this is turkish delight

*It was President's day and we all felt relieved because we had the day off from school. 4-day weekends and 3-day weeks are nice, though it throws your whole rhythm off a little bit.

*It was snowing and no one could wake up, but we still took the bus out to Watertown for brunch at Sofra.

*I was really craving breakfast food, but by the time we got there, breakfast had ended and they were only serving lunch. But I'm a breakfast person and can't start the day without it, so I ended up buying a whole bag of granola and a whole container of labne yogurt (oh, it is so rich and creamy - my friend said it was like eating sour cream, which I am okay with doing), and rounded that out with a little bit of savory: a kale and bean soup.

*We also shared some mezze platters, with crispy fried sesame crackers for dipping. There were flatbread wraps and morning buns, and the light through the windows was real nice.

*The best thing I had though was the cocoa rose tea, and I had to buy a little container of it to take home. I loved all the spices and was so tempted to spend all of my money on the dark-roasted tahini.

*Will be going back to re-claim my breakfast. This is only one little episode in my Middle-Eastern love affair.

this is morning light

*As a California native, enduring the New England winter is no easy task. On mornings when I wake up and there is golden light pouring through the windows in a little nook of my room, I feel like it's going to be okay, even if it is only 20 degrees outside. At least there is a little sunshine, and in my room, where it's warm, I can imagine how brilliant it's going to be when winter passes and spring finally arrives.

this is friendly food

*Some people like lavish, multi-course dinners; others enjoy spending weekend nights out at bars and pubs. My roommate and I—we are breakfast people, brunch people, tea and coffee people, so we spend weekend mornings indulging joyously in comfort food.

*This morning we went to The Friendly Toast, a diner in Kendall Square, Cambridge. I ordered The Peasant—scrambled eggs with carrots and corn, spinach and black beans topped with goatcheese, along with homemade anadama (cornmeal + molasses) bread—which was pillowy and doughy and crispy on the outside and completely smothered in butter.

*On the way home, we were happy because our bellies were satisfied, it was 50 degrees out—practically summertime to us—, and we felt so free without the burden of heavy coats and hats. We weaved in an out of every coffee shop and bakery we saw. Though we had just eaten, we had to pick up something at Flour bakery. My sweet roommate bought me this vegan sunshine muffin, with carrots, raisins and pineapples.

*And i leave you with this quote by Hunter S. Thompson: “Breakfast is the only meal of the day that I tend to view with the same kind of traditionalized reverence that most people associate with Lunch and Dinner. I like to eat breakfast alone, and almost never before noon; anybody with a terminally jangled lifestyle needs at least one psychic anchor every twenty-four hours, and mine is breakfast. In Hong Kong, Dallas or at home — and regardless of whether or not I have been to bed — breakfast is a personal ritual that can only be properly observed alone, and in a spirit of genuine excess. The food factor should always be massive: four Bloody Marys, two grapefruits, a pot of coffee, Rangoon crepes, a half-pound of either sausage, bacon, or corned beef hash with diced chiles, a Spanish omelette or eggs Benedict, a quart of milk, a chopped lemon for random seasoning, and something like a slice of Key lime pie, two margaritas, and six lines of the best cocaine for dessert… Right, and there should also be two or three newspapers, all mail and messages, a telephone, a notebook for planning the next twenty-four hours and at least one source of good music… All of which should be dealt with outside, in the warmth of a hot sun, and preferably stone naked.”

this is Saturday morning

*The best way to spend a cold Saturday morning: huddled in the warmth of a cozy wooden room with good food (homemade whole-wheat toast, homemade preserves, fresh butter, a cup of drip coffee with homemade almond milk at Hi-Rise Bread Company), a good friend, and a good book (Vera: The Art and Life of an Icon by Susan Seid - a wonderful, colorful style and design book about the life and work of Vera Neumann).

*Woman cannot live on bread alone... because she also needs a lot of butter and jam to go with the bread.

*I'm not going to lie and pretend that I didn't bring my own peanut butter so that I could eat peanut butter, butter, & jam toast.

this is a bon hiver

*This is one of the snowiest winters Cambridge has seen for a long time. There are mountains of snow everywhere, and walking to class has become a treacherous sport.

*Winter is here to stay for a good while. snowstorms have become weekly occurrences...

*Some days we are lucky enough to have a little bit of golden sunshine, but even then the snow banks do not melt.

*On dreary, grey days, when going outside feels like a death sentence, it is nice to just stay in my pajamas all day and sit on my bed drinking hot tea.

*Christmas spice tea from Fortnum & Mason, Italian lemon honey (miele di limone), and a hand-painted saucer from South Africa.

this is Carrie

*Carrie, when we went to Ottolenghi for breakfast in Islington, London