Food, food, and more food!

Birthmonth is almost over...which means that Thanksgiving and Xmas are around the corner!  In America, this is usually the time of year people start packing on the pounds.  Since I've gotten to London, I've actually lost 5-6 pounds.  Probably because my schedule is so crazy and because the weather has been mild enough for runs.   With that in mind...I'm dedicating this blog post to food!

Just like old times
Last week, I met up with Rebecca in Euston for some dinner and London exploring. I’m blessed to have David and Rebecca, two good friends from undergrad, live in London. A lot of people use business school as a way to “reinvent themselves”, start out fresh with a new personality, or try new roles out. I understand why people do this, but it’s really really nice to have a friend like Rebecca here who knows you truly as you are. I first met Rebecca six years ago at Texas A&M when (ironically) we went on the Stark Northeast trip. We went to Chicago, Philadelphia, NYC, and Boston to visit top b-schools and law schools. We’ve remained friends since. She moved to London from Washington D.C. about a month after I did to go to grad school at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS). SOAS, like LSE, is a sister school to London Business School and is part of the same University of London system.


Rebecca and I tried out a place called Thai Metro. Very good and reasonably priced (though the service was a little off). She had green curry while I had mussaman curry. Though not as good as the hole-in-the-wall Thai place the MDR project team used to go to, the mussaman at Thai Metro was something I’d order again. Though I look ridiculous (haha!), here’s a photo from the night.

Stream B Potluck
Our stream reps organized a potluck lunch two weeks ago where everyone brought a dish from their home country.  What did I bring?  Well, besides hamburgers, the only thing I could think of that Americans are known for are chocolate chip cookies and peanut butter cookies.  If you know me, you know I LOVE to bake (too bad my Cuisinart appliances and KitchenAid mixer are in Texas).  A frustrating trip to Tesco left me without all the ingredients I needed.  So I had to improvise.  For example, I couldn't find chocolate chips.  I know...crazy!   So, I ended up buying slabs of chocolate and shaving off chocolate chunks.  Worked out well...and I might start doing this more often to add some creativity to mundane cookies using high end chocolate (Green & Black's, Lindt, etc.).   We had great participation in the potluck.  Hamad brought these really good date snacks (yum!) and Middle Eastern coffee.  Another Thai classmate made spring rolls and promised to teach me how.  Maria Marta brought this amazing Portuguese bread and goat cheese.  Andreu made a Spanish tortilla de patatas (think really good omelette) which I loved.  And that's just a sample of the menu that day.

Here are some pics...

Alex, Maria, and me

Fabio and me.  We have assigned seats next to each other in LT6.  I'm pretty sure I distract him half the sessions!

When in Paris...

In September, I visited Lis in Paris while she was there on business.  The weather was perfect so we got to explore the city from end to end.   A few of my favorite memories involved just stopping by Barefoot Contessa’s favorite local market to pickup some good stinky cheese, wine, bread, and galettes and then picnic in front of the Eiffel Tower or Sacre Couer. 

As Lis and I were wandering Paris, we came upon this restaurant that took all things American (icons, brands, traditions, etc) and combined them into this uber-tacky facade for the American Dream restaurant.  HAHAHA!

I was skeptical when Lis mentioned we needed to get some macaroons from La Duree.  Macaroons in the States (the nasty sticky coconut ones) are not the same as the ones in Paris.  YUM!

Ahhh...good stinky cheese :)

Last dinner in Paris...even sports bars in Paris are upscale

Hummus Heaven
A few people have contacted me after I vented about my awful hummus making experience in the October "Venting session #1" blog post (haha!).  Lots of great recipes and helpful tips have come my way that I'll try eventually.  Until my Cuisinart makes it over, I'm sticking with the store made stuff.  However, here's a cool Mediterranean place (and a few others) that I found when Lis and David were in town.

This photo was taken with Jennifer in mind.  Look closely...I LOVE the sign.

Borough Market...reminds me of Central Market and Whole Foods

A Mexican restaurant in the former embassy of the Republic of Texas.  I ate here a few years ago when I backpacked through Europe with Fi.  The atmosphere is great...the food is not-so-great.