My Morning Ritual

Ever since I adopted the little "La Pavoni" espresso maker, my life has been blessed with some rather enticing flavors and smells in the mornings!

Introducing my morning ritual, which happens almost every morning: Making my Soy Cappuccino.



First some tidbits of info. I switch beans regularly. I used to use Peet's Italian Roast, then Illy, then I tried beans from Le Pain Quotidien, and now I am trying Caffe Roma's Sicilian Blend, which is supposed to be a dark roast. I do enjoy it, but I don't have a favorite so far. It's hard! I enjoy the nuances and differences of each bean type I try and although I love a bean and roast for a particular reason, I am open to trying new beans and tasting new flavors and discovering new aspects espresso can have.

I usually try my coffee as an espresso first to really acquaint myself with all of it's complexities and aromas. For me, it's like, I just need to know. I need to taste it in it's pure form and then I can freely enjoy cappuccinos and such... so, I do that first, when I get a new bean type.

Another tidbit to explain.... Why do I drink soy cappuccinos and not regular milk cappuccinos? Well... unfortunately I am plagued with the inability to digest milk and coffee together. I have experienced too many painful days of stomach aches and pain to even try it again, so, I just accepted it and moved over to the next best thing. For most of this year, I only drank espresso black. This way I could enjoy it, without the pain milk would add to my life.... But I realized recently that it was possible to enjoy a cappuccino or latte made with soy milk. It is not quite the same thing, but rather similar, if done right.

The biggest problem with soy milk is the frothing. When we make cappuccinos you want to have micro-foam. A foam so dense and creamy that you can barely see the bubbles. This type of froth is of the highest quality and most enjoyable of all. Have you ever tried a cappuccino whose milk was frothed with big airy bubbles? Did you feel like you were drinking an insubstantial airy piece of crap? Well, that is the reason those airy bubble are so frowned upon in the world of coffee.... Anyhoo, enough rambling...

I have a beautiful old-fashioned "La Pavoni". It is a hand press espresso machine. Completely manual and a real joy to use. The filter is a 2 shot, and I get just the right amount of rich crema in the shot (crema is the rich cream that forms on the surface of the shot when you push extreme amount of pressure of water through the ground beans).

Pictured below is a shot I pulled yesterday, while making my morning cappuccino.



The crema could be improved, but in my opinion it is fine.

Then I get my soy milk and steam it using the nozzle on my "La Pavoni" in just the right way to get it to foam just right. This process is very tricky and you can easily fail miserably trying to get it right. I had to accept many a mediocre cappuccinos (well they turned out more like lattes) in order to understand the delicate way of producing the micro-foam... Finally I achieved close to perfection yesterday and just had to take a picture of the result. It's NOT perfect, but it's close. I am not sure how much more perfect I can get it with soy milk, but I will do my best to get there!

This is my degustation for the morning. A little sprinkle of cinnamon on top adds a nice touch... (Nutmeg is awesome too!)



If you have any questions at all feel free to ask!

Muay Thai is SO Cool!

Today was my first day training Muay Thai at Fairtex. I made an appointment for a one-on-one hour-long session, since I really needed to get introduced to the basics. I have never once tried to do Muay Thai, therefore, it's all new to me.

My trainer's name is Enn, and I have known him for a while now, since I see him everyday when I go to work... as I work with Fairtex Gear.... Duuh. Anyways, Enn is a friendly and soft-spoken guy, but he is a highly skilled Muay Thai fighter having fought in Ratchadamnoen and Lumphini Stadiums during his 8 year professional career in Thailand. He is originally from a small town near the border with Laos and the Mekhong River.

Anyhoo, my first task, before beginning the training, was to get my hand-wraps on... This part I will have to practice a bit, as this time, Ganyao (another trainer) put them on for me. Basically you have to wrap your hands in these gauze-like wraps to form a comfortable "glove" around your hands, relieving tension and strain during impact. This also adds comfy padding when you wear your Muay Thai boxing gloves.

After getting those on, I did 15 minutes of jump rope. I was not alone in this part. There were maybe 20 others doing this to. It's a warm-up that gets the blood moving and is also a work out since your legs and arms are in constant motion.

Once we were done with that, Enn brought me over to one side of the gym and hence I began my Muay Thai instruction. He showed me the proper way to stand, and where exactly to hold my hands and arms. How to move closer and farther from your opponent. I had to practice this a bunch because, although it sounds easy, it's actually really tricky. You have to coordinate several things at the same time. You really have to start feeling tough and mean, otherwise you will naturally stand and move all dorky... So I did that for a little bit, until I kinda got the hang of it...

Next we moved over to the other side of the gym where all the punching bags are. Enn gave me a pair of gold colored Muay Thai gloves to put on!! I worked on my punching, and soon Enn moved on to show me how to kick with my right leg, then my left. I repeated that a billion times until I got it, and then he showed me how to use my elbows as a weapon. It was so cool! I could really hurt someone.... But it was also hard to get the formation right. I had to punch first and then transition into the elbow swipe, first with the left arm and then the right.

After that, he showed me how to kick using my knees into someone's chest. This was so great. Once you get the hang of the motions you realize that it's really a matter of physics and using what you have to it's best advantage. For example, the placement of your feet can give you 100 times more power than if you put them somewhere else. With the knee-kicks, if you use your hips to push over momentum, your kick can be really damaging! That was cool. After I practiced all of that an hour had gone by...

I was boiling hot and getting a bit tired... I didn't want to push myself TOO hard for my first time. Then to finish it all off then, Enn instructed me to do 50 sit-ups (barf!) and then I was done!

Exhausted yet happy! What a workout! It was so much fun!

I am now sore mostly on my legs, but that is great... I know it's really doing something. This makes me want to go every day, but I think I will keep it to 2 times a week for now. I will do 2 more one-on-one sessions and then I will join the beginner's class during the week.

YAY! I recommend anyone who needs or wants to work-out to scrap the regular gym and take Muay Thai! You get a sense of achievement, adrenaline rush and enjoyment, while getting an extremely well-rounded work-out to boot!

NYC

I spent the most wonderful 10 days in NYC during early September. I came out there to meet my best friend Laura who came out to the US from England for a wedding.

There were 3 chapters to my trip.

My first weekend I spent alone, exploring East Village. I stayed at a hostel within walking distance to lovely streets with shops and restaurants and parks. I also had brunch with Annie, a good friend from college. It was a great opportunity to catch up on all the new things in our lives.

Sunday night I met Laura and her friend Frances and for 4 days we explored the best of NYC. It was Laura's first time in NY so we set out to the landmarks as well as the local scene. During this week I met Adam, a good friend of Frances' sister. He was our guide in many ways, and took us to some really fabulous restaurants around town.

My last weekend in NY, Adam invited me to go sailing at Shelter Island. I can't even discribe what a splendid end to my trip this was.


Chapter 1

I took the subway into Manhattan from JFK. This was the first glimps of NY as the train emerged onto a bridge to take us into the island. It was around 6:30am, everthing was moody and gray, cool and refreshing.


My first breakfast in NYC. I dropped off my bags at the hostel, and began my adventure. I was on my own for the day and the city was mine! So, what do I do? Seek out Aroma Espresso Bar in the Village. Why? Well if you need to be told, I don't even know what you are doing here. Ok, fine.... This café is the first location of the Israeli chain to be established in the USA. I had neumerous breakfasts at Aroma in Israel, so this place holds a close significance to me.

Pictured is my favorite Haloumi Sandwich with a double espresso.


My first day in NY was highly unplanned, and therefore, the idea was to go everywhere I possibly could to dicover and explore. Upon walking down 2nd Ave I came across the most quaint little street fair ever. It was only a block long, and it had it's own little jazz band playing. It was peacful, surreal and heavenly. And apparently this was the only day in the year for this fair to exist. I happened on the 10th & Stuyvesant Street Annual Antique Fair. Can you imagine how lucky I felt to be there?


They had so many wonderful things to look at. There were some really valuable things here and the deals to be had were stunning. Most of the vendors came from across the eastern part of the country to be there that day.


When I left a booth, one of the vendors said "See you next year!" and I thought to myself, goodness, could this luck ever be repeated? Would there be any chance to stumble on this fair again next year? I was told they pick a random Saturday around September. It is hard to find a listing that will tell you when...


After my stroll at the fair, I walked over to Tompkins Square looking for St. Marks Place.... What did I find along the way? A funny bunch of dudes dressed in white prancing around with bells on their legs and hankerchiefs in their hands, yes, prancing to the beat and whistle of the lady playing a drum and a flute.


I stood there for about 10 minutes watching their little practice in the park. What I found so fascinating was that although they had a little audience watching, most New Yorkers in the park barely paid attention to this, indicating to me, that it was the usual, for groups to practice their skits and dances and musical endevors... To NY'ers this was the air they breathed everyday. You could tell I was a visitor by my fascination!


Ah! The Holyland Market. I stumbled on this little grocery market on St. Marks Place. They sold nothing but Israeli products and this was wonderful! They had Zaatar and Halva and so many types of Elite Coffee... Too much! They didn't have Tivol, which was a disappointment. But, the guy there was grreat, he and I argued about our views on vegetarianism for a good 5 minutes until he realized he was ignoring a line of customers waiting at the register! Very cute.


This has to be, THE best hummus in the world. I cannot discribe it. You have to go taste it for yourself. It's on St. Marks Place and it's called "The Hummus Place".


The East Village skyline and fake grass. More info about this photo in the comments section.

There will be many updates and more photos coming soon. I have barely scratched the surface of my trip so far, so please check back in a few days.

One thing I have to mention before I go. New Yorkers have to be by-far one of the most friendliest people I have ever met. Everyone, and I mean literally everyone I met, interacted with, asked a question to and more, were genuinly kind, helpful, friendly, honest, and generous. It was very heartwarming to discover this.

Till my next update,
Good bye.

UPDATE 9/29/06: Snarf, I will put more photos up tonight... Sorry, been so busy.
UPDATE 9/30/06: NYC Photos contunued...


Here is another skyline shot from the roof of the hostel.


I like how this skyline looks drastically different to the following ones below...


Times Square. Ah, what an ant-like feeling you have when you stand in Times Square. It's breathtaking. I liked the blue lines of this building. This was Sunday afternoon.... I was strolling around after meeting up with Annie for brunch and a cupcake. I had a couple of hours on my own before meeting up with Laura and Frances at the Penninsula Hotel.



A funny tourist wearing.... Merm's hat! Ha! Thought it was a funny contrast.


Sensory overload...

Chapter 2

It was Sunday evening and at last I arrived at the Penninsula Hotel after dragging my broken suitcase up 10 blocks to finally meet Laura and Frances. The Penninsula Hotel is located on 5th Ave. at 54th St. It is at the western corner of Central Park, and is surrounded by the likes of Prada, Fendi, Gucci and, well, the Disney Store... (and other stores too). But you get the message... Nice part of town.


We had a nice room on the 4th floor overlooking 54th Street and facing a gorgeous cathedral, which I forgot to take a photo of. Above are the beds we had and the little office corner with the ghost posessed fax machine. Unfortunately those are the only photos I have of the hotel... Laura has some nice photos of the pool, hope to take a look at those soon!


Monday morning, our plan was to visit the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. This was fascinating for me on many levels. Once, I visited the Statue of Liberty, but, I was like 2 years old or something like that. This was the first time since, therefore can be considered a first time experience.


New York is so beautiful.

Snarf, I am tired now. Will post more later!

Organic Blood Orange Cranberry Scones

Here are some cute scones I made last week! They were truly delightful with a cup of Earl Gray Tea. I highly recommend baking something at home every once and a while. It is a billion time lovelier than buying them ready made, not to mention it makes your home smell wonderful!