go go Japan

I’m never a fan of Japan, but people all around me are mostly in deep love of various field in this country. Their music, comic, fashion, living style… well, of course they are good in all the detail but somehow too much for me.

After spending a week in Japan for a leisure visit, I changed my mind. Indeed it IS an utopia.
We are supposed to visit some friends in Japan, the Art triennial and by any chance the onsen.
It’s actually a place for me to spend the rest of ‘Europe budget’, so even the yen rate to HKD is rising like crazy (100Y to $8.4!!), I still feel ok.

I must say the art triennial is the catalysis for the trip. Though I am quite sure I was totally fed up with installation some 10 years before, it was fun to check out the ‘art’ pieces in the countryside from point to point, or it’s enjoyable to walk. I shouldn’t say any artistic comment, instead those look fun and pretty will satisfy me.

Of course we didn’t visit them all (some of them are ridiculous*O*) among those we saw, this is the one most impressive

The origami paper balls floating like snow in the narrow backyard. That’s a real incredible scene.
We were lucky to run into a helpful old lady, she brought us all the way to look for the hidden piece and some more major pieces. That’s the kind of Japanese whose responsible for every single request which they are capable to provide help with. I believe she’s not the only one who’s willing to help in Japan. Since I was back from the discouraging Paris, here I find the heaven.

We stepped into another local hotel ran by an old but energetic couple. They bought us to a firework festival and can’t believe we can enjoy the festival like the local Japanese.

That’s a completed day with Japanese festival, food, sake, firework and life.

Other then the people, the food also completely satisfy my curiosity. The meal are filled with surprise, those pickled vegetable compose new menu everyday.



The little pumpkin block at the back is the just like the vegetarian’s salty egg yolk. Much better then those French cuisine~~

this soggy seaweed soup taste strange at first but I just can’t stop to finish it.

Once everything is compare to France, Japan seems more reasonable for me. Everything is well-organized with logic. Food is not cheap but you can spend less to buy less portion, which make sense!
Like one of my friends in Paris said, French are polite, but never nice to you until they have business with you. In Japan, I’d dare to say they are polite and indeed, nice.

go home

When it’s time to go home, I am always happy.

As I’m not work on routine job from 9 to 5, go home from trips means stop spending money and ready to earn more for the next trip. For this time, as i left for almost three months, it’d take a long while for my clients to approve my existence AGAIN. So, in the mean time waiting for real job, I better have a revision on my patisserie course.

All of my friends asked me the same Question: What did you learn from the French? Anything new in your cookies menu?
I started to reply honestly.
Actually the French recipes in the basic patisserie course didn’t really mention about things like cookies. Well, what they eat sweet is indeed in a serious manner. Pastry should looked pretty, glazed, icing on top. While crispy outside and soft tender inside with long lasting aroma of liquor, nut or chocolate. Even the petite fours which literally like cookies, they are well-garnished and decorated INDIVIDUALLY!

The only thing I am interested to eat and make is the Tarte aux Pommes. Provided I bought the tart ring(exclusive!!) from France and it’s something never go wrong.
Cooked diced apple (and pear) in a slightly sweet tart shell. I can eat or distribute as much as I make, so, friends, please be ready!

Other than that, I’m really curious about the mini tart molds I bought in Paris. They cost me quite a lot compare to those “made in China” molds, and they really work well.
I like the caramel almond sliced tart and I made it right the way. hoo hoo…

While in the hot humid weather, Almond caramel was a bit heavy,(I’ll make it in winter, must be Gooey Good~~) I then changed the filling in my extra sour lemon curd and those tangy tart were just right in this HOT HOT day~!~

Those little stuffs are too fragile to be inserted in my new menu, and it’s almost the time I try to make a real gateau. Something they taught intensively. At last I wanna make something I’ll never make again, charlotte aux poire. While pears in syrup sound a bit too artificial, i used strawberries instead. I repeated step by step from my notes but hardly recall the pace back in the Paris kitchen. (I missed my buddies and the unlimited baking paper supply!) At last the mousse was not really too set as I deduced the amount of gelatin. Left behind a pool of mousse in sweet sweet sponge cake shelled.

Ok, friends, now I know I am not good in making gateau. never again!

Amsterdam

At last, I’m alone in Europe again.

Having my ibook with me, I booked my ticket just a week before I made up my mind to Amsterdam.
I’ve never plan to be in this city before, but I’d say I’m addicted to this city after the three days visit.

From oslo to Amsterdam, I stepped on my last stop with my 16.5 kg backpack. I was so lucky to be in the not so sound hostel and upgraded to the female dorm with 14 single beds but not in a room of 10 bulk beds.

I actually have no idea to tour around, but being in such an easy-access city, I’m so relax to just walk, walk, walk…

First of all, the most impressive thing is that I can easily talk to people around in English, means that even I don’t speak dutch, I can still be a well-informed tourist.
The city is filled with delicate buildings and bicycles. I would really like to rent a bike and seems that it’s the most ‘backpacker’ way to explore this city. But the bike traffic is so busy and intensive, to avoid slow down the fluent circulation, I think I better keep walking.

While there’s another option that you can pay by every minute to hire a bike with driver to tour around, it’s eco-friendly and not costly, but I’d leave that till I can walk no more at my 60 years old.

I spend one day to get used to the city and visited some of the must-go museum (Van Gogh Museum, Annie Frank Annex…) Feel so harvesting to see those world famous paintings.

When I was lying on my bed back on my cozy female dorm to check where I should head for the next day, I found an ad. ‘FREE tour Amsterdam!’. It’s free and I’m free enough to take the chance. www.newamsterdamtours.com
I was so impressed by the walking tour with those detail and interesting story offered by the guide, Ruth.
The 3 hour tour were fun with history and insight of the city. See some picts.

The thinnest building in Amsterdam:

What it said it’s free, but tips are always welcome. I tipped for e10 and that’s a good deal~~
Maybe I’m lucky, everything I ran into this city is nice and perfect. Or if I should have hopped into the free tour in Paris, I’d love Paris more?

thanks!

After Oslo, I’m on my way to Amsterdam for three days by my own.

Before I head back, I should say another big thank you to Lou and Rune.
When I left Rome to Siena, Lou prepared a super packed lunch for me. Having walked with my 20kg backpack for 3km to look for the hotel, I was exhausted and starved like crazy. I was so touched and ate the full meal almost with tears.

On the day I left Oslo, Rune prepared 3 salami buns with homemade all grain bread for me. Without any meal on the cheap flight, the little buns are like foie gras served in first class…

At last, this Europe trip is all about food. I learned, tried, cooked and ate so much a lot of different kind of food in France, Rome and Oslo. Thanks to all of my friends!

here’s some of the good food I ate and cooked in Oslo.

Freshly made pasta with meat sauce

shrimp on white bread

budapest cake

Oslo part II

Since I have ten days here, I better head out the warm kitchen and take a closer look of the city. My friend are so considerate that they arrange a half day tour for a lazy tourist.
After lunch at home, I went to a local swimming pool for a relaxing stretch.
Though I saw quite a number of people mingle in front of the entrance, the swimming pool is still sparsely occupied. Of course in Oslo, what they got is land, but mainly is due to the precise allocation of space. I am so impressed by the public swimming pools’ management. The main swimming pool is so spacious with clearly divided area for kids, trainer and normal swimmer. Different level of diving boards, pool for elderly and kids, gymnastic, sauna….. Thought the entrance fee cost me 75 Kr (almost HK$90) I would say it’s worth for everything you can enjoy herte.
here’s the outlook of the swimming pool,

In the other side of the road, I can visit the Munch Museum, with the famous painting “scream”. Again, I enjoyed to stroll in a museum for hours, with the detail introduction on the painter, Edvo Munch.
Sometime it’s good to move around slowly in the museum. As I don’t know other language other then English, the descriptions on those exhibits are the only thing I can recognized. I can totally focus in the
show pieces without any disturb, sometimes it’s really good to be alone.

The day after, I walked like a windup robot, visited the Folk Museum and the Viking Museum.
The Folk Museum is the biggest open-air museum in the world, the exhibits feature daily life and living condition in Norway from the 16th century to present time.

Among all of the exhibits, I like this wooden sculpture the best. They look so cartoon while they really look like Norwegian, beautiful, simple and happy.

To prove that I have been to Scandinavia, I have to visit the Viking Ships Museum. It’s actually a comparatively small museum. With the three giant Viking boat, still, worth a closer look.

‘As burial ships, carrying the dead over to “the Other World”, the ships were equipped with unique treasures such as wagons, horses and especially textiles which are seldom preserved from the Viking age’. At the bottom of the boat, they recovered two female vikings bodies date back to 850!

Oslo part I

From Italy, at 28C, here I detoured to Oslo.
Again, visiting my friends (1/3 sightseeing, 1/3 chatting and 1/3 making pastry), seem it’s easier to merge in their daily life like this.

Afterall, coming to Europe is to explore more about food, it make sense that I spent most of my time in the kitchen. The first day I was here, I was told that there’ll be a party at my friend’s home 2 days after, so it’s just time for me to have a practical lesson after I left the school. The host appeared to be really serious on the food combination. So I have to play my part well and back-up in the kitchen. I got so much fun and at last help a bit until the party finished, till midnight!
Cook, eat, talk, wash. Nothing could be more content then this~~

In the summer time, everyone is ready for holiday, even in the city, the biggest group I can find is sunbathing on the lawn.

Of course I did the same thing as they did, but I was burnt on my face right after 45 min. The sun shine till 2000 and we keep walking. Modern sculptures on lawn is the best combination here, I feel wonderful to just walked around, and around …and around…

go on… Rome

From Paris to Rome, I’d look forward to a much different world. Tasty but not fancy food, quirky people instead of poker faces, older archeology site… Some of them are valid while there are still so much different from the reality i met.

To start the journey in Rome, I gotta introduce my friend here, lou, my ex-boss client. She is my guardian in Italy.

I was living in her house for eight days and I would regard myself as a semi-tourist. This is the first time i was in Rome, the busy city is actually chaotic and filled with racers on the road. It’s not difficult to get around the city but I have to be careful of the people around. For the first two days, lou bought me to those popular tourist spots which indeed worth to visit before die.

The Pantheon, the Trevi Fountain, Castel Sant’Angelo… everything was so delicate with long history. Giant sculpture made of marble, but look just soft like satan or lace. Good that we can spend some time to check that out one by one.
besides tour, she also brought me to a very nice restaurant, remind me about Shatin hotel in Hong Kong with beautiful scene and good food. Woo, food in italian version, much better ^o..^

Tour is just a minor part of my days in Rome, as the hostess request, making pastry is the most she want from me, that is also the reason brought me here.
To practise my newly learn skill, I need a lot of sweet tooth for the final product. Here I got lou’s couple, a guest from them and me, that’s quite a good combination for the tasting party.

It’s a bit different from france, ingredients preference and packaging are slightly different, I gathered the custom ingredients and go for the trail. The famous french patisserie for me is the various texture in one bite. Attractive appearance, crunchy outside, soft, creamy with certain aroma inside. So far what I learnt with the least tools and ingredients required is the Pear tart w/ meringue top.

There is no big different for the almond sablee base, but without the simple tart ring, i gotta fix it with an aluminium pie mold. It took me a while to trim the base but at last still fine. For the filling, I used fresh apple instead of canned pear, just cooked a bit longer with some juice came out, strain it after cook while it still taste fine at last.

That was such a good revision for me and for sure i’d modify the recipe soon after i’m back.
The simple visit of Rome ended up with the sweet memory from the wonderful hospitality of lou, her cats and the food. In term of all those, maybe Rome is worth for another visit in the near future!

Graduation

At last the Patisserie course end after 19 practical lessons, but I still need some time to digest and practise the recipes.

Two and half months passed in a blink, what left behind are; set of knife and uniforms, a quarter chocolate cake and the certificate with exam result.

The graduation day for basic students was not that formal. The “ceremony” was a gathering for chefs and student and I’d say the hi-light was the cocktail prepared by the cuisine and patisserie chefs. To know how French eat, that’s the good time. The finger food they made are so tasty, visually attractive and indeed complicated. I kept eating them till I couldn’t eat any more.

That’s the only moment that I had an idea flashed on my mind: Maybe I can stay for the intermediate patisserie course?

Soon after when I came back to reality, all of the rent, the transport, the poker faces, and the expansive restaurants… flushed in my head and I hold back.

I’ve indulged myself for 3 months and that’s quite enough as a retreat. I donno what’s going to happen next year but I gotta fixed my journey for the coming 3 weeks.

I’ll keep writing the blog for the rest of my day in Europe and see u all soon^o^

Though I’m on my own, I still have to move on to other places.