Scooperbowl!

I had relatives visiting for the first week in June, which was super awesome! I got to do fun Boston things, learn about the city (because they had been on tours, and then reported their findings to me), and hang out with my family. One of the fun things I got to do, that I would never have noticed on my own, was go to the Scooperbowl!! You pay $10 and then enter a fenced off area with all you can eat ice cream! Yum!

You entered through a giant pink ice cream cone!

There were many different stands from different ice cream makers and you could just wander up and take which ever flavour took your fancy. There were even people wandering around offering chocolate sauce to go with your ice cream! I'm sure you're not surprised that I always picked the most brightly coloured and weird flavour at each stand. This was a mistake.

I ate:

• Espresso chip - the tastiest, because I hadn't yet adopted my "eat the blue one" policy. Not pictured, because I was too busy eating to take photos.
• Popping candy - did not pop. Was very blue, with a violet swirl. Tasted sugary. And wrong.
• Cotton candy - Very pink, with gritty rainbow choclate chips. At this point I was realising that the "choose the most colourful" policy didn't seem to be a particularly good one.
• Lemon poppyseed - this was a nice pale yellow, as befits a delicious ice cream that may have seen actual lemons (no blue ice cream available at this stand, thank goodness).
• Lunarmax cheesecake - a MIB3 tie in from Baskin Robbins (like the donut). It is green because the moon is made of green cheese (I am not kidding, this is what the ice cream lady said). However, the ice cream wasn't minty, or pistachio-y, it was just cheesecake flavoured. I was flagging by this point.
• Americone Dream - apparently I am not a fan of blueberry ice cream, even though this wasn't spectacularly blue.

A respectable SIX cups of ice cream. Totally worth $10.

The rest of my family made more sensible choices and generally had more delicious ice cream. The take home message, I think, is that you should almost always choose the ice cream that sounds tastiest, not just the most colourful.

I bet most of you realised this long before you were 28 and a half years old.

Mission accomplished - go to flour

Pre-emptive update: This post (and the triumphant completion of a challenge) dates from before the superbowl, I think it must be 4th February from looking at the dates on the photos. I think I had plans to take some photos of the actual cafe, and not just the food, but I clearly just become transfixed by the cakes whenever I go in and forget. Better late with a post than never though, right? And yes, I'm sorry it's just more blurry pictures of food. I have plans to do stuff, not just eat stuff. And I've taken to hula hooping in my bedroom, perhaps that will minimise my donut podge?

I can formally tick one thing off my list of things to do in Boston (the list on the right hand side). Obviously it's one of the ones to do with eating.

I went to flour, which is a bakery on Mass Ave, a short walk away from where I live. I met my friend there on Saturday and we were really lucky that we didn't have to wait very long for some table space to open up. They are so busy on weekends! We chose flour because it was on a boston.com list of the best hot chocolates in Boston. The fiery hot chocolate is very delicious. Initially it tastes like normal hot chocolate, and then it's suddenly a little bit chili-y. So to ease the fire-y burn you take another sip of creamy hot chocolate...and so the cycle continues until you have numbed your mouth enough to be out of the infinite duckling loop and your hot chocolate is all gone.

Hot chocolate was boring in photos. Look! A cookie in the shape of a football!

Splurgey splurge

It was the Superbowl on Sunday (i.e. the day after we went to flour), and the New Englands Patriots were playing (Go Pats!) so they also had special oreo style cookies in the shape  of American footballs. Flour's oreo style cookies are also semi-famous on yelp. However, they are crunchier than actual oreos, so you inevitably end up with some buttercream filling splurging out of the cookie. Hard to eat in a ladylike manner. Fun though! In some ways it makes me wonder why Oreos don't have this problem.... The runaway frosting was in a variety of Patriots colours, i.e. red, white and blue, as well as the not very patriots-y pink. I think we seem to have had a red one.

As well as the fiery hot chocolate, flour's other big draw is the sticky buns. They are incredible. So sticky (look at all the stickiness on the plate!) and so buttery! They almost taste like croissants they are so buttery. Yum. Yum yum yum. I'm glad that I was sharing it with my friend though as they are incredibly rich. Subsequently I have eaten a sticky bun for dinner from flour (it's on my way home!) and although it is possible to eat all of one, it is not necessarily advisable if you are not very hungry. 

Noms

Flour runs bakery classes, and also has it's own cookbook, so there is no reason for me to keep going there... I could make a (probably vain) attempt to learn how to make their delicious treats. But going to flour is such a delicious treat that I don't want to give it up! 

Beacon Hill. For the 1%. And Brave Explorers at the weekend.

The only time I stayed in Boston proper, I stayed at the John Jeffries House, which is a strange hotel. It used to be nurses' accommodation for MGH and now houses a combination of MIT and other Boston visitors and people who are staying there because it is right by the hospital. This means when you check in you have to answer a lot of medication and general health questions, particularly about ear, nose and throat complaints. However, I thoroughly recommend it, for several reasons:

1. They get the Weather channel

2. Free breakfast in the morning and free coffee all day.

3. It's right by the river (and not expensive by Boston/Cambridge standards)

4. It is on Charles Street, the fanciest of all the Boston streets, in the fanciest of all Boston neighbourhoods, Beacon Hill. Every dog looks expensive and all the signs that hang from shops are black and gold.

A few weeks ago I went for a mosey back to my old stomping ground. The weather was good, in stark contrast to earlier in the week, so I walked from where I live, over the Charles (pretty views) and along Charles Street to Boston Common. It was a good day. 

Charles Street has the business with my absolute favourite name in Boston.

Sorry about my finger being in the photo. I was on my way to meet a friend when I took this and keep forgetting to take another, better, one. 

Oh yes. BosTAN.

It is also has a most excellent cupcake shop - Curly cakes - which does delicious cupcakes in many forms. Most notably in Vegan and Gluten free forms on particular days of the week (Vegan on Thursday and Sunday, GF on Tuesday, Wednesday and Saturday from the looks of the sign below). They are many people-friendly cupcakes. 

Vegan chocolate mint cake is all gone! Snarfle snarfle. 

It also has Beacon Hill Chocolates, which I'm sure will sell delicious wares, but I like it because of this sign:

It's my new philosophy - "Chocolate is sunshine on a cloudy day". Mmmmm. This is particularly relevant to those of you in the UK, you made need to buy more chocolate.

When you've had a relaxing mosey along Charles Street, you can pop across the common and watch a film at the Boston Common Loews. It is a notable cinema because it has many, many, many screens, a giant popcorn box over the concessions stand and a place where you can dispense butter onto your own popcorn (in the US the question is not "sweet or salted?" with popcorn, but "buttered?"). So naturally I ended my walk down lovely, elegant Charles street with a saccharine film and an even more saccharine white cherry icee. 

Just say no. White cherry icees are much worse than a coke icee, and that was bad.

Maybe next time I will skip the icee, unless they have blue raspberry flavour. I love blue raspberry.

St. Patrick's Day donuts

Good news everyone! The seasonal St. Patrick's donuts have appeared well before St. Patrick's Day, allowing me to have donuts last week! Yay! My particular favourite is the chocolate donut, with chocolate frosting and green sprinkles. The green sprinkles are mint flavoured, making it a chocolate mint donut! My ultimate donut surely! Actually, it isn't as tasty as the kreme filled, heart shaped donut - my one true donut love. 

You've got to eat your greens....

And just in case you think that the green donut is that green because of some kind of hipster instagram filter, allow me to show you a unmodified picture, with iced coffee for colour scale (you've got to have something for scale).

Have you seen Re-Animator? It's not far off being as bright as the day-glo re-animator fluid....

Luminous, eh? I feel I use the word luminous a lot in this country, particularly when talking about food. The other disturbing thing about the bright green donut is the fact it doesn't really have a flavour. The icing just tastes of sugar.

So I have obviously used up my seasonal donut allowance for March now. Sad face. However, I did learn something new in Dunkin' Donuts last week. Sprinkles here appear to also be known as "jimmies" (here is wikipedia proof!). I discovered this useful new word by eavesdropping on the man behind me in the queue asking for a donut with jimmies, and receiving one with sprinkles. New country = new language! Now I must find something with "jimmies" on, and try out the new word. Perhaps I do get to go to Dunkin' Donuts next week after all......

In other seasonal food news, McDonald's is doing a Shamrock Shake for March. It's very green and mint flavoured. A small one also has a staggering 540 calories. Don't worry. I'm on it. And I promise to go to the gym for an hour and a half afterwards. You can look forward to more brightly coloured photos of food in the future. Because I am the BRAVE EXPLORER! 

I'll adventure more soon - I promise.

Chipotle = yum

Chipotle is a choose your own burrito bowl place. You go to the counter and tell the server what you want in your burrito as they're making it, so you can peer over (or down if you are tall) at the ingredients that will be going into your burrito and decide what you would like. There are lots of other places like this in Boston, and maybe when I get a little braver I'll got there, but for now I am sticking to something I know I like (I am the BRAVE EXPLORER!). I have been to four different Chipotles in Boston since I got here (Harvard, Davis, Fenway and Alewife). I think I went to Chipotle 4 times in the first 8 days or something ridiculous. When I was last in San Francisco I  dragged Mat all over the city in search of a Chipotle (it turns out that the easiest to find SF one is at the bottom of the Westfield centre). The problem with writing a blog post about Chipotle is that I always get the same thing, so there are really very limited options for photos. Sorry! Here - have a link to the Willie Nelson Coldplay cover Chipotle advert:

Like I said, I always get the same thing at Chipotle - a burrito bowl with brown cilantro (coriander) lime rice, fajita veggies, pinto beans (they have bacon in, I think that's why they're tasty), mild and corn salsa, cheese, lettuce and guacamole. Plus a small soda and smoked tabasco sauce (yum, such find memories of huevos rancheros in Giraffe in Cambridge. As a total aside I booked my next sets of UK flights and they are all with BA out of terminal 5. I got all excited about eating Mexican breakfast in Giraffe, one of the great things about flying out of terminal 5 or terminal 1, and then I remembered that I had booked the BA flights because they are evening ones, so no giraffe breakfasts for me). Anyway, a burrito bowl and a soda is $8.61 in Chipotle and I reckon it is the cheapest way to get a varied and tasty burrito bowl for one, relative to making it for myself anyway. I often drag my friends there when we need a quick dinner. Or when we're going somewhere else for dessert. Or when I haven't been to Chipotle for a while. Or when I went the day before. Basically whenever I get the chance to suggest Chipotle for dinner I will. Maybe I will go tonight!

Sometimes I even make a special trip to Harvard Square at 9 o'clock on a Sunday because a Chipotle  burrito bowl with lots of guacamole is my happy food. It seems better to pop out and get something with actual veggie content than eat a bowl of cereal or make some instant mac 'n' cheese.

There are two Chipotles in London, I've never been, but I will recommend them all the same. I really do like Chipotle a lot. If you come and visit me here there is a good chance I will suggest it as a place to eat, even though it is fast food. They have a really comprehensive allergy guide on their website and the food has the allergens in that you would expect. If we go to Chipotle in Harvard Square then we will go to Pinkberry and get frozen yoghurt for pudding (not like American pudding goo, I mean pudding like dessert).

OK, so it's agreed? You're all going to come and visit me and we'll go to Chipotle. Excellent.

Farewell donuts

I am giving up, or at least severely cutting back on the Dunkin' Donuts. Mainly because they are bad for my waistline, my wallet and my midmorning mood (Hello, Sugar crash!). So having decided to give up the donuts on anything but a special occasion (e.g. fancy white kreme filled heart shaped Valentine's donuts), my only reason for going to Dunkin' Donuts was to buy my nice iced coffee morning treat. However, I was basically unable to go into Dunkin' Donuts to get an iced coffee and not buy a donut or two. They have those big signs that you get in fast food joints advertising "combos" (1 bagel and a coffee $4!, 2 donuts and a coffee, $3.50!). I think I have spent too much time playing/watching people play computer games as when I see words like "combo" I kind of feel like I get more points when I get the combo. Even though clearly Dunkin' Donuts is the winner, as they get my coins, not the other way around.

Given that I do not have the will power to go to Dunkin' Donuts and just buy a coffee I needed to find a way to satisfy my need for caffeine in the morning. I have a nice pink cafetière that I use to make hot coffee on very cold days, but I tend to prefer iced coffee first thing in the morning. So I bought a special iced coffee making french press from Bodum. I like it, it's purple. I'll explain how it works properly at some later point, but the important point here is that I no longer have any excuse to go to Dunkin' Donuts (except for when there might be special edition donuts, like around St. Patrick's Day!). Thank you for the memories Dunkin'....

America runs on Dunkin'

Bye donuts... I'll miss you!

At least I have Lucky Charms and Smorz cereal at home. And Ice Cream Shoppe Pop Tarts!

Note the homemade ice coffee on the left! Victory is mine!

What are you drinkin'? Not Dunkin' anymore. I should go back and buy some coffee for brewing there. Everyone who works in there was very friendly to me, I really appreciated it when I first arrived and I would show up at Dunkin' really early in the morning because of the jetlag!

MIT Valentine

On Valentine's Day last week I woke up in my special, dancing Snoopy, Valentine's Day pyjamas.

I enjoyed looking at flowers in my new vase/old cold cup.

I ate my last heart shaped, kreme filled donut. In fact, I ate two (only 30 cents more than one).

I painted my nails to be pink and red. They matched my replacement cold cup. I thought pink and red nails would cheer me up whilst I was typing at work. They didn't.

It was all a bit depressing. My Valentine is far away.
So I was pleased to see this in the lift in the department.

Nerdy and not really romantic. But still sweet. Very MIT.

It made me laugh in the elevator at work on a day which felt a bit sad (which wasn't helped by the crazy donut sugar rush). Fortunately there wasn't anyone else in the elevator with me, although I imagine they would have laughed too.

Turquoise is the best!

I know turquoise being my favourite colour isn't exactly news. But I emptied some bits from my handbag onto my bed yesterday, and I just had to arrange things in a slightly less higgledy piggledy way and take a picture. 

Let's look at the items in the picture. Centre: headphone case, headphones and headphone swirler. Then clockwise from 12 o'clock: eyeliner; iPod; mints; hand with turquoise nails, enamel ring and turquoise watch on wrist (my hand and wrist, obviously, look at the stubby fingers. Do not pity me, I can buy VAT free children's gloves); diary; sparkly ear muffs; "powermint" tictacs (bought for the colour). All items on top of the surprisingly polyester-y turquoise comforter, also chosen because of it's colour.

It is undeniable that I have a favourite colour, and turquoise-y teal-y blue is it. I suppose I actually have a favorite color now. When it came to choosing stuff for my new room I made most decisions based on colour, which how I ended up with dangerously unusable aqua oven gloves from Target, that now act as semi-heat proof mats. Please forgive the Photobooth. I look worried on this photo because it was taken to demonstrate how useless the oven gloves are as oven gloves (thanks for the safe British ones, lovely parents! They are far superior.)

I even have reusable turquoise decals all over my room. As well as all the other turquoise stuff. I would like to note that there are pink accents though, like my pillow, my laptop, and my french press.

At least the turquoise comforter is reversible - the other side is green. I never have the green side showing, even though my fabric softener leaked all over the blue side. I haven't figured out how to wash a comforter yet, but don't worry! It's not unhygienic because there is a sheet between me and the comforter. I had to wash my beautiful quilt here though, because I got dark chocolate mint m&ms all over it. Terrible times, but it's hard to stay mad at mint m&ms because:

a) Mint m&ms are the most delicious candy in the history of mankind. They make all other m&ms taste like dirt, because you know how good the mint ones are (coconut m&ms are particularly discouraged; dark chocolate, peanut butter or pretzel ones are just about tolerable. In a pinch). 

b) They come in such a pretty turquoise-y coloured packet.

PS I've decided that because I put some pictures of my room in this post, then you guys are the explorers. So even though this is just pictures of blue things that I own, it almost fits the premise of this whole blog thing. Maybe.

Mostly, since I arrived in Boston, I have been eating

The student center at MIT has a 24 hour Dunkin' Donuts. I lasted approximately three days before I became aware of this fact, which is surprising as I am normally almost preternaturally good at locating junk food outlets. I can already locate three Starbucks within a mile, I know where McDonalds is and have been to nearly every Chipotle in the walkable/T-able Boston area. I have been here for less than two weeks. However, now I know about the Dunkin' Donuts I am there most mornings, buying my iced coffee with milk (things picked up when I realised milk was option and it wasn't just black coffee or coffee with cream). I've provided an illustrative figure on the left, because I have to justify all the pictures I'm taking of food somehow.

Instagr.am-ed patriotic sprinkles donut. Note the star sprinkles
and how hipster Instagr.am makes me - my new life is so cool.

Unfortunately the donuts are tempting (notice the paper bag in the illustrative figure). My first Boston donut was, appropriately, a Boston Kreme Donut (oh good grief, the nutritional information is not obvious in store, this is not California! Why did I have to look that up on the internet? The truth is inescapable now). Boston Cream pie is relatively famous - here is proof in the form of a wikipedia article. My first Boston Cream pie experience actually occurred in Santa Barbara, California, (nearly 5 years ago!) but I have subsequently had one in Boston and they're pretty good. And so, when I saw Boston Kreme (not cream) donuts on the menu at Dunkin' Donuts I thought I should try one - it would be a traditional foodstuff, I would be *exploring* my new territory.... The Boston Kreme Donut is a custard filled, chocolate frosted donut. It is not exactly a breakfast item. Obviously I thoroughly enjoyed the sugar and caffeine roller coaster and so I have been returning to the donut shop most mornings. The cereal I have in my room at the moment isn't much better to be totally honest; Lucky Charms (heavily depleted, also note the banner at the bottom right hand corner of the link-"Hey Kids, this is advertising!"), Honey Nut Cheerios, Chocolate Frosted Mini Wheats and low sugar (?!) apple and cinnamon porridge. One of these items is not like the others... In my defence I haven't bought Pop Tarts yet, even though there is a hot fudge sundae flavour (note that it is naturally and artificially flavoured), and I also have not bought the following cereals: S'mores cereal (styled as Smorz), Brownie cereal, Cookie cereal, Fruity Pebbles, Tony's Turboz (but only because I haven't seen the last ones - don't worry Ali, I'm looking).

As if eating a donut for breakfast wasn't bad enough I have now discovered that it only costs an extra 30 cents (or some other amount made of smallish coins I don't yet understand) to have TWO donuts instead of one. It's a slippery slope. And EVEN WORSE, they have started to do a Valentine's special donut, which is shaped like a heart, has chocolate frosting AND chocolate chips and is filled with that unnaturally bright white, sweet, totally non-dairy "cream" (or kreme at Krispey Kreme and Dunkin' Donuts). You know, the kind of filling you get in Twinkies, a sugary snack food so unnatural that a) I won't eat them and b) they are a subplot of post-apocalyptic film Zombieland, due to their ability to not decompose, or really even change at all over time. There is even a *really, really* BRIGHT pink donut that is also shaped like a heart (I haven't tried that yet! Maybe the "kreme" filling is strawberry flavour?)

I obviously have to cut back on the donuts. Especially the unnaturally luminous/flavourful ones. I'm thinking once a week, and only buy one? Does that sound reasonable?

♥ I HEART YOU, lovely kreme filled chocolatey donut ♥ 

Donuts tried to date: Boston Kreme, Jelly Stick (ug - terrible), Sprinkles, Chocolate Heart (comfortably the most unnaturally delicious - good thing it's seasonal)