the savory side of kaylon sweet

we do not believe in ourselves until someone reveals that deep inside us something is valuable, worth listening to, worthy of our trust, sacred to our touch. once we believe in ourselves we can risk curiosity, wonder, spontaneous delight or any experience that reveals the human spirit. e.e. cummings

[cheffytraveler]

The Ring Road

I was going to write a blog up last night, but after the day of travel I felt it pertinent to just go to bed. That being said, I am up now, and I am up mighty early. Yesterday I got up and enjoyed some breakfast with my host, Vala ( I’m pretty sure that I misspelled it ) As we spoke we waited to hear if the plow had come to clear the mountain pass. At about 10 we decided that I would be able to make it over the mountain, and so I went for it. Now at this point the first part was just old hat. Nothing that really bothered me, and then I got to the turn. It was plowed just like we had expected and then I was over. The relief I felt was quickly replaced by dread as I began to descend the mountain. Slow and steady and then I began to head south. Now the GPS told me to go north, but alas that wasn’t where I was headed. I could have saved myself a lot of headache and stress had I just headed north. On the way down it began to snow again. I figured meh, I had just gone over a mountain after a blizzard in a Toyota Yaris, I could do anything. I got off the 94 and made my way towards the 1. It became clear very quickly that I had once again made a mistake and had over estimated just exactly what I could do. As I headed down Route 1 the snow began to accumulate and soon I was driving in 6 inches of snow. About 40 km in the snow began to drift, and then I hit one. It came up like a wave. It seemed that this part of the trip would be a dud. I did another million point turn and began to back track. The only way was to head back through the north. There was still snow to contend with and I had had about enough with driving on terrifying roads. Thankfully at that point the snow disappeared and the black top was a welcome site. Since I had to cancel the Blue Lagoon I ended up stopping at the Myvatn Nature Baths. They were soothing, and I wish that I could’ve stayed longer. The rest of the drive back was fairly uneventful. The roads were clear and I had to leave the following morning. More to come.

[cheffytraveler]

Borgarfjordur Eystri, Iceland part 2

So, my car failed, and by failed I mean that because I went for the cheapest option I am not able to make it over a mountain. It is a Toyota Yaris, and to be honest it has been amazing through all of the insane conditions I have driven through so far, it just can’t handle more than a foot of snow. So all things considered it’s still doing an amazing job. Unfortunately this means that I will not be spending the time that I had originally intended on the southern part of the island, I will be merely driving through, although I will do my best to cut of as much time as possible and swing through Vik so that I can see the black sand beach. Fortunately the owner of the guesthouse that I am staying in was very understanding of the fact that I couldn’t make it over the pass and is giving me a place to stay for another night. Tomorrow we shall try again, although this time I will have someone to help me get over the pass. I am still nervous as the road is quite thin and at times I worry I will go over a cliff edge on a mountain side. All that besides, I’m enjoying the time I have in town here. I drove around the bay to the opposite side and saw the harbor. This town is quite well known for being the best hiking spot in Iceland, come summer time of course, and is also well known for puffins. They will be arriving back in April. I’m going to take advantage of the spa facilities again ( in this case that means hot tubs ) and try to relax before the adventure again tomorrow. More to come. 

[cheffytraveler]

Borgarfjordur Eystri

[cheffytraveler]

Borgarfjörður Eystri

My evening in Skjaldarvik was one that I won’t soon forget. Great nights sleep, beautiful vistas all around me, and the room was fantastic, not to mention the hot tub. Alas I was only staying for one night, so in the morning I got packed up. There was breakfast and I definitely helped myself. There were pancakes, toast, skyr ( it’s like yogurt but better ), coffee, juice, meats, pate, hard boiled eggs, fruits and veggies, and sour milk with maple in it. It was great. I got out to the car and proceeded to get her warmed up. The road didn’t look like it would be a difficult one, but GPS never really shows us the weather. I drove through all kinds of different weather ranging from snow storms, to sun so bright I couldn’t see from the glare off the snow. I even drove through an old lava field that was billowing sulfuric clouds. It was like driving on another planet. There were so many fjords, and despite the -10 C temperature they were still rolling along and steaming as well. The biggest part of my journey was getting to the Blabjorg Guesthouse. I’d only been driving on the main ring road, which was still maintained. I had to get off the beaten path to reach this little fishing town. That meant going over a mountain, in a snow storm, in a toyota yaris. Which meant that I’d have to do it again tomorrow (which is today). I made it albeit very frazzled and wondering how I was going to do it again. But it was worth it. This small town is beautifully set on the opening of an inlet leading out to the sea. As  I write this I’m listening to the ocean waves crash on the shore. It’s peaceful. The spa area here was wonderful, and I spent a good portion of my time in it sitting in the outdoor hot tub listening to the surf. Tomorrow I’m headed south, and hopefully I’ll make some food stops along the way. More to come. 

[cheffytraveler]

Skjaldarvík Guesthouse

Well, since we last spoke not too much has happened....or has it? This morning I got up and headed out the door pretty quickly. I had enough time to stop for a jelly donut and a cappuccino and then I jumped on the bus. Of course I only knew the number, other than that I hope it will take me where I need to go. It did eventually after dumping me unceremoniously at it’s last stop and informing me I should wait for the following number 14 bus to take me to my final destination. I got there and jumped on yet another bus to go back to the airport. I got there and searched for help to find out where the car rental place was and after a few minutes I was there. I’m now the proud driver of a Toyota Yaris, and luckily for me it’s an automatic instead of a standard. The trek to where I am now would have been more perilous had I been driving standard. I will say that the drive was absolutely breath taking. I drove over snow covered mountains, through tunnels underneath fjords, past highlands filled with shaggy horses, and through dried up riverbeds. My food choices for today have been lackluster, but it’s worth the trade off for all of the amazing scenery I got to see. A mere six hours later and here I am at the Skjaldarvík Guesthouse. It’s unassuming on the outside, and I had assumed that I had booked a place that had fit my budget. This place is amazing. It’s nestled on the banks of a fjord, there’s a hot tub the size of my childhood bedroom, and breakfast in the morning at 830. I wanted to make a quick post before I went to enjoy the warmth of the hot tub, but the journey continues tomorrow. More to come.

and we’re back. 

Can you say holy cannoli batman! Iceland rocks. First off this room is absolutely amazing, and so far it is only second to the amazing custom hot tub out back. There are few things that are as awesome as looking out over snow covered mountains as the backdrop to a slow moving fjord while sitting in a hot tub sipping a beer and letting the heat slowly become one with you. For those that are reading this, don’t be jealous. Just go. You have to. This is a land of magic, and the further out I go the less hipsters there are, meaning that this is an authentic place. The people are friendly and helpful and did I say custom HOT TUB? Because it’s a thing. More to come. 

[cheffytraveler]

[cheffytraveler]

[cheffytraveler]

Iceland;Reykjavik Part3

After a 15 hour catch up on sleep I woke up ready to conquer the day. I had acquired a city pass so I first went to check out the national museum. I had made a friend at the hostel, although I don’t think either of us really knew the other ones name. He was from Romania and we decided to be travel buddies for the day. I convinced him to take the bus, which was a plus for me as it seems I have done something to one of my calves. We got to the museum and it was really cool to see how Iceland has become what it is now. Apparently it’s still a relatively new country, only have been settled some 1,000 years ago. All of the viking artifacts were cool to see. There was a great deal about the introduction of Christianity to the island and I saw some amazing artifacts. All in all it was a cool place to stop, and it was in the University of Iceland campus. We decided to walk back into town which took us by one of the ponds and city hall. My new friend wasn’t as gung ho about trying the local cuisine so we stopped at a bookstore above the restaurant Fish Market. I got a new book which has been insanely cool to look at and a coffee. Our next stop was a restaurant called Food and Drink, or in Icelandic Murtag go Drykk. I ordered an Icelandic white ale and what I thought was a tasting menu, but turned out to be a tasting charcuterie board. It was very well thought out and extremely cool. Each component was paired with a speed. The first thing was cured lamb that had been smoked over sheep dung. I know it may sound gross, but it was very crispy and served with creme fraiche and nutmeg. Next there were cod chips, with a house butter. The fish wasn’t overly fish or salty like I thought it would be. Then there was smoked sea trout with pickled onions on charred bread. That would have to be my favorite. The last two things were a vegetable chip with your cream and candied carrot, and a seaweed chip with creme fraiche and salmon roe.  The seaweed chip was really cool and I’m hoping that when I get back home I can attempt to replicate it. After a beer we made our way back to the hostel where I had an uneventful meal of frozen pizza, blood orange fanta, and a lion bar. ( food is expensive, so I can’t eat like a king every day ) After I showered I was ready to settle in and get some rest but my new friend persuaded me to take a walk down to the harbor to try and see the Northern Lights. Our timing was perfect and we got to see them for a little bit. They weren’t as brilliant as I had seen them in pictures but I am hopeful that when I make my way up north and out east I’ll have another chance to get a glimpse of them. That’s all for the moment. Tomorrow morning will be getting back to the airport to pick up my rental car and begin my trip around the island. More to come. 

[cheffytraveler]

Iceland;Reykjavik part 2

I finally fell asleep on the couch in my hostile. It was a short nap but it was enough to reenergize me to get on the bus and head on into town. I’ll start of by saying that there was so much to see. I kept walking into stores and back out. I felt like Harry Potter when he first went to diagon alley. After some inquiries at a few local restaurants I settled on checking out a restaurant called the fish market first. The atmosphere was that of a small cottage. Lots of dark wood and old cast iron. I instantly fell in love with the place. The food was outstanding. I started with cured sea trout, lemon celeriac puree, cucumber relish, fresh cucumber, horseradish creme fraiche, toasted pickles, and a cucumber dashi. Everything about the dish was perfect. It tasted like the sea but the cucumber added freshness in so many different stages. Afterwards I got the cod dish. Now when I think cod I generally think dry, not very flavorful, standard. This was something that I wasn’t even really aware one could have with cod. It was slowly poached and came with celeriac lemon puree, cod and almond crumble, pickled celery, smoked cod foam, and cod caviar mayo. It was an absolute delight. At this point in my trip I decided to hop on the bus and head back to the hostel. My body had other plans. Has anyone ever been so tired they just passed out no matter where they are? Well, Icelandic bus drivers drive akin to the bus in the Harry Potter books. One second you’ve stopped, the next you’re bombing down streets that don’t really fit a bus. Needless to say I passed out on the bus for about an hour. This happened twice during the day. By the time I had figured it all out I was back to where I started and decided that I should go and try some more food. I headed to a place called Public House which I had stopped at earlier. I got a few small apps. Reindeer crouqets with an jalapeno dipping sauce, short rib dumplings with a sticky asian mayo, and then a triple chocolate cake. I believe I posted pictures the old tumblr. They were all delicious and then I got back on the bus with the plans of heading straight back to the hostel. I passed out again and as luck would have it, woke up right at the bus stop I needed this time. Not a bad first day in this great city. It’s surrounded by mountains and the people are pleasant. I’m looking forward to getting out of the city but I’ve still got one more day here before I make the move. More to come.

[cheffytraveler]

Day one.

[cheffytraveler]

Iceland;Reykjavik

Once again I apologize for the long silence. Life has been hectic but good. Mercy and I have been doing great, and because of this I’ve been able to make the trek to Iceland. After dropping Mercy off with some friends back home I headed to the bus station in Concord. I got the last parking space and headed off to Logan. The less said about the flight the better. I landed this morning at 4 Iceland time. I think that was about 11 back in the old NH. At the moment I’ve found a spot to rest before I head out to begin to explore this great city in the light. After I caught the bus from the airport into Reykjavik I decided that I would walk to my hostel. I asked for help and the gentleman seemed surprised that I was willing to make the trek. It took about an hour in -2 degree celsius weather. I think that’s about twenty something in Fahrenheit. So far I’ve had two pastries and a cappuccino since my arrival. One was like a cream puff but with a very buttery filling, and the other was like an apple fritter had a baby with a cinnamon roll, left the apples at home and then went for a dip in a big old pond of caramel. To say the least I hope that the sugar high will get me to my next destination which I’m planning on being the city center. If I had known I’d be walking to the complete opposite side of the city I might have reconsidered taking the trek. Side note, Reykjavik got slammed with snow just a few days ago. Apparently they had to shut down all of the busses, but thankfully they are back up and running now. That’s it for now, time for some exploring. I’ll keep you posted. 

kaylon

[cheffytraveler]

Mercy and me

Good late morning. It’s been awhile since I’ve been on here. Suffice to say I haven’t really had the time or the energy to sit down and write. As of two days ago I have moved into a new place, and got a new dog. Her name is Mercy. I’m going to do my best to get back to making posts and just doing what I used to do. I hope all is well out in the world of tumblr and I look forward to talking to you all again soon. 

kaylon

[cheffytraveler]

Some days I see pictures or things that make me think of the past. Things that make me wish things had been different. I wonder what life could have been.

[cheffytraveler]

nostalgia

good morning all. how are you on this fine day? it’s ll foggy and drizzle-y out today here at the lake house. i think that i finally had a chance to catch up on some much needed sleep. it may not have been as restful as i would of liked, but at least i was able to get it. i must have something on my mind because every night my dreams are work dreams. so i dream a whole shift and then i wake up. tomorrow is my day off, and once again i’ve begun to fill it up with things to do, but i’m hoping that they will be fun things that won’t feel like work. this isn’t a complaint by the way. it’s just a truthful statement about where i’m at at this particular moment. i’m listening to some sinatra this morning. 

nostalgia   -   /näˈstaljə,nəˈstaljə/ noun a sentimental longing or wistful affection for the past, typically for a period or place with happy personal associations. "I was overcome with acute nostalgia for my days in college" synonyms: reminiscence, remembrance, recollection;

this is going to be a quick one today, or maybe it won’t. i just received a care package yesterday from one of my best friends. we were in culinary school together and he found a magazine that had a bunch of picture of food from the restaurant i used to work at. he also included some photos of when we were in culinary school together. i don’t often find myself feeling nostalgic about those days, i mean they were hard work and by the time i had finished i had begun to make a name for myself, but i might have also outed myself from the group because i was more of a solo flyer. anyway this magazine got me to thinking. and the thinking just took me back to the good times. i find that nostalgia most often brings us back to the good times. that longing that we have for the days of old. it doesn’t take much to send me back in the old memory banks to days that i’ve idealized. nostalgia does a great job of making us forget the bad. it helps us to remember our lives as the great things they have been, and then it gives us hope for the great things they are going to end up being. i’m going to take some time today remembering the good, and looking forward to the future. 

[cheffytraveler]

brave

good morning all. it’s a beautiful morning here at the lake house. it’s funny because yesterday we got snow, and enough of it to cause accidents, slow down the work of the day, and to look pretty all at the same time. i ended up slinging bags at the mushroom farm yesterday due to an unfortunate incident, but i had a great time. not the day off i had planned, but there are worse things in the world than working around good people. my shoulder is sore today though. it had to have been the repeated motion. i also looked at an apartment that i thought was in my price range, but turned out to be quite a bit out of my price range. other than that it’s been a busy time, and i’m constantly looking forward to any form of downtime i can squirrel away for myself. i’m listening to ella fitzgerald and duke ellington this morning. 

brave   -   /brāv/ adjective 1. ready to face and endure danger or pain; showing courage. "a brave soldier" synonyms: courageous, valiant, valorous, intrepid, heroic, lionhearted, bold, fearless, gallant, daring, plucky, audacious;

being brave is something that we see objectified on tv all of the time. it’s in the songs we listen to. it’s in the books we read. there are very few things that we are subjected to nowadays that don’t in some way shape or form show bravery. it’s the ability to face danger or pain. now as we all know there are so many varying levels of danger and pain, as well as our own personal perspective to account for, that it’s hard to argue that most of the things that we do take some amount of bravery. things like going to work to a job that may not be the best for you. it’s brave to go in and face that pain day after day. i applaud those who do it. one, because they are the people who are keeping this country going, and two, i’m not brave enough to do that myself. i think that bravery has become one of those things that we tend to take for granted. there are so many people out there who are facing struggles that haven’t stopped fighting, and i would venture to guess that many of us don’t even think about it for even a second. sometimes the smallest step can be the bravest one, because we are at least beginning to move forward. i want to be brave. i want to be bold. i want to have people talk about my life by saying i was a daring soul who went for the things in life that he wanted. yet another thing to work on, and yet another thing i’m happy for as well. 

[cheffytraveler]

require

good morning all. it’s another beautiful day here, and it’s been a beautiful past couple of days. i won’t lie, i’ve been busy once again. i feel a little stretched, but i’m hoping that i’ll get it all worked out soon. tomorrow is my only day off from any obligations, and it’s already slowly filing up. that and having a constant toothache have begun to annoy me slightly. mainly the toothache is annoying me. i think i’m going to have to get the sensitive tooth toothpaste. there are much worse things in the world. i have about one more month left in the lake house, and if this last year is any indication, it’s going to fly by before i know it. i’m listening to young folks at the moment. 

require   -  /rəˈkwī(ə)r/

verb need for a particular purpose. "three patients required operations" synonyms: need, be in need of More antonyms: optional cause to be necessary. "it would have required much research to produce a comprehensive list" synonyms: necessitate, demand, call for, involve, entail "a situation requiring patience"

no one every really explains to us at a young age that the world is really built up on a precarious foundation of requirements. i’m not saying that that is the only bit of foundation, but i am saying that it’s probably a bigger deal than any of us want to admit. think about it for a minute. is their a relationship in your life that has absolutely no requirements? when i’m saying that i’m understanding that there are positive requirements in life. we all need to be loved. that’s a requirement that most people have in their lives. we all require sustenance to survive as well as sleep and shelter. these requirements lead us to other things that we undoubtedly require. we need an income to provide the the three things i just stated. and to have an income we need a job. the great thing about a job is that now we are simultaneously fulfilling two requirements. your boss requires someone to do the job that you are doing, you and require that they pay you for services rendered. i’m trying to think of a single thing that we do day to day that doesn’t fit into some form of a requirement. the things we require shape our day to day. sure we’re doing something fun, but it’s more than likely because there is something that we need, and the action that we are doing will fulfill that need. i write this blog because i require some form of an outlet. i don’t require that anyone read it, but the typing and releasing of my mind is quite cathartic and allows me to attack the rest of the day with a fresh mind. i guess why i’m writing about this is because i received an email this morning that made it abundantly clear that even after we have met the things that were required of us certain people decide that they all of a sudden require more. now i don’t think it’s because they are not capable of doing what they said they were going to do, but i do think it’s because the easier option is to get somewhat else to do it. we rationalize it in our heads by saying the person we are talking to is going to be so much better at it than we are, but the truth is that we just can’t be bothered. i’m going to try and be more aware of the things that i ask of people. the needs that i have i want to be positive. i don’t want to be taking from the world, i want to be giving to it. just food for thought. 

[cheffytraveler]

weird

good morning all. how are you this morning? it’s a beautiful day here at the lake house. the sun is out, and i’m just waiting for it to warm up a bit. the house is quiet, i’m pretty sure most everyone is still sleeping. i’ve been looking for apartments and i’m hoping to hear back from someone soon. that being said i realize it’s still mid april so it’s more than likely i’ll not hear anything back for a little while. i just need to find a place by june. it looks like i’ll be living on my own again which is cool, but at the same time not really. i thoroughly enjoy having people around so not having any company will be a little daunting at first. i’m sure i’ll get used to it over time, and then again there’s no point thinking about it right now. i’m listening to some jazz this morning, but that’s subject to change i’m sure. 

weird   -   /wird/ adjective 1. suggesting something supernatural; uncanny. "the weird crying of a seal" synonyms: uncanny, eerie, unnatural, supernatural, unearthly, otherworldly, ghostly, mysterious, strange, abnormal, unusual;

i felt weird last night. i was at work and we had a big top. twenty five people at once. in all honesty that’s not something that should be too difficult, but with the space that we have it does hamper the smoothness of the line. everyone did a great job and we got everything out in a timely manner. all of the guests were happy and by all accounts it should’ve been considered a success. i don’t know how to explain it suffice to say i think it could have gone better. there was a good span of time last night where i just felt unsettled by it all. i wish that i could explain it better than that, but i really can’t. i’m finding that i’ve been feeling weird more and more as of late. something unusual is creeping in the back of my mind and i can’t quite place my finger on it. the feeling has left me feeling unsettled and i’m sure that’s part of the reason i haven’t been able to sleep as well as i would like to at night. i know something isn’t right but i can’t place my finger on what. i’m hoping that i can get it all figured out sooner rather than later. there are few things worse to me than feeling unsettled. maybe it has to do with all of the uncertainty in my life at the moment. maybe i’m not as happy as i thought. or maybe i am and i’m just not used to being this happy and so i’m looking for ways to sabotage myself. all i know is that i want this feeling to stop, so i’m going to work on it. hopefully everything will work out soon.