An Announcement

I've been wanting to share this news for months, but needed to wait until some of the details were figured out. So, here it goes: I will be taking the fall semester off to do some longterm traveling in Europe! I'm planning on leaving towards the end of July and am expecting to be gone until the holidays. Obviously I'll be sharing my travels here along with all the preparations. As of right now the plan is to fly to London and travel around the UK and Ireland by myself for a couple of months. Then James will join me in September where we'll hang out in London and Paris before making our way to Munich for Oktoberfest with my cousins and some friends. After that my cousins and I will be journeying to Istanbul via train. That's as far as I've gotten.

This is something that I've wanted for a very long time and I am absolutely thrilled that I can finally make it happen. My jobs are sad to see me go, but the door is open when I return. In the meantime, I plan on getting back into freelancing and will be working to make this blog more "professional". I've already made a Facebook page, which I'd love to have you join, and down the road I plan on having even more of a social media presence. Stay tuned!

Springtime Rambling in The Farmington Valley and Beyond

Lately I've taken to going on hikes near my home as a way to escape from end of the semester stress. It's easy to forget how calming simply being in nature can be. I'm also lucky enough to live near a number of great hikes and now that the weather is better I plan on taking full advantage of my surroundings. Yesterday James and I checked out the trails that surround the Hill-Stead Museum in Farmington, CT.

It was  the perfect end to the weekend. I only wish I could get out more during the week. Soon.

I'm planning my summer travels and this has really inspired me to look into walking tours in the UK. I literally just want to wander around the countryside for a few weeks and recharge. 

I'm thinking of hitting up the Peak District to recreate Lizzy Bennet's journey to Pemberly and then checking out the Yorkshire Dales and recreating Heathcliff's crazed ramblings searching for Catherine's ghost.

Boston, I Love You

At first, I had no desire to write about the Boston bombing here. I felt like there wasn't anything I could say that other people haven't already said, and far better at that.  But then I realized that Boston was the star of this blog for a long time and at the very least, I should honor that.

When I started this blog in 2010 I was living in the South End, more specifically, I was crashing on my cousin's couch. After two intense years I had earned my Master's but had no clue about what to do next. So I wrote about my life with Boston as my inspiration. The blog itself forced me to go out and explore, even if I was tired or cranky or alone.

When I first came to Boston I lived in Dorchester, then Cambridge, the South End, and finally Brookline. I left two years ago but Boston will always hold a special place in my heart. It was the city where I was truly on my own for the first time.  It's the city where I became an "adult." And, given the thousands of college students that spend their formative years there, I'm sure I'm not alone. Because of this and so many other reasons, it's a very loved city, yet it can still feel like a town. Big enough to never run out of things to do, but small enough to never feel lost. It was common to bump into people you knew just walking down the street. It has a charm all its own and a fierce pride, which some may call obnoxious, but is it really so bad to love where you're from? The fact that the Red Sox still had the most loyal fans in sports after an 86 year losing streak tells me all I need to know about this town.

Apparently, the older of the two suspects wrote that he didn't understand Americans. He couldn't have been more right. He understood nothing and that was his downfall. But I understand. I understand that this city will get through this because people care about their city and each other. I'll be the first to admit that historically, I haven't been the most "patriotic" person, at least in the sense of having a blind belief that everything the U.S. does is right. I question things, just as we all should. But I certainly believe in the value of a democratic community made up of people from all walks of life. Is it always perfect? No. Do we argue? Of course. And we should. But there is nothing that words can't settle. Violence is the language of cowards.

Stay safe, Boston. We're all rooting for you. 

I Ate 1500 Calories Worth of Food At The Shake Shack So You Don't Have To (But You Should)

I had long heard stories of the delicious burgers served at NYC's famous Shake Shack, so when a branch opened in New Haven last year I was determined to investigate. Did their burgers really live up to the hype?  I am, after all, from the home of legendary burger establishments like Ted's, Shady Glen, and Louis' Lunch so my burger standards are pretty high.

Originally, the plan was to have lunch at Louis' Lunch and dinner at the Shake Shack, but our outing coincided with Wrestlemania (which James still watches for some reason) so we only had time for one. This is further proof that Wrestlemania ruins everything, but I digress....From the outside the building kind of reminded me of an Apple store.

But those windows offer beautiful views of the New Haven green and Yale.

A menu for dogs? Now I've seen everything!

 

They also have frozen custard, which I have a weakness for and on Wednesdays they have red velvet custard. I think you know where I'll be on Wednesdays. 

And now for the money shot:

We all ordered single shake burgers, which my dining companions thought were on the small side. They're about the size of a regular McDonald's hamburger, but obviously they tasted much better. Everything from the buns to the lettuce tasted fresh and delicious. And, as was pointed out, they even use the good kind of lettuce, none of that iceberg crap. We also split a side of cheese fries and a peanut butter shake. All were excellent and totally worth the caloric intake.

On Writing and Rejection

Source: englishmuse.com via Emily on Pinterest

Things have been difficult lately, so when I saw these Jane Austen postcards I had to buy them. School has been insane. So many students, so many papers--when I have free time I hardly have the energy or brain power to sit down and write. Yet, I've still been diligently submitting things to magazines and websites but for the past year the answer has been a collective "We enjoyed reading this, but it's not quite right. Send us your stuff in the future."  It's definitely better than a flat out no, but now what? I write things that editors like but they won't publish it. 

I know that because writing is such a fundamental part of my personality, I'll continue to write. But at the same time, writers, or artists of any kind, need  an audience. I don't care how much you may claim to do it for yourself, that's fine and I'm sure you do, but to come full circle, to have closure, you need to have people see what you've done. I'm beginning to understand that that is an important part of the creative process. There needs to be some kind of recognition in order to feel like "yes, I have created something worthwhile."

I'm not really sure where I'm going with this and in all honesty, I know that even if/when I do get something published it won't really change things. I'll have that lovely self-satisfied feeling of accomplishment, a nice high that will last a couple of days. I'll call my parents and they'll be happy and excited. I'll post something on Facebook and some of my friends will be happy and excited, even if they never read it. I'll say to myself "Ok, this is it. Now you've really done something." And then...then things will go back to normal. I'll keep teaching, keep grading, keep writing, keep living until the next high, which may take days, weeks, months, or even years. Intellectually, I always knew that this was part of what it means to be a writer, but when you are in the middle of it...well, nothing can prepare you for that. 

More soon. When I have time.

Beating The Winter Blues At Bartaco

Today is the first day of Spring, but it sure doesn't feel like it. In an effort to escape Old Man Winter, James and I paid a visit to bartaco in West Hartford Center. It has a very South Beach/Miami vibe and is apparently inspired by South American beach culture--definitely unlike anything else around here. When the weather warms up, the front windows open up onto the street and I can just imagine sitting outside on a summer night sipping one of their freshly-squeezed cocktails.

bartaco's menu is partially inspired by Mexican street food and Spanish tapas, so everything comes a la carte. We shared a plate of delicious shrimp, baja fish, chorizo, lamb, and chicken tacos all simply prepared with cilantro and onion. Each table also gets a selection of three different salsas if you want to spice things up.

Next up was the refreshing spicy cucumber salad and their take on one of my obsessions, grilled corn with lime, cayenne, and cotija cheese. It was good, but Toro in Boston is still the reigning champion. Despite the March weather, everything tasted extremely fresh and in season. For the briefest of moments I really did feel like I was on the other side of the equator. Or, at least in Florida.

Literary Eats: Treacle Tarts from Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll

Lewis Carroll was the pen name of Oxford don and mathematician Charles Lutwidge Dodgson. Though Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland wasn’t his first published work, it was by far his most popular. Children and adults alike were enchanted by Wonderland’s fanciful imagery, anthropomorphic animal characters, and nonsensical language. Though Dodgson’s literary legacy has been marred by debate concerning the true nature of his relationship with Alice Liddell, the youngest daughter of Henry Liddell, dean of Oxford’s Christchurch College, his work is arguably even more popular today thanks to the 1951 Disney cartoon and Tim Burton’s 2010 pseudo-gothic movie Alice in Wonderland. Aside from the arresting visuals provided in both the book and its many film versions, some of the most famous scenes are built around some very British traditions: The infamous Mad Hatter’s tea party, the depiction of the royal court, and a game of croquet. A number of traditional British foods are mentioned as well, but there is one that causes an uproar:

The King and Queen of Hearts were seated on their throne when they arrived, with a great crowd assembled about them--all sorts of little birds and beasts, as well as the whole pack of cards: the Knave was standing before them, in chains, with a soldier on each side to guard him; and near the King was the White Rabbit, with a trumpet in one hand, and a scroll of parchment in the other. In the very middle of the court was a table, with a large dish of tarts upon it: they looked so good, that it made Alice quite hungry to look at them--`I wish they'd get the trial done,' she thought, `and hand round the refreshments!' But there seemed to be no chance of this, so she began looking at everything about her, to pass away the time.

Later on the Duchess’ cook (and pepper aficionado) is being questioned about the tarts:

Alice guessed who it was, even before she got into the court, by the way the people near the door began sneezing all at once.

'Give your evidence,' said the King.

'Shan't,' said the cook.

The King looked anxiously at the White Rabbit, who said in a low voice, 'Your Majesty must cross-examine this witness.'

'Well, if I must, I must,' the King said, with a melancholy air, and, after folding his arms and frowning at the cook till his eyes were nearly out of sight, he said in a deep voice, 'What are tarts made of?'

'Pepper, mostly,' said the cook.

'Treacle,' said a sleepy voice behind her.

'Collar that Dormouse,' the Queen shrieked out. Behead that Dormouse! Turn that Dormouse out of court! Suppress him! Pinch him! Off with his whiskers!'

Treacle tart has long held a place in British literature and is even mentioned as Harry Potter's favorite dessert. It would seem that nothing could be more aptly named than the syrupy sweet treacle tart. It turns out that anything from pancake syrup to dark molasses are, in fact, referred to as treacle in the UK, but traditionally golden syrup is used for the tart. I turned to 19th century housekeeping Goddess Mrs. Beeton for a classic recipe:

Treacle Tart

Ingredients:

450g golden syrup

4 oz soft white crumbs

1 tsp lemon juice

8 oz plain flour

1/2 tsp salt

4 oz unsalted butter 

flour for rolling out


Directions:

1) Set the oven at 400ºF

2) To make the pastry, sift the flour and salt into a bowl, then rub in the butter until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add enough cold water to make a stiff dough. Press the dough together with your fingertips.

3) Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface and use just over three-quarters of it to line a 20 cm / 8 inch pie plate. Poke with a fork several times over.

4) Melt the syrup in a saucepan. Stir in the breadcrumbs and lemon juice, and then pour the mixture into the prepared pastry. Bake for 30 minutes.

I can see why this would be a popular British dessert--it is ridiculously SWEET, and if there was one take away from my time spent in London, it was that the Brits love their sweets. When my mom came to visit me, she commented that this was why their teeth were so bad.

I served this with some vanilla ice cream, which is obviously historically inaccurate, but I needed something to balance out the sweetness. There are a lot of modern takes on this recipe that include cream, which probably make it more palatable to today's taste buds. I will say though, that this all butter crust is delicious. Some things just stand the test of time.