Eating like the French

Lolita lifestyles can be tailored to the individual's preference in style, tastes, and in accordance to their level of dedication as some prefer and can only fit in bits of frills in their daily lives, while others might have more fun with and have time (and money) for living like an aristocratic lady from another era. I'd like to see myself as someone from the former group: I can't say having a 40-hour workweek terribly aristocratic-appropriate, but I like the idea of adding a little sweetness to an otherwise mundane existence. As I've mentioned in my introductory post, to me, a lolita lifestyle is grounded by the philosophy of stopping to smell the roses and enjoying its scent. No matter where you fall in the spectrum, even if you see lolita fashion as simply a fashion, I hope that you'll find this post especially useful in your own life.

As an American, I'm painfully aware of our obsession with calorie-counting and diet fads, and treating food as a form of medication, and although I do agree with the concept of food being part of a healing process , I don't think it's necessary to have tons of labels exclaiming that it's packed with so-and-so vitamins (I  mean, it already has that stuff in it, you dope) - it looks too eerily like companies are marketing vitamin supplements, not actual food. Back in 2009, I had the wonderful opportunity to visit my relatives in France for the first time ever; I was only there for three weeks, but visiting the country and experiencing the culture opened my eyes to how we ought to live our lives, and that includes how, when, and why we eat. 

Drink water 

I don't think I ever drank soda (or pop or coke, if you will) while I was in France. I don't even recall seeing any soda vending machines lined along the Parisian streets (or maybe I was distracted by the number of panhandlers?). I only had fruit juice in the mornings, sampled wine with my dinner, and occasionally drank coffee, and even then, the portions I had were tiny. I've grown up not drinking a whole lot of soda and I have a slight aversion to anything too fizzy and/or sweet (I have a tendency to finish my sodas half-way through), so it wasn't a big deal for me to drink water while I was abroad, but the American obsession with soda didn't truly dawn on me until I returned home. I know many people who'd tell me that they're attempting to lose weight by cutting soda while griping about water's bland taste. 

When thinking of it in both terms of nature vs nurture, it's not easy to blame people for preferring a diet Coke over water, but I think that the French are onto something: most of our body is made up of water and so it's appropriate to replenish it with water, and aside of the numerous benefits for our body, soda is basically liquid candy and candy shouldn't really be eaten with meals (didn't your mother tell you to save room for dessert?). The sugary sweetness of soda gets in the way of enjoying the taste of food, and the more you routinely replace sweet drinks with water, the better you get to one of enjoy life's sweetest pleasures!

If you're trying to lose weight by cutting soda, but hate the taste of plain ole water, invest in a filtering system if you haven't already - a Brita pitcher works just fine and you'll find a big difference between that and tap water. If you like soda's fizzy side, opt for sparkling water (commonplace across Europe) instead , and adding fresh (or frozen) fruit, such as berries and lemon is a good way of adding a bit of sweetness without decaying your teeth too quickly. 

Quality over quantity 

Many lolitas can attest that quality of our clothes should take precedence over quantity, and I think that we ought to think the same way about our food. In France, very little preservatives are added into foods (iirc, bread with added preservatives are banned in France), and I imagine that with this in mind, people are less wasteful because they're aware of the short-shelf life food has (I would like to point out, however, that it's often difficult to run away from poor quality foods in this country, especially if one is living in a food desert , and unfortunately, this is more of a systematic problem in the U.S. rather than a cultural one). I think that many lifestyle gothic lolitas would appreciate the concept that even food must face inevitable that is death - lol. 

Opt for fresh foods and smaller cuts of meat, and try to support your local butcher and farmer's market if you can. I think there's something romantic about shopping from a local vendor en plain air, but on a practical level, you're supporting the local economy and knowing where your food comes from makes you more mindful that it is food and that there are people who've dedicated their lives to growing/raising it, and you wouldn't want to waste their efforts, would you?  

Even if I haven't worked in a restaurant, I know how big of a deal we tend to make with our value meals, and I'm still trying to wrap my head around the concept of "more is less". Unfortunately, some stereotypes ring true (especially if you're in the Midwest like me): American portions are huge, we tend to overeat, and we don't necessarily eat well. Make time to make your own food as much as you can. Knowing what's going in your dish will help you stay mindful of portions and you'll be less likely to waste food and/or have left overs to finish later.  

Treat meal time as a ritual 

We've become accustomed to eating on the go and it makes our brains and stomachs unaware that we're trying to fill up. Try to do what the French do and only eat when you're properly seated at a table (not at a desk!), take your time, and better yet, try to eat with the company of others and without the distraction of a screen  (seriously, it's gross) - your phone, computer, and/or tv will still be there when you're done eating :)  I honestly wouldn't bother taking a photo of your meal too. Aside of it looking silly from a third-person perspective and that you're likely to pass on pathogens, just focus on the moments of eating your food and take your time! Take smaller bites.  Explore the taste, the texture, and mull over the ingredients. Leave the table satisfied. 

For anyone who wants to know:
 Breakfast is still important in France, but not as important as lunch. My breakfast abroad typically included a baguette and/or croissant to be paired with nutella, cheese and jam (I visited different parts of the country and so the regional cheese is a must!), and often with yogurt and juice (yogurts there are tiny and not nearly as sweet as Americanized versions). I suppose that the French tend to view breakfast as literally breaking fast, or maybe as an appetizer to a three course meal and lunch was the main course. Dinner was typically light. I didn't eat a lot of pastries when I was there, partly because I was busy eating delicious savories throughout the day, but when I did, it was worth the wait. 

Eating is a pleasure, not a sin 

Americans are in limbo when it comes to how we view food: not only that we over-indulge, but we also guilt ourselves over it. The French, however, seem to have an innate understanding that food is meant to nourish our bodies and that requires a balance of what we take in. It's ok to eat bread; cheese is good; meats and sweets are awesome - just don't over do any of it. 

I can't  be the only one exhausted from the magazines and commercials insisting that we should indulge in fiber enriched, zero-calorie sweets. It sounds so unrealistic and to be honest, they usually taste terrible, and the French aren't into anything that tastes terrible (and that includes guilt).

 It's ok to have your cake and enjoy it. 

Inspirational Music (for the Lolita)

I would like to thank everyone who've taken the time to read my burgeoning blog. I'm afraid that work(ing third shift) is making it difficult to keep up with this, but I'll do my best to keep you guys posted!

The question of lolita appropriate music or music appropriate for someone following a "lolita lifestyle" pops up every once in a while, and from what I gathered, there's no right or wrong way to go about this, and that the lolita lifestyle is more or less a personal experience tailored to that individual's interests and tastes. Some people are going to prefer classical music (and within that, some prefer specific movements); others are closer to lolita fashion's musical roots by listening to visual-kei; others will shamelessly love the cutesy sounds of electro J-pop and idol-groups, however, there are plenty of others who listen to music that are neither cutesy nor elegant.

I never got into visual-kei (or got into lolita through it) and I save classical music when I studied or did homework (I've graduated), and I never really liked idol groups, but I do enjoy other Japanese indie rock (I really hate the word "indie" - it's overused and arbitrary) and pop music though, especially J-shoegaze, dream pop, mathrock, and Shibuya-kei/city pop/future funk (these genres tend to overlap). Outside of Japanese music, I usually listen to lo-fi, post-rock, post-punk, shoegaze, and trip-hop; for a better idea and suggestions, feel free to peruse my last fm account:
http://www.last.fm/user/Deleciel

I'm a tad obsessed with discovering new and/or underground artists and bands, and I actually enjoy visiting record shops. If I weren't so invested in lolita fashion, I'd be broke from wasting money investing in LPs and going to shows. I'm not a purist though. I actually like that Napster changed the game in the music industry (but of course, there's always pros and cons to everything) and made music more available (not too different from the change of LPs to cassette tapes to CDs), however, because of how easily accessible music is these days, I find it quite special to hold onto a tangible piece of an art that we take for granted.

If I have music on when I'm getting dolled up, I usually listen to whatever I feel like, rather than finding music to get ready to, however, if you're in the latter party, here are some suggestions worth checking out: 

Gothic
I'm afraid that I never really had a goth phase and I'd be terrible for giving out suggestions since I don't really listen to Goth music all that much (even though I'm aware of the prominent bands in this movement), however, I think that some gothic lolitas might enjoy the beautifully haunting sounds and imagery from these bands and musicians.

Saltillo  - trip-hop 
Who knew that somber strings and hip-hop beats went well together?

I Broke My Robot - glitch 

i broke my robot is a face-eating, virus-filled computer music explosion. With one foot in punk and one foot in the grave, i broke my robot sends flashes of glitch-infested computertrons into the ears of unknowing victims. Residing in Virginia, this electronic musician drops the southern hospitality and advances with a full-frontal atomic breakcore assault on speakers and headphones everywhere. Don't look under your bed, don't tell your little ones, and don't try to hide, the break-core will find you. Once found, you become contaminated with nose, throat, and eye ingesting bacteria that makes you feel numb and lifeless all over your body. - Martin Yankov

Ferri - ambient, neoclassical
She reminds me of Kanon Wakeshima, except with synthesizers and more experimental, and with a mournful voice.


Graveyard Train - country 
Graveyard Train is an Australian based band that blends horror themes with country music.

(Yes. He's playing the chains.)

If you're more of a heavy metal and/or visual-kei music fan, you might appreciate heavy metal's less aggressive relatives, post-black metal. I suggest starting with Deafheaven; I've always found their music fitting perfectly with a mourning aristocrat or a Gothic lolita with a broken heart. If you're more into artists like Kerli, give Grimes a listen if you haven't already. If you like the ero-lolilta side of things, you might like Jenny Hval's recent album "Apocolypse, girl".

Other fun suggestions: Flying Lotus - You're Dead!; Bjork; iamamiwhoami; Lord Infamous (gangster rap meets horror/satanic themes); Of Montreal (psychedelic rock with spooky lyrics); Neu! (Krautrock)

Classic
I tend to associate classic lolita with the Victorian and Edwardian era, and unfortunately, this list is going to consist of classical music, but I'll try to mix it up with contemporary artists, which I feel is appropriate because to me, lolita is a mix of the old with the new.  However, if you want a list of essentials, click here .

Joanna Newsom - Freak-folk, avant-garde

I honestly had a tough time deciding if her music is more suitable for the sweet or the classic lolita (or even the country lolita) because Joanna Newsom is a classically trained harpist and pianist, but her lyrics and singing style is keen to Appalachia ballads (fair warning - if you're unfamiliar with her music, her voice might take some getting used to).

In the end, I figured that it would be up to the individual's discretion and it might depend on what album you're listening to.

(Waiting for Juliette et Justine to make a print of this)

Sufjan Stevens & Osso - Run Rabbit Run

I love Sufjan Stevens. His music is typically experimental and often includes Christian spiritual imagery and references, however, the reason why I mentioned him in this post is to share this lesser-known, chamber music album that he collaborated with the string quartet, Osso.

Ólafur Arnalds - neoclassical
Have a box of tissues on hand before you listen to his music.

Rachel's  - chamber music, post-rock, instrumental

Their works always reminds me of Joe Hisaishi's music.

Other suggestions: Kenmochi Hidefumi, Teebs, Tycho, Toe, Yann Tiersen, Hayley Westenra (also good for gothic lolitas), The Polar Dream , Dj Okawari

Sweet

I tend to associate sweet lolita with youthfulness, energy, and a kind of girlish coyness. I also associate this style with the dreamy, Alice-in-Wonderland-like sounds of lo-fi music and shoegaze.

Aivi and Surasshu - chiptunes, jazz
A&S is a husband-wife duo who compose jazz piano music with chiptune sounds. It's a lovely blend of the old and the new, the organic and inorganic, and gosh-darn-it, it's kawaii as fuck. If you love Katamari Demacy and Anamanaguchi, you'll love Aivi and Surasshu.

It's not terribly kawaii suggestion, but if you found that combination interesting, you should try The Depreciation Guild's In Her Gentle Jaws  (shoegaze + chiptunes).


Elephant Gym

I actually stumbled upon this recently and did not expect to put this on the list! Elephant Gym is a math-rock band from Taiwan, and the reason why I wanted to mention it is because their way of approaching math-rock is quite elegant and at times cutesy (maybe it's because they sound more jazzy than experimental like Tricot, whom I love, but feel like it's better for the punk-lolita). I haven't listened to their other album, but I imagine it being just as cute as this one - something to go perfectly with a sweet lolita's daily adventures.

Doesn't the intro remind you of Kuricorder Quartet/Pops Orchestra?


Talulah Gosh - twee
I definitely get the sugary sweet and naive image of sweet lolita from twee pop music. If you like Wes Anderson films, you should give iconic and up-in-coming twee bands a listen - here's one of them:

                                               Talulah Gosh was a princess for a day ♥

If you liked that, listen to: Seapony, Cocteau Twins, Sugar Plant, Plastic Girl in Closet , Alvvays 

Other kawaii suggestions: (early) Capsule, Pizzicato 5, Fantastic Plastic Machine, Coltemönikha, tofubeats, Towa Tei, YMCK, Spazzkid, humming urban stereo, Plus Tech Squeeze Box, Serani Poji

Bonus! Inspirational music for fans of other J-fashions.

Fairy-kei

I wish that pastels and my skin tone got along because I adore the style and 80s music - both from the decade and inspired by the decade (as well as the early 90s). Here are some music inspired from the time that'll surely transport you to the era of bulky computers, shoulder pads, perms, and Kenny G.

Groovy Godzilla  (soundcloud)
Tanuki
architecture in tokyo
Macross 82-99
Yung Bae
Saint Pepsi (Skylar Spence)
Miami Nights 1984
Timecop 1983

Com Truise

Mori-Kei

When I was creating the list for the gothic lolita, I had a tough time placing iamamiwhoami and Bjork because of their themes and sounds, however, I think it's appropriate to mention them here again because much of their imagery (and music videos) deal a lot with nature (I mean, Bjork made a song about leaving civilization for good - you can't get more mori-kei than that).  The list below are mostly instrumental, but I chose these because of their ethereal quality, and I thought they'd be good songs to "take a hike" in. ;)

The White Birch  (also good for Gothic Lolitas)
Gregory and the Hawk
Pinkshinyultrablast
Emancipator
Tycho
Stars of the Lid
Kenmochi Hidefumi
Imogen Heap - Sparks



I'm sure I'll have more suggestions in the future, either from you readers or from future stumbling-upons, but for now, I hope that you've enjoyed listening to these musicians! Let me know what you think about them or if you have any suggestions you'd like to share, and just for poops and giggles, if you were a famous musician who happens to wear lolita (or other J-fashion for that matter), what kind of music would you make?

Sayaka Kanda and Billy - performing in their band "Trusttrick". 

Until next time....

Listening to: Goldlink - Spectrum 

A Frilly Weekend: Pt 2. Annual Mega Meet 2015

Due to reservation limitations, the annual mega meet up ran from 10 am to 2 pm, and in spite of being relatively sleep deprived, I thought it was worth having to get up early because the meet was held indoors, allowing us to go all out without the fuss of the heat and rain (and the risk of getting brand grass stained! - the AMM have always been held outdoors as a picnic). Hailee had bought donuts last night to share and I made coffee. I don't know what's funnier: that I was making coffee that was from Helen's cabinet or that we were scrambling around the kitchen to find sugar. There was something oddly peaceful about slowly waking up to a gloomy Sunday morning with friends over coffee and donuts.

In spite of putting together a simple coordinate, I was the last one to get ready because I had been fighting with my blouse that got wrinkled in my luggage; fortunately, Helen had a steamer that she had let me borrow. And in spite of scrambling to pack, taking turns for the bathrooms, and sitting through in-bound traffic, we got there in good timing, just enough time to eat and mingle before our gracious hostesses began the games and raffle.



I should have taken a photo of the buffet table. It took up three tables and people were still coming in with more food to share; there was a lot left over as well, and it got me thinking that I won't bring any food next year. I think everyone had seriously stepped up their coordinate game this year; even the newbies looked presentable. It was lovely seeing people I haven't seen since Anime Midwest 2015 and 2014 and I definitely made some new friends during the meet.

Every annual mega meet, we play a game of lolita bingo which involves going around the room and finding people who happen to be wearing a certain motif or piece in their coordinate. I didn't win, but I've always liked playing this one because it's an excellent ice breaker.  Sometime after bingo, our hostesses began the raffle prizes were much nicer than they'd been in the past; if I recall correctly, there were two parasols, two petticoats, two barets from a Taobao brand whose name I can't remember, a couple of illustrations, an AP necklace, a mini alpaca plush, some beauty items, and I had donated a couple of tea tins.  I think I'd like to donate more to the raffle so that more people can get something or maybe get a couple of the crafty girls in my community to make gift bags for everyone.

After the raffle, we headed upstairs to a balcony for photos which we broke up by style before posing in a giant group photo, and then returned downstairs to clean up our space before parting ways. Saying goodbye have always been bittersweet, but I suppose all good things come to an end, and there will always be future meet ups.

Courtesy of Vincent Kan Photography. Check out his facebook page!

Speaking of style, here's a photo of my outfit which I coordinated with simple makeup and curled my short hair, and had totally forgot to take a picture of the day I wore it. Blouse - Angelic Pretty; Socks - eBay; Boots - Dry Goods, Skirt - Meta; Hat - F21; Strawberry earrings - Sweet Mildred 

Word went around that some people were going to go into Chinatown for lunch and shopping, and as much as we wanted to go home to beat traffic and relax, we thought it'd be best to take advantage of being in the city and to eat a proper meal first. Not too far away was Strings, an authentic Japanese ramen restaurant - so authentic that it was tiny. I couldn't imagine trying to squeeze more than ten lolitas in the space among the other restaurant patrons. Even though word went around about going out to lunch there, the Milwaukee lolitas changed their plans to visit a sweets shop in the shopping plaza and so it was just Helen, Hailee, Lauren, and I, and later joined by a few girls from the Quad Cities. I believe I had a "Shoyu ramen" bowl which was surprisingly heavy for being the vegetarian option (I don't even know why I ordered a boiled egg for added protein), As good as it was, I didn't realize it was going to be a heavy meal, and that the broth was going to be oily. I think next time, I'd like to take our group to Gyu-Kaku for happy hour.

After our meal, we walked across the street to the plaza to find the rest of the lolitas who were still out shopping, but instead found (another) knock-off anime toy and gift shop. I wish I could have taken photos of the weird things we came across - like a sad Hello Kitty with a red nose and long face, and a bunch of random household objects with some hilariously questionable Engrish, including this:

A contact lens case (with useless "tweezers").  It's not worth the $6.99, but it was cute and the Engrish accurately explains my feels.

We went back to Helen's house to return to comfortable muggle clothes, double check our bags, and finally head home.  I think that this year's annual meetup was a success and I can't wait to do it all over again.

Until next time...