I DO Judge a Book by its Cover

I saw this on a friend's shelf and thought "that's a pretty book...maybe I'll read it." This happens a lot-- sometimes its really disappointing, but other times the text inside lives up to the expectations caused by the cover art. 

I have to say that is the case with this book, Climbing the Mango Trees by Madhur Jaffrey. I'm not a traditional "foodie" per se-- I love food, I love to read about food, but I'm not well-educated when it comes to culinary arts. But this book has made me want to change my ways! 

Madame Jaffrey is a Beard Award winner and pretty famous foodie herself, and her book tells the story of her Indian coming of age, packed full of spices and juicy vocabulary. 

This part of the introduction is what really got me hooked:

"I was born in my grandparents' sprawling house by the Yamuna River in Delhi. Grandmother welcomed me into this world by writing Om, which means 'I am' in Sanskrit, on my tongue with a little finger dipped in honey... I was left with honey on my palate and in my deepest soul."

She uses such amazing language and describes her family in such a way that I would seriously trade lives with her in a second. Or maybe just go to India for a week!!

Anyway, I strongly recommend this read. You can order it on Amazon here. 

Anyone feel like splurging for a plane ticket for moi??

God Bless Texas

I have been so off the blog radar (bladar?) recently because I'm in Austin! Sorry for lack of post. Anyway, I highly recommend it. So pretty, the people are so nice, tons of great restaurants and something to do at every minute! I'll be back full-force next week. 

xoxo

VENICE

I saw a little girl today dressed just like her mom. And they both looked so chic: white dresses with brown leather belts, gold sandals. And I laughed because I love the bizarre idea of children in adult clothes...it's like, did you pick that out or did your stylist??

But it's not only that it makes me laugh....I love the idea of pairing two things that don't belong together: a child and a chic belt, dogs with really normal human names ( like Josh), etc etc. And I got to thinking about a paper I wrote for my Lord Byron class last semester.

It was about his time in Venice, and I couldn't help but think of a quote of his I used: “I stood in Venice, on the Bridge of Sighs; / A palace and a prison on each hand.”

Byron was so obsessed with Venice because of all of the contrasts: the peasants and the nobles, the beauty and the filth of it all. Anyway, now I can't get Venice off my mind! 

As I'm sure you know, dear readers, I have been craving a European trip, and Venice may be just the place for me. So romantic, historic, artistic, and apparently gorgeous. And shouldn't I go visit Byron's villa after all the hard work I did on my paper?? 

Or maybe I should just be economical and settle for something else "Venetian".....

No matter what, I'll make it there someday...and I cannot wait to sip a cappuccino in San Marcos square!

Ciao my friends!

Eliza Hussman, Travel Writer Extraordinaire

One of my dearest friends Eliza has been writing for the San Francisco Chronicle's travel section for a while now, and I can't believe I haven't posted one of her articles on here before! 

She's a great writer and she gets to go on all sorts of cool trips around California and beyond. Her stories are must-reads for any would-be California traveler. 

The photo above is from the on-line version of her St. Patrick's Day post which you can read here.

Enjoy!

PS Happy Birthday Eliza and Olivia! And Happy Belated Birthday Katie!

Laissez Les Bons Temps Rouler

One of the greatest things about living in Oxford and going to Ole Miss is that I've had so many opportunites to head down to New Orleans. It's definitely in the top 5 of my favorite cities list. My great-grandfather was born in the back of a bar on Bourbon Street in the French Quarter, and I suppose my love of the Crescent City was then written in stone. 

I love the atmosphere, the cemeteries, the architecture, the people, the Mardi Gras, the food, the art, the music....I could go on. New Orleans has this magical feel to it, and it's no wonder so many people have written amazing stories about the city.

Some amazing people have come from The Big Easy, including:

Ellen. And yes, I did try to find the creepiest picture of her possible. 

Harry...you handsome devil, you!

Truman Capote, the ultimate eccentric himself. He wrote countless good stories and books, including my favorite, Music for Chameleons, which has greatly contributed to my love affair with New Orleans.

This is Genevieve Jones. Super-cool New Orleans native and now New York fashionista who I obsessively stalk via style.com. 

Like so many other NOLA-born people, she's got a knack for design, and has her own jewelry line. Check it out here.

Other influentials from NO: Lil Wayne, Kate Chopin, John Kennedy Toole, Emeril (duh), the Manning family, and all the rest of the Saints, not to mention countless other badass people. 

If you haven't had the chance to visit, I strongly suggest you head down there (you can even do volunteer work like Brangelina!). I'm definitely planning a trip in the near future. Those beignets are calling my name....