Monday, March 31, 2008

CLUSTER #1

A list of seven favourite things in life beyond that already discussed - a gratuitous example of each one included.

  1. Perfumes. Lolita Lempicka.
    an enhanced sense of smell is naturally a double-edged sword - it really deplores me how this most emotionally powerful of senses is suppressed: why do people accept the refrigerated flowers, fruit and vegetables
    with no fragrance you find in supermarkets? and modern perfumes which, like celebrity for the sake of celebrity, are now far more to do with an image or idea they represent than the scent itself, design once again triumphing over content (these days only about 3% of the cost goes to the production of the liquid); I find a woman (or man) with a nice understated smell very attractive indeed, and of course it's less about the perfume itself than the magical chemistry - that said, a girl to choose the lesser-known fragrance Lolita Lempicka will surely cause a man's downfall

  2. Fruits. Acerola.
    you were probably anticipating the mango as my example, and it's hard for me not to include my beloved mango, yet it's only because I recently discovered in Madrid (thanks to my friend Laura at NASA) something even more devastatingly delicious and transcendent: the acerola! grown in the Caribbean and the Americas, this small red fruit contains an absurdly high amount of vitamin C in addition to offering other powerfully magical effects that I shall leave to your fertile imagination - suffice to say that as you have that first ever molecule of acerola touch the first tastebud on your tongue, you immediately know it's about to have its scandalous way with you

  3. Travels. Barcelona.
    after five productive years in London, even though I didn't know it, I was ready for a move and it was the unlikely combination of a concert in Barcelona and a burglary back home that prompted me to make the move to live there - it was the best thing I ever did; and, with the best transitions, it created the space for me to really develop as a human being on the inside through the wonderfully functional Catalan culture and people, and through the climate and the air; oh, and the red wine

  4. Drink. Tea.
    nowadays, I drink very little alcohol by UK standards and a glass of rioja crianza in good company is a genuine pleasure, yet I don't apologise for saying that nothing can match the life-affirming qualities of a fine brew of a quality infusion (not that PG Tips dust) - two tea moments in particular stand out, one at a gourmet teashop in Switzerland and another
    (of the green variety) in Tokyo both which were, let's just say, fulfilling

  5. Hotel. La Posada De San José.
    unknown to many due its inland location and relative remoteness to the tourist traps, La Ciudad Encantada ('The Enchanted City') in Cuenca, Spain is one of the most beautiful places in Europe and there is an extraodinary 17th century building perched precariously on the sheer rock face - I've had the fortune to stay in many wonderful hotels, and I do love those with a bit of character; it can be exciting, it can be erotic, it can be an adventure, as you form part of all the untold stories that the walls of your room are secret witnesses to - and none more so than La Posada,
    originally an ancient college for the local cathedral's, erm, choirboys...

  6. Animals. Bonobo Chimpanzee.
    dogs and cats have wonderful personalities that I adore; I think maybe because we see in them some of the attributes that we as human animals can ourselves be proud of, our highest values represented in a purity of form - beyond moggies and pooches and other creatures, for me it's the bonobo chimp (even more when compared to our own cursed species)

  7. Restaurant. That Place In Kitakyushu.
    a bit like not knowing the love of your life's name, (shamefully) I still can't recall the name of the best restaurant I've ever enjoyed, the one in Kitakyushu I referred to before - Japanese food is exceptional at the best of times and it's in Kyushu where reputedly you'll enjoy the finest

8 comments:

couldnotstop said...

Never fail to fascinate with these favorite posts :)
I particularly enjoyed your words on perfumes-I'm consistently beguiled by the amazing fragrant concoctions one can find in the "fragrance" underground-costly vials lovingly decanted from all across the world exchanged like precious gems-I enjoy the discovery more than anything else...Fragrance can be transcendental and powerful beyond our wildest imagination-a gentle waft is all it really takes to trigger amazing mental and physical reactions.
Lolita Lempicka is an old favorite-I also recommend seeking out the newest L by Lolita Lempicka (and the absolutely shatteringly beautiful packaging)
Other favorites include Viktor and Rolf's Flowerbomb, Yosh' Heart is Deceitful, Pilar and Lucy Friction of the Stars, and desperately lemming for Parfumerie Generales Un Crime Exotique (Chinese osmanthus, gingerbread, tea, cinnamon, star anise, mate absolute, vanilla sugar, South Sea Island sandalwood)If you're a vanilla lover I've heard that Indult's Tihota is so pure it incites obsessive devotion...

William Bennett said...

wonderful to read that, clearly I need to investigate further some of these names, 'tihota' is Rapa Nui for 'sugar' apparently (wow), many thanks for sharing that :)

Heike Sperling said...

FYI: http://theresalduncan.typepad.com/witostaircase/perfume/index.html
Still adore TD for her perfume reviews and all the rest.
xxx

Ea-M. said...

Have been contemplating if i should respond to this in public, in private or indeed at all.
My personal top X would look different, but i've decided to make a few comments.

1) Personally i prefer humanbeings to smell like - humanbeings. This might be because of aensitive skin; i tend to break out or have troubles breathing die to many of the chemicals used in perfumes. It might be because i percept people who dare smelling like themselves as more honest, than people hiding behind a "shield of artificial olfactory deception".
What came first, the hen or the egg?
I have one perfume i sometimes use, which i composed myself in Egypt, consisting of pure floral essence. It's just about 2/3 white lillies (narcisses) and 1/3 black lotus. Nothing more, nothing less...

2)
I will never forget where i was, who i was with and what i wore the first (and so far last) time i tasted acerola. Indeed i have special love for the fruit, buit nothing beats my beloved pineapple. It's simply just delicious and versatile in a way no other fruit can match. Warm, cold, spicy, mild, raw or coocked.. Pineapple always works...

3) Berlin - more excactly Prenzlauerberg - seems to whisper "welcome home" every time i get there. I don't know why. Berlin is in general dirty, ugly and uncharming... Maybe it's why i feel such closeness to it?

4) I love tea, but was i to choose a favourite drink, it would be pure tap-water.

5) I have no favourite hotel. As much as i understand the thoughts about anonymity and history what really - to me - makes hotels so fantastic is the pressed white linnen. Just can't get enough...

6) Animals... That was a hard one, but i guess my favourite animal is... The Cow!
It's practical; it provides milk for dairies (such as cheese and yoghurt) and/or lovely red meat for whatever... If the food isnøt enough, there's also LEATHER, LEATHER and more leather. A material which is sexy and very durable and practical...

7) Chez Ea-M.
As much as i love going out enjoying fine cuisine, even the more i love the thought of making a special meal for someone i care about. The process of actually making an effort...
I think being able to make a meal for someone you care about is one of the most important gifts a person could ever give another...

Wendell said...

Favorite drink (alcoholic): absinthe. I do not have it often, and my taste buds have a ways to develop for the appreciation. Fine absinthe is a treat for the five (traditional?) senses! Take as much time as possible with the louche, to relieve the alcohol of the myriad herbal essential oils it was holding for your enjoyment, brings a delightful aroma, color-change, flavor and mouth-feel change about, slowly growing with each drop of ice-cold water. No sugar with these finer absinthes, to enjoy the sweet green anise, the pleasingly bitter wormwood, and the crisp fennel. Holding it in your mouth, there is an almost milky mouth-feel, and some tender tongue-numbing. The aftertaste lingers past bedtime.

Monster Paperbag said...

acerola.. i should try that some time..

Richo said...

I'm all for exploring more exotic and, perhaps, comparitively more alluring or exciting fruits, but there's still a place for the more humble varieties. My bowl is always brimming with sweet apples and, when in season, clementines. They're practical, versatile and, indeed, bloody tasty. Not referring to the kinds found in supermarkets necessarily, either. There appear to be all kinds of different apples available from the nearest market to me here in Krakow, and they're clearly different to the types found in supermarkets for their not lasting half as long. Much as I love fruits such as the African gooseberry (whose correct name presently escapes me), I don't think we should ever forget those that have always been with us.

Odile Lee said...

"Parfumerie Generales Un Crime Exotique (Chinese osmanthus, gingerbread, tea, cinnamon, star anise, mate absolute, vanilla sugar, South Sea Island sandalwood Indult's Tihota ..."

Where do I sell organs to get these?
As for acerola, anything loaded with vit c, sour- Im mad for.
Lemon peels, in particular I like. Odd, but fruit is crap around here. Except mangos.