paradox

as i sit here chomping down on a spotty banana i realize that i have yet to solve my conundrum.

"all the baguettes in the world and nothing to eat."

the 3 euro sandwiches in the caf at my school just won't cut it. however, i finally found a normal grocery store so i do believe i'm on the right track. here's a quickie that my good friend taught me back in montreal for when you're stomach is a bottomless pit and you feel like a lazy beached whale. 

sweet carrot "purée" (though, without an immersion blender, magic bullet or the like it was more like chunky boiled carrots) with cumin, goat cheese, and cilantro on pita. the perfect healthy-ish college kid meal.

the other night i went round 2 at cite universitaire aka a ginormous hostel in the 14eme arrondissement that houses a motley crew of undergrads and grad students in residences each designed in accordance with the architectural style of its country. pretty sweet deal. as it was sunday and everything in paris is closed on sundays including any means of normal food consumption, i grabbed some chinese beef on the way to bring as an offering. it worked. 

garlic bread

with an assortment of cutlery and ethnic flavors we put together a most satisfying meal. i took a back seat on this one and let our wonderful hosts Kwaku and Kailin do the dirty work. and it was dirrrrty. 

roasted potatoes with rosemary and onion, scrambled eggs with vegetables, beef and broccoli, egg noodles, mango, avocado, lettuce & tomato salad, and PRAWN CRACKERS! (best thing since sliced bread)

cooking and eating in a communal kitchen atmosphere is pretty great too. in and out walk all sorts of people from everywhere in the world. the houses at "cite u" are by no means segregated by nationality. i must say i saw some envious eyes wandering in and out of the kitchen. 

snazzy eh? i can honestly say i had to unbutton my pants to digest this one---an accomplishment i am proud of! 

of course the company made it taste even better. a little dancing never hurt no one either.

and just last night i made one of my classic dishes for me and a friend seared tuna steak with mango chutney.

she brought the rosé and desserts, equally crucial je pense. ok, now i really need to stop writing before i eat my laptop.