Creme Brulee

One goal down!

Not bad for a first try. I think it could have used a little less cream to make it denser and I would recommend using a torch instead of the broiler in your oven. As you can see, a few parts were starting to burn while some of the sugar isn't even melted.

To save you from the horror of how much fat and calories is in this dessert, I won't tell you the recipe but you can probably guess that it's not good for you. Which is why it's so DELICIOUS!

Greetings from Switzerland

From Raksha to be exact. I received an email from my friend and former coworker updating me on her experience in Geneva where she received a full scholarship and is working towards her masters in Global (or is it International?) Devlopment. And she's not even 25 yet! Smart cookie. I suspect she will be a prominent figure someday and will indefinitely have a very colorful and rewarding career doing great things for the world. I feel extremely privileged to know her.

I love hearing about stories from people who travel, something I want to do to a certain degree, but some people are just meant to travel and would likely get more out of it than I would. Raksha had previously spent some time in Bangladesh to work with a Not for Profit Organization who provides microfinance services to underprivileged women.

Here is what she had to say about her current stint in Geneva so far:

Rebonjour everyone!

I hope this email finds you all well! I know it has been a LONG time since my last update but as you’ve probably guessed, the time since my master’s program started in September have been extremely hectic. But they’ve also been amazing - in a way I could not have imagined when I left Calgary. So I’ll try to summarize these last few months as best as I can, and apologize in advance for rambling.

Since basically the moment of my arrival from France (where I spent six weeks to improve my then non-existent level of French), I have fallen in love with Geneva. To name just a few of the things that I love and appreciate here:

• The physical surroundings are breathtaking. The lake in the middle of the city is beautiful – both on sunny summer days and foggy winter ones, especially with the mountains in the backdrop. And since I live on the ‘outskirts’ of the city, I’m so close to the mountains that I literally run into the hills of France when I go for a run. Needless to say, there are few better places for hiking or skiing in the world with the exception of Western Canada perhaps :)
• Diversity. People of every country, religion, culture, language etc. are here in Geneva – it is truly an international city. This makes everything from the daily bus rides to grocery shopping much more exciting. It (along with the three classes in French that I’ve had this semester) has also forced me to improve my French a lot, which is exactly what I’d been hoping for. Dining out here is also a great experience thanks to the variety of cuisine available – so far, Eritrean food has been my favourite discovery!
• Elements that I classify under the general heading of the ‘glory of Western Europe’ – architecture, museums, great performing arts that are accessible to everyone (students and the unemployed get the same discounts), small and well-planned cities, and the ability to travel to dozens of different countries for close to nothing!
• Public transport. Cheap, clean, incredibly efficient, and yes, always on time. I don’t know they do it.
• Chocolate – for less than a dollar, you get a family size bar of high quality chocolate. And there are so many delightful varieties. My personal favourite is a rather simple milk chocolate with a rice krispie layer – WOW!

Not included on that list are the two things that have had the most transformative effect on my life over the past year: the master’s program, and the people that I have had the good fortune to encounter here.

This last semester (from September to December) has been among the most intense periods of work that I’ve ever performed but the process of learning itself has been joyful. To take off blinders that I’d never realized that I’d been wearing and to discover new ways of looking at society, state, the environment, international and personal relations – even while frightening, was amazing (In case you are wondering, my courses this semester included: Political Sociology of Development, Global Ecology and Sustainable Development, World Anthropologies, Gender and Development, and Development Economics).

However, it hasn’t been all fun – aside from the massive amounts of reading and paper writing, I and many of the other students also spent significant amounts of time feeling uncomfortable and hopeless. Why? All of us were there because we intended to work in development, but the professors spent much of their time (very effectively) destroying our conceptions about development as both an idea and as a practice. Needless to say, it wasn’t exactly what we had been expecting or hoping for.

Overall, I think we all came away with many more questions than any answers, and I realize now after some time for reflection that that is the best place to be at this point in the program: we are learning how to be more critical thinkers and question our own assumptions, and of course with that inevitably comes some pain. And I am looking forward to (and a little frightened for) the next semester, which will undoubtedly stir up more questions but hopefully at least start suggesting some solutions. I will also add here that the teaching has surpassed all my expectations – the professors are truly recognized experts in their fields and although they all have different methods and beliefs, their passion for what they do is clear and has had a huge impact on our learning experiences.

I should also say that the institute I am attending is small (300 students) and my program is even smaller (60 people). And these people have had as much of an impact on my ideas about the world as the program. The diversity in astonishing: most are young (I would guess the average age is 24) but their backgrounds range from being the children of diplomats to having lived in refugee camps, and they come from every part of the world. I cannot express how lucky I feel to have met these people and to interact with them on a daily basis - I learn as much from going out for a coffee with them as from several lectures combined. And our class discussions are always the best parts of any lecture. In addition to sharing a lot of fun and a lot of laughter, they’ve all made me realize how much I’ve yet to learn in a variety of realms. But they’ve also given me the best ideas on where to go, on the direction I want my life and career to take, on where I might be able to have the biggest impact. They, along with my “non-school” friends (who work in Geneva) and “residence friends” (who live at the same student residence as I) have made the past few months fantastic.

Now, I’m on a well-deserved break until mid February when school starts again. Unfortunately, I won’t be coming back to Canada during this time – instead, I will use the time to relax, read, spend time with friends, discover more of Geneva and travel Switzerland and Europe, including visits to Spain and Germany in February. I’m also working part-time at a Geneva-based NGO called the Business Humanitarian Forum (http://www.bhforum.org/ for those of you who are interested). The experience has already been eye opening into the world of NGOs and development projects.  

All in all, I feel very lucky and happy to be where I am now. However, as great as Switzerland is, I do miss Canada and all of you. If you have the time to send me an update, I would love to know more about what’s happening in your lives as well.

Take care and all the best from the land of neutrality!

- Raksha

Spring 2011 Style

Spring 2011 Fashion Week has long come and gone and I am really excited about what has come out. The style is more laid back, very pretty and feminine, a lot of flowing cuts, neutral and pink tones, lots of floral print or matte solids, and relaxed fits. The new collections have arrived in stores and the following are the top trends I have picked:

Cognac Accessories

 And I mean the color cognac. It reminds me of the late 70's, and I can say that because my parents were in their prime during that time and they have remnants of that era still dotted in their closets and basement, remnants which include bags and belts in cognac. The color is understated enough to pair with any color and is a much needed step away from the usual black. I especially love a belt in this color on a dress or tunic!

The Shoulderstrap Hobo

This actually has been around for a few seasons (Marc Jacobs). My friend Steph has one and I love it! A lot of people have just been using the hand strap, lots of these hobos come with both options. This season, clip on the long strap! Again, neutral/woodsy colors. The shoulderstrap bag this season did not come out of nowhere. This accessory trend goes along with the laid-back feel we are getting with the clothing trend - functional and hands-free! Wearing this type of bag alongside the body also accentuates the figure and promotes a leaner, slender visual to the bodyframe. (Don't underestimate fashion and accesories!) It creates a vertical line down the body, creating "length". (It's like art!)

Floral Print

 This is as flowy as you can get. No restricted areas, flowing lines soften angles and suits any body type. The floor-dusting maxi dress made it's entrance a few years back in solid colors and have been morphing into patterned counterparts but it's huge this year in floral print. Again, this promotes the carefree, feminine attitude we see this spring.

Understated Nail Color

If you saw the MTV Awards in the fall you will have noticed, if you are that attention-detailed, that Rihanna was sporting a neutral nail color. You can't go wrong with it! If neutral is too boring for you, go for the red. Not dark red, berry red. It's not understated but it's a classic.

Long Natural Hair

Ditch the hair color! We are going amazon! Ok not that far but close. Long, long, un-heat-treated hair. That means do without the flatiron more days than not. Air-dry or twist it up into a braid or loose bun. If you want to go straight then go for super sleek.

And in case you haven't noticed, AVIATORS. We are back to 70's style for reals.

The Ballerina Flat and the Cage Shoe

Although not the best shoe for your foot, ballerinas are very functional and comfy if you're not planning on hiking. It also goes with dresses or pants so you can't go wrong.

The cage shoe has also been around for a year or so. It emerged after gladiator sandals came on scene. A lot less barbaric and much, much hotter, these are much more comfortable than toe-cramping pumps and strappy stiletto sandals that cut into your foot after a hour or so. Did I mention they're hot?

Black Swan

So I just went to watch Black Swan starring Natalie Portman, costarring Mila Kunis, directed by Darren Aronofsky. If you haven't seen the preview, here it is:

NOTE: It is RATED R for explicit sexual content so beware if you plan on going to see this with someone who you wouldn't be particularly comfortable watching such scenes with.

After seeing the preview I knew I was in for some twisted dark storyline, also because Aronofsky had directed Requiem for a Dream. It is not a film for everyone, I heard a lot of mixed reviews from others in the theater after the movie was done. It was very reminiscent of Donnie Darko so if you didn't like Requiem or Donnie Darko, this may not be for you. You definitely have to go into the movie with an open mind. A lot of people take films for their face value, not understanding the psychological depth of the storyline.

Personally I thought the movie was brilliant overall. I was in suspense all the way through, some scenes were uncomfortable to watch but I already expected a certain level of shock factor. I was very impressed with how it was made and was even more impressed with the performances. Natalie Portman was especially outstanding, if you look at her body it's clear that she had gone through some very intense training for the role. She's pure bones and muscle! She deserves an Oscar nomination if not the win. I also started to develop an appreciation for ballet as I was watching, so much that I want to go see a real performance this year.

The filming was phenomenal! You'll see when you watch.

I don't want to spoil it for anyone so I won't go into any more details. I'll let you judge for yourselves, I give it two thumbs up!

Do you know how to clean a fish and use a cleaver?

I do!

Turns out this requires a good knife, possibly a cleaver and a whole lot more muscle than I anticipated. This will come in handy when I decide to make my Bouillabaisse, goal #1 for 2011.

What were we making? My parents originate from Northern Vietnam or as some Viets call it, the communist part. But let me make myself clear, my family is not Vietnamese, we are Chinese. And we are not communist...except for my dad. Sort of. But let's not get into the historical details. Having parents who were born and raised in Vietnam results in a lot of Viet food in my house. The most popular of which is noodle soup.

The soup we made today is a fish soup with vermicelli noodles. Fish soup is more commonly eaten in N. Vietnam, or so my mom says. Viet noodles are primarily made with rice flour and come in various thicknesses and consistencies. The vermicelli noodle we used is called 'bún' in Vietnamese.

And the fish, we used perch. It's about the size of salmon, spiny, and scaly.

I was instructed to wear rubber gloves to do the cleaning and I would also advise anyone else to do the same. You get a better grip on the fish, your hand is protected from any bones or spines, and you save your skin from smelling like the seafood section at T&T Supermarket.

Using a chef knife we scrape the scales against the grain of the fish until it's completely scale-free. Using a cleaver we hack off the fins and tail. To remove the entrails we cut along the underbelly of the fish from head to tail and remove everything inside.We cut the head off from the gills then chop the head down the middle to remove the gills. Then we chop the fish width-wise in 2" sections ready for frying.

My dad supervised and taught me a little trick to using a cleaver. If your accuracy sucks like mine and you don't have the muscle to get the cleaver all the way through in one swing, you can use a chef knife to guide the cleaver. With your non-chopping hand, stab the chef knife vertically as possible to the food you want to chop, where you want to chop and then swing the cleaver down parallel with the flat side of the chef knife blade. The chef knife acts as a guide and you end up with a 100% accurate, clean chop! Another tip - turn the sharp edge of the chef blade away from you so you don't end up slicing your chopping hand in the process. Safety first!

When frying the fish, heat up the oil and remove half. Add the fish, then pour the rest of the hot oil on top to reduce the amount of hot oil that can pop out of the pan. We cook the fish all the way through and is added to the soup at the end.

For the soup base, we are using broth from last night's chicken we cooked. Everything I learn from my parents, I learn how to cook from scratch. Everything I ever ate growing up was made from scratch.

After removing the oil from the top of the broth we bring it to a boil and add tomato, bamboo shoots, and white onion, then salt and pepper to season, lemon juice and some vinegar to take away the fishy smell and gives it a really nice savory slightly sour taste to it. We use vinegar in place of tamarind that can also be used and still gives the same type of flavor.

Let me tell you something about bamboo shoots. The only humanly-edible part of bamboo is the shoot that comes out from the tip of a bamboo stalk. It's about the length of your hand and is covered with layers of husk covered in fine, silky fur-like hairs. This is what it looks like right off the stalk.

And this is what it looks like after removing the husks.

It is a fraction of the size of the original shoot. There is so much husk on these! Shoots are not cheap either, ranging from $2-$5/lb. The reason we like bamboo is for it's distinct flavor, the scent of which I recognized immediately after removing the husks. These are chopped and boiled for the soup.

After combining all ingredients to the soup, we boil the noodles til tender, strain and serve it alongside the soup, not in it. Although it's perfectly acceptable to just combine them right away, vermicelli is rather thin and would break up in the soup and is a pain to fish out with chopsticks so we leave them in their sticky texture separate from the soup and eat with a spoon and chopsticks. Fresh chopped green onion on top and we have a traditional Northern Vietnamese fish soup.

Let's talk goals for 2011

Bouillabaisse

WTF is that you ask? French fish stew originating in Marseille, France. First of all I've never even had it but it looks amazing. In order to get an idea of how this is supposed to turn out I will go back to Murrietta's and try their famous bouillabaisse. Seeing it on their menu in November got me curious, and trying the Italian version, cioppino, at Mercato really got me interested. I will put my taste recognition skills to the test, then I will attempt to make it at home. P.S. I've never cooked any seafood other than shrimp, the usual baked or barbecued fish, and mussels. If watching my amazing cook-parents over my lifetime has taught me anything I will hopefully be able to produce a tasty bouillabaisse on my own.

Eka Pada Galavasana

Otherwise known as Flying Crow Pose, a yoga pose which involves balancing on your hands and hooking one foot into the opposite elbow and lifting the other foot straight into the air. It looks like your face is going to smash into the floor but the teachers reassure us that we won't. I expect it will take all year, possibly longer, but with daily at-home and in-class practice, I will get there, even if just for a second. Maybe I should focus on getting a good down dog first. And doing pushups because I am weak sauce.

Guns Germs and Steel

Does not require gun. This is a 471 page book by Jared Diamond that I bought by recommendation from academically inclined individuals I met this past summer. It outlines theories as to how history and societies have shaped the modern world. Not just a history lesson, the ideas include culture, genetics, and environmental differences that have put some societies ahead of the others. May not sound very fascinating to you, but it will be a change from the usual novels and memoirs I normally go to. It's a hefty block of paper and I don't want this to end up being another start and don't finish book.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guns,_Germs,_and_Steel

Shooting Range

Gun required. My dad used to hunt. And for some reason also had a handgun which he let me shoot a blank once when I was a wee one. I remember the kick was powerful and I had to pull the trigger with both hands. What would it feel like now?

Fishing

Speaking of dad, he also used to fish. I remember going a few times as a child and the last time dad ever went was when I was about 10. We were visiting family in Banff and he decided he wanted to fish on a whim so we drove to a lake and spent what seemed like forever in the wind and light rain and all we came up with is my brother finding a dead fish floating near the shore. Let's see if I can catch something, yea?

Creme Brulee

If anyone knows me at all they know I like dessert. Surprisingly I hadn't tried creme brulee until a month ago. I didn't even know what it was. And now I love it and want to make it. I usually stick to cakes, breads, pies and cookies because they are easy. This one requires some patience. I'll need mom and dad to supervise on this one.