I love to feel feminine, and am always creating my own
inspiration. I find that introducing
little pockets of femininity into my day helps everything run smoother. I feel more ladylike and life is enjoyable –
even when I’m doing mundane tasks.
The first post in this series is on using the sense of taste
to be more feminine.
Fresh fruit
Instead of a biscuit (cookie) or cake for afternoon tea,
wash and slice an apple or other piece of fresh fruit and savour piece by piece
from a pretty plate. Water-rich food is
so deliciously plumping (in a hydrating way) to the cells of your body, and you
will feel refreshed and light afterwards.
Add several raw almonds for a balanced le goûter.
Herbal tea
Find an herbal tea you like the look of and enjoy it
daily. There are many different teas
around – so many. If you are not a fan of traditional herbal
teas such as peppermint or chamomile, try a fruit tea. When I settle down for a morning of writing,
I like to make myself an herbal tea and top up with hot water when I get down
to the half-way mark, many times over. ‘One’
cup lasts me hours! It’s nice to sip on plus I get good hydration plus I don’t
snack when I am doing this. Win/win/win.
Petite sweet
Find a petite morsel that you can love in moderation, to
enjoy something sweet to finish off a meal.
I am still loving bliss balls (my recipe here), and I find that one
bliss ball with one small piece of dark chocolate go well together. Along the same lines is pairing a dried
apricot with a piece of dark chocolate.
Do you have a femininity in taste tip to add? Please share in the comments below, I’d
really love to hear.
We don’t have thanksgiving here in New Zealand, but in the
lovely spirit of it, I wish all my chic readers a very happy thanksgiving. I’m so grateful you are here. Thank you.
fiona
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What an inspirational post! I know you don't drink, Fiona, so I feel guilty mentioning this, but I do feel more feminine when we're out to dinner and I either have sparkling wine or a glass of wine with dinner as opposed to my usual straight scotch or Grey Goose on the rocks, which, though delicious, is kind of manly :)
ReplyDeleteI also feel feminine when I drink flavored coffee, which my husband is not fond of. I love peppermint coffee during the holidays!
Happy Thanksgiving to you, too, Fiona! Our turkey is roasting and smelling divine and the pumpkin pie is ready to go :)
I am very thankful for your blog, which is an oasis of civility.
Amy, please don't feel guilty! I don't know if I am unusual as a non-drinker but I can happily sit with people who all have drinks, and don't feel apart in the slightest. Talking about drinks doesn't bother me and I always smell the bouquet of my husband's wine and try to describe it.
DeleteI know what you mean about spirits, they don't feel as feminine as wine. I used to love a brandy and dry (ginger ale) or G&T.
I also love a flavoured coffee every so often. The caramel Christmas ones are my favourite, lucky it's only once a year, if that.
An oasis of civility, well thank you very much, I definitely accept that description with pleasure :)
To me it would probably be a cake or pastry of the type seen in fairytale books and often snubbed by carnivorous males. Something as pretty to look at as it is delicious to eat.
ReplyDeleteSounds divine, and those pastries and cakes are usually in petite portions too.
DeleteWhen I need a shot of femininity I make sure to drink my tea out of a fragile and beautiful tea cup with saucer. I have many special ones, sometimes with matching tea pot. Alpha Hubby doesn't drink tea anymore so it's something that is all mine!!
ReplyDeleteI love doing this too. Not all the time, just sometimes :)
DeleteFor years I've been working on slowing down when I eat. I have always been a fast eater, probably because when I was a child in school, I was very hypoglycemic and had a difficult time waiting from breakfast to lunch to eat, and then again from lunch to dinner. To this day, I eat 5-6 times a day instead of 3. That's just how my body is! However, I've been eating like the Europeans - fork in my left hand, knife in right - I learned to do this when I lived in Ireland briefly and thought it was so chic and so much more refined than stabbing food with a fork a la American! It slows me down, too, as I have to think a little bit.
ReplyDeleteSome recommend 3 meals a day, some recommend eating every 2-3 hours. I've tried both but what it really comes down to is what feels best for your body. When I have eaten every 2-3 hours, it is sometimes only a tiny amount of raw almonds, one bliss ball or a hard-boiled egg. Sometimes even a hot tea with milk is good. Of course, medical issues trump everything.
DeleteRight from a young age I ate with fork in left hand and knife in right. I never knew there was any other way. In New Zealand we are part of the British Commonwealth and so were influenced by the English, particularly in the 1970s and 1980s when I was young, so that probably is the reason why we ate this way. I can imagine it would be challenging to learn to use utensils differently if you are used to using them a certain way though.
Forgot to mention, I've been enjoying making lovely hot tea drinks with a little milk frothing wand I bought for $6 on Amazon. If I don't want caffeine, I make a chai roobios tea with a little steamed/frothed almond milk, negligible calories but so pretty with a nice head of foam sprinkled with cinnamon!
ReplyDeleteYum, that sounds delicious Carrie. I love rooibos and chai, but have not had them together.
DeleteFor me it's not so much in what tastes feminine in terms of food items, but in how I eat that makes the difference. Even potato chips (crisps) feel more posh and feminine (and taste better ;-) if eaten out of a cut glass single serve bowl in a limited quantity. I now plate any snack and always drink from a glass, not a bottle or can. Then there is my brother who takes great pride in being able to make a toasted cheese sandwich without dirtying a dish, not even a knife and my husband who eats his snacks off a paper towel.
ReplyDeleteToo true, Cindy. I still eat foods like potato chips (I think they are my first true love, gosh that sounds sad...) and I like them from a small pretty bowl. I can't stand putting my hand into the bag. Plus a nice glass for my drink.
DeleteHaha, funny about the men in your life who wear not using plates as a badge of honour. That's hilarious!
Thank you for all your lovely posts, Fiona. To moi, it's extra feminine to indulge in a very pretty and delightful dessert/cake a la Japanese dainty style, and sipping from a gorgeous cup of either frothy coffee or tea latte with a pretty art design on it. And enjoying a beautiful glass of bubbles.
ReplyDeleteMy pleasure, K! Love your feminine details, I already know you are a very feminine person.
DeleteSetting a pretty tablescape has made every meal an "event". It adds a feminine touch to even the most "casual" meal. Pretty plates, glasses, etc. make me take my time and really savor the food - and the company (my family).
ReplyDeleteBest & Bisous,
Michelle from Simply Santa Barbara
Thank you Michelle, for your contribution. I agree, even setting a casual table makes a meal more of an event :)
DeleteThis is a lovely post :)
ReplyDeleteSparkling mineral water definitely makes me feel feminine. I buy it in the small bottles so I have a single serving size with dinner. Making sure to have fresh produce with every meal makes me feel feminine and healthy too. I always have fruit for breakfast, a salad with lunch, and steamed or roasted vegetables with dinner.
Thank you Anna, I love doing all the things you do too :)
DeleteHi Fiona- what a fabulous post. I have been trying to be more feminine with meals as well. I love greek yogurt with blueberries or strawberries and almonds for breakfast. Also a huge fan of lemons- with hot water in the morning and sliced into cold water throughout the day. Always treat myself at the end of the day with a small piece of fine dark chocolate - kind of a way to say good night to myself! I usually have one cup of coffee a day but I make it special by having it with foaming milk and a touch of cinnamon.
ReplyDeleteLovely, Danielle, thanks so much for your contribution :) I love all your tips.
Deletemy 2 favourite feminine things are my rosewater toner spray with crystals & essential oils, & my tiny sleep sachet with essential oils, crystals, dried flowers & other lovely things. They make me feel so special
ReplyDeleteDivine :) I mist toner on my face at night rather than use a cotton pad and it smells delicious (Natio). I have used rosewater in the past and will use again once I need toner. I love the idea of a sleep sachet.
DeleteFiona you have the most wonderful advice...and I am so thankful that I found your blog...I hope you will keep blogging for a long time!
ReplyDeleteAah, thank you very much, Leslie. That's lovely :)
DeleteAs above, when I'm in the mood to feel more feminine I like to sip my tea out of a fine china teacup. I've collected a number of nice ones, but my favorite has some beautiful pink fuchsias painted on it. I also find that scent makes me feel more feminine.
ReplyDeleteCheers,
Garden Goddess
Thank you Garden Goddess! I love perfume too, soooo much.
DeleteOh, I think I am going to love this series! So inspiring. Something that I like to enjoy but I only have it once a week is a bowl of vanilla ice cream with granola and almonds. So good!!!!
ReplyDeleteI've seen your Instagram photos of this treat, Mrs Shockley and it looks so good!
DeleteA new series! Looking forward to reading Fiona! I think of you describing eating popcorn at the movie theatre out of a big tub (I think that was you) and how un-chic that can be. I try to think of that when I eat, and make things chic-er by smaller portions and plating my food on nice dishes. With our kitchen torn up for reno, we are unfortunately doing takeout in front of the TV. Ugh. Can't wait to get back to my kitchen. It will be a lot easier to eat more femininely. xo Deborah
ReplyDeleteYes that was me, Deborah! I haven't had popcorn at the movies in a long time, but I admit I have eaten popcorn at home - always from a bowl though, not the packet. But I never feel chic with it, a telling sign surely. Best wishes for a speedy and successful kitchen renovation, how exciting!
DeleteThat is a really good point about fruit. Thank you for a whole new way of looking at fruit as feminine! There is a particular cafe nearby that serves what I view as feminine food. Everything is so pretty and their salads are bursting with fresh flavors. I always feel feminine enjoying their food.
ReplyDeleteI love finding places like that. They make me more adventurous and creative with my own salads.
DeleteHello, Fiona ... I attempted to comment twice yesterday but my comments failed to stick (Google playing tricks with me again!) so I hope this will 'stick'.
ReplyDeleteI have enjoyed reading the comments here and also, I'm a mainly non-drinker. I no longer enjoy wine but like a half a pint of best bitter beer occasionally, but that's not a very feminine drink, is it? But I also love mineral water, and when I go to bed at night, I take my water in a cut glass tumbler, which looks so pretty. I also have pink roses in our bedroom, which is a very feminine flower, I think. I spray my pillow with rose pillow mist, too.
As for eating, I also eat the British way, fork in left hand, knife in right, and I don't hold the knife like a pen, which is very non-U (if you've not heard of non-U, look up Nancy Mitford and non-U.) I only eat with a fork when it's curry, and really a spoon would do for that! I think the American way of eating with a fork is how a child might eat, it's not grown-up, but that's their style, so who am I to say otherwise. I also love a small slice of cake eaten with a cake fork (that is a small fork which has one edge shaped like a rather blunt knife as you will be putting it in your mouth.)
I also feel feminine if I change out of my trousers or jeans. Even my culottes make me feel more feminine. It doesn't take much to make me feel feminine, perhaps just a spritz of perfume.
Margaret P
www.margaretpowling.com
All lovely ideas, Margaret, and I think pink roses are tres feminine also. I remember one of the first perfumes I was given, around ten, was Yardley Roses in a small textured glass bottle.
DeleteMy mother is a big Nancy Mitford fan and she talks about U and non-U (and PLU, I think is also related?). Such fun.
I'm so glad I discovered your blog, Fiona. It's lovely....as is your name. I've had a "love affair" with the name Fiona for about a decade now.
ReplyDeleteAnyhow...I don't like herb tea. i'm a black tea gal. I almost always drink tea out of a teacup, instead of a mug. A beautiful, porcelain teacup always makes me feel feminine.
Hi Patti, why thank you!
DeleteI do love black tea too, Earl Grey, English Breakfast, Lemon-scented black tea, all of them :)
Fine porcelain is certainly a pleasure to sip from. Thanks so much for your comment.
What a lovely post Fiona! I felt the most feminine was when I had small servings of creme brûlée and fruit salad in an Italian restaurant in Laos. I'm not into lunch or dinner buffets but this was the exception. Mainly because it was smaller portions and not the usual serving. Thanks for this post which I enjoyed reading.
ReplyDeleteCheers,
Ping
Hi dear Ping! Creme brulee and fruit salad sounds divine. I agree that buffets are not feminine - I can never resist getting my money's worth so I usually prefer to go somewhere a la carte.
DeleteSo nice to have you drop in :)