Dr. Raffus Explores Parnassus

So, that title is probably lost on a lot of you (all 5 who read this blog...hehe), but it's not lost on me. Claude Debussy is one of my favorite composers, so i guess it makes sense I'm in France. Anyway, he composed a set of pieces called the Children's Corner. One of these pieces is called Dr. Gradus ad Parnassum.

Dialog Time!

Reader: What the hell are you talking about, wierdo?

Raf: I'm getting to it.

There are a few "mont" neighborhoods in Paris, and I just went to one of the bigger ones: Montparnasse.


Montparnasse...was previously known to me due to four things:

1. TGV station serving the West/South of France (Catch trains to Bordeaux-Hendaye/Spain here)
2. There's an old restaurant on Blvd Montparnasse nearby the metro station that was either Art Deco or the equivalent of typical large Chicago-ish crabhouse big glitzy interior whatever. As you can tell, this i do not know about. But my mom told me to go there because when she used to be a big shot in Paris, it was the hippest place (...in the 60's and 70's for rich people wanting raw seafood)...
3. Movies. A friend of mine mentioned there were a lot of movie theaters here once.
4. Montparnasse tower, or Tour Montparnasse. Tidbit of trivia - the tower is a skyscraper by French standards, but that's mainly because there are no skyscrapers in central Paris thanks to a law which went into effect right after this uglyass building was erected. Yes ladies and gentlemen, this skyscraper has a whopping 58 floors.

But appaaaarently like two blocks to the left of where i had previously been is this amazing not-so-comparatively touristy area that's PACKED at night. Restaurants mostly, but definitely a fare share of brasseries, bars and cafes. There's a cute winebar somewhere around there...

So soon enough i'll give you specific recommendations, but if you want Japanese food (free lychee dessert, maybe!!), French food - i definitely saw a great place for south/central french food and at least one place touting their cassoulet, OTHER FOOD, or if you just want to explore a new neighborhood bustling with parisianity, check out the Montparnasse a block or two away from Montparnasse.

To get there:
Metro Metro Edgar Quinet, or Metro Montparnasse and walk towards Edgar Quinet.

McStarbucks?

It's worth noting that in Paris, the local Starbucks have McDonalized (yes, I made up a verb that stands for adapting an American menu to local culture) their menu by adding freshly pressed orange juice.

The interesting thing is, though, that the French don't have any smoothie stores. Does this mean it's time for...McJamba Juice, Franch?

The Melting Bowl...of Chicken Tikka Marsala

So one of the things i really love about being from New York is that it's possibly the best example of an effective melting pot. Maybe it's because it's the gateway to the West (and MidEast) of the world, and maybe because it's just so fucking great...but i'm not going to try and explain that. I'll leave it to my sociologist friends.

So lets take this melting pot for granted. I love the fact that NYC has given me the chance to taste dishes from all over the world and there's honestly something for everyone. Restaurants have even begun specializing down to the type of location where produce/meat is purchased in addition to the type of cuisine served. A great example of this particular sort of specialization is Momofuku.

Momofuku is a set of two restaurants. The first, the Noodle Bar (see picture) fuses Japanese and Korean influences into a tasty menu which changes seasonally. When I visited the box of a restaurant, I had the most amazing octopus and a fantastic noodle bowl. They have a good choice of Sake in addition to a choice of beers, which includes a very interesting and tasty Red Rice Ale by Hitachino.

Aside from being a NON VEGETARIAN RESTAURANT, one of the things i like most about the restaurant is Chefs David Chang (pictured to the right) and Joaquin Braca's choice to go for quality and stay local with a lot of their suppliers while keeping the restaurant a great bang for your buck. All their pork, for example, is from Berkshire Farms. Their Grits are stone ground, and their atmosphere is completely unpretentious. Good shit.

Then, David Chang opened up a burrito bar a few blocks away. Kinda. This second location serves what's called a Ssam (with an umlaut on the a...), apparently some sort of Korean Burrito. For lunch, you can either go for a set Ssam or get your choice of wrap, meat (Angus Beef Brisket, Organic Chicken, Berkshire pork) or tofu, and a bunch of extras...and then after 6pm, dinner gets foodie interesting-er with a full menu (small and big plates) that seem to focus on seafood in addition to a menu of Ssams.

Okay. So that's out of the way. What the fuck does this have to do with Chicken Tikka Marsala? Well while NYC is foodie heaven, it also has something that everyone without an aversion to heat (the spicy kind) can appreciate. Here's a visual clue:
Yes, it's 6th street. Indian food central on the island of Manhattan. Some people theorize that all the restaurants share the same underground kitchen...and that's probably not true. What is true, however, is that it is an inexpensive cultural experience that i appreciate, particularly when i have a craving for naaaaaaaaaaan.

What the fuck though, i'm in Paris. Guess what? There are Indian people here too! And they all speak English! And their menus are in English translated into French! I love colonialism!

Last week, I went on a quest with a friend of mine to find Chicken Tikka Masala in this city of Baguettes and Crepes. Tipped off by a certain administrative assistant/cassenova, we headed towards the 10th Arrondissment. What did we find? Jackfuckingpot.

So obviously we were confronted with a problem: Which restaurant to go to? Generally i look for restaurants with lots of people in them, but due to the time of day (around 6:30), we were among the first.

So here we are, in Paris, surrounded by restaurants that look just like those you'd find on 6th street, with menus in English, in a generally tourist-free area of the city. Luckily, just like on 6th street, the restaurants have door-people who come out and harass you to join them for supper! We were greeted by a number of people, but each time decided to move on in order to get a better picture of what was being offered. Finally we made a decision. No, we didn't go to the restaurant that asked my Vietnamese friend to read something in Japanese (she goes: "no. that's not for me."). No, we didn't go to the restaurant with gaudy pinata-like decorations. We went to BhaiBhai Sweets, which had a lovely soft spoken man who greeted us with "we've been open for 23 years. Our food is great."

He was right! We got straightup panjabi fare. Cindy and I shared their Chicken Tikka Masala (jackpot!!), a lamb dish (gosht something or other) from their specials menu and we split a terrific garlic nan. The service was wonderful and while our portions were a bit smaller than we'd have liked, as we wanted leftovers, we consumed everything and were completely satiated. To cherry that cake, our meal came with a kir aperitif as well. I will be going back.

There's a sweet bar around the corner from the restaurant with great coffee and a seriously Parisian vibe to it that you should check out if you're in the area. I'll edit with the name on Monday. Its something like Leslie or Sully or Lassy or Jesse....either way it's a woman's name. The staff is great and they have a cat.

The end.

What's like god, but better? (I'm going to hell...)

@$#%KETCHUP^&$*

But not just any ketchup! Heinz Ketchup.
So Theresa Heinz-Kerry's legacy and i have very special relationship. It is clearly the standard for which all ketchup should be held to.

No. It is what all ketchup should be. In fact, ALL ketchup should be Heinz Ketchup. I get VERY irritated when restaurants try and save a buck or two by using an inferior brand. But that's in the states.

Today, I met someone from CouchSurfing for lunch at Les Marronniers in the 4th Arrondissment. AND I ORDERED A BURGER. Yes, it was what i wanted, so i ordered a burger in France. For those of you who don't know about the 4th, it is kinda gay. No, it's like really gay. So people like to sit there and people watch, because they have a heated (for the cooler days) outdoor patios.

Anyway, so i sat down and saw a burger on the menu. I realized that, though i was in Paris, i had hardly ever wanted a burger more than at that moment (probably untrue). The burger (as you can see) was beautifully presented and tasted wonderful...ESPECIALLY with the Heinz ketchup they brought out.

I was so happy. It made my day, primarily because i was not expecting to be handed a bottle of Theresa's redness, but at that very moment at that very moment...all was right. I then bought a 205 euro coat.




Goddamnit.

XhostelXcoreX redux: Everything you need to know about accomodation...

ok, so i tried to upload this entry whenever that last post got posted post posted, but was foiled. Here's my attempt to reconstruct it:

---

Why hostel? Why not private accomodation? hotel? couch surfing? Maybe i can help.

A budget traveler, in my experience, looks for the best accomodation at the lowest price. Assuming you're traveling alone, you want that place to be a way to meet people as well...unless you're antisocial (and in that case, people don't want to meet you anyway, asshole). If you're traveling with a buddy, that's not usually as big of a concern. Here's the skinny:

Private Accomodation, usually prevalent in central-easterne uropean and ex-communist countries. It is best for people traveling in a group of 2 or more. Generally you're given a room by an old man or woman who is looking to make some $$, either because they're too old to work and borderline poverty or because they just want some extra income. Tourist bureaus can apparently help with this, but i've had no experience with this. Alternatively, hosteling websites sometimes display private accomodation. That all being said, the best way to find private accomodation is to look for the little old ladies at the bus/train/ferry terminals. If you are in a country like Croatia, there is absolutely no way you will miss them. You can haggle, but usually the price is cheap. I've heard tales of the little old ladies making dinner/doing laundry for their guests. (This particular mental image makes me really really sad, because i feel like it indicates something about just how much they need to rent out their rooms...either that or they're using travelers as an excuse to be grandma-ish...and that's just plain cute.)

CouchSurfing is an increasingly popular means of getting around the world without paying a dime. The concept is you post your couch on couchsurfing.com (my profile), and then join communities based on your interests/location/destination and simultaneously post bulleitens to the communities while searching for individuals who have listed couches at your destination. Often times, you will get a response in the positive - either "i can't host you, but I'd definitely meet up for coffee and show you around my town" (something i have taken advantage of myself) or "i have a couch, come over and stay with me!" The other great thing about couchsurfing.com is the social networking component. I mentioned that i found people to show me around their town. I have also used the interest-based communities to find Capoeira* groups in Lisbon with great success. If you're not going to actually look for accomodation, join to meet people. Another Example!! April 1st, a bunch of people are going to hold a free hugs day right by the Pompidou center. How else would you know where to get your free hugs fix?!The downside,
if you're looking for accomodation, is the issue of security. While CS.com does a very good job in terms of requiring user verification, there are some creeps out there. If you are going to go this route, just be smart about it. what might result is a fantastic experience.

Hostels, in my own opinion, are the best choice for the independent traveler simply because they force you to meet other people. Since they are usually independent travelers as well, potentially on a similar route as yours, hostels are also a space for finding temporary travel partners or just to get advice (the best kind - first hand) from others who are in shoes similar to yours.

I mentioned earlier that selecting hostels is something i have some experience in. I think that it's very important to pick the right one for you, not to end up in a shit-hole (some backpackers put up with a lot of crap...) and to not be afraid to move to another if you're having a crap. Your experience in a city or town will relate directly to the people and atmosphere you surround yourself in, so it's usually worth it to pay the extra 2 euros if necessary. That being said, there are definitely ways to avoid the hostel social scene, but you are more likely to have a good time if you find the right place for you. So, here are some tipitytips:

1. use hosteling websites (hostels.com, hostelworld, hostelbookers, etc.) to research hostels, but don't knee-jerk and book online.
   
2. look at both what the hostel says, and the reviews by hostellers. try and pick a place with a review above 85% within the 15-23 euro range (w. europe), 18 euros being the sweet spot. also, read the reviews on all the sites - not just on one, and don't just look at the numbers. Often times, if a hostel is misleading on their posting/website, a past guest will call them out on it.
   
3. Once you have found a hostel (or a few) that you'd be interested in staying in, call them EVEN IF the site says they're fully committed. The way hostel sites work is that the hostel allocates a certain number of their total beds to each site - one site may show a hostel as full, the other not. even if they both do, there's still a chance the hostel themselves have a few slots available for direct booking. If you can do this, you save the 10% deposit + service charge.
4. you should ALSO know that in many cases, the 10% deposit is actually not a deposit. The website takes your money and you never see it again. depending on your stay, you can save the difference between the list price difference of a good and a shitty hostel by simply booking through the good hostel's website/reception desk.
5. If you are traveling with more than 4 of your buddies from university or high school, don't stay in a hostel. A hotel room would be cheaper. Save the rest of us the pain of dealing with you.
   

Ok. those are my tips. They are also represent my own perspective, so don't take them as credo.

*capoeira is a brazilian martial art which i have been playing (not fighting, playing) for 2.5 years. it's a great alternative to the gym and packed with culture/philosophy. for more information, leave a comment.

!XXXHOSTELXCOREXXX!

Definitely more on the Weekend, hopefully before then. I'm trying to adjust to a new schedule...

McFollowup [updated 3/24 in the PM]

In response to the last post, a comment was left with a link to an article about McDonald's in Beijing. Since the link was not completely functional, I decided to upload it myself.

In short, the article talks about McDonald's/Fast Food Chains and their roles in creating an entirely new space for socialization in China. There are some interesting implications on issues of gender as well.

Here you go: Yan, Of Hamburger and Social Space

[Edit/Update] I was talking to a friend here in Paris, and he reiterated - worth mentioning - that McDonald's in Beijing is also a sit-down restaurant with waiters. The waiters, apparently, wear white gloves. I don't know if that's socially coded, or just funny.

Speaking of Paris, I walked by a McDonald's in Paris and was surprised to find that the little pun i made about French Fries in France was actually...true. They have a premium fries here which is more like American home style. I could not resist taking a quick camera-phone-shot. the quality is shit, but it does go to show you that you don't necessarily make an ass out of yourself when you assume...as long as your assumptions are based in humor.

McDreamy wants to know: McGenious...or McInsidious

Okay. So I want you to do something for me. The photo below is a game similar to Where's Waldo, except I'm not going to tell you what you're looking for.

Ok? OK! Ready? Go!

Ok, if you haven't figured it out yet, there is something a bit off about the content of this image. It's on a wall, sure. But where? And why is he not wearing a shirt? And why is he completely hairless? Is this an Abercrombie advertisement? Well, for the answer LOOK IN THE UPPER LEFT HAND CORNER OF THE WALL. WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU SEE? A FUCKING McDONALDS LOGO. Sorry y'all, this blog just got rated R for mature content. I mean, given that any red-blooded American boy would look at that wall and desire a slab of meat, I am not sure I would have made the same design choices as this was in Porto (Portugal). But ok why?

So this actually got me thinking a lot about me, my relationship to McDonalds, and most
interestingly how McDonalds represents itself in different countries.

Lets talk about me first. I have not eaten McDonalds save emergency or lack of rest stop alternative since sometime in middle school. It was a very good choice, and probably will add a few years on to the tail end of my life. At one point, i was really loving it. Thankfully, though, i grew out of it. Any establishment running/having run a campaign advertising their new chicken nuggets as "now 100% chicken" is not at the top of my restaurant list.

That being said, I am an asshole, and like the U.S. Constitution (?? bad metaphor...we'll see if this one works...) I have defined my terms broadly enough that they may be interpreted differently depending on the circumstance (ehh...). Let me give a few examples:

• I will go to a McDonald's in an airport, but only in a foreign country.
• I will go to a McDonald's in the U.S. ONLY if i am dragged there, and i will try and order a McSalad Shaker even though they no longer exist. McFuck.
  
• I will go to a McDonald's at a mall, but only in Israel where it is Kosher.
• I will go to a McDonald's on the street, but only if i am drunk, lazy, just got off a boat/bus/train and require something reassuringly American.
• This often backfires, as the customer service of any McDonald's employee in Europe is far better than LaKretsha Brown at the Hyde Park McDonald's back in Chicago.

So basically this means that in any foreign country, if the moment is right i will try their McDonald's. Through this policy of McIndulgence, I have actually noticed some very interesting thing: McDonald's is like a chameleon. A very greasy chameleon.

If you peruse the McMenus of various countries Donald's, their strategy actually appears right before your eyes; in addition to selling pieces of American culture that foreigners can literally consume, they alter their menus based on their host country in order to appeal to their target customer's cultural sensibility. In Israel, like i mentioned, all the meat is Kosher. In the Philippines, for example, McDonald's serves pasta. Apparently, Philippinos like pasta. I want to say that in Croatia, there may have been a McBurek, but that might have just been me ordering a Burek and then sitting outside a McDonalds. In France, they serve French Fries.... ha ha.

But the most interesting of all the McDonald's Outposts is the set of them in Portugal. Each "restaurant" has, in addition to the main menu and serving area, a separate express stand that is made to resemble a Portuguese bakery. The stand, sometimes with its own ordering window, serves coffee (The Portuguese take coffee very seriously...) and various pastries. Included are the same Pastel de Nata and Bollo de Arroz that you would find at a real bakery.

McGenious or McInsidious. Probably both. By adapting to a foreign country's cultural sensibilities, the company manages to package a version of the commodified American culture that is slightly different from the products served state-side (eg. instead of quarter pounder, the larger burger is a McRoyale or just Royale) with a similarly commodified version of the host country. This resulting amalgam is really interesting to think about.

Really, to be honest, the whole point of this entry was to rant about the abercrombie ads and justify to myself going to McDonald's abroad. It is evil. Terrible. Awful. But honestly, every country's McXperience is slightly different. McTourism? Maybe. McTasty? Especially when you're drunk.

Stone-age Lunchtime.

So before i go into anything else, ya'll need to know what i ate for lunch today. And dinner. But lunch first.

I am in Lisboa at the moment, but just on holiday. I traveled Portugal over the summer, and fell in love with the city/hostel/people so i decided to come back and bum around for a few days before i had to be in Paris. Anyway, so since i was last here, Damien (see 2x previous entry) and the Oasis staff put together a packet of their favorite places to go in the area.

One thing you should know about me is that i love meat. I love meat, and i order it rare to medium rare. That is also a caveat to this entry (I like the word caveat) - I LOVE RAW MEAT. Now, lets get onto the food.

Damien's favorite restaurant is called Cabaça (Ca-bah-sah), and is located just north of P. Camões.[intuitive directions: take the Yellow line to Baixa-Chiado, cross the street into the square and take the first street going up into Bairo Alto after the street with the tram tracks. the restaurant is #8 on that street. It isn't even a block up into BA.] He informed me that going there was akin to a "meat pilgrimage." Since i love meat, i figured it would be a good idea to head towards this meat mecca. On arrival, i found a nondescript joint similar to any small Portuguese eatery. One of the most amazing things about the restaurants here is that they are completely unpretentious - people talk to strangers, people talk loudly & boisterously, and the food is regularly fantastic. For some reason, it all feels like home cooking.

But this place was different. Why? Why? because they will give you a slab of raw meat, on a hot stone, with 2 sauces and salt on the side. IT COOKS BEFORE YOUR EYES, and is the most delicious thing ever. There are two meat dishes (beef) on a stone. The first one on the menu - forgive me i forgot the name - is smaller and fattier, therefore has more of a flavor. Think Fillet Mignon of Stone-Slab-Beef. The second is significantly larger, and yummy. I know - i had it.

Of course, the meat dishes are served with an obligatory side of fries, and a cover of olives/bread/cheese.

The place was open for lunch and empty when i went. At night around 9:30 it gets packed with people looking for a good dinner, so go early (...9pm).

I drew a little diagram of how the food was delivered. If you check back in a few days, i'll add it to this entry. I'm a top notch diagramer, like the michael jackson.

Lisboa cheat sheat, Pt. 1

There's always a hostel groupie at Oasis Backpackers Mansion in Lisboa. Granted, i was...and probably still am one...evidenced by the fact that I'm in the Hostel's top 8.

Regardless, one of the best things about Portugal for the independent traveler is that the hostel situation in major cities could hardly be improved in any way other than simply increasing the number of beds out there. Among the hostels that i look for - generally charging between 15 and 20 Euros/Night - free internet, hot showers, comfortable bed/common space and a friendly staff/environment are standard. I'll write about how I go about chosing the hostels that i end up at a bit later. One thing you should do, however is book directly with the hostel. It will save you a few Euros for sure. For now, lets focus on the two places of accomodation that i have experienced first hand in Lisbon, Portugal.

Those are: The Lisbon Lounge (at http://www.lisbonloungehostel.com/) and Oasis Backpackers Mansion (at http://www.oasislisboa.com/). Both hostels are in or slightly outside of the Chiado area - i would suggest that if you end up looking elsewhere for accomodation, you should keep in mind that Chiado is a quick walk to basically all of the nightlife in Lisbon. Prices are comparable, Oasis is 18/night. Lounge is either 18 or 20, i forget. I'll talk about The Lisbon Lounge first, just because I would like to spend more time with Oasis.



The Lisbon Lounge is located a 3 minute brisk walk away from the Cais do Sodré metro stop and train/ferry station (Yellow line, i think) and an easy downhill get from Praca Rossio. The hostel is a bit difficult to find - it's on the second (third, for Americans) floor of a nondescript building, so you have to find the right doorway, hit the buzzer, go through another doorway and then walk upstairs. The staff is really nice, the rooms are alright, and the bathrooms are shared a la dorms. There are about 3 showers and 3 toilettes. The lounge/living space has a dvd player and a (very slow/old as of Fall '06) computer with free internet.

The hostel is small. The beds are pretty tightly packed. People smoke in the lounge and for me, non smoker, the smell was nauseatingly strong. I may have also gotten bit by bed bugs here (i could have been bitten at the previous hostel). My own experience with Lisbon Lounge was lukewarm, however others who i met along the way swore by it. Part of their reasoning was the staff: very friendly (again) and laid back. They also got some of the guests i spoke with "laid back" with them, so if you're into being really relaxed, it might be a good hostel for you.

OK. So clearly i prefer the other hostel. Maybe that's because Oasis is nicer than many hotels that would cost you more than twice as much.

Oasis sets the bar pretty high. It is run by an American dude named Damien and currently staffed by a number of fantastic people. They, the people, are one of the reasons this building is so inviting. They are also the reason i became a groupie. If you need anything, just ask.



The building itself is 3 stories high, and has 5 rooms for something like 30 guests. Recently, they have renovated two spaces outside of the main building to increase the number of beds available. Some rooms have bathrooms ensuite, and some share with one other room. Regardless, the bathrooms are the most amazing things ever. ever. The shower heads are about a foot in diameter. They all work. They all have hot water. They are private! Each bed has a locker that's activated by your key (think hotel lockers) and then a 4 digit pin. I felt very safe.

The common spaces are on the second floor. There is a full gourmet kitchen (see the photo at the beginning of the entry), a dining room which doubles as a work/study space for students who are studying in lisbon, and a living room with 2 computers/free internet. They usually work, but since the hostel uses a wifi connection that's run out of the reception area, the signal has a tendency to cut out. If you, for some reason, need wifi, access is free as well. Outside there is a private courtyard with tables and Tyler runs the bar in the evening. Tyler is pretty ok, and makes a good Caipirosha (caipirinha sem cashaca com vodka). You should see him dance, too.

And finally, they cook dinner for you. That's right. Home cooked meals every night for only 5 euros. Two days a week, a "portuguese mum" comes in. Wednesdays is Brazilian night, and her Feijoadas are amazing. Other days of the week, a rag tag bunch of traveling chefs stir up interesting recipes for what's usually around 20 or 25 guests. Everyone generally eats together, so it's a very nice time to socialize.

OK. So you're going to Portugal. When i decided to go to Portugal, i bought a ticket to Lisbon and booked a night in Oasis on the assumption that i would figure shit out once i got there. I ended up staying in Lisbon, at Oasis, almost a week. BUT HOW DID I DO IT?

Possibly the best thing about oasis is their commitment to the backpacker's lifestyle. While they are often completely booked, they hold 2 or 3 walk-in beds every day on a first-come-first-serve basis. There are also 3 couches in the living room which they sometimes allow excess backpackers to sleep on for a discounted price. I suggest the leather one. Basically, once you're in, you can pretty much guarantee yourself a bed or couch for however long you want to stay.

The other plus is that the walk-in policy means that backpackers who are traveling the way it should be done - planning today for tomorrow - are in supply. We're a fun crowd.

OK. Where To Next. Once you get your pernas planted on the ground and are ready to depart, you will find that the two major destinations for travelers in Portugal are on opposite ends of the country: Lagos and Porto.

Lagos is a beach. You go there to sit on the beach. And relax. It is refreshing, but pick your hostel wisely. You don't want to end up at The Cameltoe... Porto is near a beach on the Atlantic, but don't go there for the ocean. Go there for the beautiful river which you cross. As a reward, you're showered with free port and a very specific education.

Recap: go to lisbon, it's fucking amazing. I'll post cool things i've found around the city later. Stay at oasis. Worst case scenario, you'll never leave. I am actually not joking. Many travelers end up getting stuck in Lisbon for longer than they had anticipating. It's a good thing.

Bom Dia

Hello. Good Afternoon.

Posts, With Content, Coming Soon!