Phreshly Squeezed

As much as I don’t like to admit it, I really am a sucker for sweets. Attending last year’s Salon du Chocolat in Paris, I thought it’d be fun to hit up the same show but in New York City with a friend of mine. Don’t get me wrong, but the show here is far less exciting and doesn’t really command the worth of the $28 ticket price (of course, if you purchase at Ticket Master, you might as well just call it an even $40 with their ridiculous charges).

Held at The Metropolitan Pavilion, the venue is much smaller than that of its French counterpart; however, that shouldn’t be a huge detriment to the show since exhibitions have been held at smaller places and been fantastic (referencing Salon du Vintage). What brings the disappointment is the booths whose delights aren’t anything special or the booths that are irrelevant. While having sponsorship is great, the “Win a Bahamas” booth could have been put to better use, especially since all it was was a ploy to get people’s numbers to call them to give out their credit numbers for a low fee to gain access to a “great getaway.”

There were some highlights to be had, though. Some of the chocolate booths had amazing treats or at the very least, interesting ones (hello chocolate covered bacon!). Others were diverse with what they offered: liqueurs that were mixed with chocolate from another booth or wines that had suggestive pairings for different types of chocolate and other foods. And if you are the type to enjoy cooking and baking, there were several demonstrations going on throughout the day with free samples of the recipe to be had.

It’s definitely a hit or miss with this one, but it really shouldn’t be considering that this is its 12th year in New York City.

Dresses featuring chocolate pieces

Sculpting out of chocolate

The cooking demonstration where you learn how much butter goes into desserts

Logo image courtesy of The Chocolate Show website

Taiwan Blogger, Yang Ya-ching, kissing no.1 at Musée d'Orsay

If this blog hasn’t made its way to your computer screen yet, then that’s quite a surprise. Yang Ya-ching, a twenty-seven year old blogger from China, has been receiving a lot of attention around the world. Why? Well, she is on a mission: to kiss one hundred strangers during her time in Paris, France. Apparently this project had already started while I was living there during the summer.

Photo courtesy of Yang Ya-Ching and photographer Xiang Zhen-Hua

So I’ve finally packed up everything in my apartment (in case you aren’t in the ‘know,’ I’ve been living in Paris for the past year for my studies, and rented an apartment for the summer) and am ready to go. Well, just the laptop has to go. But what fun would it be if I didn’t do my last post in Paris for the year?

I’ve had plenty of people come over to Paris this past year, and what better way to end my time here than to have another friend come over? So a friend from high school,Yohan Yee, (who spends his summers in London) came over for a day and a half, and we trekked through the many neighborhoods of Paris even though it was sizzling hot!

Crossing one of the many bridges that connect the left an right bank, I saw the most interesting thing! I honestly had thought this was another Bateau Mouche, but thought it was weird that there were people posing like supermodels on the deck. Then I realized it wasn’t another tour boat – it was a movie set! Wowee, now I’ve seen everything! (Okay, not really)

Movie set on the Seine! Click image to enlarge!

And there you have it, the next post will be from Canada!