FESTIVAL FRIDAY: CARNAVAL DE BINCHE

When I was a wee lass of 19, I studied abroad in France. I dutifully noshed on croissants, wore striped boat-neck Ts, and gazed existentially into the Seine River. For an angsty soul like myself it was heaven. But one of my favorite moments happened not in France at all, but in a quaint Belgian town called Binche. For centuries the town has held a pre-Lenten carnival that involves much merrymaking, drinking, and confetti throwing. 

Its piece de resistance is the Parade of the Gilles, traditional clowns that wear wax masks with green sunglasses, colorful jumpers stuffed with hay, and shake sticks to ward off evil. Because we kicked off the week with Fat Tuesday gluttony, AKA Paczki Day, I thought I would end with another Mardi Gras revel: Carnaval de Binche, a tamer relation to Brazil's infamous Carnivale. In fact, it is at this very festival that a drunk Belgian clasped his hands together and repeatedly bowed to me saying, in an awed voice, "Chinoise! Chinoise!" [Chinese Lady! Chinese Lady!]. I drowned my sorrows in no less than a dozen Belgian waffles and several cones of delicious frites. People, legit Belgian waffles are no joke. Same goes for their fries.

It is considered an honor to become a gille in Binche. Only men and boys who have grown up in Binche may put on the elaborate ostrich feather hats and fancy jumpers. Because gilles may only don their outfits for this single festival once a year, it is said that "a gille never leaves." This festival is one of the oldest in Europe and holds the great distinction of being a UNESCO "Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity." Totally fancy pants.

Did I mention that you get to throw blood oranges? Lots of them? So many that the streets run red with juice and pulp? It is, in every sense of the word, awesome. Technically, the gilles give blood oranges as a gift to the citizens and it is considered poor form to throw the gift back. But let's face it: when there are blood red oranges to be had, throwing ensues. Shopkeepers have learned to barricade their windows. 

Another thing you should know about Belgium is that it has a festival dedicated solely to cats. It is called, Kattenstoet. It commemorates a time in the good ol' days when cats were thrown from the church belfry and mock witches were burned. I dream of one day adding Kattenstoet to my list of Friday Festivals. Wouldn't you? On an unrelated note, it's kind of sad how little I have changed over the past decade, see proof below:

Other festivals I would love to attend: that tomato throwing festival in Spain (but not the running of the bulls) and Fringe Festival in Edinburgh. What's on your travel bucket list?

*Once a month or so, on a Friday, I will write about an awesome festival. Get psyched for notes on wonders like Hobo Fest, Tug Fest, Trek Fest, and more!

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NO BAKE CAKE BATTER & BROWNIE TRUFFLES

 

Have mercy. That is all I can say to describe the freakishly addictive, pop-in-your-mouth-by-the-handfuls truffles you see above. Whenever Warren and I make these, we always feel like we're in that I Love Lucy chocolate factory episode. For the record, he's totally Ethel. Don't judge.

These truffles have made me friends out of thin air. They make grown men and children alike giddy with sugary joy. And they are ridiculously easy. Since my work colleagues still talk about the batch I brought in last Valentine's Day, I made another to bring in this year. I expect a standing ovation, naturally. 

To spice it up, I added a devilish twist to my favorite no-bake cake batter truffle recipe and came up with--wait for it--Triple Chocolate Brownie Batter Truffles. I. Die. And so will you. Because there is butter involved. And chocolate. So much chocolate.

NO-BAKE TRIPLE CHOCOLATE BROWNIE BATTER TRUFFLES

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 1/2 - 2 cups flour
• 1 1/2 cups favorite brownie mix
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 5-6 tablespoons almond milk (or regular)
• handful of chocolate chips
• chocolate almond bark*
• festive sprinkles

Beat the butter and sugar together using an electric mixer, about 1 minute. Add the vanilla and blend completely. Add 1 1/2 cups of flour (you may need to add 1/2 cup more if the mix is too runny), brownie mix, and salt. Mix until it turns into a dryish sandy texture. Add milk 1 tablespoon at a time until the mix becomes  the consistency of playdough. You may need to add a little more flour or brownie mix to get to this stage.

Roll into balls approximately 1 inch in diameter. Put in the freezer for 5-10 minutes. Please promise me to do this step, it makes dipping them so much easier. For realsies. Cover a tray in wax paper. Melt half of the chocolate almond bark in the microwave for 1 minute. Stir then heat in 30 second intervals until the blocks are melted. Dip truffles in the melted chocolate and place on the tray. Sprinkle! These guys set in no time and should be kept in the fridge. Makes about two dozen truffles and a slew of new best friends--if you are willing to share.

*Chocolate almond bark can be found in the baking section of your local market. It's usually by the chocolate chips.

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MICHIGAN MONDAYS: HAMTRAMCK & PACZKI DAY

With Fat Tuesday bearing down upon us, Warren and I spent a rare sunny Saturday in Hamtramck, Detroit's Polish district. According to the all-knowing source that is Wikipedia, Hamtramck was originally founded by German farmers. Polish immigrants flooded the area when Dodge opened a local plant in 1910. Today, Hamtramck is known for its lavish feast for gluttons, Pączki Day. Pączki are essentially enormous, delicious donuts filled with all manner of cream or fruit goodness. What could be wrong with that? 

In Poland's days of yore, pączki were made the day before Lent because it allowed the household to use up all the stuff you couldn't eat during Lent--lard/butter, sugar, eggs, fruit (pretty much all the delicious things in life). Hence, donuts! I am so behind any day that allows, nay, encourages, hearty consumption of fried sweets. Count me in, Hamtramck! While we celebrated Pączki Day a tad early, we were able to revel in style at the Polish Village Cafe. Um, hello, charming basement restaurant with all sorts of cozy things going on? This includes the kitschy Valentine's decor and its strong collection of vintage accordions.

 

Okay, so Polish food is not my favorite (nor the healthiest) in the world--one only needs to view the Polish Plate below to understand my misgivings--but it does have a few high points. Like, for instance, pierogi, addictive stuffed dumplings. I could eat these by the hundred. Also, I will never ever turn up my nose at a good sausage. And the Polish Village Cafe does a very fine kielbasa. 

 1. Pierogi 2. Kielbasa Sausage 3. Mashed Potatoes & Gravy 4. Sauerkraut 5. Stuffed Cabbage

The Polish Village Cafe was all well and good but the best thing about Hamtramck (at least for a roadside attraction fanatic like myself) lies just a few blocks away in an old Ukranian man's backyard. Since it is so unbelievably amazing, I am devoting an entire post to it for next week's Michigan Monday. Stay tuned!

*What is your favorite district to visit in your city? As you well know, our hearts belong to Detroit's Mexicantown for Taqueria Lupita's alone--but Hamtramck may be a close second.

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GETTYSBURG REVIEW & BELLINGHAM REVIEW

First of all: Winter, this has got to end. Second, Warren is making me do a "friendly writing contest" with him. The basic premise is that whoever writes the most of their book by February 10th gets to pick a multi-course Valentine's dinner that the loser will have to cook. Because I am incredibly competitive (at least with Warren) I am gunning to win. Visions of pan seared scallops keep dancing in my mind. 

Also, this contest has actually forced me to, well, write. Gasp. As such, I have been thinking a lot about my favorite Zbigniew Herbert poem, "I Would Like to Describe", and keep coming back to the second to last stanza. It so beautifully captures everything about the writing process for me. I used my new obsession, aka picmonkey.com, to create a visual image so I can hang the stanza above my writing desk. What do you think? The image is from the hauntingly gorgeous Hubble telescope. 

Finally, a few of my essays have come out in various forms. I am so very honored to see an old essay appear in the new issue of The Gettysburg Review. It's about math, infinity in particular, and other things like loss (naturally). Another essay came out a few months ago in Bellingham Review's Online issue. Click on the button below to check it out!

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HOW TO DEAL WITH FAILURE: 6 TIPS

Friends, the sad truth about life is that there will always be winners...and losers (as helpfully illustrated by my family when Warren and I lost our bet at the race track. Sure, it was only a dollar but the loss still stung). I remembered the above smug little faces last week because I felt like a major L on the forehead loser. In the space of 24 hours I experienced one panic attack, three semi-brutal rejections, and a general distaste for life as a whole. The world can be a pretty smug/mean place, sometimes. For the past few days, I've been compiling a list of helpful hints to help me survive my next (for it will certainly come) bout of failure/rejection/loss/shame/guilt/etc. Here's what I came up with:

 

Confession: I am a wallower. When something bad happens, I retreat under the covers and don't come out until I've polished off a season of Party of Five or Friday Night Lights (please tell me I am not alone). And then I go into a major shame spiral about my wallowing. So next time, I'm just going to let it hurt. Just like this cake did when Warren dropped it two seconds after this photo was taken :) Because that post-failure sting can be instructive. It means that you actually cared.

 

One of my favorite things about life is seeing all my old, dear friends grow up to become wonderful, loving adults. This past year I have been particularly delighted to catch up with friends from every era of my life--childhood, college, post-college, and grad school. It's amazing to see how much we've grown, and how much we've stayed the same. Friends With History (you don't have to explain anything about yourself because they already know and love you) are the best.

This can also be categorized under "Be Social, Even If It's the Last Thing You Want to Do After Falling Flat On Your Face, Emotionally or Literally." Even if you, like me, are not a huge people person, it makes all the difference to find a group that is totally okay with you letting your freak flag fly. Plus, anyone who is on board with a good old fashioned ugly sweater party is okay in my book.

Especially if that something is very low stakes and kind of (okay, insanely) ridiculous, like curling. Yes, that fake sport with sweepers. Turns out, it's a real thing here in Michigan. Plus it's totally mock-able and infinitely fun. Warren and I wanted something to get us out of the house this winter. Last year I chose cake decorating so Warren got dibs on this year. Well played, sir. Well played, indeed.

It doesn't have to be something as big as cuddling with a manatee (which was truly amazing), but after my next failure, I want to be more open to the world. Being vulnerable brings nothing but good, as Brene Brown's beautiful book Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead explains. Even if it hurts a lot in the beginning. I can't feel amazed when I'm too busy trying to feel cool, disengaged, or angry, which are my normal reactions to bad things. That's totally not cool. So next time, I'm going to keep my guard down. Good things might happen.

And if all else fails...

No, duh, right? So, in short:

It is hard to believe we were in blissful Key Largo just a few weeks ago but looking at the above photo helps me pretend that winter is long, long gone. A girl can dream...especially when it's 10 degrees in Michigan. TEN! Anyway, what are some of your coping mechanisms and/or life mantras? Help me build my arsenal :)

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BEST BOOKS TO READ WHILE TRAVELING

Ever since I got my very grown up tablet contraption (Galaxy Note) last month, I have been addicted to reading. It's just like my days of youth when I would read a book a day. Granted, they were mostly fluff books like The Babysitter's Club...

Nowadays, I love checking out digital books from our local library and have read 13 since December. I did a lot of traveling so the books I chose were speedy ones that take very little effort to breeze through. So if you're into a little YA fantasy, some really terrible romances, and a series about a teen girl who transforms into a cougar (classy, right?), read on:

Totally Worth Reading: The books below were legit, fabulous, thought-provoking, and/or worthy of future re-readings.
1. Wonder - One of the best young adult books I've read in a long time. Woven narrative told by a boy with "jarring facial anomalies" and several people in his life (sister, friends, etc.). At the end of the day, this is a meditation on kindness. Beautifully written. Put this at the top of your list.
2. The Happiness Project - Little late to this party, but I liked this book. I want to clean all my closest now, too.
3. The Wednesday Wars - A teenage boy has to stay after school every Wednesday afternoon with a teacher who, like, totally hates him. Shakespeare plays a big role in his after school lessons. An interesting perspective, as the story takes place during the Vietnam War.
4. Omnivore's Dilemma - Again, late to the party. Definite food for thought.
5. The Giver - Yep, still one of my favorites. This book has aged well and moved me to tears in a way I wasn't expecting. I loved reading this from an adult's perspective.

Magic + History YA: I kind of love this Michael Scott series about brother/sister twins who discover they are super powerful. Weaves in historical figures with mythical figures (such as The Morrigan, sphinx, centaurs, etc.) which turn out to be real. Tagline: "Some legends are true." Wonderfully quick and addictive.
6. The Alchemyst: The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flammel
7. The Magician

Paranormal Teen: The first two books are part of Kelley Armstrong's terrible (by which I mean awesome) Darkness Rising trilogy. While the name of the trilogy should be enough to get you reading, here's a one sentence recap: Group of teens discover they have paranormal abilities; main girl turns into a mountain lion; dramatic love triangles and escapes ensue. Exit Strategy is pretty bad - aimed for adult audiences, it's about a cop-turned-assassin and her adventures with other assassins. Oh My Gods is about about a girl who has to attend school on a Greek island. The catch: all the students are decedents of Greek gods.
8. The Gathering
9. The Calling
10. Exit Strategy
11. Oh My Gods

Romance: There is a special spot in my heart for British romances about neurotic 20-somethings. Case in point, I will repeatedly read anything by Sophie Kinsella (Shopaholic fame) or Helen Fielding (Bridget Jones).  But I have to admit my first foray into non-British romances was a complete let down. Nora Roberts' Bridal Quartet series was really, really awful. And yes, I actually read 2 out of the 4. Don't judge. Let that be enough. I beg you, please don't subject yourself to these books. Seriously. Terrible.

All of this begs the question: what have you been reading? Any recommendations? Spill!

Currently Reading
Moon Over Manifest
Where the Mountain Meets the Moon
The Phantom Tollbooth
Happier At Home (sequel to The Happiness Project)

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We Went to Hell in A Handbasket

And I mean that quite literally. Hell, Michigan--AKA, "Michigan's Hysterical Town," lies due north of Ann Arbor. With just four establishments, Hell is teensy. But it makes up for its diminutive size by capitalizing on its name. The city's website, for instance, is called Go To Hell (dot com). A real barrel of laughs, am I right? But wait, there's more: its Post Office/Pizza Parlor sportingly calls itself "Hell in A Handbasket" and has an alarming array of Hell, MI parphanalia, my favorite being the postcard that says "Get over it, Hell froze over!" and a photo of Hell's town sign in the dead of winter decked out in icicles. More hellacious stuff: Hell's ice cream joint goes by "Screamers." The pub, A Dam Site, features a broad assortment of burgers--"made in Hell," naturally. I got the Holy Mess. It was very worth it. But the real kicker is for a mere $100 you can be named Hell's Mayor for the day. I know what Warren is getting for his birthday next year...

The great part about Hell is that it is located in an incredibly charming area. Bucolic farms pepper the landscape, along with quaint stone bridges and tree-lined streets. We stumbled across Jenny's Farm Stand and couldn't resist getting a dozen piping hot pumpkin donuts. I tried to offer some to a few kids who came in but they avoided eye contact while shaking their heads and scurrying away. I suppose I can't blame them. Like Meatloaf, my favorite leather-clad 80s anti-hero, I had just been to Hell and back. 

Unrelated to Hell, we have just been soaking up this fall. Keeping the tradition alive, we had some friends over for a caramel apple party. It was my first time making legit caramel and I have to say, though I was terrified every step of the way that it would not work, it totally did and I will never go back to unwrapping those caramel candies. 

Our friend Janice had a slammin' karaoke/birthday/costume party and we were reunited with some dear friends from Iowa and Utah. Warren and I sang a Taylor Swift duet. It was magical. 

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