if you have questions.

MUDAM FOOT'S CAUGHT IN SPACE

2010-08-11T08:01:00.013+02:00

Living near four borders gets me to and from certain countries in about the same time it takes to get to Santa Monica from Pasadena -- going 65 mph. Being able to say things like "See yah later, off to Germany for tofu!" does keep my spirits up. It's just too wild.

On my way for tofu one day, I decided to go via Luxembourg, to a museum in a city within the city, which has lots of space and an installation by a woman from Korea who lives in New York. After the museum and getting lost on the highway, going towards Brussels, I returned to France via Germany, with my tofu.

What the heck just happened here?

It's called space, babee, space. I played with space which played with my mind and allowed me to experience things and places in such a way that will never take place in space again.

cool...

Art plays with space all the time. Be it the space on a wall or inside one’s head. A concept or a portrayal of thought; all art messes with space.

MUDAM, the museum in Luxembourg, located in a city within the city, wants to bring people to its space by having artists create, because of the space and to introduce seeing space through various forms and ways. For their current exhibit, Sketches of Space, MUDAM basically said to the artists:

Here's da space - go fer it.

And they did, many wonderfully so.

What's wonderful as well is that MUDAM makes all this "schtuff" mentally approachable. Wall notes & booklets are translated into five languages, the hip room guards sure know their stuff about this work, and just wandering feels pretty fluid here. Even the practice of yoga takes place amongst the art, bringing in body and breath within space.

Me like that.

I've been caught up thinking about what it is MUDAM is working towards with all this space talk. It's a big space, as in high. So how to fill the space has a lot of folks there talking. Also, how to get contemporary art from being stuck as considered so intimidating by many, and to simply have people come experience the space.

Contemporary art can be provocative,
frustrating, absolutely beautiful and often mentally and visually consuming for its viewers.

A lot to ask? I dunno.

Artists take elements, social, visual, historical, whatever, and often portray them to their simplest, barest beings. Artists do all the hard work. We just need to show up. Be willing to be there. Take up space. Mess with the space. Soak it up.

Why?

Why not? It's space babee. It will never be the same again. Why not mess with it, experience something that might blow you away?

I hope MUDAM succeeds in space.

Top Photo: taken within Kim Sooja's piece "Mirror Woman, 2002".
Middle Photo: Simon Decker's amazingly high piece "Second Life, 2010".
Bottom Photo: Y8's public yoga space at MUDAM.

IN COGNITO - WISH YOU WERE HERE

2010-07-27T19:31:00.000+02:00

RECIPE/RECETTE: WHOLE EGG MAYONNAISE

2010-07-18T14:00:00.014+02:00

Whole Egg Mayonnaise
When I arrived in France, mayonnaise sans mustard was sometimes difficult to find. I add a bit of dijon or grain mustard (moutard à l'ancienne), if I wanna feel oh, so french.

1 egg from Madame Lapin's farm
a good pinch to a 1/4 tsp. salt
a good pinch to 1/8 tsp paprika
a gooder pinch to a h. 1/4 tsp of white pepper
a scant 1/2 cup sunflower, colza or grapeseed oil
@ 1 T lemon juice (a squigh from half a lemon)

Everything at room temperature, please. Let the magic begin...

Use hand mixer: blend egg, salt, paprika, pepper. 1 small blop of oil, mix. Then another blop of oil, mix. And another small blop of oil, mix. After the third blop, the mixture should be starting to give.
Then, start slowly pouring in the oil. No more than a 1/2 cup of oil has been fine for me - more and it tastes like oil, blech. When everyone is peaked and happy, squeeze in the lemon juice and blend.
Keeps for about one week. Voila.

You can use regular pepper, white pepper has a slight wacky warmth to it that black pepper lacks.

Sarah B makin' mayo:

Recipes on Pedaler probably only make sense to me. They are here so I don't forget what I did. If you
can comprehend my scratch-notes, yay for you! Ask if you have questions.

FAITES DE LA MUSIQUE

2010-06-22T00:58:00.040+02:00

Fête de la Musique is a free music festival taking place on the longest day of the year, June 21st. Its purpose is to encourage both amateur and professional musicians to perform on the streets together, and basically everyone have a groovy time. These all night extended music block parties have been going on in France since 1982 and now can be found all over the world, even in Pasadena!

It's a wonderful thing really. Sometimes known to get out of hand, but for the most part, people are there to have a good time.

So, o.k. I'll say it again, I am not in Paris. It's not as if Lionel Richie or Sting are gonna pop into 'ol Thionville and do a set. I heard some really, really bad rap last night (sorry my sweets, but the kids behind the stage? They had the moves, air mics and all...), and probably the worst rendition of Shout in my life. And what's with all the Franklin & Marshall get-ups? wow, like totally boring...

But for the most part, the music was eclectic enough to be interesting; not just a bunch of screaming wanna-be acid rock guitar players. There were liturgical chants, djembé drums, jazz, rock, french blues and reggae.

I think for me though, the pearl of the night was an avant punk band by the name of Uz Jsme Doma. Totally amazing. Together going on 25 years, Uz Jsme Doma (Czech for Now I Get It) are powerful, tight, and have a complete understanding of who they are and what they want to say. It was great watching toddlers jump up and down like true punkers while these men played - made me wanna weep...

So, o.k.. I'll say it again. I am not in Paris and this chick, Carmen Maria Vega, was not at the Thionville fête, nor Lionel, nor Sting. But I had to share this clip with you because besides the voice, I love her pants. If I were 50 lbs lighter I would be like so into those pants, it would make you sit up and burn your boring Franklin & Marshall get-up.

BLOOD DAY: ARE YOU MY TYPE?

2010-06-17T12:07:00.008+02:00

Before I left for Francie-pants, I dropped by the Pasadena Red Cross Center to give blood. If you qualify, giving blood is pretty darn easy; you can call or go online to make an appointment, or like me, drop in when you are in the midst of doing a ga-billion errands before you leave the country for 7 months.

Besides, if you give blood while running about like a crazy person, you have an excuse to eat 3 packs of mini oreo cookies afterwards*.

When I asked my nice nurse "what's your type", he flashed me gangsta-style:

A Negative.

You rock doll.

Don't worry, my nice nurse does not have legs growing out of his elbow. That's someone in the back giving platelets. Takes so long, you get to watch a movie, giving platelets...

Summertime is ruthless on blood donations. Mostly because everyone is into enjoying summer, on vacation, bar-b-que-ing, stuff like that. It's a period when blood supplies tend to run short, inparticular for O negative blood, which is my type...have I mentioned that I am O negative?

But really, the need for blood is constant, the gratification is instant, and it don't cost nothin' to give.

(*discl: cookie offerings may vary from center to center).

LOUISE BOURGEOIS

2010-06-10T23:48:00.064+02:00

I arrived in France last week not remembering how to speak french at all. Blah. Or rather, le blah...

So, I threw myself straight back into frenchy-isms, by listening, reading and trying to understand what was being said around me. It was while struggling to comprehend TÉLÉMATIN one morning that I heard a familiar name being said. "Louise Bourgeois" then something, "mort".

Whether one agrees with Bourgeois' artstyle or not, one must admit that the woman's style was quite spectacular. Her artmaking was intrepid and non-conforming, taking a thought, often autobiographical, and going full force, using any medium or technique to say what she wanted to say.

The spider mamans are what I remember the most. Large and encapsulating, wombing nurturing creatures as tall and as grand as a 3-story house. And her totem "friends", which I take great comfort in, being far from my home. Stark, clear, determined to stand straight and tall.

Bourgeois had the momentum of a steam locomotive, her productivity as an artist was phenomenal. A determined focus to create, to speak out through her art, is reason alone to remain impressed by this woman.

Bourgeois died at the age of 98. One week before, Bourgeois was making art. Pretty glorious.

Below is a trailer for a documentary about Bourgeois made in 2008 by Zeitgeist Films. Apologies in advance for the format.

LOUISE BOURGEOIS: THE SPIDER, THE MISTRESS AND THE TANGERINE -

Photo left: by Yann Charbonnier
Photo right: Louise Bourgeois, at the age of 2
"The Spider, the Mistress and the Tangerine" by Zeitgeist Films, 2008

ART: PHOTOMATON-1

2010-05-16T00:17:00.064+02:00

Photobooth images have been ruminating in my brain, ohhhh, since last September, easily. These palm-sized portraits are so joyous, often without inhibition. Sit. Smile. FLASH!

Anatol Josepho (Anatol Josephewitz), a Jewish immigrant to the US from Siberia, invented and patented the first fully-functioning photobooth in New York City in 1925. A few years later, he was paid one million dollars for his invention, giving half of this large sum to charity. Josepho continued his philanthropic ways after his move to Los Angeles, along with his actress-wife, Ganna, and their growing family. He died in L.A. in 1980.

Photobooths became extremely popular in an incredibly short period of time. Josepho's original Photomaton "Studios" in New York City were open 24 hours, often with lines of people waiting around the block to get inside. Over 250,000 photos were taken during the first 6 months of their existence.

Imagine, over 250 THOUSAND...

Even today, there is still something charming, simple and silly with a photobooth photo.

The first shot, people are often surprised by the flashing spotlight. And then, they get it. They loosen up. They smile. They look up. They look down. They look to the left, then to the right. They kiss a girlfriend. They hug a pal.

Within minutes the images appear outside the booth through a small picture slot. How will they look? Will they look silly, bad, ugly? They look wonderful! How fun!

The universe boinked me enough times on the head about photobooth images for me to finally pay attention and start playing about, see what can come of it all.

Wow, let's see where we end up. How fun is that?

Go find a photobooth - Sit. Smile. FLASH!

Believe me - it's total fun!

Images above: Photobooth photos from the 1930's purchased from collectors found on Etsy.
Image right: Taken in a photobooth on display in "Monsters & Miracles", an exhibit curently at the Skirball Cultural Center.