Something fishy

© Joselito Briones

I've finally found the place to get fresh fish. It was a good thing that it's today that I walked around the area, because it turns out they only have fresh fish on Wednesdays. It's right around the corner from the Thai grocery that sells pea-sized egg plants, baby egg plants, pomelo, and sweet basil, among the numerous other food items they have in a very cramped small space.

When I was packing the food contents of our London kitchen, I made sure to at least buy and stock up on Asian canned and bottled foods because I wasn't sure if there'd by any Asian groceries here in Erlangen. After a week of walking around, I've found four such groceries so far.

Tonight we had steamed seabass in ginger, Chinese key, galangal, and chili sauce.


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And the winner is...

Several days of protests in the streets of Paris, enough embarassment for Chirac and his government, and the scrapping of the labor law that might send top heads rolling. One would say that the French youth has won yet again, and don't they have a history of winning against the government?

The one obvious winner of all this though is hottie Bruno Julliard, leader of the largest student union in France, UNEF. He's telegenic, well-mannered, and like most French youth, he seemed to always know exactly what he's talking about (I say seemed, because the show I was watching with him in it was in French). He's obviously got convincing power too, as the other members of the panel (mostly his senior) seem to stop and listen whenever he spoke. I'd almost say he'd need at least a hair stylist, but I guess his nerdy hairstyle gives him street cred.


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I'm really sorry, but It just didn't take...

© Joselito Briones

I don't know, I kept an open mind, ignored the weather and all, even ignored the guerilla behavior of Oxford street pedestrians, but somehow this city just hasn't endeared itself to me as New York did, or San Francisco, or even Hong Kong.

Maybe it's just time. Maybe I just haven't spent enough time here. Maybe loving it is something that slowsly grows in someone. I didn't have enough time to find a favorite cafe to spend sometime in on a lazy afternoon, not enough time to be in familiar terms with the fishmonger I've been to a few times, not enough time to see if my dry cleaner is consistent with its service. I also didn't have time to find where the best buys are, save the Paul Smith discount shop off New Bond street where the suit, pictured left, was purchased (excuse the Stephan Schneider messenger bag, nice as it is, I haven't got myself a man-purse yet).

© Joselito Briones

Above is mostly the thought response to what Wil said to me about how he loves the city even tho it hasn't exactly been kind to the renovation of his apartment. I had lunch with him in a Chinese restaurant in Queensway after we met up with this apartment building's appointed structural surveyor for his recommendations. As there's been so much delay, he decided to move in temporarily while waiting for the start of the project so as not to waste money paying for temporary accomodation. He had his bed delivered from his storage space, and some boxes containing basic stuff. I brought him some kitchen items. Eating off paper plates with plastic cutleries and drinking off plastic cups is just so wrong. How anyone can enjoy wine with the taste of plastic is something I'll never understand. I brought his curtains back with me for washing, he hasn't got a washing machine yet.

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