aphrodisiacs

continuing with my little talk about the connection between food and sensuality, i'm starting with one of the most powerful aphrodisiacs, chocolate, and how you can use it to cook your way into the object of your affection's heart (bed). although science cannot prove whether chocolate is indeed an aphrodisiac, it has been proven that chocolate contains chemicals with similar effects on the brain to mood altering opiates, such as heroin. but we all know that chocolate lifts our moods and has an effect on us that transcends any scientific proof. chocolate is one of the most sensual foods on earth and an edible cupid's arrow when paired with savoury foods. one of my favourite chocolate and food pairings is the chocolate-chilli fillet. i found a sexy little recipe for this dish on the nomu website. if you make this dish correctly, the chocolate covered medallions will melt in your mouth and deliver a rush of endorphins - just what we're aiming for! chilli is one of the most powerful 'happy' foods and even more effective when paired with chocolate. indulge in the process and enjoy.

sensual food

image from 'we heart it'

i used to host a little alternative book club for the ladies, which i named 'the sex, wine and chocolate club.' we would all gather on a week night to taste various delicious wines, chocolate and sexy little dishes we'd all bring. i would prepare talks, often centred around the connection between food and sensuality and how food can play such a powerful role in reviving or maintaining sensuality in our romantic relationships. i believe in it so strongly that i have actually factored unsexy food into a break-up with a boyfriend before. he used to invite me round for dinner and then without blinking, would defrost frozen creamed spinach and serve that with butternut or...shudder...avocado (two green things on a plate). i realised that i had no future with someone who could possibly serve that to his girlfriend! because, when in love, a woman's cooking blossoms into something spectacular as our passions and desires flow through us and into the food we make.

beware of men and women who have no interest in food (and are proud of it). you'll soon find that their relationship with food is connected directly to their sensuality and sexuality - anyone that shows no interest in the experience of taste and the ecstasy of beautiful food, can't possibly be a deeply passionate person. preparing beautiful food is all about abundance, texture, colour, passion, joy and taste - without which we would be grey and joyless beings. considering all this, i've decided to revive my 'little talks' on my blog, in a one woman bid to save your relationships from frozen creamed spinach :) watch this space for tips on aphrodisiac foods and other heady survival tips...

new bags!

great news! beatnik bazaar will now be stocking chapel bags! these bags have been made especially for cool people who commute by bicycle and the fabric and materials needed to make the bags are transported by bicycle! they are also my favourite backpacks and are beautiful quality. you can order from anywhere in the country and i'll post or you can wait to see them in the shop later in april.

alternative transport

if you aren't following the 'alternatively campaign' blog yet, please do. it's beautiful, it's informative and and it's all going towards a great cause - using alternative methods of transport and campaigning for bicycle lanes in south africa.

bake love not war

i've just realised who the lovely 'bake love not war' commentor on my blog is - thanks to the 'i want that' blog, i've discovered that 'bake love not war' is a cupcake business. this incredible woman, or dine, as she is known by her family and friends (!) is a weapons engineer by day (which means she must be based near me, in the navy), and a cupcake baker by night. go ahead and order her beautiful cupcakes for your next party. they are so well priced and way better than a stinky old cake :)

autumn in cape town

image from 'we heart it'

i think it's officially autumn in south africa, even though many would try to deny it. the rain has just started falling, albeit between 32 degree celcius days. we've had such a long, hot summer, that we're all gagging for a change of season. in cape town, autumn and winter are cold enough for fires, red wine drinking, wool, blankets, thick socks, mountain snow and hearty stews, which many people living abroad don't know. capetonians are obsessed with the weather because we live such a large portion of our lives outdoors and don't know what to do with ourselves when it rains!

instant love

images from 'we heart it'

get your instant and lomo cameras from exposure gallery, at the old biscuit mill.

blue bird pics

i found some beautiful new pics of the blue bird garage on their blog, which is tirelessly maintained by derek, from kitch kombuis. come along this friday and see it all for yourselves. you can see their facebook page here

european bicycles

i've got these bicycles in for r1100 or r1250 with a basket!

camera and headphones giveaway!

ok sweet people, the amazing exposure gallery owners and the beautiful people over at marshall music have offered one 'soon to be very lucky' blog reader, this rad 'fisheye 1' camera (worth R560), in any colour, and these stereo AKG K77 headphones (worth r1000)! all you need to do is leave a comment here, answer two questions and 'like' marshall music's facebook page:
1: where is exposure gallery in cape town?
2: name two colours that the fisheye camera comes in.

winners will be announced on the 7th of april and is open to anyone living in south africa. that's it! tell your friends!

nothing rhymes with orange

these unbelievably gorgeous orange johnny loco bicycles are now in my store and start from r3500 (usually priced at r8000). my price includes a bicycle basket! stocks are limited, so place your orders as soon as possible!

pink made it punk

i found this gorgeous picture of sian's new johnny loco that she had sprayed pink, with her basket from beatnik bazaar perched out front! check out the whole story here on her blog, 'pink made it punk.' remember to get your own before 31st march, because you'll stand in line to win R900 worth of prizes!

wolves are awesome

i love we-are-awesome's 'spaces' and their recent 'wolves' feature is delicious. their 'spaces' shoots feature creative people at home, at the office or in their stores. check out all their photography here

monsieur price

check out these pretties i found at monsieur price yesterday. they're all cotton and all around r85 each. nice!

beatnik bicycles

i've suddenly received a ton of interest about my bicycles from magazines, one of which will be featuring my bicycle in a fancy shoot in their mag! i've added a new bicycle page to my freshly tweaked website here

beg bicycles

emma from the emma jane nation blog threw this link my way and i'm still feeling woozy. someday soon, i'll have a selection of bicycles and accessories in store that will also take your breath away. in the mean time, i salute you, beg bicycles! check out emma's link for accessories.

unwrap your toffie

it's almost time for toffie pop, which starts tomorrow at the cape town city hall. many of my friends will have stands there and i'm kicking myself in the faceballs for not accepting an invitation to have one too. but frankly, i can't bear exhibiting and sitting at markets, they are my f*cken WORST! but i look forward to seeing everyone else trying to enjoy it :)

wintery theme

i've been tearing my hair out not being able to edit my blog for over three months until tonight, when it dawned on me that blogger design edits must be incompatable with macs! so finally, i've redesigned my blog. sweet relief. in other news, have you heard 'raised by swans?' goosebump stuff.

pop up shop

i'm toying with the idea of having a pop up shop in muizenberg for a while...what do you guys think?

the tea party

the flamjangled tea party was one of the best festivals i have ever been to! held at a wine farm in durbanville, flamjangled had everything a festival-goer could possibly want, including a dam to cool off in, a memorable collection of bands, brilliant dj's, awesome food, a tea caravan...and the best crowd of people you could ever dream of! everyone made an effort to dress up and they were happy and chilled - there were no brutish fights, egos or drunken brawls. rob van vuuren mc'd, keeping us all in fits of giggles between bands as bubbles floated across the crowd gathered in front of the main stage. it was over 40 degrees on saturday, so we had to cool off inside the car with the aircon on for over 2 hours. everyone changed into their evening attire once it got cooler towards the evening and we witnessed some seriously magical costumes, including little bo peep and her sheep, an elephant, a tree, women in hoop dresses with lace parasols, painted people on stilts and dandys with top hats. fletcher took to the decks after bands like mr. cat and the jackal had totally blown our minds, and we danced and pranced like magical little ponies until the party was transferred to yet another very late night dance tent. by that time i had lost my voice and was very tired, so we called it a night. we left at around 3pm on sunday, after packing up and catching a few more bands, including oh sister, where art thou? who chose to be seriously 'unplugged' and performed in front of the stage. they were darling! it was also lovely seeing my friends, the 'ruby robins' entertain us on saturday afternoon. the organisers of this festival can give themselves a huge pat on the back because it was stellar. i can't wait for the next flamjangled!