Live slower in a speed obsessed world

On Not Being Photogenic…and Friday Links

May 4, 2012

I am not photogenic. Honestly. Don’t even try disagreeing with me. A professional photographer friend of mine told me I’m one of her toughest subjects. A bit depressing, though I guess if I had to choose, I’d rather look better in real life than in photos. But it does get annoying when you have just 2.5 pictures of yourself that you like. It could be worse, and I am picky, but I’ve been trying to decide if I should just surrender to the problem or try and make it better.

I’m not exactly sure why I don’t photograph well. I have a lot of confidence. I’m comfortable standing in front of people, and pretty good about public speaking. I was a professional stage actress for a few years for heaven’s sake, and I did some runway modeling for independent designers. But stick a camera on me and I suddenly get weird and wooden. The smile gets a bit fake, the upper lip strangely disappears, I look uncomfortable. That leads me to start making goofy faces…after which point I smarten up and realize that’s surely not going to turn out well, so I try and get serious, which then makes me look angry. When I try to correct that, I often look like I’m smelling something bad or I’m confused. I can’t win.

A good deal of being photogenic is simple mathematics. You may not be considered the most beautiful creature in in the world, but if your face is symmetrical and your features are arranged just so, you’ll look good in pictures. I mean, have you ever caught that show America’s Next Top Model? I’d never be caught dead watching a shallow reality show like that, of course (cough cough), but I must say most of those girls look nothing in person like their pictures turn out.

Anyway, aside from a face job to straighten out the imperfections, align everything properly, and deal with the shadows and lines creeping up, there are apparently things I can do to improve my photogenic-icity (or is that photo-geniality?) — at least according to a piece in Lifehacker called “How to Look Best in Photos.” I’m not sure any of the advice there will actually work, but there are a few helpful suggestions. One is related to posing:

A recent study found that men who tilt their head back slightly and woman who tilt their head forward are more attractive. The same goes for your feet and body, if they’re angled directly at the camera, shift them (and your body) slightly. Don’t worry about modeling techniques involving foot position and shoulder tilt. Just make sure you’re not squared up to the camera.

Okay, forward head tilting and angling of the body; I think I can remember that. There are more tips here if you want to check them out for yourself.

Got any fun plans for the weekend? Here are a few items I thought you’d enjoy checking out as you wind down the week:

Is this your favorite restaurant’s key to success?
Funny video: How to round up your mates for a pint this weekend.
The New Yorker looks at the crackdown on raw dairy. (Subscription required to read the entire piece.)
Love this tiny, off-the-grid Maine cabin.
Cloth diaper giveaway at KitchenStewardship.com!
Great tutorial at GOOP about creating beautiful flower arrangements at home.
Cool-looking new book: The Art of Fermentation.

Have a slow weekend, and I’ll catch you back here on Monday!

Images by B and Hal

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No-Bake Energy Bites

May 3, 2012

by Margaret Cabaniss

Ever since reading Make the Bread, Buy the Butter the other week, I’ve been on the lookout for more recipes to replace some of the things I’ve been buying from the store. I just picked up The Homemade Pantry from the library and am looking forward to giving some of those recipes a spin soon (I’ll be sure to let you know how it works out), but meanwhile I had to share one recipe I found that makes a great alterna-cookie.

I know, those misshapen lumps above don’t look particularly thrilling. And the list of ingredients — honey, oatmeal, flaxseed, for pete’s sake — just screams “hippie cookie.” I do not usually take kindly to health foods trying to pass themselves off as dessert, so you’ll understand that I mean business when I tell you that these things are totally delicious.

I found the recipe via Lauren at Crumb Bums, who pointed out all the health benefits to these little “energy bites”: protein from the peanut butter, fiber and healthy omega-3 fats from the flaxseed, and various other minerals and nutrients that make you feel like a grown-up for including in your diet. But they taste for all the world like eating oatmeal chocolate chip cookie dough, which makes all that healthiness palatable in the first place.

They’ve turned out to be the perfect snack for me, too: a little something sweet, but with enough protein to actually take the edge off so that I don’t go rampaging through the fridge later. I’ll eat them in the mid-morning slump, before a run, as a late-night snack…there is no time when they aren’t awesome. Even my eternally skeptical nephews (who would never usually touch coconut, are you kidding?) wolf these things down; they’re close enough to a cookie to be a treat for them, but healthy enough so that their mom doesn’t mind tossing them a couple for a snack. (The boys also call them “energy bombs,” because apparently food is more exciting when it explodes.)

Best of all, this is a straight-up dump-and-stir recipe — no baking required! — so they’re ready in no time. You’ll need:

1/2 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup honey
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup shredded coconut (I had sweetened on hand, but I’m sure unsweetened would be fine)
1 cup old-fashioned oats
1/2 cup ground flaxseed
1/4 cup chopped dark chocolate (or mini chocolate chips)

Stir together the peanut butter, honey, and vanilla. One at a time, add in the coconut flakes, oats, and flaxseed, stirring after each addition. Finally, add the chocolate, then refrigerate for 30 minutes.

When the dough has chilled, use a tablespoon to scoop out and roll bite-sized balls. And that’s it! It’ll make two-dozen-ish, depending on how many bites you sneak while rolling. I keep mine covered in the fridge, and they’ll do nicely for a week or more (assuming they aren’t long gone before then).

This recipe is endlessly adaptable, too: You could try some other nut butter instead of peanut (I even used some homemade peanut butter in my first batch, via a recipe from — surprise! — Make the Bread, Buy the Butter). Lauren uses a little chia powder in hers in place of some of the flaxseed. I use dark chocolate instead of regular chocolate chips to balance out some of the sweetness (and hey, dark chocolate is good for you, too!). Play around with the amounts and mix-ins until it works for you. Hippie cookies never tasted so good.

Images: Margaret Cabaniss

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Judging Childless Women

May 2, 2012

When you meet a childless woman, what do you think? Do you automatically assume she is less happy or more selfish or missing something? Or do you secretly wish you could have her life?

I read a recent article in Slate – “Do We Secretly Envy the Childfree?” — in which Katie Roiphe says that moms judge childless women because they pity them — and they pity them because they actually envy them. At least, I think that’s what she’s saying…it’s a bit hard to tell. I’m not sure how she really knows; she doesn’t cite any studies or evidence. But women are generally known to be hard on each other, especially when it comes to issues related to kids and child-rearing, so I suppose I can cut her some slack.

I remember being at a house party once with four couples I didn’t know, and they all had children. While in casual conversation with one of the husbands, he asked if I had children. When I said no, he looked like I’d hit him in the stomach with a two-by-four. “I’m so sorry!” he exclaimed. And he genuinely looked very sorry for me and didn’t know what else to say. Conversation halted. The woman next to me was smiling a sad smile and nodding with…what was it, pity?…and suddenly I felt like I had to give them both a big hug and assure them that everything was going to be just fine, and all three of us would survive this horrific tragedy.

I didn’t sense any envy going on there, frankly (in spite of my cute outfit) — just pity. But apart from that rather strange and comical exchange, I haven’t experienced much judgement about being childless after 10 years of marriage. Occasionally a person may ask if I want children or if we plan to have any, but it rarely comes up. What I have noticed much more often, however, is the snarky comments, raised eyebrows, and stares that my friends and family members get — the ones who do have kids.

A couple years ago, when I congratulated my acupuncturist on his third child, he looked at me with surprise and wondered if I was joking. “Wow,” he said. “You’re one of the few who’s genuinely congratulated us. Most people think we’re crazy for having a third.”

These days, it seems that one or two children are lovely and worthy of being celebrated, but push that third one out and suddenly you’re a whack job. Of course, as the eldest of 10, each of whom makes this world a far better place, this doesn’t really compute for me. Then again, I’m both childless and wacky, which puts me in an extra-special category.

Rationally, we all know that outward appearances can be deceiving. There are childless women who’ve chosen to be so, and those who are miserable about it — and everything in between. There are women who married young and happen to be super fertile, as well as those who struggle with being a mom to one or two — and everything in between.

Wouldn’t it be swell if we didn’t assume to know what it’s like to be in another’s shoes?

What’s your experience? Do you think women are too hard on each other about this kind of stuff? Do we judge anything that falls outside of the acceptable societal norm of one or two kids? Do we pity some women because, deep down, we’re envious of them?

Image via La Princess Endormie

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A Slow Moment

May 1, 2012

“You can cut all the flowers but you cannot keep Spring from coming.” – Pablo Neruda

I took this photo a few weeks ago in the bay close to our home, in the middle of the city. It reminded me of how new life always finds a way.

Image: Zoe Saint-Paul

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Living Slower With…Nikki Fisher

April 30, 2012

Friends, I’m excited to introduce you to Nikki Fisher, an Australian mom and writer with a passion for food and holistic living. Fair warning, though: You might let out a big sigh when you read about her lovely life by the sea. Born in Melbourne, and now living in Blairgowrie, Nikki is mom to River (5) and Sol (2) and married to her photographer husband, Pete. Her work has been published in Epicure in The Age newspaper, The Age Good Food Guide, Cheap Eats, The Sunday Age, and ABC Gardening Australia. She blogs at The Wholefood Mama.

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Zoe Saint-Paul: Living near the beach in Australia conjures up some amazing images in my mind. Paint a picture of what it’s like in your corner of the world.

Nikki Fisher: We live on the Mornington Peninsula, a narrowing piece of land that juts out into Port Phillip Bay on one side and Bass Strait on the other. The coast we live on is a very popular tourist destination, particularly in the summer months when residents of Melbourne descend on the area. I enjoy the seasonal nature of living in a coastal town, and the ebb and flow of visitors. I love the power and energy of the sea and feel so blessed to have both bay and ocean just outside my door. I love that whether I’m driving River to school, taking the boys to the park, or running errands, wherever I drive there are views of the sea. The view, the air, the energy is a tonic to me. To be able to walk out my front door and walk to the beach, to climb sand dunes with my family and spend long summer days and nights by the water is my definition of luxury.

You were a food writer and restaurant critic in Melbourne before giving it all up for a different lifestyle. Why did you make the change, and what have the benefits been?

When I was pregnant with our first son, I had moved to the outskirts of Melbourne and was living on the Yarra River in the bush. My husband Pete, an author and photographer, was completing a photographic book about Point Nepean National Park by the ocean. He had surfed this coast for 20 years, and we decided to move near the waves. I grew up near the beach and the brief time I lived in the bush confirmed I’m a beach person, and couldn’t wait to move back.

The benefits of living out of the city and by the beach are the clear air, no traffic, small community primary school, lower cost of living, access to farm gates to buy locally grown food, and daily access to the beach. We spend so much time at the beach as a family and I love so much to see our boys playing in the water, searching for shells and sea creatures, running on the sand, and now learning to surf!

You grow some of your own food. Was this something you had to learn from scratch, or did you come into it with a green thumb and lots of knowledge?

I have to hand the credit to my husband Pete and our boys for tending the veggie garden. My involvement is directly linked to turning the harvest into our meals. I love the challenge of working out what we’ll cook with the 50th zucchini from the garden or the tenth kilo of tomatoes. I have memories etched in my mind of my brother and I planting vegetables with our great-grandmother and her taking us around the garden to pick the first strawberry of the season or sweet pea. Having a garden keeps us connected to the earth, nature, and the seasons, and I believe this connection is integral to the health and well being of people and the planet. If we’re not connected to the earth we have no incentive to care for it. It’s such a gift to children to help them stay connected to the cycles of life and the seasons through a garden. It’s also a wonderful way of encouraging them to eat vegetables: Children who are involved in growing, harvesting, and cooking food naturally want to eat it.

Food and cooking is your passion. Do you have a particular food or eating philosophy?

I subscribe to the philosophy that if nature didn’t create it, best not to eat it. I stick to whole, unprocessed foods — fruit, vegetables, fish, organic chicken, kangaroo, and grains such as rice, oats, and barley. The key to enjoying a whole foods way of life is herbs and spices. Learning to flavor your cooking with cumin, coriander, pepper, chili, garlic, and so on reduces cravings for sugar and salt.

I don’t believe in fake food — low-fat, artificial sweeteners and the like. Fats such as avocado, coconut oil, olive oil, butter, and fish oils are essential to good health. Twenty years ago I ate a lot of cow’s milk dairy products and suffered chronic sinus infections until a naturopath suggested I eliminate dairy from my diet. I haven’t had a sinus infection since. I tell this story not to say “cut dairy out of your diet,” but to highlight that switching to a health-conscious (rather than weight-conscious) way of eating happens over time, and it’s important to be patient and enjoy making the changes.

Do you have a favorite food or cuisine?

Boring, but true: I love good chocolate. My favorite cuisine is Thai; I’ve had the joy of traveling in Thailand and enjoyed so much a cooking class in Chang Mai in Northern Thailand. I don’t cook a lot of Thai food but am fortunate to have some friends who spend a lot of time in Thailand and prepare beautiful food that they’re happy to share.

You’ve got two minutes to grab your three favorite cooking tools. What are they?

First, my garlic press, partly for sentimental reasons because it was my mum’s and reminds me of her cooking — she wasn’t shy about using plenty of garlic. Second, my mini food processor — a gift from my mother-in-law gave and I use it all the time for dips and pesto. Third, my citrus zester. Lemon is one of my all-time favorite flavors, both in sweet and savory dishes.

Where do you find inspiration for cooking? Any favorite cookbooks or web sites/blogs?

The foundation for my inspiration to cook comes mainly from my great-grandmother, whom I cooked alongside as a child, and my mother who also enjoyed cooking, but had less time to do it. I have a sizeable collection of cookbooks, which is one of the joys of reviewing cookbooks for a living! The ones I return to are Stephanie Alexander’s The Cook’s Companion, Allegra McEvedy’s Leon, Jill Dupleix’s New Food, and every cookbook written by Australian whole-foods chef Jude Blereau. I particularly love her books Coming Home to Eat and Wholefoods for Children. Also, Australian restaurant-reviewer-turned-farmer and cookbook author Matthew Evans’ book The Real Food Companion is a treasure.

Favorite sites include: Whole Food Cooking (Jude’s blog), Heidi’s Swanson’s 101 cookbooks, Veggie Num Num, and My New Roots (my kind of food!). Also, Joy the Baker — her recipes call for way more sugar than I can handle, but I do love the way she writes and how she puts recipes together with such beautiful photos and words to match.

You’re a writer and now a blogger. What have you learned from being a writer?

I’ve learned to listen not just with my ears, but with my eyes and my heart. I’ve learned to be patient, to let the story unfold, and to also expect the unexpected. I’ve learned that the best writing is fueled by passion.

Take us on a brief tour of your typical day.

I wake between 6-6:30 am, thanks to my trusty alarm clock, Sol. Weekday morning duties are breakfast for everyone (fruit in season, followed by poached eggs or porridge or rye sourdough with almond spread), making River’s school lunch, sneaking out the door for a quick run and, if that doesn’t happen, doing a few yoga stretches. I take River to school and either come home and set Sol up with something to do while I check emails, write, read for book reviews, etc; or I run errands and take Sol to playgroup. Fingers crossed Sol will have a nap after lunch and I can do more computer work and get some dinner prepared. I pick River up from school and spend the afternoon at the beach or the park or at home playing. I try to avoid going near shops or computer after school and make that “slow time,” just to play and be together. We eat dinner as a family around 5:30 pm/6 pm. I like to have both boys into bed by 7 pm for story reading and, all going well, they’re asleep by 7:30/8 pm. Then it’s time for me to write or spend time with Pete, who’s thinking of setting a curfew for my blogging!

How do you stay organized? How do you balance your writing and creative life with motherhood?

This is an ever-changing work in progress. I have cared for River and Sol full-time since they were born. With extended family living 1.5-2 hours away, we don’t have childcare on hand. I’ve chosen to spend this time in the boys’ early years with them, rather than seek out childcare, so I’ve always worked during their nap times and at night when they sleep, which isn’t ideal because I’m constantly sleep deprived. But I know it’s not forever.

As for staying organized, being one step ahead makes for a happier home in my experience. I like to have activities in mind for after school — something as simple as a stack of picture books about snakes, surfing, dragons, and pirates from the local library will keep the boys engrossed while I prepare dinner. I prioritize tasks I can do with children around and those that can only be done when they’re sleeping or with Pete. So washing dishes and folding washing happens while the children are around, and writing happens when they’re not. I don’t want them to know me as a mum who’s always in front of a computer screen or on a mobile phone; we limit television to weekends, so it doesn’t feel right to say “no screen time” for them and then see me in front of a screen. This is River’s first year at school, and one task I’ve set myself is to have the house in order — beds made, dishes done, washing on — before I walk out the door, so when I come back from dropping him off I can make a start straight away on working. I rarely feel as organized as I’d like to be.

Slow living is about things like simplicity, beauty, staying connected, and not rushing through life all the time. How do you incorporate these ideals into your life?

Taking time to stop and notice the color of the water or the sky, making time to go to the beach or the park together as a family, greeting the day with the yoga pose “salute to the sun,” which I’ve taught the boys, making time each day to prepare food and not resort to convenience food. Consuming less. Keeping life simple by having fewer things and giving more time to family, friends, and creative interests. Not scheduling too many activities — I think it’s important for children to spend time at home playing rather than being out a lot or doing too many extra curricular activities. Also, we always begin our family meals with a blessing — to say thank you to the garden or the sea that gave us our food and to appreciate those we are sharing the meal with. This isn’t a common practice in Australian families, but it’s another way of slowing down and being aware, rather just launching into eating.

What is your best tip for living well?

The truth will set you free. Be true to yourself and everything else will fall into place.

What drives you and what relaxes you?

I’m a hippy at heart and appreciate all the beautiful and simple details of life, but I really thrive on achieving. I’ve been a goal setter from a young age, and the satisfaction of completing something really well drives me. Having solitude relaxes me — walking on the beach, soaking in the bath, yoga.

Toes in the Water

What is your greatest challenge right now?

Making the time to improve my fitness. Also, my youngest son, Sol, is close to giving up his day nap, which will reduce my writing time by 2-3 hours each day, which is a huge amount of time to lose. It will be a challenge for me to find more writing time without giving up sleep!

Your guilty pleasure is…

I try and avoid guilt! Daily coffee in a cafe. Not really sure why I feel guilty about this, but I do.

If you could pass along one important lesson to your children, what would it be?

To live your life with respect for self, others, and the earth — and to appreciate every moment.

Your last meal on Earth would be…

A ripe golden mango. Rocket salad with carrot, beetroot, avocado, toasted walnuts, sesame seeds and pepitas, and goats cheese dressed with olive oil, lemon juice, and garlic. Followed by raw chocolate.

What do you love best about your life right now?

My family. I truly love being a mum and being married to Pete. Tiring as family life can be, it stretches me in wonderful ways and makes my heart swell. A friend whose three children are grown said to me, “This time in your life is enriching you in ways you don’t even know yet.” That feels true.

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Thank you, Nikki, for sharing your beautiful life and family with us! If I ever make it Down Under, can I come by to see your view of the sea and maybe try some kangaroo?

Note: This is the fourth installment in my “Living Slower With…” series where I ask interesting women how they live well in a fast-paced world and how they juggle their many priorities. You can find previous interviews here.

Images from Nikki Fisher

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The Old Stomping Grounds…and Friday Links

April 26, 2012

On Monday afternoon, after paying tribute to my Baltimore neighborhood, I hopped a train to my old stomping grounds, Washington, D.C., where I met B and some friends for the 2012 Jefferson Lecture in the Humanities at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Wendelly Berry — noted poet, essayist, novelist, farmer, and conservationist — was giving the lecture, and I’d always wanted to see him. (A video of the evening’s program can be seen here.)

I had a few hours to kill before dinner and the lecture, so I took my time wandering around the city. Washington is only 45 minutes down the road from Baltimore, but it’s been a while since my last visit. I’m always amazed at the difference between the two cities. While we prefer living in Baltimore — for some of the reasons I mentioned on Monday — our nation’s capital is a fun place to be. It’s pretty at any time of year, especially springtime. There are well-dressed men in hats reading newspapers on the bus, women in head scarves discussing human rights over coffee, and embassies of countries you don’t think about every day tucked between shops along the street. Interesting people are everywhere doing interesting things.

Eventually I made my way to the tony Georgetown neighborhood. It was rainy and windy and my umbrella almost turned inside out a few times, as little squalls pushed me down the sidewalk. I passed the canal and poked my head into a few shops where I found plenty of things I wanted someone else to buy me (a pair of cute boots, for one thing, if you must know). I lingered in a great stationery shop — I’m a total sucker for those — where I found some letterpress note cards with a “Z” on them.

Finally I headed to the French bistro Le Pain Quotidien for dinner with two of my SlowMama contributors, where we sat at one big community table and nibbled on tartines.

The little trip made me nostalgic for my days in D.C. I really miss things about living there — but truth be told, I miss things about most places I’ve lived before, and that’s probably as it should be.

Do you get nostalgic for your old stomping grounds?

Here are some items I wanted to share with you with this week:

Speaking of Washington, D.C., today GOOP did a roundup of favorite places in the capital. I can personally vouch for a number of them: The Tabard Inn was one of my favorite places to visit, and the restaurant’s desserts are definite stand-outs.
And speaking of Wendell Berry, Mark Bittman recently visited him at his Kentucky home.
How far do we push Mother Nature before she yells back?
Have you heard of Fogo?
Fourteen ways to incorporate children’s birth culture into their lives.
Child labor laws gone too far?
Never-before seen pics of NYC from over 100 years ago.

Have a slow and fabulous weekend, and I’ll see you back here on Monday!

Images: Zoe Saint-Paul

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A Better Salt Shaker

April 26, 2012

by Margaret Cabaniss

This is not a tutorial.

Seriously, this is way too easy to qualify as a project requiring in-depth instructions and how-tos — but it’s so flipping genius that I had to share it anyway. (And yes, I know I’m only talking about a jar of salt, but sometimes it really is the little things in life.)

I like buying those large boxes of salt to keep in storage, but I hate trying to fit them in my already-packed kitchen cabinets (or trying to pour any small amount from them); this trick I found in a recent issue of Cooks Illustrated (where else?) is a brilliant fix. It’s a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it kind of project, so get ready.

First, get a small mason jar, a pencil, a knife, and a round container of salt (preferably one that’s on its way out).

Use the lid of the mason jar to trace a circle on top of the salt container, with the pour spout centered at the bottom. Use the knife to (carefully) cut out the circle.

Fill the mason jar with salt, then cover it with your cardboard circle and attach with the ring from the canning lid.

Look, I said this was going to be easy. Still: Awesome, right? I recently reorganized some cabinets in the kitchen, putting all my dry goods into matching glass jars, and it makes me happier than it probably should that the salt is now going to blend right in, and still be just as easy to measure and pour. This is organization (OCD?) at its finest.

What about you? Found any simple fixes or shortcuts around your house lately?

Images: Margaret Cabaniss

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Changing Tastes

April 25, 2012

When I was young, there were two things my mother didn’t make me eat: cooked spinach and liver. Put anything else questionable on my plate — turnips, broccoli, stinky cheese — and I could pretty much cope, but spinach and liver? Anathema. Somewhere down the line, though, I came to adore all dark leafy greens; and while I’d still rather avoid pan-fried liver, I love various kinds of liver pate and have been known to break out in song over that don’t-want-to-like-it-because-it’s-probably-immoral French delicacy: foie gras.

Taste is a glorious sense, but it’s also our weakest. Our sense of smell is powerfully intertwined with it, though, and if you have a keen sense of smell, you probably have a sensitive palate, and vice versa. Everyone’s sense of taste is different. Apparently, we’re born with tastebuds on the sides and roof of our mouths, but as we get a bit older, the only ones that remain are on our tongues. As we continue to age, our tastebuds degenerate, making us less sensitive to some of the foods we cursed as children.

(By the way, did you know that insects have the most highly developed sense of taste? Some have taste organs on their feet, antennae, and mouth parts. And fish can taste with their fins! Okay, back to boring humans…)

Thinking on it, there are actually a number of foods I did a 180 on as I got older. Olives are one example: I couldn’t stand them, but then I moved to Toronto and lived with a woman who worked in a hip restaurant and put olives in a lot of her pasta dishes. I decided I wanted to like them, so I’d try one every time they were put in front of me. Kalamatas were the first to grab me, and slowly, olive by olive, I fell in love. These days, I’d spend all my evenings in swank speakeasies ordering dry martinis with extra olives if I could.

Wine would fall under the same category. I didn’t like it for a long time, even though I wanted to so bad. Mature, cultured, interesting people liked wine; I needed to at least be able to pretend I was one of them. But there came a day when I didn’t have to fake it. Sip by sip, I went from hate, to toleration, to liking a few varieties, to liking more, to let’s sell everything and move to Napa Valley!

Beer, on the other hand, has never made it past hello. I’ve tried to like it; I can stand a few sips of my husband’s Guinness, and I’ve stumbled on a few Belgian varieties I could be talked into ordering again. But frankly, I’d pretty much rather drink any other beverage. My dislike of beer kept me out of a good deal of trouble in my younger days, and it’s saved me plenty of money and late nights in noisy pubs. But perhaps by the time I’m 80 my tastebuds will be sufficiently worn down to enjoy a good pint.

What about you — have your tastes changed with age? Got any foods or drinks you used to hate and now love, or vice versa?

Images: Zoe Saint-Paul. The first photo above is a beer B ordered recently and loved. And I must admit I thought it wasn’t bad.

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A Feminine Matter

April 24, 2012

by Ann Waterman

Today I’m going to talk about menstrual cups — what they are and why I think they’re a better alternative to pads or tampons. If the mere idea of one makes you queasy, here’s your chance to exit gracefully from this post. If not, continue reading at your own risk, though I promise to keep this as ick-free as possible.

I’ve debated writing this post for months now. This is an awfully personal matter to write about — and just a little bit awkward, since people I know stop by here and probably aren’t prepared to learn this much about me. That said, anyone who knows me also knows that I’m pretty comfortable discussing delicate subjects, particularly those that are feminine in nature. There’s a time and place for these kinds of discussions, and since this blog focuses primarily on women and slow living, it seems like the subject should be fair game.

I guess what finally persuaded me to write about this is that I wish I had known about menstrual cups ages ago. They’ve made such a difference in my life — my period went from being a monthly nuisance to just an afterthought — and my hope is that you may find them to be as life-changing as I did.

So, what exactly is a menstrual cup? Well, it’s a cup — usually made of silicone — that you insert internally like a tampon, but instead of absorbing menstrual flow, the cup collects it. When it’s full, you simply remove the cup, dump the contents in the toilet, clean it, and reinsert. Unlike a tampon, a menstrual cup can be worn for up to twelve hours, and there have been no known cases of Toxic Shock Syndrome (TSS) associated with it.

That’s the quick and clinical snapshot of how the cup works, but let me share my own personal experience with one.

Being a swimmer, I was always well acquainted with tampons. In fact, they became my preferred method for managing my period on a regular basis, since I found pads messy and uncomfortable. Tidy and discreet, tampons worked well for me — except in the back of my mind, I could never quite shake the lingering fear of TSS, particularly since I wore them at night. They weren’t cheap, either: If I was feeling spendy, I might splurge on tampons with a plastic applicator, but mostly I stuck with the less expensive cardboard applicator.

I first learned about menstrual cups about 5 years ago when I started looking to into greener, reusable products. The idea intrigued me: Up to twelve hours of protection from leaks sounded amazing, but also too good to be true. Still, reading review after glowing review confirming just this, as well as women swearing they’d never go back to pads or tampons, I thought I should seriously consider trying one. I was finally sold when a trusted friend raved about hers, and I purchased one shortly after.

The most difficult part about the menstrual cup was learning how to insert it: If you’re going to throw in the towel, this will likely be the reason why. It was a couple of cycles before I really felt comfortable and confident using mine, but I’m glad I stuck with it. After consulting a couple of YouTube videos, some online cup forums, and receiving a helpful folding tip from a friend, I was able to insert it comfortably, and there was no going back. I can count on one hand the times that I’ve leaked, and that was mostly in the beginning when I was still figuring out how much the cup would hold. This was never the case with tampons, particularly at night. I wear a pantyliner as back-up, but those are the only pads I ever use now.

You can use a cup for any activity you would use a tampon for — exercise, swimming, etc. It’s particularly nice when you travel, since you don’t need to bring a lot of supplies — just your cup and some cleanser. I think the greatest advantage is being able to wear it up for twelve hours, and that means overnight. I normally need to change it a couple times a day for the first few days of my period when flow is heaviest, but after that, I change it once in the evening and the morning until I’m done — that’s all.

Cleaning a menstrual cup is easy. Manufacturers recommend that you wash it with a mild soap or cleanser like DivaWash (which is pH balanced and won’t leave a residue that can cause irritation) twice a day, which only takes a minute. In between washings, you can simply dump the contents in the toilet and either rinse it with clean water or wipe it with a clean tissue (the best method if you find yourself caught in a public restroom and don’t want to be cleaning your cup in front of everyone in the sink!). Once your cycle is over for the month, you can give your cup a deep cleanse by boiling it for 5-10 minutes before putting it away for its next use.

You’ll find menstrual cups online or at your local natural food store. The cup I use, DivaCup, has an online store locator, and the website has lots of helpful information about how to use it and clean it. (This isn’t a paid endorsement, by the way, just information I found helpful when doing my own research regarding menstrual cups.)

So that’s my little woman-to-woman piece of advice for you today. What do you think? Have you tried a menstrual cup? Did you love it or hate it? Would you consider trying one?

Image: Ann Waterman

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Loving My ‘Hood

April 23, 2012

When most people think of Baltimore, they think of scenes from the The Wire – and sadly, every bit of that exists here. But there’s another side to the city, the side we fell for when we moved here from Washington, D.C., almost seven years ago. It’s a quirky, friendly, full-of-surprises kind of town made up of distinct neighborhoods — and that’s what I like best about it.

We live in Federal Hill, a historic downtown residential neighborhood named after a pretty park that overlooks Baltimore’s Inner Harbor. We weren’t in our little brick house a week before we knew most of our neighbors — an eclectic group who welcomed us and had lots to share about the neighborhood. Some were recent transplants like us; others had been here for years. A handful have lived on this street all of their lives. You’ll find the old-time residents sitting on their front steps on fair evenings, chatting up neighbors and passersby. I see people I know at the local coffee shop and on the street, and many shop owners know my name.

It’s not just the sense of neighborhood I love: I’m continually amazed at what’s accessible within a few minutes from our door. At the end of our street is the Chesapeake Bay itself, and a biking/walking trail that winds its way around the harbor and into the heart of downtown.

A few blocks away is a historic covered market surrounded by independent shops and many excellent restaurants. In the summertime, there’s a farmers’ market down the street on the campus of an underrated attraction called the Baltimore Museum of Industry.

One of most the fascinating museums in North America is right around the corner from us in the other direction — the American Visionary Art Museum (AVAM). The museum uses guest curators and shows the work of intuitive, self-taught artists.

I’ll always remember the exhibit I saw there of paintings and sculptures by people who believe they’ve seen or been abducted by aliens. AVAM has a permanent collection of about 4,000 pieces, as well as space for special exhibits and events. It also houses a fun restaurant where you can get some of the best pre-Prohibition style drinks around.

You can’t get a better view of the city skyline than from Federal Hill Park, which is just a couple blocks from our house. On any given day, you’ll find neighborhood dogs of every stripe and children running around in the large, fenced-in play area. There are tourists from every corner of the world.

The houses here are old, the vibe is laid back, and the people are welcoming. That’s our hood in a nutshell. If you walk more than 5 minutes, there’s even more to see and do, but I’ll save that for another time.

What do you love about where you currently live?

NOTE: Gabrielle Blair of Design Mom runs a periodic series called Love the Place You Live, where she invites her readers to share links of posts they’ve written on what they love about their stomping grounds. I’ve linked this post over on her site; if you have a blog, you might consider writing a post about where you live and doing the same!

Images: Zoe Saint-Paul

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