incipient san francisco

me, i'm mie. actually it's mette-marie but most people call me mie, and that's fine. i'm a coffee buyer, blogger and a norwegian. i broke up with my previous blog and most of my life in norway, and started this one when i lived in san francisco - thus, the name. but, like my friend says: "there will be other san franciscos". this is the story about those places.

Posts tagged home

Oct 4

In between dirty texts, boob sweat, and sitting bent over double, caulking the bathroom somewhere in Brooklyn, NY, I am surprised how much work one can get done while working from home. I re-located, and it was re-enlightening, like it always is, coming here. I worked out a living situation I can live with for a while, and I am doing chores and cooking food like I was made to be a housewife.

Last night, in between sips of wine and boy gossip, Colleen and I had salad, with fresh baguette and goat cheese from my favorite cheese shop on Bedford avenue. My fingers were red from peeling beets i baked for the salad, and the toasted almonds I randomly added, was the perfect addition. Until my arrival in NY, I had put cooking on hold, and was wondering if it would ever come back to me. But being somewhere that feels like home, has helped a lot, and tonight I have plans to make…eclairs. Wondering if it is an impossible ambition?

Mar 14

leave the gown, take the cannoli

In between giving bad sexting advice (a service I already started charging for months ago), color arranging my clothes and flaking on doing laundry, it turns out: I haven’t forgotten how to cook. Dinner a une is less fun than dinner a deux, but whatevs. I made the most delicious dinner from produce I bought in my still-to-me-new neighborhood here in Vancouver. As you can see from the picture, I am also hoarding cheap enamel from crappy markets around the equatorial line: too beautiful not to show off.

It’s a bean salad (just cooked green beans) with quick-pickled onion. Ideally I would use shallots, but didn’t have any. Just leave the finely chopped onion/shallots in a blend of apple cider and sherry vinegar for half an hour, sprinkle the cooked beans with olive oil, salt and pepper and chives, toss over the onion/shallots and some parsley. Voila!

The artichoke takes a little longer, but is maybe more interesting flavor wise. Remove the outer leaves to get closer to the heart, half it and put it in a bowl of cold water and squeeze citrus into the water. Lemon and lime works well for this purpose. When you’re ready to cook them, heat olive oil in a pan, drain artichokes and add them to the pan with salt and pepper. I add some white wine, although probably not necessary, some fresh herbs (thyme today) and cook them until tender. I also used chili flakes and threw them in at the last minute. Found the spice inspiring and interesting as I served all of this with braised pork shoulder. And let’s be honest, I have claimed to hate spicy food, but eat hot sauce on my frijoles seven days a week, most weeks around this time of year.

Then, I baked the bread (60% white flour, 40% whole wheat), which I later ate with raspberry jam and butter while drinking a negroni and giving more bad advice, this time about work.

My landlords have gone, hopefully only temporarily, insane and finally turned on the heaters so it’s 40C inside. I opened all the windows and am sitting on the bed, listening to the rain and the traffic outside, wearing an ugly t-shirt, writing. I guess it’s official: I love to be home. Wherever that is.

Mar 13

I just did the grossest thing I’ve ever done after a return to home - I went out with my friends for all-you-can-eat fish n’chips. Now, I want to die.

I over-ate because I am over-worked and have only four days at home before I take off, but before I land in Nairobi early next week, I have a layover in Montreal Sunday morning. Just about long enough to hit up Lawrence food and see my friends at Myriade. I’m going back to East Africa, and I guess my crush on the region is now official enough to say I am confident that once I get there, I will be excited about it.

Speaking of geographical chemistry - on my way home from Central America, I stopped in California to celebrate a much beloved friend and a wee bit of work-related affairs. It is just that feeling of belonging to California that is so hard to shake - but unfortunately, life is not black and white, not enough for California and me to be together right now. However, I miss every bit of it, and while waiting for a friend at Tartine bakery, I ate all the things I dream about eating when I am far away. Among sugar and wheat and all things delicious, I couldn’t help but order everything I have craved the last eight months. This is what I ate: Morning bun, bread pudding and chocolate croissant. While I know what San Francisco and New York has got is only stuff, and I really don’t want to be so serious about stuff, I can’t help but wonder how my life with will ever be resuscitated?

That being said, I just started a dough for bread, and I’m about to flake on meeting friends in a bar and go grocery shopping instead. Shhhhh…I wish I was better at life, and better at explaining it, but at least I love to bake. Right now I’m so tired and have a few days of a lot of work ahead of me - but being at home will keep me focused, nourished and nice.