I found that more often than not, should this interest in literature continue into one’s twenties, a brief fling with Baudelaire was an inevitability. Urban, modern, and romantic, his work celebrates beauty, vice, the importance of art, and individual moral complexity. He is the awakening to something bigger than the self, but he never fails to acknowledge the self’s individual experience within that world.

It was so exciting to find a complete library of each addition of “Les Fleurs du Mal” online, and it gives me great pleasure to get to share this beautiful piece of art. Thank you to the wonderful fleursdumal.org for assembling this awesome library.

Admittedly, the following three deviate from the theme somewhat. But I stumbled upon them during my search, and they are absolutely wonderful. And they’re vintage travel posters, technically, but I digress…

Nestled in the bucolic landscape of Provence, the charming town of Cavaillon resembles a postcard with a jagged landscape hinting quietly at the sea nearby.

So much of the identity of Cavaillon seems to be tied up in its melons. Thought to be brought to the region from Italy during the 14th century when the papacy relocated to France, the seeds flourished in their new climate. Sweet and aromatic, the melons fragrance the air of the region throughout its peak months, becoming enticingly omnipotent as the summer drags on. Tourists flock to the town, eager to find the perfect specimen. It will smell rich and sweet, and feel surprisingly heavy for its size. The Cavaillon Melon is also an aesthetic treat, donning a rich green color with vibrant blue/green stripes – 10 of them. Nine or 11, it has been argued, may indicate that it is under ripe or past its prime.

Melon, bottom right – NINE STRIPES.

Cavaillon’s most famous resident and avid melon fan was the author of several celebrated novels, including “The Count of Monte Cristo” and “The Three Muskateers”. In 1864, Alexandre Dumas received a letter from the town asking if he might consider donating some of his works to the public library. Ever a gentleman, he responded:

“Have the kindness to inform Monsieur Tourel, your honourable Mayor, that I agree on one condition: if the town and the Cavaillon authorities think highly of my books, I also love their melons and I would like, in exchange for my 300 or 400 volumes, that a bylaw be passed awarding me a life annuity of 12 Cavaillon melons a year.”

The town agreed, and sadly, the great author only ever enjoyed 72 melons.

The beloved Cavaillon Melon has been celebrated for centuries in various incarnations, be it in a cucumber soup, wrapped in ham or simply as is. And being such a simple yet integral facet of the local culture, one might be hard pressed to find a more quaint or delightful reason to visit any place.

A year later Toulouse-Lautrec was committed to an asylum, and in 1901 he died from complications caused by alcoholism and syphilis.”

I dare you not to poop on the beach if you’re suffering from dimentia and drinking absinthe on the regular.

Most are aware that Mademoiselle Chanel carried on an affair with a German officer during the Second World War, although it’s generally been argued that their relationship was the victim of bad timing – to say the least. However, a new biography argues that her involvement with the gentleman symbolized much more than a simple torrid romance – it was, in fact, a sinister glimpse into her true sentiments during this tumultuous time. Indeed, journalist Hal Vaughn believes that Chanel was in fact a Nazi sympathizer, collaborator, and spy. He claims that the famous designer, aka “Westminster,” was even actively involved in SS recruitment and the collection of information for Abwehr, the German Military Intelligence Agency.

You can learn more about this fascinating (and hopefully untrue) story here.

Brigitte Bardot:

Catherine Deneuve:

Audrey Tautou:

Edith Piaf (close enough):

Jeanne Moreau:

Ahh, summertime. I had so many projects planned with the intention of experiencing a period of total productivity, but alas – summer is ultimately about gluttony with loved ones; and perhaps most importantly, feeling remorseful on the beach the following day. I wouldn’t have had it any other way.

I have about 5 half-written articles that I’m excited to share with you here and at Untapped, but you see, yesterday was Julia Child’s birthday. And that meant I had to watch clips of Julia cooking. Have you ever really watched “The French Chef”? She is an absolute delight. My obsession with Julia began when I first saw “Julie & Julia”, and it’s taken until about now to realize that I wasn’t necessarily hooked on Julia Child, but rather I was into the idea of Meryl Streep as Julia Child. But that is neither here nor there.

Julia Child is an energetic woman with an ebullient charm, and I love her most for discovering her calling so late in life and being so damn successful. She easily could have led a life of leisure, but she was too passionate and feisty. Her ardent zeal for food changed the way Americans cooked. She’s why we don’t eat marshmallow fluff and spam every day.

Her cookbook makes some of the world’s finest cuisine accessible, and her programing makes me feel like I could butcher the entire animal my damn self. Julia is fearless in the kitchen and inspires me to approach the culinary world similarly. I’m still not into aspics, though.

I just loved this footage of Julia Child cooking a lobster…this is something I’ve been meaning to try, but I’ve felt intimidated. However, Julia makes it seem incredibly easy to deal with these particular dinner guests.

Click on the picture, take note of :12…..baapbaapbaap! Kichi kichi!

And here is the wonderful footage of how we cook a lobster, from tickling to ‘checking on the green matter’ (ew). I think I keep watching it just to admire the seaweed that little dude is wrapped in – seriously, what quality. I kind of hate the producers, knowing that they got to sample Julia Child’s masterpiece after the cameras stopped rolling…

Click the image for more Julia awesomeness…yaaaargh!

The great folks over at Untapped Paris have partnered with Singapore Eats and the Singapore International Culinary Exchange to host a 5-course dinner in Paris by Chef Andre Chiang IN PARIS on July 2nd. Chiang’s restaurant ANDRE was named by the New York Times as one of the “Top Ten Restaurants Worth a Plane Ride”…sigh. For those of us Stateside, if we could make this happen, it would be the most enviable evening ever.

The Untapped/Singapore Eats dinner will be on Saturday, July 2nd from 7pm to 8:30pm, and Untapped will be selecting 20 of those that enter the sweepstakes to attend this unique event free of charge.

For two days only, “Singapore Takeout” will transform into a pop-up restaurant at the Hippodrome d’Auteuil. The chic and sleek pop-up restaurant has been shipped from Singapore and is traveling to nine cities around the world to promote Singapore’s exciting and dynamic food culture, with Paris as its second stop. Chef Sven Chartier from Saturne will also be preparing a meal during the 2-day event.

To enter, mosey on over to the Untapped Paris site. Cliquez ici.

It was really exciting to have the opportunity to write an article about Bimbo Towers, an awesome record store very much off the beaten track in Paris’s 11th arrondissement. It was particularly special to have someone ultimately ‘dispatched’ to take pictures, the very talented Mary Jane Lee (who also happens to run a really rad blog). Her piece chronicling the experience led me to believe that it was a rewarding discovery for her, as well, and it gives me the warm and fuzzies to know that a place like this still exists.

Please mosey on over and take a peek! Cliquez ici.

Image copyright Mary Jane Lee: