Tuesday, September 18, 2012

Morning Quickie..

After being taunted with delicious pictures and descriptions for weeks, I finally hauled my butt down Wishon to Cafe Corazon... Like the Tardis, its tiny on the outside, bigger on the inside, and full of wonderful delights...

This particular morning, I was after 2 things: a cup of decaf and a croissant. They sound so simple and at some places they are...but not here..

A good cup of coffee should stand on its own, no sugar or cream required, it should be bold but not overpowering, it should have well rounded and well defined flavors, without that acrid burn that lesser coffees often have (I'm looking at YOU, JarJarBucks). And especially with decaf, it should be indistinguishable from the high test stuff.

I'm here to tell you that the decaf at Cafe Corazon is all those things and more. Clearly roasted and brewed by folks who know what they're doing, I would say its the best in town.

Now on to the croissant. Definitely not your ordinary croissant, it is sturdy, doesn't leave your hands greasy even after being heated, soft without being doughy, shatteringly crisp without being dry. Made of red wheat and rye, it is more substantial than your every day pastry.

With plenty of places to sit and sip, and excellent service, the place is a comfy spot for enjoying a cup of joe with something delicious to nosh on. So if you haven't been yet...GO..NOW.. you'll be happy you did.

Thursday, September 6, 2012

Ooh De Lollilicious, What an Art Hop!

Hubby, eldest child and I spent a delicious, delightful Thursday evening at our first art hop, and first time trying the absolutely yummy icy confections put forth by the lovely lady of Ooh De Lolli!

We had dual purposes tonite of taking a proper tour of Warnor's Theater, and finally trying those ice pops we'd been hearing so much about.
We got to Warnor's (parking at CVS again) a bit early, but it looked like the tour was starting ahead of time, because there was already a crowd gathered before the tour guide.
We hurried over and joined the crowd. But there was something interesting about them..they seemed...homogenous...all dressed alike, all the same age range (early 20's to early 30's). Coincidence? Not being shy, we dove right in and joined the tour...
What can I say.. I am an architecture-ophile, and Warnor's is breathtaking, inside and out.. I could have stood all night, just staring at the interior ceiling and every single detail (and there were many). The tour was much more extensive than I expected (under the stage, behind the scenes kind of thing), and our tour seemed to take longer than the next one. After listening in a bit, we discovered we were apparently, inadvertantly on the "young professionals" tour.. oh well..it was a blast...even with all those stairs, and being like a thousand degrees in there..it was worth every minute. I would recommend it to anyone seeking eye candy and hidden delights in Fresno.

After all that exertion in the heat, we needed something to cool off...and this led to the other reason we had come.. Ooh De Lolli ice pops! Situated conveniently right outside Warnor's, there was already a line..a very good sign! I already knew what I wanted, and my sometimes picky lovebug hubby even found something he would try, and the daughter hurriedly made her decision as we counted out our pennies, and stepped up to order.

The first lovely surprise was the pretty lady who owns Ooh De Lolli (sorry I didn't remember your name!), actually recognized me from our emailings on Facebook! Second lovely surprise was how intensely wonderful my choice was.. Buttered Caramel Popcorn..she managed to capture the roasty toasty popcorn essence, along with the richness of buttery caramel, in an ice pop! SO GOOD! Of course, me, being the clumsy thing I am, opened my treat incorrectly and plopped it on the ground... and she, being the sweet, gracious lady that she is, gave me another. Yay!
My sweetie chose the cantaloupe/orange flower water.. so fragrant.. he kept commenting how it was just like eating a cantaloupe. My eldest chose the strawberry balsamic.. it was..intense, fruity, sweet and tart at the same time.. you could taste everything!
After that we went and explored a bit, saw some art, heard some tunes, and went back to our car..contented and excited by what we saw and tasted...
So thank you Warnor's for the beauty...and thank you Ooh De Lolli lady, for putting the YUM into our nite..I would suggest that everyone go and taste...again and again..

Monday, September 3, 2012

Something More Important Than Food...

Tonite my husband took my face in his hands, and asked, "are you beautiful?", and without a moment's hesitation, I answered, "yes". Only took me 50 years~!

This is something women all over the world struggle with every single day, in various ways. From nitpicking our perceived physical flaws, all the way to serious, life threatening eating disorders. No matter what we look like, no matter how big, how small, how proportionate or disproportionate, how "perfect" or "imperfect" by whatever societal standards, there is almost no woman who is satisfied with her looks or her body.

There are many culprits involved. The media, the fashion industry, changing social standards, the diet industry, the medical industry, the nanny state government, men, and other women.

Women are NOT always kind with each other, we can be very competitive, snarky, bitchy, and mean. We project our own insecurities on other women. We judge. We ridicule and belittle.

It won't stop, but it needs to. We are killing our daughters, our friends, our sisters, our mothers. Murdering them inside and out. Making them feel that they need to resort to surgery and unhealthy eating habits, spending untold money on products to make them feel human, worthy, loved.

Words like "fat", "skinny", "old", "ugly", and other judgemental, hurtful words that add up to socially acceptable bigotry need to be banished from our vocabulary. We need to start being mindful of reversing the trend and stop showing the awful side of our personalities. We need to stand up and say NO to hurtful words and ideas that lead to self hatred based on what we look like.

Sadly, I don't hold out hope that this will become the norm. Not as long as the fashion industry uses anorexic models on a regular basis, not as long as the medical industry pushes plastic surgery, diet pills, and the flawed idea that dieting can conquer the "obesity epidempic". Not as long as people have this sick idea that Barbie has a perfect body. Not as long as human beings are unhappy enough with their own lives that they relieve that unhappiness by unloading cruelty on others. Not as long as women think they need to compete with each other. Not as long as we all stand by and accept this behavior.

So for what it's worth, I AM BEAUTIFUL, because I am a good mother, because I am a good wife, because I love my friends and family beyond measure, because I love animals, because I AM willing to stand up and fight for all those things that are important to me, because of a million little things that are good inside and outside. I know a LOT of beautful women and men whose hearts and souls make them beautfiful. And that should be the ONLY measurement that matters.