France has made international news several times lately for coming up with creative solutions to public problems. Like the Uritrottoir, which made its debut in early spring. I think it's clever, but apparently it's pissing off our neighbors (pun intended). And a theme park in western France is hoping that people will litter less if crows … Continue reading Stray observations
Food
The most stressful part of a French party
On Monday night, we went to a wine and cheese party at the Montpellier home of the brother of one of our Paris friends. (Anne-Claire, whom you may remember from the dinner party where I, um, really made a splash.) “Bring a bottle of wine or cheese to share!” the invitation read. Now, if you're … Continue reading The most stressful part of a French party
Mmmacarons!
There are a few things you absolutely have to eat in Paris—wine and cheese, obviously, but also escargots, crème brulée, and macarons. (And one thing to avoid: the dreaded andouillette.) Colin and I have definitely done our part to support the French economy with our consumption of the first two, but somehow we made it nearly … Continue reading Mmmacarons!
The Cheese Guy
Lately we've really been trying to become regulars at our favorite cheese place. We eat bread and cheese for dinner more often than not, so this felt like a good relationship to invest in. You get better cheese if they know and like you. Before we left for Tel Aviv, we went to the same … Continue reading The Cheese Guy
Poivr(e/on)
I went to the produce market today to buy salad ingredients for dinner. I looked around for a minute, then greeted one of the employees and asked for some mixed greens, a yellow onion, a bunch of local tomatoes, and a green pepper. He carefully measured out a couple handfuls of lettuce and bagged up … Continue reading Poivr(e/on)
The Parme-marathon: How to make parmesan baskets, sans magic
On Sunday, Colin and I hosted his boss Anthony and partner Anne-Claire for dinner, to return the favor after the eventful evening at their place a couple weeks ago. Now, cooking is pretty much my least favorite household chore; I would much rather clean bathrooms and vacuum every day of the week than spend more … Continue reading The Parme-marathon: How to make parmesan baskets, sans magic
Raisins
After finishing dinner on Saturday night but before the great toilet debacle, Colin and Anthony were enjoying a digestif of rum. Anthony, as one would expect for someone who's lived in France for years, knows alcohol well and, after offering his quick assessment, asked Colin what he thought. "It tastes like sunshine!" Colin joked, not … Continue reading Raisins
This post brought to you by a laptop-friendly cafe
The French do not mix work and food, or really anything and food. Most of the time I love this about France, but over the past couple weeks I began to get frustrated for one reason: my dream of parking myself at a cafe to read and write for hours on end began seeming like … Continue reading This post brought to you by a laptop-friendly cafe
Andouillette
Last night, Colin and I were looking for a place to eat dinner at the ungodly-early-to-Parisians hour of 7:00 pm, and our options were limited. It was also snowing, which apparently hasn't happened in Paris in years. So, doing what every other cold, jet-lagged American tourist would do, we stopped at the first restaurant that … Continue reading Andouillette
