Thoughts on Intervals

There are few stages in life that consist so actively of thinking about how one wants to define oneself as those intervals that are spent looking for jobs. This process isn’t just about envisioning who one wants to be in the professional world, but it seems to be just as much about understanding oneself in contexts completely isolated from career aspirations.

Banana Muffins - recipe below

It’s been almost exactly a month since my job search in London started full-on. I’ve spent that time applying for positions, contacting companies I want to work for, and envisioning a possible future in various roles. I’m constantly imagining what my everyday life might be like were I to work here or there. Taking the very little I know about each place, my mind creates possible scenarios at each one, vaguely seeing myself doing this job or that. So much of my state of being during this phase seems to be spent looking towards the future, scrambling to get out of the here and now to where I’d like to be, to become who I want to be. 

Whirlwinds

Things have been kind of a whirlwind since I last posted. I spent the summer in NYC, juggling catching up with all of my loved ones and working on my MA dissertation. My plans of posting about yummy places in Prospect Heights, my adopted home for the 5 weeks I was there, will be shortened into this:

If you ever find yourself on the northeastern end of Prospect Park (maybe there for Grand Army Plaza? Brooklyn Museum? Botanical Garden?), go here for ice cream, here for tacos, here for brunch, here for lunch, here for coffee, and here for drinks.

Ample Hills ice cream in Brooklyn

After NYC, I spent two weeks in Oslo: an emotional experience after the events of July 22nd. I was glad to have good friends and family around who had been in Oslo during the attacks and was very proud of the way Norway responded to them. The summer ended with a rush to finish my dissertation and a mad apartment hunt all over London. After seeing loads of mediocre and downright depressing places, we walked into our new home and knew it was right.

As Ameri...I mean, Dutch as Apple Pie

I've been in Amsterdam for the past few days for a wedding and am just about to leave for the airport to get on a plane to NYC. I am so psyched to be on my way there: it's been ten months since last time, which is the largest amount of time I've ever been away. I miss you, USA!

I just took a walk through the Jordaan, and stopped off at Cafe Papeneiland for some of its famous apple pie (which Bill Clinton made even more famous because he had some a few years ago). Say what you want about all of the good old American apple pie I've had through the years, this trumps it. (I actually feel awful saying that, is it possible that my memory for good American apple pie is just not that good?!) The slabs of pie they give you here in Amsterdam are massive, but it's so delicate at the same time- not too sweet, slightly cinnamony, but just a hint of it. Not the kind of pie you need a nap after, just perfect.

American apple pie-lovers, go back to your Dutch roots, you won't be sorry.

In the meantime, I hope you'll still let me come see you even though I think you'll have to find something new to be as American as. I'm just a plane ride away!

Manageable Life

Once again, I find myself going through the papers and knick-knacks that have accumulated over the course of a year, tossing what I think I can do without, and zipping the rest of my life neatly into a few suitcases and bags. This has been my routine at least once a year since I left home at 18 and in some ways, it's really therapeutic, the fleeting feeling that yes, life is manageable, because, look, I packed it up and put it in that corner of my room there, and I will be moving it to another place just as I have decided to do.

Irish Soda Bread - recipe below

And then, of course, life moves on, sometimes with you running to catch up with it, but for a small moment, when the bags are stacked in a corner, you feel in control.

Do you want to go to the seaside?

My guy and I have been talking about heading down to Brighton some weekend to see what it's all about for quite a while.  With my departure for the summer from the UK coming close, though, it looked like it wasn't going to happen: I had plans every weekend I had left before the summer. Then it dawned on me: I am a student.

Brighton Smokehouse Kipper Sandwich - see below

Why not... go on a... weekday?

Duh.

Out Stealing Recipes

I've been living in a student hall this year, my first time ever, and it has had its ups and downs. Downs have been no real living room to socialize in (or to be able to invite people to) and a sometimes extremely messy kitchen. Ups have been being able to eavesdrop on other people's cooking, which has given me new ideas. I mean, living with Chinese, Italian, Indian, Kiwi, Ukrainian, German (etc.) people will inevitably give you some new food impulses, if only through smelling things in the kitchen you're not used to smelling or seeing things you're not used to seeing.

Easy-peasy

Hi!

*Sheepish grin*

Hey, remember when I made this big grandiose statement like a year ago that I would stop neglecting this blog? Ha.

Recipe below

Anyway, I'm back, not making any excuses for not posting except for that I've been studying the past year or so, and haven't felt like I had time. But I have continued to constantly come back- turns out I make the recipes I've put up here pretty often. And maybe because of that, forget the ones I haven't put up. So I want to keep this going, if only to have all my favorite recipes and food experiences in the same place and maybe some other people will want that too. Again.