On the Road: Merry Christmas & Kuopio Kalakukko in Jyväskylä 2015!!

December 23-27, 2015

Happy Christmas! Christmas means to me is lovely family, snow white, good food, holiday vibe and warm greetings. I have never stopped missing Korean hot pot, Vietnamese spring rolls, Taiwanese steaming buns or Cantonese dim sum, nevertheless, I am also a big fan of fatty ham with honey mustard. During the black Christmas days, at dining time we experience ‘fish bread’, a traditional treat from northern Finland, Kuopio.

Called kalakukko in Finnish, (literally translated as ‘fish cock’ in English) is prepared with rye flour (ruisleipä) and seasoned with salt; the filling consists of kalakukko, which is either vendace (muikku), or European perch/cisco (ahven). Salmon is also used for some occasions.

Traditionally, in southern Savonia, the vendace is advocated as the only fish for the true kalakukko. Kalakukko can be either eaten cold or reheated in an oven. It takes about one hour in 130 °C for the size about 1 kilogram. The appropriate drink to accompany kalakukko is buttermiilk or piimä.

The derivation of Kalakukko is due to the easy-preservation and high-nutrition for the farmers or workers away from home. Kalakukko can be kept for a long time when is unopened. Our kalakukko is a Christmas gift from the neighbours, I am so fond of the taste of vendace, but the rye bread is too dry to chew.

With fruit and beetroot salad, the Christmas season is fatty yet deliciously healthy. I am loving it!

Special Thanks: Perhe Heikkinen

Magazine Madness: Bond Bombshell--Léa Seydoux By Craig McDean

VOGUE UK November 2015

From Sean Connery to Daniel Craig, Bond movies to me are adventurous, exotic, action-packed and literary justice, not until I began my literary criticism did I realize that Bond episodes are highly Daedalus complex and absolute sexism. And indeed, Interviewer Giles Coren toward the idea to a Bond girl, is ‘so loaded with sex and submissiveness and double-entendre.

Through fashion photographer Craig McDean’s observation, Léa Seydoux on fashion campaign pages of VOGUE UK November 2015 issue, with Jitrois black stretch leather jumpsuit, looks like Scarlett Johansson but with that Vanessa Paradis gap between front teeth. Seydoux’s eyes are able to communicate with, conveying her either a lethal sex kitten or an innocent girl-next-door, within a second. Photographer McDean does not apply soft-focus this time on Seydoux as he tried on Emma Stone in Interview May 2015, instead, on ‘bond girl’ image a monotone, and Max Mara and Christopher Kane skirts he adapts pinky spring atmosphere to contrast the ‘black leather jumpsuit’ fatal feel. The stripe setting of the monotone images, Seydoux’s disarmingly alluring pose is as if she is ‘getting wet’ with the devastatingly fitted suit. Seydoux ‘s wearing of peachy pink Prada jersey coat makes her as sweet as ‘Florale’ (Seydoux is also the face of Prada Candy parfum), but her voices, as Coren describes, is so softly, and giggles often during the 2-hour chat.

Born as Léa Hélène Seydoux-Fornier de Clausonne, her family is well known in France: her grandfather, Jérôme Seydoux, is the chairman of Pathé and her father is CEO of the French wireless company Parrot. Despite her interest, Seydoux family didn’t aid Léa to gain her acting career. The reason of her being an actress, is because ‘people can take care of me. To be an actress is a refuge. You are taken everywhere, stay in wonderful hotels, everyone looks after you, buys you clothes and food…’ (219). But for the Bond girl, she points out that ‘most women love a Bond girl. They don’t care about the politics. They like how she looks, what she wears’ (222). I do care about the feminism at Bond series, but I have to admit that I am in love with Léa Seydoux’s wearing ivory white crepe suit and Chloé suede sac that Spectre scene filming in Morocco.

New spokeswoman of Louis Vuitton, a professional doctor Madeleine Swann in Sam Mendes’ Spectre, and winner of Palme d’Or for Blue Is the Warmest Colour, this unlikely Bond girl’s job is not just to get wet, get frisky and get killed. And I am anticipating Seydoux’s silhouette appearing on some covers of fashion magazine soon.

Works Cited & Photography:

www.vogue.co.uk

For more Photography from Craig McDean, please visit:

http://www.artandcommerce.com/artists/photographers/craig-mcdean

Accessories Accede: What’s in My Chanel Makeup Sac?

Q&A After Working Hours in Helsinki

What are your working essentials in Chanel Makeup sac? 

IPhone 5C and ID are my everyday necessities. 

How cute of this SS15 Chanel Makeup sac! Tell us about your choice. 

The PVC material was at first not my priority, but black zipper with Chanel interlocked logo give this pochette more of a fun touch, plus it’s the freebie while purchased over 50 EUR at Emotions SOKOS, so I grab it without any hesitation. Surprisingly the PVC material is a great protection of my IPhone 5C, and its lightweight is easy to carry on at work. 

✔Chanel caviar cowhide leather cardholder is my best ID keeper. I plan to insert a piece of lovely Fuji Instax photo soon after Christmas. 

✔Japanese handmade wooden comb is a proud find during my 2014 Japan business stay. This sophisticated work of art with beautiful floral sculpture on hilt,つげcarved at the back, neat teeth along with sandalwood scent (樁油仕上) accompanied with Nishijin weaving cover (西陣織), is my windy-day remedy and beauty must-have. 

✔Elizabeth Arden 8-hour cream lip balm is my all-time protection. Its stickiness is perfectly suitable for windy days in Helsinki. 

✔Chanel Le Lift eye cream 3ml and Chanel mascara #10 noir are from the Chanel beauty freebie, are already ready at Makeup sac! 

✔KÄMP Hotel dark chocolate is the freebie while ordering at teatime at bar area. 

✔Viktor & Rolf FLOWERBOMB Body Cream 15ml is one of the freebies from 30ml eau de parfum. With a sense of floral and opulent with intensive sweet jasmine, seductive rose, freesia and orchid, while its milky and powdery notes gently fondle my skin. This ‘Bomblicious’ lait pour le corps is also an immediate perfume for my quick adjustment at work. 

✔This customized wooden name charm is one of the cutest gifts from my Japanese friends. Hand-cut from Ricordo Studio (リコルド, literally means ‘memory’ in Italian), Okayamaken (岡山県), this unique ‘hinoki’ material is carved ‘Mindy’ in hiragana! What a lovely way to think of my lovely Japanese amici!!!