We all have our favorite drinks, but did you ever stop to think those drinks may point to omens that describe you and predict your destiny? With springtime upon us, we thought we'd add divination and pseudo-scientific mystery to the season's spiritous activities. In the end, what you're drinking might say more about you than "you drink too much."

Adding coconut milk to a dish is a lot like adding Steven Seagal to a movie: They both come on subtle, but eventually take over and overwhelm the opposition. One of the hallmarks of Thai cooking is coconut milk, which is not the watery liquid found in a fresh coconut, but the fragrant, fatty cream taken from the ripe palm nuts (they’re nuts, not actually classified as fruits). It’s used for consistency and flavor, and also to tone down spicy curries by sopping up the hot.

In Creole cuisine, rémoulade is the pride of the po’ boy: a veritable catch-all sauce of ketchup, mayo, mustard, Louisiana mirepoix and spices. In France, the sauce is more refined and its classic accompaniment is celery root. The basic formula for a rémoulade in both the motherland and southland milieu is: mayo, something pickled, herbs and spices. Our recipe is a vegan take on the French version, and we used it as a platform for a classic bistro salad of celeriac. Not familiar with this brute of a root? Don't be surprised when you go from grocer to grocer praying you can avoid a run to Whole Foods for these glorious dirt bombs. You will fall in love with this dish.

Whether you’re more familiar with the French Riviera or the French Quarter, there are plenty of places in Albuquerque to get a taste of authentic French cuisine. Read Hosho McCreesh’s review of Le Quiche Parisienne in this issue, and check out these other restaurants in the city that will cater to your wanderlust and make you feel, if only for the evening, that you’re dining in the City of Lights. Bon appetit, mes amis.