Danderma's Blog, page 26

Do You Stop for Pedestrians at Zebra Crossings?

Whenever I walk the streets of London, I know for a fact that I can step off the curb and cross the street without batting an eyelash if I’m passing over a Zebra crossing. I’d walk normally, secure in the knowledge that every single vehicle in driving down that street must stop when pedestrians need to cross the street from their designated spot and that every vehicle will indeed stop. I’ve never come across a bus, a shuttle, a taxi, a truck, or an expensive sports car that didn’t stop for me, ever!

Crossing the street is not something we are familiar with in Kuwait, we don’t really walk the streets much and the few times I had to cross the street i.e. walking between malls in Salmiya for example, I’ve had to wait anxiously for the street to empty up and dash across the street like a mad woman trying to escape the zooming cars approaching in space rocket speed! Zebra crossings, and pedestrians, never have priority in Kuwait. Other cars don’t have priority either since whomever is driving thinks he has priority even if its wasn’t his turn or lane but that’s another matter all together.

It doesn’t matter if it’s a Zebra crossing, no one will stop for you. I usually try to stop for pedestrians, I really do. Yesterday morning I stopped for a lady to cross the street FROM a zebra crossing. Other cars on other lanes didn’t stop and people honked and were agitated because of my action even though it was the right way to go! If you try to do the right thing for pedestrians you are faced with the wrath of your fellow car drivers. Its not like I’m letting them cross just because, it is a designated pedestrian crossing area where pedestrians, yes those who are moving on two feet, do have priority over those moving on four wheels.

Is it because pedestrians are viewed as non important? That because they are walking on their feet they are slower therefore they aren’t in a hurry to reach their destination? Is it because most pedestrians are poor expat workers? Would people stop of there was more Kuwaiti pedestrians for example? Or a good looking girl wanting to cross? No wonder pedestrians are throwing themselves at passing cars whenever and wherever they feel like it. 

Do you stop at Zebra crossing in Kuwait? For anyone? If you don’t, why not?

My First Ever Amazon Order

Before the end of year 2013 I’d like to share on my blog something I’ve done for the very first time an entire decade ago, the memory is crystal clear and I can still feel my enthusiasm while taking pictures to document the “event”, ten years ago I had plucked up the courage and sought to purchase something from Amazon online and have it delivered to Kuwait for the first time ever! 

On September 27, 2003, I received my first ever brown box from Amazon.com. It was my first ever online purchase and back then I had neither a Visa card I could use online nor an Aramex mailbox. I remember driving to the DHL to pick up my box, excitement bubbling inside me for being able to order something all the way from the USA using only a computer screen. I didn’t have a camera on me so I used my Nokia mobile camera which also was another WOW factor back then. I felt very, well, technology-lised, driving back home and taking a picture on my mobile of something I’ve ordered using the computer on the internet that’s sitting right next to me on the passenger seat! All things we take for granted these days.

Back home the obsession with documenting the moment started, yes taking pictures of everything is an old habit of mine, using my horrible Nokia camera I took picture of every angle of my first ever Amazon box. The pictures, as you can see, is of the most terrible quality and I didn’t get myself a proper digital camera until a year later.

I could see that the box was already opened for inspection by MOI. I had paid for the box to be shipped using DHL International which cost me $36.48 ! What was I thinking? But then again I was so eager to be able to order things online and have them shipped home that I couldn’t care less that the delivery alone almost cost me 15 KD!

I had also decided that my first ever Amazon order be a gift for myself therefore I had it gift wrapped. I have the tendency to gift wrap thins I buy for myself whenever I could help it because it makes me giddy with joy, and my first order via the internet had to look good and be spectacular. Its a good thing the MOI inspection didn’t open up my gift wrapping or I’d been devastated.

Yes, it came with a gift card and everything! I cannot find the gift card though nor can I remember or find on Amazon what was written on the card. If I find it I’ll update this post.

Do you know what was inside the gift wrapped and brown boxed first Amazon order of mine? Something I’ve longed for back then and something I still cherish till this day. If you know me, take a wild guess before you look at the picture below?

It was the first complete season of FRIENDS on DVD! My absolute favourite show, ever, and it was still running at that time. I had seen most of the episodes from Season 2 onwards, over and over, but I’ve never seen Season one or knew how it all started. The moment I finished taking these picture, and I had the hardest time putting time that Nokia camera, the moment I was done I had the most lovely time watching FRIENDS first episodes for the very first time

I remember, since I didn’t have a VISA card then and if I had I wouldn’t have dared use it online, that I paid for my order using a Bank payment order or whatever its called from the bank. It took me forever, me and the teller, trying to figure out what to type on the payment paper and where everything went. Then I had to ship that bank payment paper thing, then I had to wait for it to arrive to Amazon and be processed and accepted by Amazon. I placed my first online order on Amazon.com on September 14, 2003 and received my first online order ever on September 27, 2003. It cost me $67.91 plus taxes and shipping.

I then got myself an safe and secure VISA card for Internet usage, I believe it was from NBK and Aramex had just opened up in Kuwait City so I went and subscribed for a mailbox. My second online order ever was placed on 6 December 2013 and since it was so easy and fast to get your orders via Aramex back then with almost no MOI or customs holdup, I’ve gone and ordered again and again and again, everything from Medicine to gourmet chocolate, books and movies and music to clothing and even once Ben’s cookies.

I miss the old and early days of online shopping. The thrill you got from knowing that brown box chock-full of lovely things for you to enjoy has arrived from as far away as you can imagine. I barely order anything online anymore and if I do, the delay from the customs and MOI and the unbelieveably expensive shipping prices would dampen my spirit and take away from my happiness.

Can you remember a time where ordering online wasn’t so common? Do you remember your very first online order? What did you buy?

Trying the Bliss ‘pore’-fector Gadget

If you’ve been reading my blog for a while you might recall that I once told you about an obsession of mine with everything “anti-age”. My room is chockfull of products promising eternal youth and wrinkle-free complexions and from it stems everything facial related. I’m not much of a makeup person, I look horrible with makeup on and it itches no matter what brand it is, but I love beauty products. My favourite brand to this day is Bliss, particularly the triple oxygen facial range, for it actually does indeed deliver instant results and I swear by it.

Whenever I travel I used to bring back a good Bliss supply, even when it became available in Harvey Nichols Kuwait I still bring back some of the items they don’t sell.

The last time I was in the UK I went looking for Bliss’s latest gadget, an electric want-like device called ‘pore’-fector that cleanses the face and helps reduce the size of facial pores. I do have a problems with open pores and I know now for a fact that they, like stretch marks,  never really disappear but they can become smaller and less noticeable. The ‘pore’-fector was supposed  to be the home answer to reducing the look of open pores.

The gadget uses sonic waves and kneading movement to help deep clean your pores which in turn helps reduce their size. It comes with a toner which you use with the gadget and it can also be used to apply the moisturiser cream afterwards in a smooth pat-like motion.

All you have to do before you use it is to charge it, which doesn’t take long.

Then you wet your skin and apply the toner, following the instructions on the manual precisely.

I was a bit scared to use it directly on my face, what if it hurts? So I used it first on the back of my hand. The device massaged the skin softly and didn’t hurt at all. There are two modes, one for normal skin and one that applies less strength for sensitive skin. I used it with the toner to clean my face and then used it to apply the moisturiser cream afterwards.

I haven’t been using my gadget for a long time now but from the first usage my skin looked cleaner and the areas where I’ve used the gadget have a nice reddish hue that lasted for about a day then began to fade. Once you are done with the gadget you should wipe the blade with alcohol or disinfectant wipes before replacing the protective plastic lid and stowing it away until the next use.

The ‘pore’-factor gadget isn’t available in Kuwait to knowledge, the last time I checked Harvey Nichols it wasn’t there anyway. If you happen to be near a Bliss store abroad check it out if you are interested.

Trying to Prepare a Glass of Coffee Marble

This is not a recipe per say, its more of a trial, but it all started when I came upon a hashtag on instagram by the title #CoffeeMarble and the pictures I saw there made me want to have a coffee marble so bad! I was in the middle of sorting my new book fair books and sorting out the ones I was going to take to Q8books but I dropped everything, mid sorting, and went to the kitchen to try my hand at preparing the coffee marble. 

The glasses of coffee marble I saw were definitely cold brewed coffee with ice, milk or cream being poured in slowly. I thought about which coffee I should use and whether I should brew it first or not and if I did, would it leave a residue? Then as I was searching I found a jar of Nescafe’s Cafe Parisien which is strong and delicious and so unlike the real Nescafe taste. When the Nescafe granules dissolve in water they almost have no residue left which means I won’t have blobs of coffee granules dancing around my cup.

In one cup of hot water I dissolved three heaved spoonfuls of coffee granules and a spoonful of sugar and stirred. I let it stand for about five minutes until it cooled down a bit, then I filled an ice tray with the coffee mixture and placed in the freezer. After about half an hour I took the ice trays out again and the coffee cubes were iced over but not entirely firm, they had a slushy consistency about them that’s just what I wanted.

My dining table still strewn with books, I decided to use them as props for the picture instead of pushing them away. I placed a handful of the iced coffee cubes in a glass, poured over some cold water, and I had iced coffee! I decided to try my luck with low fat milk, I used Vital from Al-Maraei, and I poured slowly and just a dash, et Voila!

I took a lot of pictures of the marbled coffee, but none to my satisfaction still. I watched the waves of milk dancing around the melting coffee ice cubes, coming together in the most beautiful marbled concoction. It will all settle down into a latte coloured cup of coffee eventually though.

I tried my luck with a much smaller cup, a tea estekana cup, and the effect was the same. I noticed though that the swirls of milk took a bit longer to fuse with the blackness of the coffee.

I added a shot of syrup when the coffee and the milk was all settled down and stirred the thing with a straw, it needed a bit more sugar for the coffee was too strong. It was a fun cup of coffee to make and absolutely beautiful. Quite delicious and refreshing if I may add. I spend my weekend sorting books, reading books, and drinking iced coffee marble. I will be trying it again for sure!

Do You Haggle Over Prices with Sellers?

If there is one thing on earth I cannot stand it would would haggling, or bargaining with sellers for the price of their goods. Haggling is an art, or so I’m told, and many people excel on it. Some people would go on forever, asking for more discount even after the poor seller has exhausted all means of saying he can’t offer anymore.

I usually squirm when I’m with someone, buying something, and they’d start bargaining. I don’t like it and I actually step in and ask the person to stop bargaining when it gets too bad, enough is enough. I usually get told off by people I know for not bargaining or for ruining their prolonged bargain. I personally never bargain, ever. If I’m told a price I will accept it and either produce the money or move on if I think its too much. This is the price at which the seller is offering, take it or leave it. Why would you deny this person the profit he aims for? He is trying to make a living after all and when he sells for less than he anticipates because of your haggling he will end up with less profit than he anticipates.

The most annoying haggles are for amounts like a kd or two, sometimes 500 fils! Sometimes even I have to admit that haggling can save you big numbers, 200 or 500 KD for example, and I’m impressed but still don’t like it. However, after blowing all my cash in the last book fair for booklets that cost 4 KD and above, I’ve learned that the book fair offers a 25% discount on books and that you must be given a receipt for your purchases and if it doesn’t include a discount you can complain to the fair’s management. Since I’m not the haggling type I wouldn’t have though it possible to bargain on book prices in the first place but now I’m not so sure anymore!

Should I have asked for a discount? Would I have asked for a discount? When I knew about the 25% discount I said that next year I’m going to ask for it since they participants agreed to it in the first place but would I stand there and go how much it is and where is my discount? I’m not sure I’d do it since it does resemble haggling in a way, doesn’t it?

What do you think? Do you haggle for prices or not? Are you a good bargain hunter? Do you know someone like me who complains when you keep asking for a discount?

My Purchases From Kuwait Book Fair 2013

If I’m to compare this year’s book fair to the previous two I’d say this one, collections wise, was much better than its successors! I’ve been to the book fair several times and each time I’ve ran out of money given that I kept getting more and more books. Of course I never knew that the fair offered a 25% discount on all books displayed but you had to haggle with the sellers for it and ask for a receipt and almost no book I’ve found costs less than four KD.

The first day I went to the book fair I got into Hall number 7 first, which is the hall designated for children mostly. On one side of the hall there were several foreign embassies displaying books and holding different activities like the Japanese embassy below for example. 

My personal favourite hall was number 6 designated for Arabic publishers. Many Kuwaiti authors choose to publish with a Lebanese or an Egyptian publishing houses therefore the selection they have of books on display is endless.

I found myself an Arabic translation of Dante’s Divine Comedy. I found two books only: Inferno and Paradise so I got me the first one Inferno. I’m not sure how the book made it into Kuwait’s book fair with the level of censorship we suffer from but I’m glad I did get it.

There was a publisher with the most delicious ancient books. They were falling apart therefore I daren’t touch them but did check out this book below with half of its spine missing. 

The book was about Arabic grammar and it dated back to the 1920s!

I also found plenty of stories from my childhood, those mysteries or “al’3az” meant the world to me and I collected them when I was a child back in the day!

More book… and more books… and some more books!

I didn’t linger much on hall number five which is the Kuwaiti section. Most of the books available are ones I could buy at any given time from Kuwaiti libraries plus it was the most crowded hall especially since there were plenty of authors signing their books for eager readers.

This bag on wheels was definitely the star of this year’s book fair! Wherever you went you could find them filled with books and pulled behind shoppers. I want one of my own for next year insha2 Allah.

I loved the new addition to the exhibitions halls, long high-ceilinged corridors dotted with booths, a cafe, and small exhibition stalls. For example there was this lovely photography exhibition where local photographers displayed some of their work.

Of course no trip to the Book fair, or any fair in Mishref’s exhibition ground, is complete without some grilled corn cobs. People can make fun of people who go there and eating them all they want but I personally enjoy having them after a long browse in any exhibition. Its a Kuwaiti tradition a9lan!

The parking was a nightmare this year, construction work around the different halls meant congested traffic and no parking to be found nearby. Its a good thing the weather is good which meant we could walk. Hopefully by next year this problem would be resolved.

The collection of English and foreign language books in the fair were very scarce. A sad thing really, but if you were looking for Harry Potter you wouldn’t find any problems though, its everywhere. Why can’t we have a fair where foreign publishers in different languages can  display their book and bring along their authors to sign their books. Imagine Dan Brown signing your copy of inferno for example? Why not? Really, why not?

Its notable that the amount of comical books of how to please your husband and how to interpret your dreams are on the decline. Its also notable that the phenomena that started last year of very young Kuwaiti authors pushing their novels at you so you’d buy them and they get to sign it is on the rise and frankly is rather obnoxious. The number of political books especially regarding the Arab Spring is on the rise and wherever you looked you could find something about it.

Now what did I get? Three mysteries for old times sake.

Three green garden stories from my childhood. I’m rebuilding the collection I once had for my children in the future.

And this is the rest, most of which are novels though.

I got two of my novels signed by the authors.

I loved these quarterly magazines I found sold by an Egyptian publisher. Its called the memory of Egypt, published by the Library of Alexandria, and looks like a magazine from the old times with old news, pictures, stories, and even old ads! I wish we had a similar magazine in Kuwait, again, why not?

In conclusion this book fair was very interesting indeed. Three books that I know of where banned after being in displayed in the fair and bought by people, two of which are novels! There was another Kuwaiti novel I wanted that was banned and also a three book collection regarding the history of Kuwait that was just published yet isn’t available still. Prices are also on the rise but next year I’m going to use that 25% discount argument for sure. 

How did you like this Kuwait’s book fair 2013? What did you buy?

Dinner at Scaffali Ristorante Pizzeria

One famous restaurant in Kuwait is, or rather was, the 99 restaurant in Salhiya well known and loved for its pizza. A while back the doors of 99 Salhiya were bordered up and the sign taken down, another bearing the name Scafalli took its place. We’ve driven by several times before it was open and finally last week they did so we decided to stop by for dinner.

Decorated to look like a shabby, cosey Italian Ristorante & Pizzeria, Scaffali is all red bricks and The soundtrack playing was Italian as well with a “Radio Napoli” announcement between songs. However, since we were all alone it didn’t have that cosey feel which we concluded was missing because the lights were too bright, they need to be dimmed a bit especially in such a big restaurant.

In the very back of Scaffali there were three big round slabs of Parmesan cheese and a big roaring fire in a wood-fired oven.

The menu arrived as soon as we sat down and it was huge! Endless pasta dishes, plenty of pizzas, a lot of appetisers, and even a section labelled 99 pizzas for those who are mourning the loss of the famous beloved 99!

I loved the variety on the menu but I hated the writing which was small and hard to read. It didn’t help that the waiters, very eager to help I’m sure, came up to us to take our orders two minutes after handing us the menu and when we asked for more time the left for another two minutes only. The third time they came to the table -within five minutes of receiving the menu- our waiter offered his help and we accepted and let him talk, asking for more time wasn’t going to work.

We didn’t have to wait long for the our order to arrive and our soft drinks arrived almost immediately. On the table you could find a little bell to ring if you needed your waiter’s attention and a small jar of some fiery chilli sauce.

The first item to arrive is the Goat’s cheese & spinach salad, which I have to say looked gorgeous presented inside a bowl of wood-fired oven booked piece of bread! Ten points for presentation.

The salad got ten point for flavour too, for it was very tasty and well dressed. By the time you are done eating all the good spinach leaves you’ll find that the balsamic salad dressing had drenched the bread bowl and if you, like me, like hot bread dunked in balsamic and olive oil, then you will have a good time breaking the bread bowl down and enjoying it, piece by piece.

The next item to arrive were the fries, which are pretty normal good old fries sprinkled with a chopped herb for decoration. Not earth shattering but not bad either. We wanted to order the Burrata cheese salad but sadly it wasn’t available that night.

Next came the pizza, the wood-fired oven Margarita pizza.

The pizza was really good and quite tasty. It did need another minute in the oven though, I like my pizzas a bit more charred, but it was good indeed.

We had ordered a Vegetarian Antipasti platter which should have arrived with the appetisers and when the pizza came we figured they’d forgotten about it. As we prepared to leave our Vegetarian Antipasti platter landed on our table and it was quite a sight.

Slices of grilled eggplants, grilled zucchini, sweet potatoes, potatoes, carrots, French beans, mushrooms, peas, olives, and haricot beans all dressed up with olive oil and herbs.

I’m so happy such a platter exists in the first place! Some of the items were quite tasty -eggplants, French beans, sweet potatoes- others needed a bit more cooking -potatoes-, some items were a tad too salty but we did enjoy the dish a lot. Be prepared for lots and lots of olive oil though, perhaps you can ask them to ease up on the oil before you order it.

Once the dish was done and removed we asked for the bill. The waiters informed us that we would be receiving a complimentary tiramisu dessert but we declined politely and asked for the bill again. It took a few minutes, then the waiter came again with new plates and sets of cutlery and we had to state with a more forceful tone that we wanted the check and not the tiramisu and that yes we knew it was free but we had to go. Finally the check had arrived and our bill came to 10.700 KD which is extremely decent for a dinner for two and a complimentary dessert

The food I tried at Scaffali is quite good and I did enjoy every bite. The parking however is quite a nightmare so if you are planning to go dine there I’d advice you to go with a driver. The overall atmosphere is not bad but its very quite with only us and another table of two dining there on a weekend night so if you are looking for a good meal in a nice and quite place in the heart of Kuwait City then Scaffali is the place for you.

Scaffali is located in Al-Sour Street, Salhiya, overlooking the Sheraton Roundabout. For more information and directions you can contact them by calling +(965)-22435599 or following them on instagram (@Scaffali).

What To Do with Mementoes of Ex-Relationships?

I have an old Goofy Disney Store bag from 1993 that I’ve used to keep every single card and note I’ve received since I was a teenager and are addressed to me, Nada the person and not to Danderma the blogger. I haven’t seen that bag in a while but yesterday I did. I thought checking the bag’s contents would make me happy, instead it rattled me and left me filled with dread and resentment. 

What do you when you come across a relic from a person, be it a friend, a relative, a cousin, or a love person, a person that was a part of your life, that you’ve loved and cherished and honoured, that you’ve shown your appreciation for and gone to the moon and back to please, listened to their gibberish and put up with their flaws, yet one day they simply decided to walk away, never looking back, leaving behind their scribbled note of undying love, endless pictures, and lots of memories that jab into your heart as painfully as shards of a broken glass penetrating your skin? What are you supposed to do when you read a birthday card wishing you all the happiness in the world, when the very same wisher would later stab you with a treacherous knife of betrayal in the back? Are you supposed to smile or sneer at the note from friend who decided to give you up because another friend gave you up and they followed, no questions asked, the way an obedient marionette would obey her masters movements? Where these words lies disguised as truths, or sincerity gone sour?

What about blog posts? Even in my virtual world I have numerous reminders of the stupidity of my kind heart. What are you supposed to do with loving posts about someone you cherished and enjoyed before turning into Do you delete those posts or keep them? What would you gain from deleting those posts exactly, they won’t be deleted from your brain when you send them to the Trash. What do you do with hundreds of pictures taking up space in your hard disk or gathering dust in your of people you never want to remember their names again, let alone see their faces again why accidentally going through your files?

Should you keep reminders of people you once thought you knew and let them surprise you, bring you down and ruin your mood if you happen to come across them, or should you take revenge on them and burn them, perhaps, letting go of both the relics and the anger that fills you up whenever you are reminded of their act? Perhaps its time to Feng Shui your possessions and clear out whatever item that stems negative feelings and sad thoughts. They say time heals all wounds, no?

I think pictures of mine should stay, posts of things I’ve done should continue living on, while anything else could join the bonfire I’m having to celebrate the near-end of the year 2013. A new year is approaching, and we should approach it light and free. Let the old weeds burn to make way for the new good times ahead. The Goofy bag will be lighter, but thankfully it won’t be empty.

What do you think? Would you dispose of things given to you, pictures you’ve taken, or posts you’ve published of people who are no longer part of your life? And why?

Movie Review: Delivery Man

When I saw the trailer of “Delivery Man” in the cinema while waiting for other movies to start I formed an opinion that its going to be an OK comedy with a wacky plot and a handful of funny scenes, half of which were burned out in the trailer already. I didn’t really want to go see it but there was nothing else on and I needed some laughter so I did. 

Delivery Man is the story about David Wozniak (Vince Vaughn), a slacker with not much of a life going on until one day a lawyer informs him that he had fathered 500+ children when he donated his sperm to a fertility clinic and that 140+ of those children are suing to find out who the father is really is since he was an anonymous donor with the pseudonym Starbuck. When David finds out that his girlfriend is pregnant but doesn’t think he is fit to become the baby’s father, he decides to step up to fatherhood and try to help his 140 by being there for them without telling them he is is indeed their biological father and the story goes on from there.

Well, just as I expected, the movie was an OK comedy with a hard to believe plot and more than a handful of funny scenes half of which were burned out in the trailer already. It was however a surprisingly sweet movie with David acting all fatherly towards strangers and how all these children of his provide an army of support for one another! None of them is going to be lonely ever again for sure. The movie is based on a book “Starbuck” that I’m going to look for and there is a Canadian movie by the name Starbuck that was out in 2011 which I’ve read is better than Delivery Man. I’m thinking of renting out Starbuck or 2011 and reading the book but I won’t find it necessary to add the movie Delivery Man to my DVD collection.

What to Get from Shakshooka Farmers Market Tonight?

Why should you go to Shakshooka Farmers Market tonight?

Let me show you what I’ve been indulging in this last week, all of which I’ve gotten from last week’s Shakshooka Farmers Market that was held in Q8books at Bait Lothan. I’ve yet to try something from Shakshooka that wasn’t scrumptious! On Friday morning I feasted on the bagels I got from Special Maryam’s. Sesame, poppy seed, oregano, and cinnamon bagels with orange juice and gorgeous coffee prepared with my trusty French press. 

Toasting those bagels and spreading them with luscious cream cheese, with sips of good coffee and tangy orange juice, on a cold calm Friday morning, is simply heavenly! Then you have the sticky sugary cinnamon bagel which deserved to be celebrated properly.

Cinnamon bagel, toasted, spread with Nutella, topped with bananas, sprinkled with nuts and pistachios.

Then drizzled with lucsious golden toffee sauce!

How’s that for a celebration? Simply gorgeous! If you go to Shakshooka Market tonight don’t miss Special Maryam’s bagels!

For lunch I had the lovely crusty baguette I got from Chef Mimi.

I turned it into sandwiches, toasted and filled with slices of grilled Granny Smith apples, brie cheese, honey, walnuts, and finished off with a drizzle balsamic glaze.

How good is this sandwich? Good enough to fight the crowds for the baguette!

Also from Chef Mimi I got me this tiny jar filled with this awesome combination of chewy fudgy brownie, salted caramel, and walnuts.

There are perhaps only two spoonfuls of the dangerous concoction, which I’ve enjoyed very slowly with plump juicy raspberries. Each bite tastes as good as it looks, even better!

Last but not least, I had a cup of Earl Gray tea in the calm weekend afternoon with the little bites of Aunt Marie’s caramels! This time I took the Lavendar and the pecan ones and they are as good as ever!

Shakshooka market is held each Thursday evening for one hour in a different location and its not to be missed! Take some spare change, a disposable bag, check the hashtag #ShakshookaMarket on instagram to get the latest location information, and be there EARLY so you can actually walk away with something. Happy shopping and bon appetite!