I had hard time choosing just one photo from tonight’s walk around the Île Saint-Louis, so here you have three. The sky was deep blue and streets very quiet, but temperature was quite cool. Summer, we are waiting for you! 
Paris goes to sleep now, but keep checking this blog, Pearlspotting (Facebook) and @Miia_Niskanen (Twitter)! Interesting new restaurant reviews and more stories about Finland to come… and of course more of India, too!!
Even during a rainy week there is something joyful happening in Paris.
PS Why not to follow Pearlspotting on Facebook (Pearlspotting) or Twitter (@Miia_Niskanen)?
So much has happened on the Helsinki food scene since the ’90s that some call it a revolution.
All current Michelin-star restaurants in Helsinki have been created since 2003 and none of the current Bib Gourmand restaurants existed before 2009. In addition to Russian, Tex-Mex and Mediterranean restaurants, which were some of the first international cuisines to arrive in Helsinki, choices keep growing. There is now a Kosher deli. A Peruvian restaurant opened earlier this year. Two young chefs mix Korean, Japanese and North-Chinese flavors. Hakaniemi neighborhood has turned into a bazaar of ethnic grocery shops. The Restaurant Day concept, born in Helsinki in 2011, has now spread to more than 30 countries. The first street food event was organized in March this year. And the list goes on. Indeed, Helsinki has never been as welcoming to foodies as it is today!
As someone who left Helsinki in the mid-’90s, I am intrigued by the latest food scene developments of my old hometown. During my last visit to Helsinki in May this year I took this passion even further and spent an entire day touring the Finnish capital with a professional food guide. Read further to see why this day was fantastic!
I met my lovely guide Veera in front of the Hietalahti Market Hall, which was our first stop. According to an urban legend, this 110-year-old covered market was used as a horse stable during the Russian rule.
As visiting Finland is nothing without discovering local fish, our first stop was Fish Shop Marja Nätti. We had a chance to run into Petri, Marja’s son, who proudly explained to us that the sandwich we are eating is their newest recipe: cold-smoked salmon and asparagus on malt bread topped with caviar-infused Hollandaise sauce. Wow. It was as delicious as it sounds like and yes, it was eco-friendly caviar grown in the heart of Finland’s lake district.
Indeed, respecting the ecosystem, traditions and small fishermen were the words that kept appearing in Petri’s talk. He revealed that this summer Marja Nätti will co-run a fish and chips restaurant at the entrance (outside) of the Hietalahti Market Hall. One of the items on the menu will be a fish burger made of those Finnish fish (roach, pike, etc.) that have been ignored for a long time by chefs.
Just as we were leaving, Petri grinned and asked “are you adventurous“? Curious as we are, Veera and I responded yes and Petri brought us another new product: fried salmon skin, a Finnish delicacy from the ’60s and the ’70s. I was a bit skeptical before tasting it, mainly because I am not a big fan of fried food, but it was lighter than I thought. And very tasty. My guests in Paris, are you ready for fish skin starters?
Our second and third stops were chosen by Veera because they are true representatives of the classic Helsinki: Lasipalatsi and Fazer. She explained to me that in spite of all sorts of exotic tendencies that hug Helsinki at the moment, these two places have maintained the market position thanks to their excellent, traditional products and loyal customers. At times when so much new comes to the market every week, people like to return to the roots from time to time, she added.
Lasipalatsi is an architectural masterpiece, a perfect example of Finnish Functionalist architectural style from the ’30s. Originally built as a temporary office building, Lasipalatsi is today one of the main landmarks of Helsinki and home to a well-known retro restaurant and a busy cafe, as well as other businesses.
“The best cafes of Helsinki are located in the residential neighborhoods but Café Lasipalatsi in the heart of Helsinki is one of the rare exceptions” Veera told me. She continued to explain that helsinkiläiset (residents of Helsinki) are very fond of this institution, making Café Lasipalatsi a meeting point of different generations. As we were walking out, I snapped some quick photos that in my opinion portray well that particular atmosphere (very Kaurismäki some may say).
Our third stop, Fazer, needs no introduction to Finnish readers. To my foreign readers, let me start by saying that Fazer is a confectionery and food company, created in 1891. Whenever there is a ranking of the most-loved Finnish brands, Fazer and its products are on the top of the list. For example, if you ask a Finn living abroad what she misses about Finland, she/he will probably tell you “Fazerin Sininen” (Fazer’s most popular milk chocolate).
We stopped for a cup of coffee but Veera reminded me that I should try to come back to enjoy Fazer’s famous brunch. Apparently reservations are sometimes needed a month in advance but this seemed understandable to me. Who would not salivate over these sandwiches? 
From the city center we moved to a charming neighborhood called Kruununhaka, and this is where I got a little bit lost. I know Helsinki very well, and could have guessed the previous stops, but suddenly I had no idea where I was walking. Suspense!
Anton & Anton, where we stopped, is a lovely grocery store created out of love. The founders, previously unknown to each other, met and decided to create a super market that specializes in personalized service and sells the kind of food they would want to eat themselves. Conveniently, they both had a son called Anton, and that resolved the problem about the shop name. Cute, isn’t it!
While we were tasting different types of cheese (with fantastic fig and rhubarb jam!), I learned more about the everyday business of Anton & Anton. Veera told me that the idea of Anton & Anton is not to sell exclusively organic food, but simply good food: seasonal products, handpicked artisan products, food that comes from respected origin, grown by passionate small farmers, etc. Some products come from Finland –many from the Åland Islands I noticed– but there are products from abroad, too. Before we left Anton & Anton I made a note to self: fill your picnic basket here next summer.
Our next and last destination required catching Helsinki’s funky orange metro. It was a nice ride by the sea and this time I knew where we were going: Teurastamo alias the Abattoir. Yes, this lovely ’30s building made of brick was indeed a place of blood until the early ’90s. 
Veera was taking me around the Abattoir complex but I had to stop her to confess something. “Veera, I do not understand what the Abattoir is about. It seems to be work in progress but where is it heading to?“, I asked her. Veera laughed and said it was well said. She continued that indeed the Abattoir is an urban concept still looking for its identity, but that basically its role is to provide premises for different activities (often ad hoc) including city gardening, food-related lectures and festivals, flea market, concerts, exhibitions, etc. One can also book a sauna (of course, after all we are in Finland!) or simply use the premises for a private barbecue party. The main guideline of the Abattoir is to keep it easily accessible and available to everyone.
In addition to aforementioned activities, there are a wholesale market and some restaurant-bars. We visited Jädelino, an ice-cream bar run by a Finno-Italian couple. 
Valerio, the Italian side of the love story, served us amazing pistachio and divine chocolate ice cream. He explained that he has no previous experience in ice cream making but that a kind man in his home town taught him all the tricks. Last November Valerio was ready and Jädelino opened its doors to serve ice cream and sorbet of Finnish and other flavors. When Valerio mentioned that some customers come from really far away just for his ice cream I was not surprised –I will return from Paris for his pistachio! And I will definitely return to the Abattoir. For me, it is one of the most interesting things happening on the Helsinki food scene at the moment.
My guide:
Veera Teppola
Facebook: Helsinki Bites / Blog: http://food-fetish.com / Email: helsinkibites@gmail.com
Visits are tailor made and languages spoken include Finnish and English.
Highly recommended!
… places visited during the tour:
The Hietalahti Market Hall: http://www.hietalahdenkauppahalli.fi
Fish Shop Marja Nätti: http://www.kalaliikemarjanatti.fi
Lasipalatsi Restaurant: http://www.ravintolalasipalatsi.fi
Café Lasipalatsi: http://cafelasipalatsi.fi
Karl Fazer Café: http://www.fazer.fi/kahvilat-ja-leipomot/kahvilat–ravintolat/karl-fazer-cafe/karl-fazer-cafe/
Anton & Anton: http://www.antonanton.fi
Teurastamo (The Abattoir): http://www.teurastamo.com
Jädelino: http://www.jadelino.fi
The first coffee of this spring enjoyed on the balcony. Need to turn this into a habit! 
PS For months now, my husband has been buying gluten-free chocolate biscuits made of rice flour from Bio c’Bon –healthy alternative to croissants…
***
Note: Due to a problem on WordPress, you probably missed the last post Perfect Weather for Hamburgers.
Maybe it has something to do with yesterday’s Last Days of Summer film (who knows in what way), but tonight I went jogging, got home, looked out of the kitchen window and decided that it is certainly the most perfect weather for making hamburgers!
Don’t you just agree? 
While I bake my hamburger steaks, tell me something: how do clouds trigger craving for hamburgers?
***
For more random and less random stories, why not to follow Pearlspotting on Facebook too?
Do you still remember our friend from the Red Fort in Delhi? The charming character in the Religion Talks at Lal Qila post? The fine young man from Jharkhand region. 
Well, I have to admit that I have been thinking about him. Not because of our religious exchange but because I am a tiny bit ashamed of myself. This may be hard to explain but I will try.
At one point during the visit to the Red Fort our friend stopped walking and looked at my parents who were a few steps behind us. He looked at them and asked me “are you parents farmers?”. For few seconds I didn’t say anything but then I cracked up laughing. Soon I was laughing so hard that I was crying. I translated the question to my parents whose reaction was pure astonishment. They looked at me for an explanation and the situation grew awkward. They asked me if they look like farmers and if their clothes made them look poor or something (indeed they were wearing some worn, old clothes…).
I found the situation –the question of our friend and the idea that my parents own for example cows– funny. I continued laughing but at this point my friend was overwhelmed with shame. He looked very uncomfortable and started apologizing millions of times. I am sure he would have disappeared if he could have.
Eventually I had to stop laughing and told our friend that there is no need to apologize. He kept saying “I am so very sorry” but calmed down when my parents started laughing too. In the end we were all laughing and for the rest of the journey I jokingly asked my parents about their (imaginary) cows.
However, ever since this funny incident I have been feeling a bit guilty. Why did I crack up laughing? Why did I find it funny that my parents could be farmers? Why did my parents feel the same way? Were they influenced by my reaction? Why did we all feel as if being a farmer were an insult? Why do we perceive that farming is something old fashion and therefore inferior to how we “should” make our living?
Furthermore, how much of our initial reaction can be explained by our background: that Finland was an agrarian country until very recently, and that agriculture is often associated with the period before modernity (i.e. associated with the period where no one wants to return)?
Lastly, was our friend biased, too, because he comes from one of the poorest regions in India where farmers probably belong to a lower social class?
Whatever the answer, I feel bad because I behaved against my beliefs. I truly believe that agriculture is an integral, vital sector of the economy, everywhere in the world, and should be treated with respect. And respect is not what I showed when I cracked up laughing.
What is your take on this?
***
Some background: I am a principal author of a policy-handbook publication (http://www.oecd.org/investment/psd/ImprovingSkills%20(3).pdf) that aims at improving the agribusiness sector in the Kyrgyz Republic by different means, and one of the means is to market agribusiness as an attractive career option.
Marketing something begins with small steps, and one of them is to show respect and admiration to something.
Again, shame on me.
Six weeks of globetrotting is over and every place I saw during my travels was rewarding in its own way.
India was fantastic, as always, and so rich in everything: culture, history, people, food, religion, architecture etc. This was my fourth one-month-long trip to India and I enjoyed it as much as I have enjoyed my previous trips. Definitely The Place to be in for me –I am very attached to India and miss my dear friends terribly. Will be writing a lot more about India in the weeks to come (hope everyone enjoy reading about India??)!
Unfortunately I was a bit sick in Dubai so I could not do as much as I had planned, but I did manage to squeeze in enough shopping and pool time. And super delicious Iranian kebabs, but more about that in another post.
My last destination was Finland, my country of origin. The country returned to winter last week and I saw snow, sleet and hail. All this felt almost pleasantly exotic after the tropics but unfortunately I was not prepared clothes-wise for this weather shock (from 38C in Dubai to barely 8C in Finland…). So, the weather directed me toward indoor activities and I took advantage of visiting museums and doing a food tour of Helsinki, but more about all this a bit later.
Now back to Paris. What is it like to return after six weeks? What did I do upon arriving at home?
First, I put fish in the freezer. My father is a keen fisherman so I usually bring “home-caugh” pike-perch and burbot to Paris, just like my parents do when they visit us in Paris (Bringing a little bit of Finnish Christmas to Paris).
Second, I checked upon flowers and plants on the balcony. Prior to travelling, we had spent a lot of time (and money) planting pansies and other plants so it was important to find them in a good health. And judging by the photos, I think everyone agrees that they were doing well! 
Third, I installed a little bit of India at home. The nine-kilo marble Nandi statue that we purchased in Varanasi found its place on the balcony. It is now part of our small Hindu temple where Nandi gets showered by flower petals and candles. We have been searching for a beautiful Nandi for a long time and are happy to have finally found this elegant piece. Furthermore, to ease Nandi’s homesickness, we placed it toward the East, India.
Another object we have been looking for a while is a brass bowl (urli). After a lot of exploration we finally found a lovely one in a rather touristic shop in Bombay. Urli is placed on our bathroom sink and looking very good. Moreover, this is a great way to have fresh flowers in the bathroom! 
A lot of photos about flowers, but I guess it is a good sign: summer is almost here!!
***
What are your thoughts on these Franco-Indian decoration ideas? Do you tend to bring design objects from your travels and does mixing styles always work? Would love to see links to your homes!! Until then, have a great week!
A visit to Helsinki would not be complete without a visit to the surrounding sea –the sea forms an integral part of Helsinki and it is everywhere one looks. Personally, whenever I visit Helsinki, I try to include a walk by the sea or a ferry trip to Suomenlinna Island and this time was not an exception.
The weather has been a bit capricious in Helsinki this week but yesterday evening I braved it out and hopped onto the Suomenlinna ferry. It was already past 7 pm but the sun was still strong and clouds fluffy. 
The ferry left from Kauppatori (the Market Square) and it took 15 minutes to reach the Suomenlinna island. On our way there were tiny islands occupied by fancy restaurants, red wooden houses (fishermen cottages?) and seagulls. All this looked very cute and exotic to me.
As I was not properly dressed I stayed inside the ferry when it made a five-minute stop in Suomenlinna to let passengers in and out. I could see that some tourists were better prepared for the weather than I was…
As the ferry made a U-turn I could observe Helsinki from the opposite angle. In addition to church towers sticking out on the horizon there were more seagulls and tiny, flat islands. Helsinki from the sea looked very Nordic: small, peaceful, lonely and majestic at the same time. 
Whenever you visit Helsinki make sure to include a ferry trip in your itinerary! Helsinki from the sea gives a very different perspective and shows a totally different side of the Finnish capital. Highly recommended any time of the year (just remember to wear warm clothes).
***
Note: Helsinki has made visiting its beautiful archipelago easily accessible to everyone: a public transport ticket allows the traveler to catch the Suomenlinna ferry at no additional cost, which is an opportunity not to be missed!!
A tip: if you are planning to use the public transport a lot (and maybe combine it with cultural and other visits), think about Helsinki Card, which includes unlimited public transport and therefore unlimited Suomenlinna ferry travels! (http://www.visithelsinki.fi/en/sightseeing-trips-and-guidances/helsinki-card)
In a country like Finland, where 75% of land is covered by forest, it comes as no surprise that wood has been the most important construction material over the centuries –in fact all the way until the 19th century when stone took over.
Many charming and cute wooden houses were built in Helsinki over the decades but only few still exist. Many were destroyed during various wars, but in addition the rather universal demolishing wave of the 60’s and 70’s also hit Finland, leading to destruction of entire blocks of wooden houses. The ideology behind these projects was to look into the future i.e. modernity and to be more efficient in terms of space and its utilization. Productivity became the dominant order and aesthetics lost importance. 
However, those interested in architecture and old wooden houses can still find wonderful pearls scattered around Helsinki. One of these areas is called Puu-Vallila (Little Vallila in Finnish), located in the northern part of the Helsinki city center (on both sides of Mäkelänkatu). Houses of Puu-Vallila were built around 1910.
These houses that survived the demolition are today inhabited by proud families who often come from artistic background. The former blue-collar neighborhood has found its bohemian side.
One needs about one hour to explore the neighborhood. It is very residential and there is only one bar/cafe where to stop for a drink or some snack (Pikku-Vallila, Vallilantie 19, Tel: 09-7013737).
Puu-Vallila: highly recommended for a lovely walk on Sunday or on one of the sleepless midsummer nights!
***
For maps and more information:
Helsinki Tourist Information (http://www.visithelsinki.fi/en)
Pohjoisesplanadi 19
Mon-Fri 9-18, Sat-Sun 10-16
Tel. +358 (0)9 3101 3300
Helsinki like you have never seen before.
I arrived in Finland on Friday evening. It snowed a bit (no, it does not usually snow in May!) and while the flakes were melting away the sky turned orange and dark, bluish grey. Such an impressive sunset.
pearlspotting 