Words for Thought
A gem from F. Scott Fitzgerald to start your Saturday Source: Pinterest
Author: La Vie Partagée
Must Do’s: Paris from a Local Point of View (Part 2)
After sampling the eclectic selections of dining venues in Paris, it is time to look for places to drink, shop, and be merry. The thing that Parisians do so well is to enjoy life with a certain “je ne sais quoi” attitude. My favorite afternoon activities while living in Paris was to watch people go by and invent stories for them. It is very much a tradition in Paris to meet up with friends for chit chat at anytime of the day. Must Shop: Impossible project space Wahiba: “a cool polaroid shop” Librairie Ofr Wahiba: “a wonderful bookshop with a lot of art and photo books” Panifica Wahiba: “a great bakery” Le store MK2 Bibliothèque Wahiba: “a concept-store” Les guetteurs du vent Wahiba: “an interesting bookshop” Pierre Hermé (the one on 185 rue de Vaugirard) Wahiba: “gorgeous desserts in a very innovative interior design” Charcuterie Verot Wahiba: “gorgeous charcuterie” La Cave des Papilles Wahiba: “The owner, a lover of ‘natural’ wine, has been operating in Paris for 16 years, and of the 1200 wines on …
Home Profile: Kimberley Seldon’s Country Retreat
With the weather in NYC warming up into the 60’s and 70’s, I yearn to escape the concrete jungle. I saw this country house featured on House & Home (Canada) last year. I still think about the house today. It is a classic combination of coziness, modern, eclectic, and glamorous. I would not mind hiding away here for awhile. The home tour was featured on House & Home online last year. You can see it below. You can also check out the full photo gallery at Kimberly Seldon’s site. What I love about this interior is the open layout and the grand scale of the space. It is also decorated unlike what one would think of a “weekend house”. The wall of windows allows for the light to shine through. Can you imagine a reading nook like the one below where you can melt into the gorgeous scenery? The theme of luxury and grandeur continues into the bathroom. I could stay in this tub all day. The seating arrangement below stimulates a conversion and also allows for the …
Vietnamese Sesame Mochi Dessert in Ginger Syrup (Semi Homemade)
Some of my favorite childhood afternoon snacks are a bowl of silken tofu custard topped with spoonfuls of ginger syrup or chè trôi nước. The common denominator was the sweet and slightly spicy ginger syrup. Unfortunately, it takes some time to make either of those desserts in the traditional way. My mom came up with a brilliant solution for the semi-homemade snacks, which I will explore today. Chè is a vietnamese sweet dessert “soup”. It is generally filled with various ingredients from beans to gelatin in a “soup” form served as an afternoon snack on the streets of Vietnam. Chè trôi nước is a Vietnamese dessert consisting of balls made from mung bean paste wrapped in a shell made of glutinous rice flour. The balls are served in a thick, sweet clear or brown liquid made of water, sugar, and grated ginger root. In this post, we will tackle the easy version of chè trôi nước or sesame mochi dessert in a ginger syrup. We will top this dessert with some coconut cream and toasted …
Words for Thought
A food wisdom from the one and only, Julia Child
Must Do’s: Paris from a Local Point of View (Part 1)
I am excited to start a new travel series on this blog where La Vie Partagée will collaborate with locals that live around the world to write their Must Do’s in their own playground. Our first post in this series will be about the second city closest to my heart: Paris. Wahiba is a friend I met when I interned at Accenture in Paris. She is a chic, young Parisian. Fast forward a few years later, we are still great friends and travel buddies. When I wanted to write about the current trends and new must dos from a Parisian perspective, I naturally went to the source. Wahiba was excited to share her favorite things to do and new places to see, eat, drink, and shop. Must See Fondation Louis Vuitton Besides the usual suspects that we all have come to know of Paris (Eiffel Tower, Louvre, etc), this is the newest attraction that sits on the edge of Bois de Boulogne. In 2006, LVMH commissioned famed American architect, Frank Gehry, to design a building …
Big Box Scout: Target Spring 2015 Decor
We honestly do not know anyone who would not fall for Target’s charm. We love their collections that refresh our personal style in and outside the house for a relatively small budget. Therefore, we decided to bring you a report of what can easily be added to your home. First, come up with a plan. Make a list of the areas in your home needing improvement. Identify what is missing to give it a punch. Pick a color scheme or a story to tell. Do you need a living room improvement? From side tables to accessories: You can even add extra seats with a lot of style: For your bedroom, there are many lamps, night tables, and decorative pillows that can bring new life: Night tables to achieve a bolder look can be glamorous or natural/relaxed: Accents for the office too: Please leave us a comment on how you would incorporate Target items in your own interior. We will be reporting from other big stores soon. Author: Daniela Olmedo
Traditional Fish Cake and the Burger
It seems that every culture has a form of fried fish cake. My mom used to make a patty of fish paste and other ingredients while I was growing up. She would then fry it up and served it over vermicelli noodles and fresh herbs. In the Vietnamese culinary tradition, this simple fish cake appears in numerous recipes including bun cha ca (fried fish cake vermicelli soup), summer rolls or sandwiches. I decided to take this fish cake to a whole new level: the American burger. Placing a fried fish patty on a soft brioche bun and a variety of other herbs/condiments will result in a mouth watering treat. Traditional Fish Cake Ingredients: Approximately 1 lb fillet of a firm fish like snapper ½ teaspoon of salt 1 teaspoon of sugar 1 teaspoon of pepper ½ teaspoon of fish sauce 2 teaspoon of cornstarch ½ teaspoon of baking powder garlic 2 stalks of green onions (use only the bottom white portion) Directions: In a food processor, combine all the ingredients and blend until a paste …
Lilly Pulitzer x Target Pop Up Shop at Bryant Park
One thing I love about living in NYC is all the fun pop up product or fashion launches that occur all the time around the city. Luckily for me, the Lilly Pulitzer for Target pop-up shop is at Bryant Park today (4/16/2015). It is across the street from my office. I was lured by the sunshine and the happy prints in the midst of glass skyscrapers. For a moment, I transported myself to a fabulous backyard party with hammocks, lawn chairs, and casual drinks. They had a main pop up shop on the 5th avenue side of Bryant Park (by the Bryant Park Grill), which had the usual long lines. I skipped that chaos and checked out the presentation that was on the 6th avenue side. It is a great way to take in the sun and to check out some of the items up close. The collection is available online and in store this Sunday. These lovely ladies were hanging out and modeling clothes at the same time. I like how their outfits were …
Airport Explore: Narita Airport (Japan)
The image above was included in a complimentary booklet that was distributed in Narita Airport in 2011. It is a perfect start to our next Airport Explore post on Narita Airport located in Tokyo, Japan. Narita Airport is one of the busiest hubs when you travel to Asia. If you are a frequent Japan Airline traveler like me, you become an expert of all the wonderful things the airline has to offer. Don’t be scare of the language barrier and the somewhat confusing layout of the airport. The staff is very helpful! I normally fly in from Boston and connect through Terminal 2 for my flight to Vietnam. For domestic and international connections, you will need to go through airport security one more time before entering the main Terminal 2 (T2) building. If Tokyo is your final destination, baggage claim and customs are located on the first floor. After clearing security, I would then make my way to the third floor. On the left after getting off the escalator, I would walk to the area marked “Day …
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