This edition of Diary of a Bourgie will stray from the beaten path, taking a different approach to better represent our extraordinary experiences from this past Sunday. Instead of one account, you will be given a separate account from each of us, totaling in four stories. Please, embrace the beauty of change and enjoy accordingly! (A quick aside, Annie's account is part of the one above!)
* * *
There is no proper way to explain how wonderfully decadent this past Sunday was. Not only was it one of those rare occasions when all of us were home, but it also marked a new epoch in the life of the Bourgies: the preview of Lala's Creamery, the ice cream shoppe La's parents are opening in downtown Petaluma. The afternoon was spent scooping delicious, homemade ice cream, creating traditional banana splits and indulging in the various flavors being showcased that day (including peanut butter and jelly ice cream, a rather spontaneous flavor La and I developed on Friday night; in a word: AMAZING). While this was pure happiness in itself, it cannot even compare to the conversation that followed shortly after all the customers had left.
Over coke floats and French folk music, we talked about our future. I say future, because it is collective, and involves all four of us living together on a sustainable hippie compound in Occidental once we reach the age of 40 (I'll let the others elaborate on the details of this wonderful venture, for I could never do it as much justice as is deserved). It is possible you are reading this, thinking one of the following: that this plan will never work because we will be far too poor, that we will never follow through, or that we are insane. On the contrary my friends! Okay, I'll admit we are a bit insane, but we are also four intelligent and driven girls (adults? women? I don't know what to call us!) who WILL make this happen. And of course, we have a back up plan....
...Now, how could we ever run a successful and prosperous hippie commune without a plot of land devoted to the growth of ganja? After I achieve all hipster desires as a graphic designer living in SOMA or the Mission District in San Francisco with my artsy husband, I will undergo a transformation and return to my hippie roots. It has all been planned out in a few short steps:
Step 1: turn my head of luscious, hip length curls into dreds, start wearing mumus and walking barefoot, and adopt an African or Indonesian baby.
Step 2: obtain a medical marijuana license from Oaksterdam, create a rare blend of weed and master the craft of baking edibles.
Step 3: sell my glorious product out of a psychedelic VW bus at local farmer's markets.
See? Problem solved. Yes, we may be hippie freaks, but actually, we prefer to be called gypsies, thank you very much.
Peace and love, my friends...
Meesh
* * *
I'm very excited to announce that Lala's Creamery (NOT to be confused with Laloo's Goats Milk Ice Cream) is scheduled to open in downtown P-town this weekend! It's been a dream of my family's since I can remember, and when the opportunity arose to have a space, my father, the entrepreneur-extraordinaire/super hero that he is, seized it, and my mother, the goddess/super-woman that she is, will be running it! In true Lala fashion, the ice cream parlor features many classic flavors alongside locally and seasonally inspired and unique combinations, all made on site, some by yours truly! Also in the tradition of me and my mom, a serious tea service will be available, most likely by Meesh, as well as sick 'spro libations, crafted by young jedi baristas under the guidance of the her Majesty, the Sick-ass 'Spro queen, Annie.
So we're all pumped because we'll all likely be working at this joint, at least come summertime. And the beauty of it is, the gorgeous parlor bears an uncanny resemblance to my own kitchen (wonder who designed it) and thus, we all feel completely at home in it already. It's like we never left the nest. The nest just got some new shit for us to play with.
Last Sunday the four of us found ourselves satisfied and maybe too full of ice cream, with arms made weak from scooping countless boules of frozen creamy goodness, retired around a table in the parlor, in the reflection of the afternoon sun. Crowded around this table, we spoke of the future, and as Meesh has described, we spoke more seriously than one might assume.
I don't know what lies ahead for me. Right now, I'm on a sort of quest, squeezing answers for my millions of questions from biology classes, anthropology classes, professors, experiences, books and sometimes blogs. I say squeezing because it's not always readily apparent what I might discover in a lecture, or in a conversation, but it all feels connected to this understanding I'm building of food, life, earth, health and relationships. Therefore, even when I find myself searching, I know that I'm on to something worthwhile. Building a major out of salty, seawater air and a few cookbooks is wonderfully challenging, and it seems everything, from Lala's, to this blog, to my happiness, and to the beauty of sharing good food and good words with the people I love, are connected to it. My life is, as Annie has so eloquently described, one that strives toward passion and dedication. After only a few handfuls of entries, this blog has expressed more completely and creatively than any of us could have done on our own, the effect that passion about food as a ritual and a necessity, transcends the literal meaning of nourishment, and how it can transform a situation, build a family, and stimulate culture in a time (now) and demographic (our own) that many claim is apathetic.
Passion and food; words picked ripe, and ready for inspiration.
* * *
I'm not going to lie, I'm a little intimidated to write something right now. Annie just wrote up an amazing post, and in this post, I am preceded by two eloquent and beautiful accounts of last Sunday and life in general. I think that's the best part about this blog; the fact that it combines four different girls from four different backgrounds and each has a strikingly unique style and flare of her own. Yet, however different we all may be, we share a few common entities: passion (the theme for today) for life, love of food and sense of friendship that connect us all.
As the sun peaked through the windows of LaLa's Creamery and we all sat chatting about life, food, the future, etc., there was a comforting warmth that filled the air. And though it was a glorious Petaluma day, it was not a warmth that was emitted solely from the sun, but a warmth that came from within. Illuminating the room through our smiles, our laughs, transcending the shine of the sun and the glow of the ceiling lights and reaching each and everyone of us in a uplifting way.
I sat there listening to the conversation, embracing the atmosphere, taking as much of it in as I could- totally immersed in my surroundings. Who could not be at peace in a time like this? This is what life is all about- enjoyment, happiness, blissfulness, serenity. You can call it whatever you'd like but it is all the same. It's embracing the life you have. It's taking the time to, excuse the cliche, but stop and smell the roses, to stop sweating about the small stuff and know everything is going to work out.
This is probably sounding so corny but I don't care. Looking back on this past six months, I cannot think of anything else I would want to be doing. I have a new-found passion for anthropology, which has presented me with amazing opportunities to study subjects like paleoethnobotany and conduct research on a beautiful Maya site, El Pilar, which has lead me into the journalism field. Not to mention that my friends are amazing. The kind of people that you don't have to worry about judging you. That are all so different and intelligent and caring and you can always count on to have your back.
I have always heard of the magic of La's kitchen. How it is the spot that everyone rushes to to hangout. As a newcomer to the group, my first experience of the kitchen came over break. The funny thing was that it didn't start in the kitchen. It started in the creamery, the second kitchen as you could call it, and continued into the actual kitchen. Or maybe, it's not the magic of the kitchen, it was the magic of good friends being together- laughing, joking, watching La's little brothers create mayhem wherever they went. But everything was done with a smile- and even as I type this I can't help but smile. And laugh.
I started out thinking I would write this post about the creamery, the ice cream flavors, and the commune, however, it's turned into a reflection about life. So sorry if that's not what you wanted to hear. But everything did stem off of that day and the thought of living in four different airstreams in Occidental and growing all of our own food and making amazing breads in an outdoor oven and what ever else we proposed for our compound. Yep, I think we have a pretty solid game plan. At least for when we turn forty. Until then, we just have to enjoy the ride and whatever adventures that entails.
Here's to lookin' at you kid,
Caroline
I'm very excited to announce that Lala's Creamery (NOT to be confused with Laloo's Goats Milk Ice Cream) is scheduled to open in downtown P-town this weekend! It's been a dream of my family's since I can remember, and when the opportunity arose to have a space, my father, the entrepreneur-extraordinaire/super hero that he is, seized it, and my mother, the goddess/super-woman that she is, will be running it! In true Lala fashion, the ice cream parlor features many classic flavors alongside locally and seasonally inspired and unique combinations, all made on site, some by yours truly! Also in the tradition of me and my mom, a serious tea service will be available, most likely by Meesh, as well as sick 'spro libations, crafted by young jedi baristas under the guidance of the her Majesty, the Sick-ass 'Spro queen, Annie.So we're all pumped because we'll all likely be working at this joint, at least come summertime. And the beauty of it is, the gorgeous parlor bears an uncanny resemblance to my own kitchen (wonder who designed it) and thus, we all feel completely at home in it already. It's like we never left the nest. The nest just got some new shit for us to play with.
Last Sunday the four of us found ourselves satisfied and maybe too full of ice cream, with arms made weak from scooping countless boules of frozen creamy goodness, retired around a table in the parlor, in the reflection of the afternoon sun. Crowded around this table, we spoke of the future, and as Meesh has described, we spoke more seriously than one might assume.
I don't know what lies ahead for me. Right now, I'm on a sort of quest, squeezing answers for my millions of questions from biology classes, anthropology classes, professors, experiences, books and sometimes blogs. I say squeezing because it's not always readily apparent what I might discover in a lecture, or in a conversation, but it all feels connected to this understanding I'm building of food, life, earth, health and relationships. Therefore, even when I find myself searching, I know that I'm on to something worthwhile. Building a major out of salty, seawater air and a few cookbooks is wonderfully challenging, and it seems everything, from Lala's, to this blog, to my happiness, and to the beauty of sharing good food and good words with the people I love, are connected to it. My life is, as Annie has so eloquently described, one that strives toward passion and dedication. After only a few handfuls of entries, this blog has expressed more completely and creatively than any of us could have done on our own, the effect that passion about food as a ritual and a necessity, transcends the literal meaning of nourishment, and how it can transform a situation, build a family, and stimulate culture in a time (now) and demographic (our own) that many claim is apathetic.
Passion and food; words picked ripe, and ready for inspiration.
* * *
I'm not going to lie, I'm a little intimidated to write something right now. Annie just wrote up an amazing post, and in this post, I am preceded by two eloquent and beautiful accounts of last Sunday and life in general. I think that's the best part about this blog; the fact that it combines four different girls from four different backgrounds and each has a strikingly unique style and flare of her own. Yet, however different we all may be, we share a few common entities: passion (the theme for today) for life, love of food and sense of friendship that connect us all.As the sun peaked through the windows of LaLa's Creamery and we all sat chatting about life, food, the future, etc., there was a comforting warmth that filled the air. And though it was a glorious Petaluma day, it was not a warmth that was emitted solely from the sun, but a warmth that came from within. Illuminating the room through our smiles, our laughs, transcending the shine of the sun and the glow of the ceiling lights and reaching each and everyone of us in a uplifting way.
I sat there listening to the conversation, embracing the atmosphere, taking as much of it in as I could- totally immersed in my surroundings. Who could not be at peace in a time like this? This is what life is all about- enjoyment, happiness, blissfulness, serenity. You can call it whatever you'd like but it is all the same. It's embracing the life you have. It's taking the time to, excuse the cliche, but stop and smell the roses, to stop sweating about the small stuff and know everything is going to work out.
This is probably sounding so corny but I don't care. Looking back on this past six months, I cannot think of anything else I would want to be doing. I have a new-found passion for anthropology, which has presented me with amazing opportunities to study subjects like paleoethnobotany and conduct research on a beautiful Maya site, El Pilar, which has lead me into the journalism field. Not to mention that my friends are amazing. The kind of people that you don't have to worry about judging you. That are all so different and intelligent and caring and you can always count on to have your back.
I have always heard of the magic of La's kitchen. How it is the spot that everyone rushes to to hangout. As a newcomer to the group, my first experience of the kitchen came over break. The funny thing was that it didn't start in the kitchen. It started in the creamery, the second kitchen as you could call it, and continued into the actual kitchen. Or maybe, it's not the magic of the kitchen, it was the magic of good friends being together- laughing, joking, watching La's little brothers create mayhem wherever they went. But everything was done with a smile- and even as I type this I can't help but smile. And laugh.
I started out thinking I would write this post about the creamery, the ice cream flavors, and the commune, however, it's turned into a reflection about life. So sorry if that's not what you wanted to hear. But everything did stem off of that day and the thought of living in four different airstreams in Occidental and growing all of our own food and making amazing breads in an outdoor oven and what ever else we proposed for our compound. Yep, I think we have a pretty solid game plan. At least for when we turn forty. Until then, we just have to enjoy the ride and whatever adventures that entails.
Here's to lookin' at you kid,
Caroline
maybe the holiday not coinciding with the middle of finals week? (But I'm sure that won't stop most Santa Barbarians)
