Day 21: Melted chocolate for a hot summer’s night...
- Marlena Skrabak
- Jun 29, 2019
- 5 min read
Updated: Aug 20, 2019
My prospectus for the summer project is due Sunday, and I have done absolutely nothing for it. Five pages describing my research, here we go.
Getting myself up in the morning was difficult (not to add that the prospect of writing this did not encourage me to move away from my sheets). I am just tired. The heat. The walking. The eating. My body just wants to go into slumber mode.
Working as productively as I could have for the majority of the morning, Anna and I took the metro for our lunch reservation at noon at Mokonuts...
Best decision of our collective lives. We died and were brought back to life. Wow. There is a reason the New York Times has an article written about them. Just a husband and wife and a sue chef, this little nondescript restaurant changes the menu each day and cooks sustainably and beautifully. We sat down in the delicately decorated rectangle of a restaurant with the open kitchen filling up the back of the room and warm sunlight filling up the front.
Starting off with something to drink, I sipped on a refreshing lemonade with infused orange blossom essence while Anna went for an elderflower soda. I mean, we could have stopped there and been content.
Deciding to share two entrées and one main plat, we could not have opted for something smarter.
The first dish that was brought to our watering mouths was a Labné with gorgeous light brown warm noisy bread. By noisy, I mean the crunch was exquisite (according to the movie Ratatouille, that is how you discern good bread). It must have been just fresh! The olive oil melding with the yogurt was a party in my mouth. Next, we essentially had a Gaspacho with courgettes decorating the surface along with mint leaves and freshness emanating from the edible flowers. Summer in a bowl. The plat was...veal. I know, I know. But this is France. When we asked them how the menu works, they explained how it changes everyday because, for example, they get a whole animal and use it in its entirety. Sustainable. Some cuts of meat are better for certain types of dishes. This one was big round meat balls. Ooooh, YES! Trying to figure out what they were seasoned with, they were taking a bath in cherry tomatoes and their juices, sautéd eggplant that was crispy brown on its sides, and a tahini...My mouth is watering just thinking about it. The food LITERALLY melted in my mouth. And, of course we had dessert. To top it all off, we cherished the golden tart with lovely red fruit embellishing the top, slathered with a smooth layer of creamy goodness between the fruit (strawberries, blueberries, and red and black currents) and the buttery shortbread base. A little thyme to really put it over the edge and the sounds I could make was mhmmmm. We also ordered probably the strangest cookie on the menu: Miso Sesame. I have officially lost it. I do not know what to do with myself anymore. Gooey sweet and buttery insides and crunchy sesame outside. I have to go back.
After this enlightening experience, Anna and I opted for...more food. Okay, really we just wanted to try this bakery that was super close because my dad recommended it from Somebody Please Feed Phil as having the best croissants on the market. Do you think I agree? Oh, hell yes I do. Blé Sucré only had some pains au chocolat left. I was not complaining. This was the best croissant my taste buds have ever had the privilege of absorbing. The golden brown flaky pastry melted along harmoniously with the rich chocolate inside. The butter separating each layer of pastry made my heart skip a beat. Today was heavenly.
Sadly this vibrant experience had to be over...but that does not mean that my day lacked further color.
I needed to go to a museum for my summer project called Le Pavillon de l'Arsenal which contains this expansive architectural rundown of Paris through a detailed timeline of the historical events and the future possibilities. Very close by was a protest going on that was trying to make a voice for climate change. I found it quite appropriate.
The entry to the museum was completely free, a true gem. I enjoyed my little solitary exploration of this hidden gem. Slight downside: no AC. I sure was sweating out all my toxins, that is for sure. There was this panel going on in one of the side rooms with Italian architects, designers, and artists, who were not speaking Italian but instead either French or English. In theory, I should have been able to understand them, but the accent was quite thick. The person at the door asked me if I wanted to go in; I said sure. I could only learn, and it was a unique unplanned opportunity. They were discussing how to relate to a world so consumed with technology and how to make architecture that can bring people together and promote human interaction. The idea was how to make the artificial into a "created" natural. Personally, I found it engaging and useful for my summer project, giving me some things to think about when I try to design a future building. A headache slowly taking over my head, I could not take advantage of the free wine offered after the panel. It was a strange moment though when I felt more grown up than I do on a regular basis. Or maybe it was just a moment that reminded me of my adulthood, like a splash of cold water. Well, more like a blast of hot air.
Wanting to head back to the apartment to cool down and write some ideas down, I started walking in the heat. On my way back, I popped into an Office Depot (which felt weirdly American) to buy some paper for the creative aspect of my project.
Once home, I tried moving as little as possible to stop sweating. For the record, I was unsuccessful.
Heading out in the evening, I went to meet some friends at a bar in the 13th called Café Oz. Short story, I did not enter even though it was to watch the soccer game between USA and France (*USA won so WOOT WOOT). The fee was 20 euros to even go up and I decided it was not worth it. Anna and I decided to stop by another café right next to Oz, climbing the stairs to its rooftop view. While we did not stay for long, it was still quite the view.
Then, we walked the Seine. We decided it was a sit-on-the-edge-on-the-Seine-and-chat kind of night. Plopping ourselves down on one of the islands between Pont Neuf and Pont des Arts, our little treasure hunt at Monoprix paid off. Some salted caramel dark chocolate with the cheapest butter cookies we could find, we knew the night was ours. Having some friends join us, we sat on the edge, feet pointed towards the water, talking until 2am.
At this point, we decided to call it a night.
Comments