Saturday, November 17, 2001
i awoke yesterday feeling patchy, but i had to buck up because i knew i had to be well enough to make the chocolate show. it's fabulous. tomorrow is the last day, and i highly encourage everyone to go.
there's so much to say: i saw renowned pastry chef francois payard make a coconut cake; but, frankly, i've always felt he's overrated. other chefs demonstrated chocolate biscotti, brownies with guittard chocolate, and candies molded on the spot from tempered chocolate. . .with free samples for everyone.
you'll be hearing a lot more about everything later. but i have to tell you the real find: the pure thing, the one divine object that transformed my consciousness even through the haze of cold medicine.
and it's the knipschildt truffle. the white-chocolate/cardamom candies molded like playing cards, the two-inch gilt cones of chili/tangerine chocolate, the black-currant ganache hearts: they pale before the perfect thing, the ultimate truffle. made of valrhona chocolate, indonesian vanilla, fresh european double-cream butter. nothing else in the show, nothing else any where, even comes close. . .
you'll have excuse me while i go back to bed: is this dizziness from those perfect truffles or do i have a really bad flu.......?
posted by fortune | 5:43 PM | top | link to this | | email this: |
Friday, November 16, 2001
don't forget the chocolate show tomorrow! go! go! go. . .
here's a quote from someone who went:
"just returned from the 4th N.Y. Chocolate Show, the first one for me. .. No models in chocolate bikinis were walking around, but there was an exhibit of chocolate clothes and several chocolate sculptures. The one outstanding chocolate for me was the Guittard L'Harmonie, perhaps I was partly influenced because the guys at the exhibit were so friendly and generous. Many of the gourmet chocolate bars were sold at reduced price, such as $2.50 or $3.00 for Scharffen Berger 70% and Valrhona regular size bars. Nobody cared if you collected samples, but I did not bring a little plastic bag as others did. Several exhibitors gave me something when I asked about the item. I ended up with chocolate that was worth much more than the price of admission..."
i'm definitely forcing mr. right to go tomorrow!
posted by fortune | 10:33 AM | top | link to this | | email this: |
Wednesday, November 14, 2001
for those who are considering giving coffee-related gifts this up-coming holiday season, here's an interesting website listing some options. . .
the site isn't selling any of these products and doesn't make money from them; it's just a nicely presented idea-generator for those of you struggling with what to give the coffee fanatic who seems to have everything. and as for the illy vs. caffe d'arte preference for my office coffee pot. . .too soon to tell! my co-workers want a few more days to try 'em both out again.
and tonight several colleague and i are going to look at the yoga space at the church street boxing gym to see how suitable it is for our corporate yoga program.
posted by fortune | 10:32 AM | top | link to this | | email this: |
Tuesday, November 13, 2001
after some initial confusion with the new mailing address here at the woolworth building, my caffe d'arte coffee finally arrived. . .
for popularity in the office french press, it's been illy medium-roast all the way so far. let's see how the caffe d'arte alderwood roasted velletri compares! tomorrow we'll all know what i'll be mail ordering for the office for the next 3 months.
also, prayers and supplications to the spirit of dennis tito ("space is paradise!") have come through -- by which i mean i've found some possible space for our little corporate yoga program! the church street boxing gym appears to be eager to rent us some space. . .
posted by fortune | 11:10 AM | top | link to this | | email this: |
Monday, November 12, 2001
as regular readers may recall, last week i had the privilege of taking a yoga workshop with rodney yee at jivamukti . ..
while waiting for the workshop to begin, one woman came through with this month's vogue magazine, which breathlessly reported that madonna had given up her ashtanga yoga and meditation practice for jujitsu. (to paraphrase vogue, "yoga doesn't do enough for your thighs and butt.") or perhaps she was responding to the current popularity of movies like crouching tiger, hidden dragon, and other hong-kong inspired action films.
which for me raises an interesting question: when the celebrities, supermodels, and oprahs of the world move onto the next fad, what imprint will yoga have left on our current society? any?
posted by fortune | 9:21 AM | top | link to this | | email this: |