Beans, Baguettes, & Boulogne

& BOULOGNE.

splitsecondjourney — Mon, 24 Sep 2012 08:41:35 -0700

& BOULOGNE.

BAGUETTES,

splitsecondjourney — Mon, 24 Sep 2012 08:41:32 -0700

BAGUETTES,

BEANS,

splitsecondjourney — Mon, 24 Sep 2012 08:41:25 -0700

BEANS,

Alone except for strangers, I surveyed this Friday sunset from a...

splitsecondjourney — Sun, 23 Sep 2012 16:58:00 -0700

Alone except for strangers, I surveyed this Friday sunset from a gray bench, unwilling to fathom the same concreteness of my imminent departure. My Norwegian daydream had become a temporary reality and I wasn’t keen to relinquish him.

You might say I’m reluctant to unclench my sweaty palms from this city I’ve grown to cherish, this beautiful far-away Oslo.

This dog held onto his human friend’s bag for the few...

splitsecondjourney — Sun, 23 Sep 2012 16:34:02 -0700

This dog held onto his human friend’s bag for the few blocks I not-so-covertly stalked him up Karl Johannes Gate. While others marveled at this canine idiosyncrasy, I filed it under “to blog because dogs are awesome.”

How can Oslo city be so strepitous while Oslo skyline remains...

splitsecondjourney — Fri, 21 Sep 2012 11:14:03 -0700

How can Oslo city be so strepitous while Oslo skyline remains voiceless?

Vår Frelsers cemetery: a verdant respite from Oslo sentrum, an...

splitsecondjourney — Thu, 20 Sep 2012 15:42:25 -0700

Vår Frelsers cemetery: a verdant respite from Oslo sentrum, an invitation to daydream amidst the underground dead.

Street art: broadcasting truths commonly shunned for fear of...

splitsecondjourney — Wed, 19 Sep 2012 17:24:43 -0700

Street art: broadcasting truths commonly shunned for fear of social ostracization.

Snails of oddest contortions on stem.

splitsecondjourney — Tue, 18 Sep 2012 11:06:52 -0700

Snails of oddest contortions on stem.

One day I was an hour late to greet T home from work. As I...

splitsecondjourney — Mon, 17 Sep 2012 23:54:16 -0700

One day I was an hour late to greet T home from work. As I crossed the landing laden with roughly a kilo of fresh-picked raspberries, he flashed me an irritatingly knowing smirk.

“It wasn’t exactly a mystery, y’know—my hiking boots were gone.” It was a rare treat to befriend someone with my shoe size.

We made raspberry-filled phyllo cups that night. Raspberry-STUFFED, more accurately.

A forest walk can host any number of mental states: listless,...

splitsecondjourney — Sun, 16 Sep 2012 15:56:03 -0700

A forest walk can host any number of mental states: listless, quixotic, sullen, pensive. As the setting sun scattered its remaining light amongst the tall grasses, some far-off, watch-wearing scientist noted the time: 22:00.

This walk’s state? Insouciant.

My wanders through T’s backyard wood were once quotidian...

splitsecondjourney — Sun, 16 Sep 2012 15:29:00 -0700

My wanders through T’s backyard wood were once quotidian and now keenly missed. A midnight creek dip in the rain, a buck that yawped at me in a meadow, a lingering embrace in public privacy—all gossamers of memory enriching the foliage. And like gossamers, fragile.

Bah to the beach-side condos. Norwegian forest dwelling any day!

Californian dogma is that avocado ameliorates all, even baked...

splitsecondjourney — Sat, 15 Sep 2012 09:01:00 -0700

Californian dogma is that avocado ameliorates all, even baked goods. Enter Oatmeal Chipacado Cookies, whose faintest aftertaste of avocado is selcouth yet toothsome.

Homemade hummus with Sørlandschips barbeque chips (read: food...

splitsecondjourney — Fri, 14 Sep 2012 20:37:00 -0700

Homemade hummus with Sørlandschips barbeque chips (read: food ordered by importance) was the Snack Ultimate of my Oslo days.

Peanut butter revelation in Oslo: roast plain peanuts for 15...

splitsecondjourney — Thu, 13 Sep 2012 14:13:00 -0700

Peanut butter revelation in Oslo: roast plain peanuts for 15 minutes, let cool, and patiently grind in a Magic Bullet until natural oils form.

Exquisite.

Behold! homemade kimchi: a fermented Korean cabbage dish made...

splitsecondjourney — Wed, 12 Sep 2012 20:25:00 -0700

Behold! homemade kimchi: a fermented Korean cabbage dish made vegan-awesome sans fish sauce.

I don’t think I’ve ever eaten so well as in Oslo....

splitsecondjourney — Tue, 11 Sep 2012 17:37:00 -0700

I don’t think I’ve ever eaten so well as in Oslo. Some inspire you to create, T inspired me to cook. And oh how we cooked:

oatmeal chipacado cookies
deep-fried okra curry
chana masala
chocolate peanut butter ice cream
red lentil dahl
from-scratch hummus
chocolate sorbet
sunflower seed pâté
wild raspberry tarts
vegan kimchi

Further proof to come…

The house of 4 trips, 31 cumulative days in a span of 2½...

splitsecondjourney — Mon, 10 Sep 2012 16:52:00 -0700

The house of 4 trips, 31 cumulative days in a span of 2½ months.

The house where a dear friendship sprouted and flowered.

T’s house.

As I ambled along the verdant expanse of Riga’s Great...

splitsecondjourney — Sun, 09 Sep 2012 13:38:00 -0700

As I ambled along the verdant expanse of Riga’s Great Cemetery, I couldn’t escape the vibrations of quasi-forest bliss.

I declare war crimes against those frozen vegetables of blah! To...

splitsecondjourney — Sat, 08 Sep 2012 17:10:00 -0700

I declare war crimes against those frozen vegetables of blah! To add to the tally of food atrocities, all the patty-like discs were offensive to the palette as well as my tender (strep’ed) throat. Thanks for the guttural pain, Rama buffet, oh have all my gratitude.