Tuesday, November 12, 2013

On the Surfas


Cold and flu season is in full swing, and one of the only upsides of being sick (apart from wearing your pajamas all day) is tucking into a delicious bowl of hot soup. Our whole family recently fell ill with a cold, but Baby Bee and I didn't suffer much. Hubby, on the other hand, was hit pretty hard. So, on the way back home after getting our flu shots, Bee and I stopped at Surfas to get lunch for her ailing father (and me). 

I'm a sucker for great packaging, and I just love their neat, simple, and fantastic presentation of a boxed lunch. Complete with a quote from the late Charlie Trotter on the inside of the box, I immediately felt like an insider in the gourmet world. The tomato and orzo soup was zesty, and the accompanying salad was almost too pretty to eat, with edible flowers sprinkled on it. We also picked up a crusty baguette, which Bee and I almost finished on the way home...

Surfas is a food-lover's paradise. You can go to the cafe for delicious food, and then into the store itself to pick up pretty much any cooking tool that comes to mind. The grocery section with imported pastas, cheeses, sugar, honey, chocolate, cured meats, dairy, etc. is divine.

What excuse can I conjure up so that I can go back? Do I really need one?


Friday, November 8, 2013

Your Child Does Not Belong to You



Yesterday, we met up with friends at the Getty Center and had a lovely afternoon, picnicking on the grass in the garden. Toward the end of our visit, we bemoaned the fact that our kids are growing up so fast. In a bittersweet moment of reflection, we acknowledged that the intense love that we feel for our little ones is how our parents felt about us, and that one day (before we know it), our sweet babies will be ready to go out into the world on their own.

So, how difficult is it going to be to let go? As Charles Blow puts it, children don't really belong to their parents because they truly belong to life. 

Oh, Baby Bee! I love you so! Stay this little forever...