How come they don't have salmonella?
Raw eggs are everywhere here: cracked on top of hot pizzas, floating on the top of your steak tartare, incorporated into all sorts of mousses and foams and mixed into cake and cookie doughs that kids are encouraged to lick off of their fingers (we baked at school today).
Why is it that eggs in North America are so taboo? Is it just that North Americans are more paranoid about what they eat? Or is it that the food here in France is just generally of a higher quality, and therefore can be eaten raw?
Thursday, November 30, 2006
Sunday, November 26, 2006
France vs Argentina and Torie vs Crowds
So it's time for that rare treat, a blog entry from Erik. We had a pretty amazing saturday yesterday, spent watching the France - Argentina test rugby match. Argentina had collected a couple of scalps on their trip through europe the last few weeks, so both they and Torie were bristling with optimism about the day's prospects.
So here's a shot of Torie enjoying a little elbow room, the last time she would experience that little luxury for the next few hours.
We voyaged out to the stadium on the RER, just like every single other person in Paris apparently. The crowd on the train was quite impressive, as was the crowd getting off the train, the crown going towards the stadium, the crowd for beer, etc, etc.
That building in the far background getting outshone by Torie's dazzling smile is the Stade de France. It's a short but thirsty walk from the RER to the stadium, so some refreshments were in order. A surprisingly affordable beer and some interesting characters, always nice surprises. The crowds, although well-lubricated, are always very calm and convivial at rugby games, unlike soccer games, but we won't get into that.... We had just eaten lunch, so we didn't have room for that classic rugby snack, foie gras (!!!) but it was quite a popular booth.
It was a pretty good game, with France not showing any type of the dominance they should have, given that they are ranked number 2 in the world right now. France went up by a few tries in the first half, but Argentina came back within a point in the last 5 minutes. A last minute 50/50 kick would have put them in for the win, but France got lucky, received the kick a little too sloppily, but cleared away for a safe win.
But the adventure never ends there.... Naturally the crowd getting back to Paris was equally huge. A short delay to let the largest masses rush for the first trains (that shot on the left is what a crowd looks like from below) didn't really do much. However, everyone was nice enough to stand still for the picture below. Very polite of them really. You can see the gap on the left where the police had formed a human wall to prevent everyone from rushing the gates. Really, when you consider the number of people leaving the event all at the same time, it was a surprisingly quick journey back to Paris.
But of course no rugby day is finished without a meal of chipolata-leek risotto and champagne. An outstanding combination, the champagne really cleanses the palate and makes each bite of risotto as rich as the first. Not exactly a polish sausage beside the parking lot at Eglinton Flats, but not too shabby in a pinch.
So that was a great day. Again!
It seems that Japan will be in Canada's pool in the rugby world cup next summer, so they will play each other somewhere here in France. I think we will be there.
Monday, November 20, 2006
A trip down memory lane
After brunch on Saturday, Erik and I walked up to Montmartre to spend the afternoon and go out for dinner.
I don't think we've been back to that neighbourhood just the two of us since we left. We've enjoyed taking people up to Sacre Coeur, and taking them to the Zebre and Bar, but it's been a long time since we just wandered around and remembered how different our life was when we lived there.
We started off with a walk up rue Dancourt, past all the same touristy shops and restaurants. We continued straight up the stairs to Sacre Coeur to enjoy the view.
I have to say, it's still my favorite view of the city, and we were lucky, as it was a clear day, so we had an excellent view of the tour Montparnasse and all the other more beautiful landmarks.
We made our way through Place du Tertre and checked out the art work before heading back down towards rue des Abesses to peruse the shops. Our favorite bakery was packed, and unfortunately we were way too full to contemplate a baguette. All the shops looked the same, and being a Saturday, the neighbourhood was bustling. I miss doing my shopping in those stores. So much more fun than the Inno.
Anyway, we eventually stopped for a drink, and considered our next move. We were both exhausted from walking, but it was only 3:30, and we were planning on eating dinner at the Cercle. Which left us with about four hours to kill. We eventually decided to head home and come back for dinner, which of course didn't happen. We ended up at the Time Machine, and ate at the Midi Vins, and decided it was a fitting end to our day. Montmartre is a fantastic area, but we feel quite at home next to the big tower in Montparnasse.
I don't think we've been back to that neighbourhood just the two of us since we left. We've enjoyed taking people up to Sacre Coeur, and taking them to the Zebre and Bar, but it's been a long time since we just wandered around and remembered how different our life was when we lived there.
We started off with a walk up rue Dancourt, past all the same touristy shops and restaurants. We continued straight up the stairs to Sacre Coeur to enjoy the view.
I have to say, it's still my favorite view of the city, and we were lucky, as it was a clear day, so we had an excellent view of the tour Montparnasse and all the other more beautiful landmarks.
We made our way through Place du Tertre and checked out the art work before heading back down towards rue des Abesses to peruse the shops. Our favorite bakery was packed, and unfortunately we were way too full to contemplate a baguette. All the shops looked the same, and being a Saturday, the neighbourhood was bustling. I miss doing my shopping in those stores. So much more fun than the Inno.
Anyway, we eventually stopped for a drink, and considered our next move. We were both exhausted from walking, but it was only 3:30, and we were planning on eating dinner at the Cercle. Which left us with about four hours to kill. We eventually decided to head home and come back for dinner, which of course didn't happen. We ended up at the Time Machine, and ate at the Midi Vins, and decided it was a fitting end to our day. Montmartre is a fantastic area, but we feel quite at home next to the big tower in Montparnasse.
Best of Brunch
On Saturday morning, Alex invited us over for brunch.
And what a brunch it was!
We started with bacon (that Erik had to cook, because he was the man) and eggs with goat cheese. Then Katharina had made little toasts with magret de canard that she served with fig jam. Yum! We then had a charcuterie plate with fresh bread. We finished off the meal with crepes that Alex had made, which she served with maple syrup and Nutella. And she served coffee with foamed milk. Alex has this cool little electric whip thing that made a small container of skim milk into foam for cafe au lait. Amazing!
Alex and Erik in the kitchen
Bon apetit!
The cafe au lait
Sooo satisfied!
And what a brunch it was!
We started with bacon (that Erik had to cook, because he was the man) and eggs with goat cheese. Then Katharina had made little toasts with magret de canard that she served with fig jam. Yum! We then had a charcuterie plate with fresh bread. We finished off the meal with crepes that Alex had made, which she served with maple syrup and Nutella. And she served coffee with foamed milk. Alex has this cool little electric whip thing that made a small container of skim milk into foam for cafe au lait. Amazing!
Alex and Erik in the kitchen
Bon apetit!
The cafe au lait
Sooo satisfied!
Wednesday, November 15, 2006
Remeber this post?
November 15, 2005
Well, we're here!
Exhausted, and a little disoriented, but we made it to our place with our 200+ lbs of luggage.
First of all, let me recommend that you don't fly American Airlines. It really was a fine flight, but for some reason, flying through Chicago really didn't make any sense (we were going the wrong way...plus a long layover). And the food was quite possibly the worst I've ever had. It will just make the Parisian kind taste that much better!
Well, our apartment is pretty awesome. We have literally just walked in the door (after making 4 trips up in the ancient elevator--its just big enough for one person and a suitcase. We had four), and wanted to share the views that we have from our windows. They might not be the nicest views in Paris, but they're really the only ones we've seen yet, and we think they're pretty awesome (by the way, flying into the city was so dissapointing! We were hoping to see some of Paris, but the plane somehow managed to completly avoid it, and we got to see farmers fields instead).
So, here you go. Enjoy, know that we're here safe, and we'll write more as soon as we've eaten (or maybe tomorrow).
Take care,
E+T
*********************************
November 15, 2006
Hard to believe it's only been one year!
I feel like we've been here for so much longer, and I have to admit that I've fallen in love with this city.
Part of my excitement at reaching the one year mark is that it brings us that much closer to moving back to Canada and all the people and places that we miss, but I'm beginning to realize how much I'm going to miss Paris when we're gone.
I love seeing the Eiffel Tower sparkle every hour, I how every inch of this city is so beautiful, I love how good the food is, and I love how polite people *usually* are. I love that we live in a building that throws parties in the courtyard, and I love having school holidays every six weeks. I love that we have a cafe called the Time Machine on the corner of our street where we know everyone who works there, and they know us. I love that we have a long list of restaurants that we need to try. I love that we managed to find good restaurants, after the terrrible, terrible 10euro tourist menus that we were eating when we first got here. I love that people get dressed up for everything. I love that they're setting up a skating rink in front of the Tour Montparnasse, and I love that we can easily rely on public transit for almost all of our transportation needs. I love that you can order champagne with your meal and people don't think you're crazy. I love that we think that it's reasonable to drink Champagne on special (and not so special) occasions. I love that Erik is turning into a wine snob.
I could go on, but it doesn't change the fact that I think we're pretty happy here. It's been a long year, and it's probably been one of the hardest years of my life, but it makes me pretty proud to look back on everything that we've been through this year and realize that we're doing alright. Actually better than alright. We've spent more time together than we ever would have if we'd stayed in Toronto, and we still enjoy each others company. There's no one that I'd rather be in Paris with, and that makes it a dream come true.
(Please attribute any sappiness in this post to the Champagne that was ordered with dinner. My usual sarcastic self will be back in full force, probably tomorrow, after the field trip that I'm going on. Stay tuned...)
Friday, November 10, 2006
Drama and Perturbance
This morning at the nursery school there was an extensive drama that developed after the 'closing' of the school gates.
A parent rang the school bell at 9:17 to drop her two boys off.
The day at the nursery school starts at 9:00. The director greets students until 9:15 as 'a favour' (her words) to the parents. Anyone arriving after that time is a huge inconvenience to director, the teachers, and the other students, and shouldn't be let in. And apparently at regular French schools, the gates are literally locked (like ours was) and no one will let you in after the designated time. This is normal procedure.
Initially, I really didn't understand what the fuss was about. Any public school in Canada (I'm assuming..) would allow any student into class at any time, although a late slip might be required after the bell. But I can't imagine a school locking it's doors an not allowing any one in after a certain time (although the whole locked gate thing would likely eliminate all of the strangers that seem to make it into schools these days...).
On the other hand, I kind of understand where they are coming from. Many of the kids arrive before 9:oo and are ready to go. It's not fair to them if kids are arriving at any time, and it disrupts lessons, which is going to happen with any child under the age of 5 who can barely remove his coat by himself. Plus, a parent is never going to learn if they are allowed to drop their kids off whenever they want. But I'm not a parent, so what do I know.
Any thoughts? The situation was only resolved because the lunch lady arrived, and the mother was still there, and the director had to let the lunch lady in, and thus the kids as well.
On an unrelated note, this has been a week of perturbance for me on the trains.
On Wednesday there was a strike by the SNCF workers, which made my usual 45minute commute to St Cloud into a 1.5 hour commute from hell.
Then tonight, on my way to tutoring, also in St Cloud, I discover that there has been a fire at some power station, and so my train is basically taking a huge roundabout that added an extra 45 minutes onto my regular 20 minute ride. I should be happy that the trains were running at all, but it's still frustrating.
And we still don't know what the strike was about.
What's the point of a strike if no one knows what you're striking about?
We're clearly not French enough yet!
And on that note, I got my note today for my carte de sejour medical, which is scheduled on a bad day for me. I called a couple of times today to try and reschedule, and no one answered the phone. No message or anything. Erik later told me that when he went for his, one of the two receptionists had just returned from grocery shopping, and the other was on a personal phone call.
Sigh.
It's almost hard to imagine things being any other way...
A parent rang the school bell at 9:17 to drop her two boys off.
The day at the nursery school starts at 9:00. The director greets students until 9:15 as 'a favour' (her words) to the parents. Anyone arriving after that time is a huge inconvenience to director, the teachers, and the other students, and shouldn't be let in. And apparently at regular French schools, the gates are literally locked (like ours was) and no one will let you in after the designated time. This is normal procedure.
Initially, I really didn't understand what the fuss was about. Any public school in Canada (I'm assuming..) would allow any student into class at any time, although a late slip might be required after the bell. But I can't imagine a school locking it's doors an not allowing any one in after a certain time (although the whole locked gate thing would likely eliminate all of the strangers that seem to make it into schools these days...).
On the other hand, I kind of understand where they are coming from. Many of the kids arrive before 9:oo and are ready to go. It's not fair to them if kids are arriving at any time, and it disrupts lessons, which is going to happen with any child under the age of 5 who can barely remove his coat by himself. Plus, a parent is never going to learn if they are allowed to drop their kids off whenever they want. But I'm not a parent, so what do I know.
Any thoughts? The situation was only resolved because the lunch lady arrived, and the mother was still there, and the director had to let the lunch lady in, and thus the kids as well.
On an unrelated note, this has been a week of perturbance for me on the trains.
On Wednesday there was a strike by the SNCF workers, which made my usual 45minute commute to St Cloud into a 1.5 hour commute from hell.
Then tonight, on my way to tutoring, also in St Cloud, I discover that there has been a fire at some power station, and so my train is basically taking a huge roundabout that added an extra 45 minutes onto my regular 20 minute ride. I should be happy that the trains were running at all, but it's still frustrating.
And we still don't know what the strike was about.
What's the point of a strike if no one knows what you're striking about?
We're clearly not French enough yet!
And on that note, I got my note today for my carte de sejour medical, which is scheduled on a bad day for me. I called a couple of times today to try and reschedule, and no one answered the phone. No message or anything. Erik later told me that when he went for his, one of the two receptionists had just returned from grocery shopping, and the other was on a personal phone call.
Sigh.
It's almost hard to imagine things being any other way...
The Joys of 38square metres*
I don't know what we're going to do when (if) we ever live in a regular (by regular, I mean North American sized) apartment again.
I had to laugh when Erik just got up to get something out of the fridge, and the opening of the (bar sized) fridge door caused his computer power supply to fall to the floor.
Or how the last time Joan and Howard called, I had to call them back so I could move the drying rack to reach to phone.
Or how using the toaster oven sized oven is a more effective heat source than our electric heater.
It certainly is cozy, but aside from baking, there really isn't too much that we miss.
We're starting to think that everyone should just move to Paris instead of us moving back....
(just kidding!) (but do visit!)
*My handy online conversion tool tells me that 38 square metres is approximately 409 square feet for all you imperial people!
I had to laugh when Erik just got up to get something out of the fridge, and the opening of the (bar sized) fridge door caused his computer power supply to fall to the floor.
Or how the last time Joan and Howard called, I had to call them back so I could move the drying rack to reach to phone.
Or how using the toaster oven sized oven is a more effective heat source than our electric heater.
It certainly is cozy, but aside from baking, there really isn't too much that we miss.
We're starting to think that everyone should just move to Paris instead of us moving back....
(just kidding!) (but do visit!)
*My handy online conversion tool tells me that 38 square metres is approximately 409 square feet for all you imperial people!
Monday, November 06, 2006
Récépissé
Almost one year later, and we're (well I'm) getting closer to being able to continue working here in France. I went this morning to pick up our récépissés (only between 9-12:00 please), which as far as I can understand are just another 'clue' on the 'scavenger hunt' through French beaurocracy that we get to enjoy.
Because Erik is 'simply' renewing his carte de sejour this year, he just has to wait until December when he can exchange the blue paper for a new card. I think. Not sure why he needs the blue paper, but the helpful people at the prefecture of police don't get paid to answer silly Canadian questions (I actually don't intend as much sarcasm as you might think in that paragraph. They were surprisingly un-condescending.)
Because this is my first time applying for one of these cards, I have to do a medical first. So, now that I have my blue paper, I have to wait for them to send me something in the mail, which will then allow me to get the medical done (chest xray here I come! I think xray films are going to become the hottest Parisian souvenir!). Once the medical is completed, I proceed directly the the building next door to collect my prize (or, carte de sejour).
Other than all this fun, I had a nice day yesterday at the musee des art decoratifs et la mode. Alex and I wandered through the exhibits detailing interior decoration from the middle ages to the present before meeting Anja to enjoy an exhibit on the French designer Balenciaga. The Balenciaga exhibit made Alex and I decide that we need more reasons to dress up. I certainly don't get to wear a ball gown often enough. I think Anja got a bit more ouf of the exhibit than we did though, she being the fashion student and all.
And we had a dinner party on Friday with Alex, Pavel and Tatiana. We enjoyed some fine food and fine wine in our lovely apartment. It was delicious, and I think everyone had a great time.
And tomorrow I get to go back to work. I do love vacations, but they certainly don't make it easier to get back into a routine. And I don't think there are any more days off until Christmas!! How will I survive??? If Erik were reading this as I type, he'd probably roll his eyes at me. Rightly so, I suppose.
Thursday, November 02, 2006
The Chocolate Salon
On Sunday Erik and I went to the chocolate festival extrodinare, the Salon du Chocolate.
And what a chocolate extravaganza it was! Never had we seen so much chocolate in one room. There's not really much I can say about the day other than the fact we both left on a huge sugar high, and Erik was impressed at the amount of booze they managed to mix in to the fun. We figured free samples of liquor are probably good for sales...
A sea of chocolate covered marshmallows.
Chocolate and champagne. My new favourite combination.
The home team.
Erik sampling a sursprisingly un-tasty chocolate rum treat.
In the end, we didn't actually buy very much. Most of the French chocolatiers that were there (well, I'm pretty sure they were all there!) all have boutiques in Paris, so it seemed a bit silly to go all out at the show. I did get a box of beautiful Japanese truffles, and some salted butter caramels from Normandy, which were fantastic, and Erik was pleased to purchase a bottle of Grand Marnier that isn't available in stores.
All in all, it was a delicious day.
And what a chocolate extravaganza it was! Never had we seen so much chocolate in one room. There's not really much I can say about the day other than the fact we both left on a huge sugar high, and Erik was impressed at the amount of booze they managed to mix in to the fun. We figured free samples of liquor are probably good for sales...
A sea of chocolate covered marshmallows.
Chocolate and champagne. My new favourite combination.
The home team.
Erik sampling a sursprisingly un-tasty chocolate rum treat.
In the end, we didn't actually buy very much. Most of the French chocolatiers that were there (well, I'm pretty sure they were all there!) all have boutiques in Paris, so it seemed a bit silly to go all out at the show. I did get a box of beautiful Japanese truffles, and some salted butter caramels from Normandy, which were fantastic, and Erik was pleased to purchase a bottle of Grand Marnier that isn't available in stores.
All in all, it was a delicious day.
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