Second-hand – that’s my thing

Second-hand – that’s my thing

Recently I got interested in the Zero Waste topic. One of the main rules of this movement is to reduce the use of cheaper labor force in clothing industry by buying clothes in second-hand stores. However, I am a fan of this kind of shopping since, probably, ever. For me it has a few very significant advantages.

Firstly, the price. It makes me pleased when I can buy myself something cute for the same amount of money which I can spend on a chocolate bar. That’s so satisfying!

Secondly, the aspect which is very important for me personally – the sizes. In the second-hands you can find a lot of unusual clothes which somebody wasn’t able to sell or bought it and wore once or twice. It means that most of them are either in uncommon sizes or cut. So that’s the best solution for people whose bodies are not so typically shaped 😉

Thirdly, the assortment. These stores don’t have themed collections and don’t follow trends as much as chain shops do. Besides, shopping in SH requires going through every single hanger, because clothes aren’t distributed according to size so it is much more likely to find something cool by accident, which you would probably skip in a regular store. Therefore, if you want to buy something fancy or extraordinary go to the nearest SH.

Finally, shopping in second-hand might turn out as an interesting experience, seriously! If you go there on the day of delivery (once a week) you may witness the return of primal instincts and strategies! You have no idea how important this t-shirt is for the lady next to you. She’s just waiting for the moment when you put it away, to grab it as fast as possible. Sometimes these ladies are not even waiting till you change your mind, so be careful!

Do you buy clothes in second-hands? Maybe you have some favourite ones in Poznań? Let me know!

World Press Photo 2018

World Press Photo 2018

World Press Photo Of The Year is the most prestigious competition in the world of photojournalism.

As the name suggests, this is an annual event, which is organized since 1955 by Dutch foundation World Press Photo. The results are announced in February. The author of the winning photo receives a 10,000€ prize. However, the criteria are not only connected with the esthetic aspects of the photograph.  It has to represent an issue or single event of a great importance, from the journalistic point of view.

Apart from The Best Picture, the jury awards photographers in eight different categories:  general news, spot news, sports, contemporary issues, daily life, portraits, nature and long-term projects.

The photos are related to contemporary issues like racism, wars, ecological crises and unique events or moments. Obviously, there are also photos presenting positive situations like an extraordinary entertainment popular in more “exotic” for us countries.

The citizens of Poznań had a great opportunity to see the exhibition containing all of the rewarded photos from 2018 edition in CK Zamek. The exhibition was available from 28^th April to 20^th May 2018. For the most important photo contest of the year, 4548 photographers from 125 countries signed up with 73 thousand of pictures. The works were presented anonymously in front of jury with Magdalena Herrera as the head of the jury.

This year’s winner is Ronaldo Schemidt with a photo intitled “Venezuela Crisis”.

In my opinion it was a very touching exhibition, because it presented current issues dominating our world.  Terrorism, endangered species, racism, ethnical and religious conflicts, injustice, politics and the diversity of our world. After seeing it I had just one conclusion in my head “we’re not even aware what is going on but only we can change it”.

If you’re ready to see and to know more, go to www.worldpressphoto.org.  You can find there all of the rewarded photos with the descriptions, which are sometimes comforting, but mostly just overwhelming.

What do vegetarians and vegans eat on a BBQ?

What do vegetarians and vegans eat on a BBQ?

Since my creativity is almost dead in this semester, here’s another post about food. 

I’m a beginner in this meatless world, so the BBQ season made me think: what will I eat on a Sunday family BBQ? A quick online research gave me a simple answer: vegetables and tofu, isn’t that obvious?

This is not a recipe just for vegetarians or vegans, it is also a simple way to diversify your traditional BBQ. Even my family (pro-meat, sausage-lovers) wants me to prepare it for our BBQ since the first time they tried it.

Vegan skewers with marinated vegetables

Serving: two skewers are enough to make you happy

Time: 10 minutes to prepare and at least 15 to keep them in a fridge

Ingredients (depending on how many skewers you want to prepare and how many pieces of vegetables you put on the sticks):

1 pepper

1 courgette

1 onion

200 grams of tofu (buy already marinated tofu, because it has stronger taste)

This is just a suggestion, you can try with your favourite vegetables and use as many as you want!

Marinate:

There’s also room for improvisation here 😊

My suggestion:

1 tbsp of salt

1 tbsp of smoked pepper

1 tsp of granulated garlic

1 tsp of thyme

1 tsp of oregano

1 tsp of black pepper

1 tsp of mustard

1 tsp of honey

A few tablespoons of oil

How to prepare it?

That’s probably as easy as preparing tea.

1.       Wash all the vegetables and peel the onion.

2.       Remove the core from pepper.

3.       Cut everything in cubes (also tofu) or small slices. Don’t make them too small or too big, they have to keep on a stick.

4.       Mix all the spices with oil to prepare your marinate, it has to look like a thick sauce.

5.       Dip the vegetables in marinate. Be careful with onion, dip it only a bit, because it gets too spicy very easily. If you bought marinated tofu, you don’t have to dip it again.

6.       Put everything on a stick piece by piece and then put it in the fridge for at least 15 minutes. Keep it longer if you want to get a better taste.

7.       Place it on the grill, a tray might be useful, but it’s not necessary. 20 minutes should be enough, but you have to keep eye on the skewers.

Enjoy!