Why I signed up for a Half Marathon/A Study in Salads

I currently live in a land where fried fish and chicken paired with potatoes is more prevalent than anything healthy, a strange turn from my Southern California upbringing. I'm pretty sure its an unwritten law that girls must have a Caesar salad for lunch every day once they reach 16, like some right of passage into Orange county living. Yoga pants and Starbucks card not included.

Having done some traveling across Europe, iv'e found that there are 2 main salads eaten: Niçoise and Caprese. The first can come loaded with bacon and hard boiled eggs, and the second comes with a giant ball of buffalo mozzarella cheese plopped right in the middle of a few slices of tomato. 

I guess what i'm trying to say is unhealthy eating habits plus staying in and studying (okay, Netflixing) do not a summer bikini body make. And since i'm not on my feet at Disneyland 8 hours a day, I decided to start exercising. But i'm cheap, and didn't want to join a gym. And then there is the argument "Why exercise?? You're studying abroad, live life to the fullest!!" Which can only be said by someone who has never heard of the Cadbury Creme Egg. 

Soooo I started running, forgetting the fact that I was a dancer for 12 years and only really know how to exert all my energy for 3 minutes and then stop. Whats endurance? I know absolutely nothing about running. I don't know the difference of all the shoes Nike has in its stores, so I just wear my converse. When I run, I run like someone is chasing me. I don't really understand "jogging". You're just getting there slower.

Not only is running foreign to me, other people know it. I was on the phone with my dad the other day, and said I was going to go for a run after we hung up. He said "What?". Thinking it was a just a poor connection, I repeated myself, only to hear "You, run? Since when? I've never seen you run." Which is probably true, because my dad has never seen me being chased by a bear or something.

However, I am determined to learn how to jog, even if it means listening to Enya just so I can slow down my pace. I signed up for a half-marathon in October and have been following this program so I don't pass out in the middle of it:

http://womensrunning.competitor.com/2013/09/training-tips/couch-to-half-marathon-training-plan_15065/3

But I mean, am I allowed to stop for snacks?

Real Girls Guide: Risotto

So recently, I decided to tackle cooking risotto. I honestly didn't even know what it was until about 2 months ago when my friend ordered it at a restaurant. She then described the painstakingly slow process of adding liquid to the rice and stirring until the end of time. Or when the rice was done, whichever came first.

This was the recipe I found on Pinterest: http://bevcooks.com/2012/01/tomato-sausage-and-spinach-risotto/

But I adapted it to fit what I already had in my fridge. Here is my recipe and results!

You'll need:

• A couple shakes of olive oil (should be extra virgin, but I don't judge)
• An onion (it was supposed to be yellow, but I only had red)
• Salmon fillets ( bonus points if you got them on sale because they were about to expire and put them in the freezer until this moment)
• A travel size bottle of white wine, minus one sip (okay two sips)
• 2 cups of arborio rice
• tomatoes (literally just used what I had, which was 3 and a half cherry tomatoes)
• 6 cups chicken stock ( or a chicken bouillon cube I found in the back of the cupboard and 6 cups of water)
• A couple handfuls of baby spinach ( why are "baby" things more expensive? Baby corn is stupid.)
• A chunk of butter
• Some feta cheese

Directions:

• Put together water and magic chicken cube in saucepan, simmer and add chopped tomatoes.
• Heat the olive oil in a large and I mean LARGE skillet, and cook the onion.
• Add the rice and "toss to coat" . I wasn't really sure how to do that, so I kinda moved the pan around a bit like they do on T.V.
• Add the wine and watch as the red onion turns the rice pink. Oops.
• Add the broth one ladle full at a time, stirring.
• Stir until your arm falls off.
• Switch arms.
• Oh, somewhere in there, put your salmon in the oven at 450 for 10 min.
• Once the risotto has grown 5 times its actual size, add the butter, feta and spinach.

Then eat. For DAYS. Because this will make a weeks worth of dinners. I mean, its supposed to. But i'll leave that for you to decide.

London 101

*Insert obligatory introduction here*

Elena, business student, currently in England, work at Disney blah blah blah.


Today I want to talk about what I've learned in London so far. No, not the rich history and museum artwork.

But you know, the important stuff.


SURVIVAL GUIDE: LONDON EDITION

1. MUST LOVE BEER: 

             While beer is often the drink of choice in most bars and parties, its not even a choice here. Men drink beer. Women drink beer, or at least cider. Its socially acceptable to have a beer with breakfast. And were not talking bud lights in the morning, all beer is on tap, brewed locally yada yada. You know that cool hipster bar that has a changing line up of local beers to try? WELCOME TO EVERY PUB EVER. 

2. EVERY PUB HAS THE "BEST FISH AND CHIPS"

             I honestly don't think it counts as a pub until there's a sign outside saying this. With over 1000 pubs in London, this should be kind of a big feat. But I guess we'll never actually know.

3. ITS OK TO LIKE ONE DIRECTION

           One Direction is used to market many products. Adults like them. There are websites that will alert you if a member is in your area, as they are often spotted in London. It's beyond creepy.

4. PEOPLE DO NOT HAVE THE RIGHT OF WAY

           Neither do cars. Its the BUSES. These buses will not hesitate to run you over. They cut corners so sharp that you aren't even safe on the sidewalk. The night bus featured in Harry Potter was not exaggerating. I've been on a night bus, albeit drunk. I practically kissed the ground after I tumbled out.

5. EVERYTHING IS SERVED WITH CHIPS

           Chips of course being like American fries, are a staple to every plate. Fish and chips. Steak pie and chips. LOBSTER and chips. That's right. I wonder if they dip their chips into caviar as well.


6. THE TERM "RAINY DAY" DOESN'T MEAN ANYTHING

           As a California girl, I understand a rainy day to be a day off; to be in your pajamas all day and watch movies, eat comfort food and postpone things until tomorrow, when the weather will certainly be better. If you have that mindset here, nothing would get done and the city would probably shut down. It rains at least an hour here EVERY DAY. Need to go grocery shopping? Grab an umbrella. Going on a run? Wear a hood. The rain ends for no one.

7. THEY HAVE A DIFFERENT CONCEPT OF DISTANCE

         Londoners walk almost everywhere. So, if they can walk to a place without exerting a lot of energy, it is deemed "close". Close can mean a 30 minute walk. "Not far" can mean a 15 minute walk. "My commute isn't too bad" means a 2 hour journey consisting of train transfers and a 20 minute walk. And I think the climb down from my bunk bed to the kitchen is to hard.


I hope this list helps you if you ever find yourself in this place. 


I still don't like beer.