Friday, August 12, 2011

Homemade Trend

Homemade nourishment has been a trend among intellectuals and riches for quiet some time. However with the right equipment and totally natural ingredients, it has become a new trend among young urban professionals.

In today's world, fast consumption and quick fix products are life savers for many who race against time. Meetings, business occasions, social engagements and allocating time for friends/family along with creating an agenda for self-care are only some of the contemporary challenges in urban living. It is interesting to note that the budget we reserve on what we eat is far less than the money we desire to spend on fitness and self-care treatment. And majority of this limited budget is usually spread between our daily Starbucks pleasure, weekend occasions and ready food and beverages. Preparing your own bread, jam and espresso with coffee beans you grind fresh sounds like an idealistic concept; even cooking at home itself is difficult enough. However, you can create your own Michelin-starred kitchen by investing in a few affordable equipment along with fresh ingredients you buy regularly from open markets. With timer function, you can take control of these devices and let them do majority of the work before you arrive home. All you have to do is enjoying your freshly brewed filter coffee and homemade bread along with a delicious salad you can fix in minutes.

A growing legion of persnickety chefs also use the term housemade instead of homemade to emphasize their own special cuisine. In Brooklyn, restaurants such as the Michelin-starred Dressler rarely deign to serve dishes not described as housemade. Housemade breads, jam and even cheese are important side dishes that differ a restaurant from the rest; and effect the choice of many diners looking for delicious and healthy dining experience.

Saturday, August 6, 2011

Escape from Reality

The downtown art scene is electrifying, but frankly it's heaven when my friend Allen kidnaps me away to his family's house in Alacati, a tiny village off Cesme. Before we catch the ferry that will take us from Karsiyaka to Goztepe, a stop at Reci's for a piece of Charlotte cake is a must. Allen is quite the host, planning our trip; however this is the city that I was born and raised since I left to build my future abroad.

Alacati has evolved so rapidly in the last couple of years - from being an international windsurf spot into a fine dining & wine area. The village has been renovated in line with its origins, and you can feel the common Greek aura of the Aegean coast while you walk through the stone houses with blue wooden doors. The village is covered in pine trees and surrounded by freezing cold water - it doesn't prevent us from wind surfing though. Back on the main island, there's a lot of wild life - rabbits and goats. Ilica is known for its golden sandy beach beaten by rough-and-tumble waves which reminds me of my childhood as I used to spend majority of the day here, next to our summer house.

Unlike the other side of the coast, Alacati is quiet, and the calming ebb of the tide is the very definition of escape. Here nothing is prepared or planned. All you have to do is to close your eyes, and listen to the wind harmonized by the waves as the sun above bathes you with its rays of joy.