Anders Thorsell: capturing life in pictures

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Capturing rush hour in Thailand, Anders Thorsell snapped this buzzing picture of a BTS (train) station in Bangkok, Thailand. I thought it a perfect shot since he mentioned that photography was strictly forbidden there.

Great pictures can tell a story without words, and in that aspect, I think Anders Thorsell has many stories to tell, all of which are inspiring. He blogs about his travels, life in Sundsvall and the various aspects of photography in different walks of life. Continue reading “Anders Thorsell: capturing life in pictures” →

Il Canovaccio: The art of Venetian masquerade

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My favourite mask of the evening, a more elaborate Colombina mask with blue feathers and veil.
Text & Photo © JE Nilsson, CM Cordeiro-Nilsson 2008

Mention Venice and what comes to mind are masquerade balls and since 1979, the annual Il Carnevale di Venezia.

The Venetian carnival however, had its origins from the 11th century as a celebration of the passing of Lent, reflecting the etymology of the word carnival, from the Latin carne + vale meaning farewell to meat. Michael Tieuli lends a brief overview of the history of the Venetian Carnival, where he mentioned that the carnival was thought to be an annual celebration of Doge (Chief Magistrate) Vitale Michieli II’s victory over Ulrich II of Treven (the Patriarch of Aquileia) in 1162. Ulric was taken prisoner and his release was conditional, in that he had to pay an annual tribute to Venice in the form of twelve loaves of bread, twelve pigs and a bull. It was during this time that a tradition began of butchering a bull (representing Ulric) and twelve pigs in the Piazza di San Marco to commemorate the victory.

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Tiramisù

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A piece of absolutely delightful Tiramisu’, served at a restaurant in Venice.

Mistaking this dessert to be Japanese in origin due to its name (it somehow reminded me of miso), I had the privilege of tasting my first Tiramisu’ in the 1990s in Singapore. I was not particularly swept off my feet by this dessert at that time and it was only a few years later that I learned it was Italian. Later still, I learned when I had it ordered at a restaurant in Venice, Italy, that this heavenly morsel originated from Venice in its modern form, during the 1970s.

For those passionate about Italian food, Anna Maria Volpi, chef and author of several cookbooks, has a website on Italian cooking. She has also researched the history of Tiramisu’ and gives a detailed history of the dessert where she traced its origins to Zabaglione custard.

Zabaglione. Picture from Simply Recipes by Elise.

According to Alan Davidson (1999), Zabaglione was not originally a custard but a “caudle”, a sauce used as a custard to fill pies or tarts. It was invented in 16th Century in Florence, in the Medici court and was originally a drink reminiscent of today’s eggnog. Made with wine / ale, thickened with egg yolks, Zabaglione explains why Tiramisu’ is sometimes still served as a parfait, in cups or glasses rather than in slices. Mascarpone cheese, which is of a decadently thick, creamy consistency, was only used as a much later addition to Tiramisu’, so that it could now be served sliced if you wished.

From Alan Davidson, here’s what you’ll need to make Zabaglione:

8 large egg yolks and 1 cup confectioners’ (powdered) sugar placed in a double boiler. Whisk till foamy and then add 1/2 cup of dry Marsala (or Sherry). Beat the mixture for a minute or two so that it thickens in consistency but not so much that it solidifies or ‘scrambles’.

Ever since the Tiramisu’ in Venice, I’ve come to love this Italian dessert, and enjoy the great variation in its recipe. For me, Tiramisu’, despite its alluring sugar-caffeine combination, isn’t so much a pick-me-up as it is an experience of the palette, where one is whisked away to a time of the Medicis in Florence and Giacomo Casanova in Venice. One tastes in this dessert, the ingenuity of Florentine cuisine and the romance of Venice. If there were a dessert for a candlelit dinner for two, a quiet moment to be shared, then Tiramisu’ embodies the very sentiment and charm unique to Venice’s waterwayed rhythm.

References

  • Davidson, A., 1999. The Oxford Companion to Food. Oxford University Press.

When failure is success: a change of view in expatriate integration

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The job of the expatriate in international job transfers is hardly an easy transition. Most Scandinavian expatriate contracts in Singapore for example average 3 years, during which time, the employees, usually at managerial level, are supposed to make adjustments along several dimensions, both in the private and public domains.

International managers not only need to adjust to a new home, perhaps a new language, and new schools for the children if the family is in tow, but they are also expected to adjust into the new role within the organization and perform on the job.

If the ballpark figure is given at about a year to adjust to a foreign environment, then 3 years for the average expatriate contract, isn’t much time given to get things working smoothly, since as soon as you begin to feel comfortable in the new environment, it’s time to go home. Going home is not also always smooth sailing since you’re perhaps faced with a host of re-acculturation issues due to that you have gained new knowledge from the new environment and now cannot help but apply that new knowledge back home.

During the 1960s and up until about ten years ago, the majority body of literature that governed relocation and expatriate managers’ experience overseas equated their transition success with how far they’ve come to be integrated with the host country’s culture (Black, 1988; Janssens, 1995)

In speaking with Scandinavian respondents about their experience in socializing with Singaporeans, many of them mentioned that they felt marginalized and not at all integrated into the Singapore society. It didn’t seem to matter whether they were there for three years or in some cases, fifteen to twenty-six years. Disheartened and feeling not quite successful in the aspect of cross-cultural socializing, many said they felt ‘outside’ of the local system, some even mentioning that they felt more ‘Swedish’ or ‘Danish’ when they were in Asia, than when they were back in Scandinavia.

When it came to cross-cultural socializing, the organizations had office functions and staff dinner and dances, which they found a perfect opportunity to mingle with the locals, but apart from such events, they found themselves rarely socializing with the locals.
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The mysterious ‘Notre Dame’ Cathedral in Chartres, France

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The heart of Chartres, the Notre Dame Chartres Cathedral looms impressively over the town and is visible from miles along the plains of Beauce.

The entire landscape around the city of Chartres about 45 km south of Paris, is mostly flat agrarian countryside. Mile after mile of fertile soil made the foundation of wealth that went into the building of this Cathedral. From a distance, the Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Chartres seems to float among the clouds. This impossibly large structure strikes you as unlikely as Noah’s ark, just stranded on the mountains of Ararat.

The west facade of the Notre Dame in Chartres, a magnificent piece of mid 12th century high Gothic architecture. Its famous Portail Royal, completed about 1155, is currently under restoration. In this picture, the right (south) tower is the original, older, from about 1150. The higher, left (north) tower was rebuilt in 1513 after a fire.

The medieval charm of Chartres envelopes you as a warm cloak even as you approach the small town. The river Eure that runs through the town provides it with a picturesque backdrop and one is immediately taken in by the timbered architecture of the houses that line the cobbled streets, making them look almost right out of a Brothers Grimm fairytale.

At the heart of this city is the massive and striking Notre Dame Cathedral in its Gothic glory. From afar, the looming structure seems to float on clouds. It is only upon drawing closer that you realize that it sits quite solidly, on a hilltop, previously known as The Mound. Continue reading “The mysterious ‘Notre Dame’ Cathedral in Chartres, France” →

Visiting the Rothschild vineyards in Bordeaux, 2008

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Visiting Baron Philippe de Rothschild’s Vineyards in Bordeaux

The region of Bordeaux was legendary to me. I had heard of it long before I ever thought I would visit it. To me, Bordeaux was superior wines, it’s romantically undulating landscapes that the grapevines so needed to grow, the warm weather and the rustic lifestyle of grape harvesting and wine making.

Even though my knowledge of wines is limited to be able to recognize a good wine when I am served one, I expected to hit every single chateau in sight for some wine tasting, inspect all barrels of wines in different stages of aging and come away with much greater knowledge than before I set foot here.

It was such a disappointment then, that the day we had set out to explore Bordeaux, was a French national holiday weekend and all chateaus were closed!

With a sunken heart, we decided to travel around some and take a look at the vineyards and chateaus anyway, targeting one of our favourites, the Rothschild’s vineyards in the Médoc area just northwest of Bordeaux. Since the history of the Rothschild family, as well as the history of the vineyard and the wines all have approached mythical proportions, we decided this was worth doing even if there would be no one on grounds to meet.

A signpost leading the way to maybe the most famous of all vineyards in Bordeaux. The vineyards and chateaus are generally easy to find, following the signs.

The roads were tiny and winding slightly up and slightly down. They were also bare of any vehicles or crowds due to the holiday.
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Stirred, not shaken, in Monte Carlo

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Cheryl Marie Cordeiro, Monaco, France 01

In the background, Le Grand Casino, Monte Carlo, Monaco.
Text & Photo © JE Nilsson, D Neikter-Nilsson, CM Cordeiro-Nilsson 2008

The kingdom of Monaco is stunningly famous despite its modest land area. Only 800 meters by 4.8 km (0.5 x 3 miles) it is the second smallest country in the world. The only state even smaller is the Vatican inside Rome. As such, you can walk clean through the country of Monaco almost without noticing that you’ve entered or left it. The country is however, fantastically scenic as it clings to the rocky, sometimes vertical slopes of the coast of the Mediterranean sea. One fifth of the entire city-state of Monaco is reclaimed from the sea and the main feature of this place is a very large harbour where the exceedingly rich who live here have their luxury yachts.
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The Cannes Film Festival beach

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Cheryl Marie Cordeiro, Cannes beach 1 2008

As the beach was just 100m across La Croisette from our hotel,
it was only a matter of grabbing the towels and go!
Text & Photo © JE Nilsson, CM Cordeiro-Nilsson 2008

When in Cannes, there really isn’t much to do in this city except eat, shop and watch movies, so after a hearty breakfast buffet at the Majestic Barrière, we did what most people along the La Croisette were there to do; we went swimming!
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Hotel Majestic Barrière, Cannes

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Cannes – City of dreams.
france-italy_16-17aug2008 391a 598

The Hotel Majestic Barrière offers a splendid view across the La Croisette towards the Cannes Film Festival’s main building with its roof designed as a spacious helipad. To the left, is the beach where a bikini clad Brigitte Bardot introduced a new beach fashion to a whole world in the early 1950s. In the middle is the private entrance for artists to the festival building, right now leading into the Palais Club discotheque. Further out is the Port de Cannes where many large and comfortable private yachts are anchored.
Text & Photo © JE Nilsson, CM Cordeiro-Nilsson 2008

Once a year the city of Cannes becomes the focal point to all who hold any hope of making it into the fame and fortunes of the international movie industry, as it hosts the most important film festival in the world, the annual Festival de Cannes.
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Discovering ‘Bistecca alla Fiorentina’, at Trattoria Quatro Leoni, Florence 2008

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Our first decision in Florence was that we should go out to explore the city by foot. A good friend set out to book a table at her favorite place and after some time walking in and around the old streets of central Florence, we ended up at Trattoria Quatro Leoni at Via Dei Vellutini 1/R at Piazza Della Passera.


Our waiter and sommelier recommended us a Brancaia 2005 as well suited for our purpose and budget. It’s a full flavored red Tuscan wine of decent quality. In 2007 it received quite positive reviews in the Swedish newspaper, GP.

Quatro Leone or The Four Lions is a mind-bogglingly old restaurant. Having originally opened in 1550, both Dante Alighieri, members of the Medici family as well as Michelangelo himself could well have sat on these chairs before us. Well, maybe not. The chairs were probably replaced in the mid 1990s when the restaurant was renovated, restoring some of its old charm while removing centuries of kitsch.

The restaurant is central but still difficult to find, and it has a large proportion of locals in the eating crowd, both being good signs

For those unfamiliar with Florence in Tuscany, the region is famous for its true concern of the quality of the food ingredients, and traditionally alter as little as possible when cooking. Green and fruity olive oil, garlic, unsalted bread, parma ham and parmaggio cheese plus generous helpings of black pepper are expected staples of many Tuscan dishes.
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