Just finished our first week of intensive language. It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be, but it wasn't great either. The "Institutions" class stayed interesting- we had in-class discussion about opinions in Europe/the States regarding welfare (not in the welfare-mom sense), gay civil unions/adoption... We also talked about the French political system, although it wasn't as interesting as the other stuff. Grammar never really got fascinating- a lot of it is stuff that I know in theory. For example, if you give me a worksheet asking which pronouns I'm supposed to use in a list of sentences, I can do it. However, it's completely different when I'm actually talking/writing in French.
Had a frustrating group experience about which I'm still struggling to have a positive attitude about it. I chose "gastronomy" when we went around the room and mentioned topics we wanted to use. Three Chinese kids and a German girl also chose it. We somehow made it from there to alcoholic beverages among cultures, but I didn't like that and wanted to do a specific occasion at the very least (our advising teacher said it would be too much of a list to just talk about alcoholic beverages) during which people drink alcohol. I couldn't seem to get this across to most of the other people (except my friend, the German), who just wanted to do regular drinks. We finally decided on doing wedding food traditions. They also really hadn't done any research, so about 2 hours of our first obligatory meeting were spent by them doing research. We ended up changing our topic because we couldn't find much information, but it was so hard just to organize who was going to do what. This morning we went through a trial run of what we were going to say and the German girl's and my parts were about the right length, but the others talked for FOREVER and repeated things about ten times. It was interesting to hear about the way other cultures celebrate weddings, but we were supposed to talk for 20 min or less and our trial run took 47 minutes... We asked them to take things out or to cut them short, but they didn't really. However, I shouldn't really be too upset... There were some really funny parts of their presentation, and I didn't feel like I did so well myself (didn't use notecards to avoid reading, which resulted in some "uh..." moments). However, afterwards I was talking to my German boys and they thought I did okay, which was good because Germans a) don't lie and b) speak extremely good French.
To celebrate the end of our week of intense French, we're going out tonight with the Americans to a bar where the Europeans will be. Fun times! We went out on Wednesday night to the club up the street from us and danced for a long time. It was fun because we had our own little group, but all of us have made friends with a couple of other people, so lots of other nationalities were coming over to mix with us. Left at about 2:45 and went to bed around 3:15, so getting up the next morning was pretty awful. Haven't been sleeping much because we get home from school so late that by the time we cook dinner, clean up and check e-mail, it's about 12:30 and we get up around 7 or so to get ready for school. Whatever, I can sleep when I'm dead!
Friday, September 25, 2009
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
First days of "school"
This week marks the beginning of the school year, even though it's only an intensive French class. Very intense, I might add. Yesterday we got to school at 9 and listened to about 2 hours worth of presentations from the program directors and the student organization- all of them chock full of information we should probably remember, but is luckily written down somewhere to reference later.
Next a brief fire alarm. These are actually much less jarring- the alarm sounds like very loud, slightly monotone bagpipes- and much more well organized than the American ones I've seen. We were next split from a group of over 100 into groups of around 25. Within these groups we split up further into groups of 4 or 5 in order to start planning a theme for our presentations on Friday. Of course, the common language is English for must of us, but we aren't allowed to speak in it. My group is technically "gastronomy," but somehow it devolved into alcohol amongst cultures. I have three Chinese students (there are about 24 Chinese students in the large group, but because my small group runs from G-M, we have all the Li's, about 50% of my class is therefore from one nation) and a German in my group. The leader of this class, however, thinks that everything we're coming up with is too "list-like," and suggests that we make more comparisons between the cultures. I think to myself, silently, that a list by any other name is still a list and say "Oui, Madame."
An hour and a half of lunch followed by an hour and a half of "Institutions." This is my favorite class- it's all cultural exposure. Yesterday we talked about the arrondissements in Paris, the regions in France, and the French social security system. Maggie and I have adjacent names in the alphabet and so are in the same group, and we were pleased to know a lot of what our prof. was saying about Paris already. She made a lot of comparisons that seemed to single out the Americans, especially where the social system is concerned, but I think it's more because our system is very different than other Europeans than for any other reason. She spoke the most quickly out of all of the professors, but she also enunciates very well (she'd be good at choir warm-ups) and provides examples of everything she's saying.
Next up is "grammaire" for our final hour and a half. Yesterday we went over past tenses (imperfect and whatever the English equivalent of passé composé is) and I made the mistake of looking up everytime I knew an answer, which wasn't always a good thing. She was asking a question about transitive verbs that can two types of auxilaries. I don't exactly know what that means in English as I haven't taken grammar in years, but basically they're verbs that can be conjugated two different ways. For example, in English we can say "I passed you the butter," or "I passed by the post office." It's the same in French, but some of the words are also "movement" verbs that come from a different list we've had to memorize. Well, I got confused and spat out a word from the wrong list. Luckily I was able to redeem myself by explaining why the ending to a past participle changes when a direct object is placed before, rather than after it. How's that for a grammar lesson?! This particular teacher won't teach us again unless we're placed in the "plus faible" (weak) French class, so when we left I thanked her and said that I hoped I wouldn't see her again soon, which she seemed to find funny.
So exhausted after getting home- the bus was packed and it took us upwards of an hour- but it was "recommended" that we attend another networking event last night, so we went. It ended up being a lot of fun, even though we stayed less than 2 hours. We talked to some of the Germans, who are my favorite nationality here. Our summer preparatory class professor over the summer had implied that the Germans were usually very "clique-y," overly studious, and generally good only for studying. I find, however, that they speak French the best, are very friendly, and are indeed studious :).
This morning got to school even earlier for a 3 second ID photo for which we were requested to arrive an hour early. Took a long test this morning covering oral and written comprehension. The tape was about 3 times faster than any of the professors and I couldn't hear as well as I would've liked from my seat, but no one seemed to feel extraordinarily comfortable with it, so at least I'm not alone. Off to practical French, where we received a packet of terms that I would've appreciated a month ago- rental terms, documents that one might want to bring along to sign a lease, how to talk on the phone... Luckily Maggie, Sarah and I could all contribute our experiences to the discussion.
Lunched in the cafeteria to try the school's food, which will never, ever happen again. We ended up talking to a nice Finnish girl who was behind us in line, but that and the over-cooked vegetables were the only pleasant part about the meal. The fish was overcooked and bland and the french fries were soggy. No real French food here! The Finnish girl and my roommates and I compared cultural differences- the Finns are a very independent people who believe that women could/should work, have a social system that pays for everything (healthcare, school...) so that people don't have to depend on their families, and who are very well traveled because it's a pretty wealthy nation.
Back to Institutions after lunch- today we talked about the role of religion in France. We learned a new word- laïque. It basically means that while the French are at heart a very Catholic people (68% I believe identify themselves as Catholic), they are also very firmly for the separation of church and state. The roots for this are in the ideals of the French revolution, which linked monarchy and papal power in countries as something that oppressed the people. Therefore, it's all well and good if someone's religious, but they shouldn't have any method of forcing their beliefs on other people. That's why there was such a big stir relatively recently over Muslim girls wearing their head scarves to school. We also discussed gay marriage/civil unions and the adoption of children by homosexual and unmarried couples, followed by a discussion of world opinions of Sarkozy. I was so interested in class that I was sitting forward in my seat after lunch (I'm usually exhausted and half asleep at that point).
Back to grammar for a new teacher who taught in Vermont. We reviewed the subjunctive (sp? I've been confusing French and English spellings for the past month) today, some things were even new. I found it interesting how oddly they structured our classes. The test this morning covered things like subjunctive, past tenses, practical French, etc. We won't learn most of these things until the middle/end of the week, and were certainly not taught for the test. So essentially we're learning what was on the test after the fact. Interesting, to be sure.
Overall I find that I can understand the professors 90% of the time, but not quickly enough to take very good notes, if I were actually going to be tested... So, while I need to improve enough to be able to write and listen in French at the same time, it's not nearly as bad as I thought it would be.
Next a brief fire alarm. These are actually much less jarring- the alarm sounds like very loud, slightly monotone bagpipes- and much more well organized than the American ones I've seen. We were next split from a group of over 100 into groups of around 25. Within these groups we split up further into groups of 4 or 5 in order to start planning a theme for our presentations on Friday. Of course, the common language is English for must of us, but we aren't allowed to speak in it. My group is technically "gastronomy," but somehow it devolved into alcohol amongst cultures. I have three Chinese students (there are about 24 Chinese students in the large group, but because my small group runs from G-M, we have all the Li's, about 50% of my class is therefore from one nation) and a German in my group. The leader of this class, however, thinks that everything we're coming up with is too "list-like," and suggests that we make more comparisons between the cultures. I think to myself, silently, that a list by any other name is still a list and say "Oui, Madame."
An hour and a half of lunch followed by an hour and a half of "Institutions." This is my favorite class- it's all cultural exposure. Yesterday we talked about the arrondissements in Paris, the regions in France, and the French social security system. Maggie and I have adjacent names in the alphabet and so are in the same group, and we were pleased to know a lot of what our prof. was saying about Paris already. She made a lot of comparisons that seemed to single out the Americans, especially where the social system is concerned, but I think it's more because our system is very different than other Europeans than for any other reason. She spoke the most quickly out of all of the professors, but she also enunciates very well (she'd be good at choir warm-ups) and provides examples of everything she's saying.
Next up is "grammaire" for our final hour and a half. Yesterday we went over past tenses (imperfect and whatever the English equivalent of passé composé is) and I made the mistake of looking up everytime I knew an answer, which wasn't always a good thing. She was asking a question about transitive verbs that can two types of auxilaries. I don't exactly know what that means in English as I haven't taken grammar in years, but basically they're verbs that can be conjugated two different ways. For example, in English we can say "I passed you the butter," or "I passed by the post office." It's the same in French, but some of the words are also "movement" verbs that come from a different list we've had to memorize. Well, I got confused and spat out a word from the wrong list. Luckily I was able to redeem myself by explaining why the ending to a past participle changes when a direct object is placed before, rather than after it. How's that for a grammar lesson?! This particular teacher won't teach us again unless we're placed in the "plus faible" (weak) French class, so when we left I thanked her and said that I hoped I wouldn't see her again soon, which she seemed to find funny.
So exhausted after getting home- the bus was packed and it took us upwards of an hour- but it was "recommended" that we attend another networking event last night, so we went. It ended up being a lot of fun, even though we stayed less than 2 hours. We talked to some of the Germans, who are my favorite nationality here. Our summer preparatory class professor over the summer had implied that the Germans were usually very "clique-y," overly studious, and generally good only for studying. I find, however, that they speak French the best, are very friendly, and are indeed studious :).
This morning got to school even earlier for a 3 second ID photo for which we were requested to arrive an hour early. Took a long test this morning covering oral and written comprehension. The tape was about 3 times faster than any of the professors and I couldn't hear as well as I would've liked from my seat, but no one seemed to feel extraordinarily comfortable with it, so at least I'm not alone. Off to practical French, where we received a packet of terms that I would've appreciated a month ago- rental terms, documents that one might want to bring along to sign a lease, how to talk on the phone... Luckily Maggie, Sarah and I could all contribute our experiences to the discussion.
Lunched in the cafeteria to try the school's food, which will never, ever happen again. We ended up talking to a nice Finnish girl who was behind us in line, but that and the over-cooked vegetables were the only pleasant part about the meal. The fish was overcooked and bland and the french fries were soggy. No real French food here! The Finnish girl and my roommates and I compared cultural differences- the Finns are a very independent people who believe that women could/should work, have a social system that pays for everything (healthcare, school...) so that people don't have to depend on their families, and who are very well traveled because it's a pretty wealthy nation.
Back to Institutions after lunch- today we talked about the role of religion in France. We learned a new word- laïque. It basically means that while the French are at heart a very Catholic people (68% I believe identify themselves as Catholic), they are also very firmly for the separation of church and state. The roots for this are in the ideals of the French revolution, which linked monarchy and papal power in countries as something that oppressed the people. Therefore, it's all well and good if someone's religious, but they shouldn't have any method of forcing their beliefs on other people. That's why there was such a big stir relatively recently over Muslim girls wearing their head scarves to school. We also discussed gay marriage/civil unions and the adoption of children by homosexual and unmarried couples, followed by a discussion of world opinions of Sarkozy. I was so interested in class that I was sitting forward in my seat after lunch (I'm usually exhausted and half asleep at that point).
Back to grammar for a new teacher who taught in Vermont. We reviewed the subjunctive (sp? I've been confusing French and English spellings for the past month) today, some things were even new. I found it interesting how oddly they structured our classes. The test this morning covered things like subjunctive, past tenses, practical French, etc. We won't learn most of these things until the middle/end of the week, and were certainly not taught for the test. So essentially we're learning what was on the test after the fact. Interesting, to be sure.
Overall I find that I can understand the professors 90% of the time, but not quickly enough to take very good notes, if I were actually going to be tested... So, while I need to improve enough to be able to write and listen in French at the same time, it's not nearly as bad as I thought it would be.
Monday, September 21, 2009
Cathedral concert
Since my ticket had been so easy to get (student discount = 5 euros!), I figured that it wouldn't be busy, but it seemed like half of Reims was inside. In the States, the only people at a concert like this would be AARP members and a few assorted music nerds. This concert, however, was full of the usual 50+ crowd, but also younger couples with their children. Everyone seemed to know each other and greet one another with the bise (the kiss-kiss that's so typically French). Children played in the far aisles the whole time, but were very quiet. The atmosphere was absolutely divine. Long chandeliers hung from the ceiling and provided the only light besides a few floor lights. It created this amazing glow that made me like the cathedral better at night than durin the day.
The concert itself was fantastic. It was the regular choristers with members of a local choir singing the lower parts. The first half of the concert was all Renaissance era music with the second half full of more modern pieces. Sound in the cathedral echoes so much that I could barely understand the speaker who introduced the choir, but it would've made even a mediocre choir sound good, let alone this one. I hink this was one of the first times that I really missed Peter, too. I went by myself, and was glad since the other kids wouldn't have enjoyed it, but Peter would've loved the whole experience and I kept wishing he could be there with me. We had even sung a song by one of the composers in the choir in which we met.
The cathedral was gorgeous from the outside, too, and the weather was perfect for a night walk home
Sunday, September 20, 2009
Vous vs Tu
Friday night we met the other BSIB kids at one of the apartments in centre-ville (downtown) since several people had just gotten back from trips or arrived from the States and we all wanted to catch up. We ended up going down to one of the bars for a drink, which was really fun. Almost everyone, except the 3 girls in the dorms, was there and the atmosphere was great. At one point, a boy from the table of French kids behind us bumped into Maggie (there was about 3 inches between their chairs), so we all ended up talking, which is exactly what all the Americans have been hoping for- a chance to practice our French and learn about the locals.
Most of the people there weren't students, but they were all close to our age. It really wasn't the girls who came over though, which I've heard is pretty common among French women. They're not "girlfriends" like we are in the states. It's a competition for men instead. The guys, on the other hand, were just talking to everyone, boys and girls alike. I was talking to two of them and it was so cool to hear their opinions on things. We talked about the new president- they were so curious about our opinions on Obama- and I asked about Sarkozy. We also talked about musical preferences (Coldplay), their opinions about Reims (apparently it's a town with a lot of "money," the kind of well to do people I could see coming from Carlsbad), etc. I ended up being the translator for my side of the table, and I know I was still making a lot of mistakes, but it was great to practice with people who couldn't care less. They would speak to me in a mix of English and French, and I'd speak back as well as I could in French.
When the conversation started, I was addressing them with the formal "vous" (which is also plural). At some point in the conversation, however, we all just slipped into the less formal "tu." Technically that form can be used with anyone younger or around my age. However, I get nervous about offending people and just stick to the formal until I know the other is ok. I don't mind the formality though, and I actually appreciate it in a lot of circumstances. Addressing the vendors at the market, for example. There's a certain degree of politeness that says two people in a transaction respect each other. Or at a restaurant- using "vous" means that someone isn't my servant, but a person in a trade that's worthwhile. Just like being called "Madame" here by vendors doesn't bother me- they're respecting me as more than just a young girl. It can also be used icily- giving someone an attitude is so easy by just changing the tone of voice and the accent on vous. I might miss the intricacies of the language when I go back to speaking to people in the States.
Most of the people there weren't students, but they were all close to our age. It really wasn't the girls who came over though, which I've heard is pretty common among French women. They're not "girlfriends" like we are in the states. It's a competition for men instead. The guys, on the other hand, were just talking to everyone, boys and girls alike. I was talking to two of them and it was so cool to hear their opinions on things. We talked about the new president- they were so curious about our opinions on Obama- and I asked about Sarkozy. We also talked about musical preferences (Coldplay), their opinions about Reims (apparently it's a town with a lot of "money," the kind of well to do people I could see coming from Carlsbad), etc. I ended up being the translator for my side of the table, and I know I was still making a lot of mistakes, but it was great to practice with people who couldn't care less. They would speak to me in a mix of English and French, and I'd speak back as well as I could in French.
When the conversation started, I was addressing them with the formal "vous" (which is also plural). At some point in the conversation, however, we all just slipped into the less formal "tu." Technically that form can be used with anyone younger or around my age. However, I get nervous about offending people and just stick to the formal until I know the other is ok. I don't mind the formality though, and I actually appreciate it in a lot of circumstances. Addressing the vendors at the market, for example. There's a certain degree of politeness that says two people in a transaction respect each other. Or at a restaurant- using "vous" means that someone isn't my servant, but a person in a trade that's worthwhile. Just like being called "Madame" here by vendors doesn't bother me- they're respecting me as more than just a young girl. It can also be used icily- giving someone an attitude is so easy by just changing the tone of voice and the accent on vous. I might miss the intricacies of the language when I go back to speaking to people in the States.
Friday, September 18, 2009
Paris-Days 2 and 3
On our second day we got up early-ish to go see all of the tourist sights. Maggie had never been to Paris before, so we wanted to make sure we saw everything. We walked up Saint-Michel past the Sorbonne and made our way over to rue de Rivoli since it seemed like a pretty direct route to everything.
Mom had recommended a chocolate shop on Rivoli, so we made sure to keep our eyes out for it. We went by the Louvre, but the line was pretty long. However, it must've been our lucky day because it turns out that on Wednesday and Fridays, the museum is open late. 6 euros will buy you entrance from 6 to 10 pm, which is more than enough time for me to spend at a museum in one sitting. I like my mom's and my usual approach to museums, which I've adopted for my own use in Boston. We go when there's something we want to see and see it, then if we're not tired we see something else. After that, we do lunch! So we left the Louvre and continued towards the Tuileries. We passed Angelina's and looked at the menu, deciding to come back for an afternoon snack later on in the day. Next, we walked down the Champs-Elysees. It was like a live fashion show- everyone was dressed beautifully, with the exception of some label-whores who felt the need to display their Burberry print all over. Note to self: when rich, choose pieces tastefully. Maggie stopped at the Louis Vuitton store to lust over her favorite bag, which she wants to buy herself as her big souvenir in France. I'm not sure what I want to buy as mine- I don't have a label fascination, but would like something that will remind me of France and that I'll use on a regular basis. Perhaps some nice chef would like to be employed to teach me how to cook...
Went by the Eiffel Tower to check it out, although I've been up and Maggie wants to wait for her family to visit to go to the top. The surrounding gardens are beautiful, as well. We suddenly realized that it was around 2:30 and we hadn't eaten lunch yet, so we spend a good 40 minutes winding our way around to find somewhere to eat. Eventually stopped at a little brasserie for salads and a glass of wine. We were the only table at that late hour, which we thought bothered our waiter a little bit at first. He had forgotten the walnuts and eggs on my salad, and when I asked about them he felt badly and made me a whole little side dish with hardboiled eggs and mayonnaise. I hate mayonnaise, but in the interest of science, I tried some of his. It was absolutely heavenly! I may not give the stuff in a jar another try, but I could have eaten this stuff (which was probably made there) on a whole carton of eggs! A couple of his regulars sat down at a table near us, and he got chatty, coming over to ask us where we were from (I don't think he knew we were American either), telling us that one of his regulars was from Reims as well, and saying to call him if we were in Paris again. I don't think he was hitting on us, he was just being a friendly Parisian. Yes, they do exist!
After lunch we wandered back towards the Champs and ended up on the French Rodeo Dr- aka Rue Montaigne. The Champs is ritzy, but has things like Adidas, Quiksilver, aka less expensive and American stores. Montaigne, on the other hand, had custom couturiers of whom I've never heard, and of course, all the usual: Louis Vuitton, Chanel, Gucci... Made it back to Rivoli and only had to wait for a very short while before being seated. We were looking at the pots of hot chocolate around us and decided that we'd both be sick if we got the one designed for 2 people. So we ordered a 1 person portion with two cups, a mont blanc (meringue covered in a thick custardy cream with chestnut flavored chocolate piped on top) and a tartelette eva (tart filled with thick chocolate and a creme brulee inside. The chocolate was perfectly rich and absolutely luscious with a big dish of whipped cream on the side. Most of the places we've eaten have been filled with French people, and we've tended to shy away from ones that look like tourist traps. This place seemed to have attracted both kinds. The tables on either side of us were French, but we could hear English, Italian, etc around us, too. Had a coffee served my favorite way to end our decadent dessert: a small pot of espresso with another pot of steamed milk that you combine to your liking, with more delicious whipped cream on the side. Luckily, the portions were small so we could indulge without getting sick.
It was just after 6 when we left and headed to the Louvre. Did the Mona Lisa first for Maggie's benefit, and then spent most of the time just browsing around. I'd seen most of the "important" pieces during my high school trip, so all of my pictures were of paintings that I really liked/didn't remember, or of cool textures that I found around the museum. We stayed for about 3 hours before taking a long way back towards our hostel.
Around 10 we were looking for somewhere near to the hostel to eat and were looking at a menu when the owner/maitre d' whatever (so hard to tell when most of the staff at small places doesn't wear any uniform whatsoever) offered us a kir (white wine and creme de cassis) and led us by the arm to a table. The three course menu (carte is menu in French, whereas menu is a fixed price multi-course dinner) sounded perfect, so we dined on escargot/baked roblochon, steak au poivre/duck confit with perfectly sauteed potatoes and rice, and had sorbet for dessert. The food was delicious and cheap for Paris, and we enjoyed the attention from the staff, who at one point made me get up and dance. We promised to come back next time we're in Paris and headed back to the hostel for bed.
Day 3 we didn't get up until 10:30 (early morning phone call from Peter and fatigue from the day before), so we got a late start, but bought our token pair of Parisian shoes and some postcards to send home. We went by Les Invalides, the Musee d'Orsay, the Rodin museum, etc... We were disappointed to find out that most of the 18-25 yr old discounts we've heard about are limited to residents of the EU. Ah well, it's still not horribly expensive to go, so we plan on visiting the good ones when we live in Paris for co-op.
Sat at a cafe for a light lunch and wrote our postcards over coffee before heading to the Eiffel Tower to mail them. Time flies when you're having fun, and all of the walking we'd done made it so that we had just enough time to walk leisurely back towards the hostel for a drink before our train. I was sorely disappointed for the first time since I've arrived, however. We'd been to this particular cafe for happy hour the first night we arrived and found that 5 euros for a cocktail was a good deal. We were a little early for the happy hour, but still expected something tasty. My red wine was ice cold and undrinkable, and I felt worse because I didn't feel comfortable enough with a) my French and b) the rumors I'd heard about French customer service to ask for something else. So I didn't drink it and we left shortly thereafter. Luckily, a delicious crepe place up the street filled a crepe with Nutella for me and it was just the thing to remind me that I love France.
Quick train ride back and we're back in Reims! Kate, our third roommate, arrived before us so she and some other new arrivals were at the apartment when we got back. It was fun to compare Parisian experiences with people who don't have the "All Parisians are snobs" mentality.
Mom had recommended a chocolate shop on Rivoli, so we made sure to keep our eyes out for it. We went by the Louvre, but the line was pretty long. However, it must've been our lucky day because it turns out that on Wednesday and Fridays, the museum is open late. 6 euros will buy you entrance from 6 to 10 pm, which is more than enough time for me to spend at a museum in one sitting. I like my mom's and my usual approach to museums, which I've adopted for my own use in Boston. We go when there's something we want to see and see it, then if we're not tired we see something else. After that, we do lunch! So we left the Louvre and continued towards the Tuileries. We passed Angelina's and looked at the menu, deciding to come back for an afternoon snack later on in the day. Next, we walked down the Champs-Elysees. It was like a live fashion show- everyone was dressed beautifully, with the exception of some label-whores who felt the need to display their Burberry print all over. Note to self: when rich, choose pieces tastefully. Maggie stopped at the Louis Vuitton store to lust over her favorite bag, which she wants to buy herself as her big souvenir in France. I'm not sure what I want to buy as mine- I don't have a label fascination, but would like something that will remind me of France and that I'll use on a regular basis. Perhaps some nice chef would like to be employed to teach me how to cook...
Went by the Eiffel Tower to check it out, although I've been up and Maggie wants to wait for her family to visit to go to the top. The surrounding gardens are beautiful, as well. We suddenly realized that it was around 2:30 and we hadn't eaten lunch yet, so we spend a good 40 minutes winding our way around to find somewhere to eat. Eventually stopped at a little brasserie for salads and a glass of wine. We were the only table at that late hour, which we thought bothered our waiter a little bit at first. He had forgotten the walnuts and eggs on my salad, and when I asked about them he felt badly and made me a whole little side dish with hardboiled eggs and mayonnaise. I hate mayonnaise, but in the interest of science, I tried some of his. It was absolutely heavenly! I may not give the stuff in a jar another try, but I could have eaten this stuff (which was probably made there) on a whole carton of eggs! A couple of his regulars sat down at a table near us, and he got chatty, coming over to ask us where we were from (I don't think he knew we were American either), telling us that one of his regulars was from Reims as well, and saying to call him if we were in Paris again. I don't think he was hitting on us, he was just being a friendly Parisian. Yes, they do exist!
After lunch we wandered back towards the Champs and ended up on the French Rodeo Dr- aka Rue Montaigne. The Champs is ritzy, but has things like Adidas, Quiksilver, aka less expensive and American stores. Montaigne, on the other hand, had custom couturiers of whom I've never heard, and of course, all the usual: Louis Vuitton, Chanel, Gucci... Made it back to Rivoli and only had to wait for a very short while before being seated. We were looking at the pots of hot chocolate around us and decided that we'd both be sick if we got the one designed for 2 people. So we ordered a 1 person portion with two cups, a mont blanc (meringue covered in a thick custardy cream with chestnut flavored chocolate piped on top) and a tartelette eva (tart filled with thick chocolate and a creme brulee inside. The chocolate was perfectly rich and absolutely luscious with a big dish of whipped cream on the side. Most of the places we've eaten have been filled with French people, and we've tended to shy away from ones that look like tourist traps. This place seemed to have attracted both kinds. The tables on either side of us were French, but we could hear English, Italian, etc around us, too. Had a coffee served my favorite way to end our decadent dessert: a small pot of espresso with another pot of steamed milk that you combine to your liking, with more delicious whipped cream on the side. Luckily, the portions were small so we could indulge without getting sick.
It was just after 6 when we left and headed to the Louvre. Did the Mona Lisa first for Maggie's benefit, and then spent most of the time just browsing around. I'd seen most of the "important" pieces during my high school trip, so all of my pictures were of paintings that I really liked/didn't remember, or of cool textures that I found around the museum. We stayed for about 3 hours before taking a long way back towards our hostel.
Around 10 we were looking for somewhere near to the hostel to eat and were looking at a menu when the owner/maitre d' whatever (so hard to tell when most of the staff at small places doesn't wear any uniform whatsoever) offered us a kir (white wine and creme de cassis) and led us by the arm to a table. The three course menu (carte is menu in French, whereas menu is a fixed price multi-course dinner) sounded perfect, so we dined on escargot/baked roblochon, steak au poivre/duck confit with perfectly sauteed potatoes and rice, and had sorbet for dessert. The food was delicious and cheap for Paris, and we enjoyed the attention from the staff, who at one point made me get up and dance. We promised to come back next time we're in Paris and headed back to the hostel for bed.
Day 3 we didn't get up until 10:30 (early morning phone call from Peter and fatigue from the day before), so we got a late start, but bought our token pair of Parisian shoes and some postcards to send home. We went by Les Invalides, the Musee d'Orsay, the Rodin museum, etc... We were disappointed to find out that most of the 18-25 yr old discounts we've heard about are limited to residents of the EU. Ah well, it's still not horribly expensive to go, so we plan on visiting the good ones when we live in Paris for co-op.
Sat at a cafe for a light lunch and wrote our postcards over coffee before heading to the Eiffel Tower to mail them. Time flies when you're having fun, and all of the walking we'd done made it so that we had just enough time to walk leisurely back towards the hostel for a drink before our train. I was sorely disappointed for the first time since I've arrived, however. We'd been to this particular cafe for happy hour the first night we arrived and found that 5 euros for a cocktail was a good deal. We were a little early for the happy hour, but still expected something tasty. My red wine was ice cold and undrinkable, and I felt worse because I didn't feel comfortable enough with a) my French and b) the rumors I'd heard about French customer service to ask for something else. So I didn't drink it and we left shortly thereafter. Luckily, a delicious crepe place up the street filled a crepe with Nutella for me and it was just the thing to remind me that I love France.
Quick train ride back and we're back in Reims! Kate, our third roommate, arrived before us so she and some other new arrivals were at the apartment when we got back. It was fun to compare Parisian experiences with people who don't have the "All Parisians are snobs" mentality.
Paris- Day 1
We just got back from a wonderful 3-ish days in Paris. Train ride down was quick and uneventful- the best kind there is!
We stayed at the Young and Happy Hostel in the 4th arrondissement. The reviews online said it had good breakfast and surly staff, but it was reasonably cheap, so we figured the staff wouldn't bother us too much. Turns out that the reviewers (mostly American- high service, low food standards) had it backwards. The gentleman at the front desk when we checked in asked what region I was from, and was *gasp* shocked that I was American. That must be one of the levels of fluency: can-convince-French-person-am-French-from-different-region-if-only-3-minute-conversation.
After checking in, we decided to go to Montmartre first because it was the furthest tourist destination from our area, making it harder to combine with other sights. We took the metro out there, and I found the combination of old/new in the stations rather funny. There are screens that tell you exactly when the next train is coming, and unlike Boston, they're never late. The chairs in the station look like they're straight out of IKEA. However, to get into some of the trains, you still have to pull a quaint looking lever, and the walls in the metro look as they must've 50 years ago. Montmartre itself seemed much more "touristy" than I remember it being the last time I was there. Middle Eastern looking men selling cigarettes surrounded the metro exit shoving the boxes into the faces of anyone coming out. Dark African street vendors who look as if they need about 50 baguettes kept grabbing our arms to try to get us to buy these little string things that they must braid around your wrist or something. One of my classmates told me when we got back that it's a scam- one distracts you with his "craft" and another steals your wallet. It was more intimidating than anything else. Once we got up to the top, we looked around at the artists painting, but most things looked like pretty, but boring replicas of each other and the prices had ballooned compared to other tourist shops farther away. When I was there in high school, my tour guide sat at a bar and had a snack while we explored, so we went there for lunch. The food was good by American standards, but we knew from our Reims experience that it was only so-so according to French standards. Overall, that area is one that should be seen once, but that is rather disappointing when compared to everything else France has to offer.
We walked back, taking whatever route we felt like, checking out the sites along the way. When we got back to the hostel, we sat and sipped a bottle of wine that we'd bought next door and started talking to some of the people who were staying in our 10-person dorm. It was funny that we were in France, so I assumed the other Europeans there would want to speak French, but no, our "Salut" was returned with "Hi," so we spoke to everyone except the front desk in English. The Italian guy who works for a music magazine had been at concerts in Paris to write about them, and was on his way to Norway or Denmark to write about music there. The Italian girl was participating in Erasmus and hoping to work on her French. I'm not usually a very social person, but they were pretty talkative, and we ended up realizing around 8:30 or so that we needed to leave for our 9 pm dinner reservation.
We ended up being quite late (1/2 hr) for our reservation, but there were only about 5 other tables, so it wasn't a big deal. The waiter and maitre d' were very proper with us at first, explaining the dishes and the wine pairing with the utmost professionalism. That was nice, but we much preferred it later in the meal when they warmed up to us and started smiling and joking. Short of a few culinary vocabulary words that I will never be able to look up because I wouldn't even know how to spell them (the liaison between words makes it very hard to tell where one ends and another begins if you don't already know what a word is), we understood them perfectly. Below is the menu that we ate, with translation/notes and my additions for the courses that weren't on the menu list.
Amuse- rascasse (a kind of red fish) salad with a side of chilled carrot soup topped with creme fraiche.
Foie gras confit dans un vin d'épices, mangue aigre douce
Langoustines croustillantes, pak-choï et bouillon à la passion
Langoustines are the size and have the taste of jumbo shrimp, but look like lobster when in the shell. Ours were breaded and fried in something that looked a bit like coconut, but I don't it was. They were served on a bed of bak-choi with a delicious, sweet passion fruit sauce on the side.
Limoux "Autan" 2007 Toques et clochers - white wine with notes of pear
mini course addition here- a little gazpacho with creme fraiche on top.
Bar de ligne, fondue d'oseille, risotto au safran et aux crevettes, pousses d'épinard et bouillon aux herbes
This is what Maggie had as her main course- a kind of sea bass cooked in sorrel broth with saffron and shrimp risotto (delicious!), baby spinach and a light herb sauce
Chablis 2006 R.Lavantureux - she skipped this and had red wine :-)
Du pigeon fermier :
-Cuisses fondantes en pastilla
-Filets cuits rosés, flan de céleri, miel de bruyère et dattes medjoul
This was my main course- farmed pigeon two ways- ground and cooked in a pastry shell and then roasted to medium rare with au jus, celery flan (much better than it sounds!) and honey covered dates. The description doesn't include the fact that the wings were in a little pot of juice on the side. I was surprised how red the pigeon meat was, and didn't feel bad at all about eating the relatives of the obnoxious birds that followed us around all the time. No picture yet as Maggie hasn't uploaded it.
Cairanne "la Perdendaille" 2006 Les vins de Vienne- full-bodied red, can't remember the correct tasting description.
Figues rôties aux épices, sorbet aux pruneaux
Roasted figs with spices (mostly cinnamon) and plum sorbet. The sorbet was fantastic, but I think I prefer figs in jam. Forgot to take a picture until we were almost done.
Parfait praliné aux noisettes caramélisées et crème choco-noisette
Parfait in the English sense is a misnomer here. These were little squares of delicious cream with the texture of cheesecake and carmelized hazelnut chunks with a thin cookie on top and a warm chocolate hazelnut sauce to pour over the top.
Muscat de baumes de Venise 2007 Domaine des Bernardins Right around the main course was when the staff became friendlier, probably because we were obviously enjoying their food and their language. Anyway, the description for the wine following the boring appellation information went something like this "To best taste this wine, you must close your eyes, put your nose deeply into the glass and inhale, and you will be transported into a garden." He wasn't lying. I could drink that wine for dessert every day. I realized when Maggie was about halfway done with her dessert, which was equally delicious, that I hadn't even touched mine yet because I was still sniffing away.
Absolutely perfect dinner! Got back to the hostel around midnight or 12:30 to find everyone in the room fast asleep. Where are the Europeans that like to go out until 4 in the morning every night of the week? It's Tuesday, who cares? So in the spirit of our new European friends, we went to bed, too.
Non-food pictures from the whole time we were there are on Facebook- posting is too much work here.
We stayed at the Young and Happy Hostel in the 4th arrondissement. The reviews online said it had good breakfast and surly staff, but it was reasonably cheap, so we figured the staff wouldn't bother us too much. Turns out that the reviewers (mostly American- high service, low food standards) had it backwards. The gentleman at the front desk when we checked in asked what region I was from, and was *gasp* shocked that I was American. That must be one of the levels of fluency: can-convince-French-person-am-French-from-different-region-if-only-3-minute-conversation.
After checking in, we decided to go to Montmartre first because it was the furthest tourist destination from our area, making it harder to combine with other sights. We took the metro out there, and I found the combination of old/new in the stations rather funny. There are screens that tell you exactly when the next train is coming, and unlike Boston, they're never late. The chairs in the station look like they're straight out of IKEA. However, to get into some of the trains, you still have to pull a quaint looking lever, and the walls in the metro look as they must've 50 years ago. Montmartre itself seemed much more "touristy" than I remember it being the last time I was there. Middle Eastern looking men selling cigarettes surrounded the metro exit shoving the boxes into the faces of anyone coming out. Dark African street vendors who look as if they need about 50 baguettes kept grabbing our arms to try to get us to buy these little string things that they must braid around your wrist or something. One of my classmates told me when we got back that it's a scam- one distracts you with his "craft" and another steals your wallet. It was more intimidating than anything else. Once we got up to the top, we looked around at the artists painting, but most things looked like pretty, but boring replicas of each other and the prices had ballooned compared to other tourist shops farther away. When I was there in high school, my tour guide sat at a bar and had a snack while we explored, so we went there for lunch. The food was good by American standards, but we knew from our Reims experience that it was only so-so according to French standards. Overall, that area is one that should be seen once, but that is rather disappointing when compared to everything else France has to offer.
We walked back, taking whatever route we felt like, checking out the sites along the way. When we got back to the hostel, we sat and sipped a bottle of wine that we'd bought next door and started talking to some of the people who were staying in our 10-person dorm. It was funny that we were in France, so I assumed the other Europeans there would want to speak French, but no, our "Salut" was returned with "Hi," so we spoke to everyone except the front desk in English. The Italian guy who works for a music magazine had been at concerts in Paris to write about them, and was on his way to Norway or Denmark to write about music there. The Italian girl was participating in Erasmus and hoping to work on her French. I'm not usually a very social person, but they were pretty talkative, and we ended up realizing around 8:30 or so that we needed to leave for our 9 pm dinner reservation.
We ended up being quite late (1/2 hr) for our reservation, but there were only about 5 other tables, so it wasn't a big deal. The waiter and maitre d' were very proper with us at first, explaining the dishes and the wine pairing with the utmost professionalism. That was nice, but we much preferred it later in the meal when they warmed up to us and started smiling and joking. Short of a few culinary vocabulary words that I will never be able to look up because I wouldn't even know how to spell them (the liaison between words makes it very hard to tell where one ends and another begins if you don't already know what a word is), we understood them perfectly. Below is the menu that we ate, with translation/notes and my additions for the courses that weren't on the menu list.
Amuse- rascasse (a kind of red fish) salad with a side of chilled carrot soup topped with creme fraiche.
Foie gras confit dans un vin d'épices, mangue aigre douce
Foie gras at room temperature wrapped in duck fat in a spiced wine reduction (spices included cardamom-mmm) with a mango salad. This was served with dense brown bread slices on which to spread the foie, but I much preferred it plain!
Montlouis-sur-loire 2003 F.Chedaine- white wine was light, slightly sweet, with honey and tropical fruit.
Langoustines croustillantes, pak-choï et bouillon à la passion
Langoustines are the size and have the taste of jumbo shrimp, but look like lobster when in the shell. Ours were breaded and fried in something that looked a bit like coconut, but I don't it was. They were served on a bed of bak-choi with a delicious, sweet passion fruit sauce on the side.
Limoux "Autan" 2007 Toques et clochers - white wine with notes of pear
mini course addition here- a little gazpacho with creme fraiche on top.
Bar de ligne, fondue d'oseille, risotto au safran et aux crevettes, pousses d'épinard et bouillon aux herbes
Chablis 2006 R.Lavantureux - she skipped this and had red wine :-)
Du pigeon fermier :
-Cuisses fondantes en pastilla
-Filets cuits rosés, flan de céleri, miel de bruyère et dattes medjoul
This was my main course- farmed pigeon two ways- ground and cooked in a pastry shell and then roasted to medium rare with au jus, celery flan (much better than it sounds!) and honey covered dates. The description doesn't include the fact that the wings were in a little pot of juice on the side. I was surprised how red the pigeon meat was, and didn't feel bad at all about eating the relatives of the obnoxious birds that followed us around all the time. No picture yet as Maggie hasn't uploaded it.
Cairanne "la Perdendaille" 2006 Les vins de Vienne- full-bodied red, can't remember the correct tasting description.
Figues rôties aux épices, sorbet aux pruneaux
Roasted figs with spices (mostly cinnamon) and plum sorbet. The sorbet was fantastic, but I think I prefer figs in jam. Forgot to take a picture until we were almost done.
Parfait praliné aux noisettes caramélisées et crème choco-noisette
Parfait in the English sense is a misnomer here. These were little squares of delicious cream with the texture of cheesecake and carmelized hazelnut chunks with a thin cookie on top and a warm chocolate hazelnut sauce to pour over the top.
Muscat de baumes de Venise 2007 Domaine des Bernardins Right around the main course was when the staff became friendlier, probably because we were obviously enjoying their food and their language. Anyway, the description for the wine following the boring appellation information went something like this "To best taste this wine, you must close your eyes, put your nose deeply into the glass and inhale, and you will be transported into a garden." He wasn't lying. I could drink that wine for dessert every day. I realized when Maggie was about halfway done with her dessert, which was equally delicious, that I hadn't even touched mine yet because I was still sniffing away.
Absolutely perfect dinner! Got back to the hostel around midnight or 12:30 to find everyone in the room fast asleep. Where are the Europeans that like to go out until 4 in the morning every night of the week? It's Tuesday, who cares? So in the spirit of our new European friends, we went to bed, too.
Non-food pictures from the whole time we were there are on Facebook- posting is too much work here.
More food
Baked brie with cranberries and honey- told Jason how to make it. He did pretty well, no?
From the market: seared scallops with roasted potatoes and garlic, spinach, and a tarragon cream sauce.
Jason's bruschetta- tomatoes from the market were amazing!
Tarte aux mirabelles (small, sweet yellow plums) with almond filling before baking
Tart after baking
Roasted carrot soup- the pictures don't capture the color well, but it was a nice golden orange- with tarragon cream.
Sunday, September 13, 2009
Restless exploration
My father's need to explore any new setting has apparently been instilled quite strongly in me, too. Over the past week, with all of our major apartment-related tasks complete, I've been taking long walks around our neighborhood just to see what's here. I go by myself because I walk too fast for most people and enjoy the freedom to take a stray turn here or there. I left this morning planning to take an hour or less, and ended up being gone for about 2 hours and 45 minutes!
On a previous walk, I'd seen several advertisements for a "Parc des Expositions" (an animal show will be held there next weekend), so when I saw signs pointing to it, I followed them. I eventually ended up next to the river that runs next to Centre Ville. Whoever said the French don't exercise must not live in Reims- it seemed like everyone was out jogging, biking, or rowing along the river.
Eventually I passed a huge structure labeled "Les Grands Moulins de Reims" (The big mills of Reims). Apparently the flour for several local bakeries is produced there, so I just e-mailed them hoping to hear that a tour might be possible. I emphasized my student status, hoping that pride would make them want to teach me about their business.
I've been looking for herbs to grow for cooking, since I love using them and haven't been able to find a reliable source, so I stopped at a small garden store, but they only had sage left, while I was thinking more along the lines of rosemary and thyme (I only want half of the Simon & Garfunkel song, as parsley isn't my favorite either).
Next on my route was an absolutely gorgeous little park. It happens to lie across from the rather shady (in the negative sense) park near the train station, but at 11 a.m. it was peaceful and lovely. There was a garden in Versailles style (very kempt) that led into something more my style- a mini waterfall flowing into a stream filled with koi fish underneath willows and crossed by a bridge.
Still following the signs for the parc des expos, I walked past a strip of really neat houseboats. Many of these boats had more plants than the apartment balconies near us, and some even had patio areas covered with lawn furniture and grills. Two of them were pulled up parralel to each other to allow their owners to socialize. I had never thought of a houseboat as something I'd like to do, but seeing how well these boats functioned made me rethink it. It seems like something my parents might want to do (or at least my father, while my mother would have to hope for one with lots of plants and room for her sewing projects) when they retire.
I eventually stumbled on a bus stop map that seems to indicate it would take me approximately 4 hours (a slight overstatement, but close) to get to what I thought was the park. That was a little more exploration than I wanted to do, so I was about to head back when I started to see people with bags of food. Since I know that basically everything except a few bakeries is closed on Sundays, I followed the people until I stumbled upon a huge market! Yesterday's market had been relatively calm, perhaps because we went early, but this one was absolutely crawling with people. It reminded me of the street fairs we went to in Carlsbad every year. I walked the length of it first, watching demonstrations of the latest and greatest cookware (much more interesting than QVC!), smelling the roasting chickens, and looking to see if there were vendors from yesterday. I saw my favorite salad man, as well as the vendor from whom we bought the mirabelles, but there wasn't much left at either table, so I moved on. A large part of this market was clothing stands. I was surprised to see that there were even a couple dedicated solely to women's underwear- the pretty kind, albeit cheap. I caught myself thinking "Gross! I would never want to buy underwear at an outdoor market. Who knows who's touched that?!" Thinking about it now, I don't know who's touched it at Victoria's Secret either, so to each her own, I suppose.
On a previous walk, I'd seen several advertisements for a "Parc des Expositions" (an animal show will be held there next weekend), so when I saw signs pointing to it, I followed them. I eventually ended up next to the river that runs next to Centre Ville. Whoever said the French don't exercise must not live in Reims- it seemed like everyone was out jogging, biking, or rowing along the river.
Eventually I passed a huge structure labeled "Les Grands Moulins de Reims" (The big mills of Reims). Apparently the flour for several local bakeries is produced there, so I just e-mailed them hoping to hear that a tour might be possible. I emphasized my student status, hoping that pride would make them want to teach me about their business.
I've been looking for herbs to grow for cooking, since I love using them and haven't been able to find a reliable source, so I stopped at a small garden store, but they only had sage left, while I was thinking more along the lines of rosemary and thyme (I only want half of the Simon & Garfunkel song, as parsley isn't my favorite either).
Next on my route was an absolutely gorgeous little park. It happens to lie across from the rather shady (in the negative sense) park near the train station, but at 11 a.m. it was peaceful and lovely. There was a garden in Versailles style (very kempt) that led into something more my style- a mini waterfall flowing into a stream filled with koi fish underneath willows and crossed by a bridge.
Still following the signs for the parc des expos, I walked past a strip of really neat houseboats. Many of these boats had more plants than the apartment balconies near us, and some even had patio areas covered with lawn furniture and grills. Two of them were pulled up parralel to each other to allow their owners to socialize. I had never thought of a houseboat as something I'd like to do, but seeing how well these boats functioned made me rethink it. It seems like something my parents might want to do (or at least my father, while my mother would have to hope for one with lots of plants and room for her sewing projects) when they retire.
I eventually stumbled on a bus stop map that seems to indicate it would take me approximately 4 hours (a slight overstatement, but close) to get to what I thought was the park. That was a little more exploration than I wanted to do, so I was about to head back when I started to see people with bags of food. Since I know that basically everything except a few bakeries is closed on Sundays, I followed the people until I stumbled upon a huge market! Yesterday's market had been relatively calm, perhaps because we went early, but this one was absolutely crawling with people. It reminded me of the street fairs we went to in Carlsbad every year. I walked the length of it first, watching demonstrations of the latest and greatest cookware (much more interesting than QVC!), smelling the roasting chickens, and looking to see if there were vendors from yesterday. I saw my favorite salad man, as well as the vendor from whom we bought the mirabelles, but there wasn't much left at either table, so I moved on. A large part of this market was clothing stands. I was surprised to see that there were even a couple dedicated solely to women's underwear- the pretty kind, albeit cheap. I caught myself thinking "Gross! I would never want to buy underwear at an outdoor market. Who knows who's touched that?!" Thinking about it now, I don't know who's touched it at Victoria's Secret either, so to each her own, I suppose.
Tonight's dinner plan of roasted carrot soup calls for vegetable stock, which we couldn't find in the stores, so I was a bit worried about the flavor. However, I found some good looking celery at the market and combined it when I got home with the peelings from the carrots, an onion and some garlic and herbs. Voilà- vegetable stock!
From the market I took a long way back past the Basilique St Remi (St Remi's Basilica...), several flower shops and our cathedral.
Now off to make dinner!
Saturday, September 12, 2009
A visit to the market
As much as I like cooking here, the supermarkets just aren't very good. The milk products- butter and greek-style yogurt- are fantastic, and we can certainly get cheap wine, but the vegetables and fish are not varied nor lovely. I've wandered a bit to see if there are smaller, independent stores that might offer at least a more appetizing selection, but no such luck.
I googled markets in Reims, and after a little searching, I found a short list with a few nearby our apartment. I had heard that markets open and become busy here, so I wanted to arrive before all the older ladies got the good stuff! Maggie kindly sacrificed a couple of hours of sleep to come with me, but with an extended Skype date with Peter, we didn't arrive until around 8:30. I must've heard wrong about the early risers, because the market was bustling just enough to make it lively, and some vendors were still setting up.
This market puts farmers' markets in the US to shame (although I still love them!). There were 4 double-sided rows of big and small stands filled with delicious things to eat, and even a small bookseller's stand. Most impressive to me were the butcher and fish stands. Maggie noticed before I did that many had whole skinned rabbits with head and eyes intact, there was also horse meat, livers of all kinds, duck... I had to write down some of the names of the fish we saw because I'd left my dictionary at the house and couldn't look them up. We adopted my mom's and my favorite style of shopping a market and walked around the whole thing before going back to make our purchases. This was also helpful in coming up with a meal plan based on what was available.
I've been seeing mirabelle (small, sweet plums) tarts all over, so I bought those to make a tart tomorrow. We also saw white raspberries, and bought them just because we've never seen them before. The salad place was my favorite. I asked for tarragon, and wasn't planning on anything else, but their greens looked so delicious that I asked for mustard greens because they're unusual in the States. The jovial gentleman helping me asked which ones, but I hadn't realized there was more than one kind, so I asked him to choose for me. He made me a lovely mix and was amused that I did all the talking, asking me to translate for Maggie, who probably understood fine. We also bought tomatoes, spinach (which does not exist except in frozen form at the supermarkets), and scallops. I'm not used to weights, so for the most part I just asked for enough for three people. The vendors seemed amused, but didn't question me and gave me perfect amounts.
I've been surprised at the amount of horse meat I've seen here. After some discussion with Peter and a thorough Wikipedia reading, it seems that it's very high in protein, tender, and slightly sweeter. Some sources compared the taste to a cross between beef and venison. Old pagan cults used to sacrifice horses to their gods and then eat the meat, so horse meat was considered taboo in many Catholicized areas because it was pagan. So why so popular in places like France and Italy? During famines, horses consumed a lot of grain needed for people, and were obviously a good source of protein, so people ignored religion for sustenance. Horse meat is also forbidden by the Jewish religion because horses aren't ruminants (multiple stomachs) and don't have cloven hooves. Interesting history lesson for me. It's something I'd try while I'm here, along with offal, but might not cook since I wouldn't do it justice I'm sure.
Off to cook!
I googled markets in Reims, and after a little searching, I found a short list with a few nearby our apartment. I had heard that markets open and become busy here, so I wanted to arrive before all the older ladies got the good stuff! Maggie kindly sacrificed a couple of hours of sleep to come with me, but with an extended Skype date with Peter, we didn't arrive until around 8:30. I must've heard wrong about the early risers, because the market was bustling just enough to make it lively, and some vendors were still setting up.
This market puts farmers' markets in the US to shame (although I still love them!). There were 4 double-sided rows of big and small stands filled with delicious things to eat, and even a small bookseller's stand. Most impressive to me were the butcher and fish stands. Maggie noticed before I did that many had whole skinned rabbits with head and eyes intact, there was also horse meat, livers of all kinds, duck... I had to write down some of the names of the fish we saw because I'd left my dictionary at the house and couldn't look them up. We adopted my mom's and my favorite style of shopping a market and walked around the whole thing before going back to make our purchases. This was also helpful in coming up with a meal plan based on what was available.
I've been seeing mirabelle (small, sweet plums) tarts all over, so I bought those to make a tart tomorrow. We also saw white raspberries, and bought them just because we've never seen them before. The salad place was my favorite. I asked for tarragon, and wasn't planning on anything else, but their greens looked so delicious that I asked for mustard greens because they're unusual in the States. The jovial gentleman helping me asked which ones, but I hadn't realized there was more than one kind, so I asked him to choose for me. He made me a lovely mix and was amused that I did all the talking, asking me to translate for Maggie, who probably understood fine. We also bought tomatoes, spinach (which does not exist except in frozen form at the supermarkets), and scallops. I'm not used to weights, so for the most part I just asked for enough for three people. The vendors seemed amused, but didn't question me and gave me perfect amounts.
I've been surprised at the amount of horse meat I've seen here. After some discussion with Peter and a thorough Wikipedia reading, it seems that it's very high in protein, tender, and slightly sweeter. Some sources compared the taste to a cross between beef and venison. Old pagan cults used to sacrifice horses to their gods and then eat the meat, so horse meat was considered taboo in many Catholicized areas because it was pagan. So why so popular in places like France and Italy? During famines, horses consumed a lot of grain needed for people, and were obviously a good source of protein, so people ignored religion for sustenance. Horse meat is also forbidden by the Jewish religion because horses aren't ruminants (multiple stomachs) and don't have cloven hooves. Interesting history lesson for me. It's something I'd try while I'm here, along with offal, but might not cook since I wouldn't do it justice I'm sure.
Off to cook!
Friday, September 11, 2009
Cooking so far...
I'm lucky enough to have a roommate (temporarily pescaterian) and friends who like to eat, which means that I get to cook!
Roasted tomatoes stuffed with cous-cous, onions and goat cheese. First real vegetables we'd gotten to eat after a week in Reims.
Had no idea what "cabillaud" was at the store (my little dictionary is too little for food I guess). Turns out that it's cod. Pan-seared with sauteed onions and endives, roasted potatoes, lemon-cream sauce on a bed of endives.
Had Dan and Jason (fellow BSIB students) over for dinner. Salad with salmon, hard-boiled eggs, fried potatoes, green beans, carrots and goat cheese. Those beautiful baguettes are from our favorite place up the street, and the boys brought jam, brie and wine :-)
Baked pears with cinnamon and thyme, stuffed with goat cheese with a little light cream drizzled around. Not to self- don't put the goat cheese in right away.
Roasted brussels sprouts (an excuse to use butter!) with grated emmental cheese and pan seared salmon.
Tarte à l'oignon et champignons (onions and mushrooms baked with eggs, goat and emmental cheese) with olive oil crust. Served with a side salad.
Roasted tomatoes stuffed with cous-cous, onions and goat cheese. First real vegetables we'd gotten to eat after a week in Reims.
Had no idea what "cabillaud" was at the store (my little dictionary is too little for food I guess). Turns out that it's cod. Pan-seared with sauteed onions and endives, roasted potatoes, lemon-cream sauce on a bed of endives.
Had Dan and Jason (fellow BSIB students) over for dinner. Salad with salmon, hard-boiled eggs, fried potatoes, green beans, carrots and goat cheese. Those beautiful baguettes are from our favorite place up the street, and the boys brought jam, brie and wine :-)
Baked pears with cinnamon and thyme, stuffed with goat cheese with a little light cream drizzled around. Not to self- don't put the goat cheese in right away.
Roasted brussels sprouts (an excuse to use butter!) with grated emmental cheese and pan seared salmon.
Tarte à l'oignon et champignons (onions and mushrooms baked with eggs, goat and emmental cheese) with olive oil crust. Served with a side salad.
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Apartment Pictures
"Penderie" there aren't really any closets here, but I don't own that many clothes, so it's ok.
My little bed.
Bookshelf that I put together!
Living room with self-built coffee table
Kitchen- small, but workable.
First Post
The first days here were some of the most challenging I've ever had. We had to get cell phones, bank accounts, an apartment, furniture, and do it all in a language we hadn't spoken in months. Luckily, we've had some really wonderful people help us. It's amazing to what lengths people will go when you try to speak their language and are armed with a smile and a s'il vous plaît.
For example:
-The lady at the bank who spoke slowly for us when opening accounts and welcomed us to Reims, the morning after we'd arrived. She recognizes us every time we go into the bank now and will usually check with us before helping others in line to make sure we're settled.
-Our charming waiters at the several brasseries we've visited, one of whom greeted us in English (that obvious?) and was pleasantly surprised and obliging when we requested that the conversation continue in French. Everyone seems so amused and pleased that we "speak" French- I just worry about the professors who have no financial interest in making us smile.
-The older gentleman in front of us in Orange (France Telecom) who spent half an hour talking with me about the French. Memorable moment: his telling us how many Rémois (citizens of Reims) leave their dogs out on the street when they go on vacation. He then joked that he does the same thing with his wife *oh my!*
-The agents, especially Céline, at Brooks who spent vast amounts of time helping us look at apartments (the keys to which they entrusted to us with just an ID and a smile). Then when our first choice (which was really not that great) was taken, she felt so bad that she called for an apartment that wasn't technically available yet. It ended up being a great place! Then the woman who went over our lease with us spoke "doucement" and reviewed key terms with us. The best part is- most agencies don't rent to foreigners without French guarantors, Mme Madeira called it a "petit cadeau." (little gift)
-Conforama staff who unintentionally saved us 80 euro. We had to rent their van, which is only available for an hour for 20 euro. For each additional 15 min after that it's supposed to be somewhere around 10 euros. The first warehouse employee loaded our stuff into the van, checked it out and chatted with me about school, insisting that I try the food in France because it's the best in the world (well duh!). We then had to go to another depot to pick other things up where they were supposed to write down our time of departure, but didn't do so even at my discreet prompting, so we were able to get other things we needed, unload our stuff and drive back. We felt bad being dishonest, so I explained that the departure time hadn't been filled in, but instead of charging us anyway, the woman at the desk wrote in that we'd been gone for 40 minutes, instead of 3 hours... We then were shuffled back to the warehouse employee who seemed pleased/surprised that the van had not been scratched, was impressed we'd moved everything ourselves (where were our "hommes forts" -strong men- he wondered? Aux Etats-Unis, we sadly replied), and reminded me to try the food. Yes, sir!
-In the middle of all of that picking up of furniture, I realized that I hadn't the faintest clue how to drive a big, manual transmission van in reverse (I'd only had to pull out and park before going to the next store). I was absolutely mortified and tried checking the ambiguous owner's manual before getting the guts to ask a woman with her two sons to help me. She hopped right into the van (no small feat for someone who was probably about 5' and 150 lbs) and showed me. When I thanked her profusely, she just shrugged and said it happens to everyone.
-The charming bakery people around the corner who seem to have begun to recognize us when we come in for one of several of our baguettes every day.
Now that I've finished my Oscar length thank-you list... I have just one complaint. The supermarkets are no fun at all! There aren't nearly as many options for things like vegetables (which we were dying for when we moved in after a week of mainly cheap carbs), even in cans or jars. My next step is to figure out where the markets are and to hope I can find some frequently enough to avoid cramming our tiny fridge with fresh produce that I've stocked up.
I'll post some pictures of food and our apartment next.
A bientôt!
For example:
-The lady at the bank who spoke slowly for us when opening accounts and welcomed us to Reims, the morning after we'd arrived. She recognizes us every time we go into the bank now and will usually check with us before helping others in line to make sure we're settled.
-Our charming waiters at the several brasseries we've visited, one of whom greeted us in English (that obvious?) and was pleasantly surprised and obliging when we requested that the conversation continue in French. Everyone seems so amused and pleased that we "speak" French- I just worry about the professors who have no financial interest in making us smile.
-The older gentleman in front of us in Orange (France Telecom) who spent half an hour talking with me about the French. Memorable moment: his telling us how many Rémois (citizens of Reims) leave their dogs out on the street when they go on vacation. He then joked that he does the same thing with his wife *oh my!*
-The agents, especially Céline, at Brooks who spent vast amounts of time helping us look at apartments (the keys to which they entrusted to us with just an ID and a smile). Then when our first choice (which was really not that great) was taken, she felt so bad that she called for an apartment that wasn't technically available yet. It ended up being a great place! Then the woman who went over our lease with us spoke "doucement" and reviewed key terms with us. The best part is- most agencies don't rent to foreigners without French guarantors, Mme Madeira called it a "petit cadeau." (little gift)
-Conforama staff who unintentionally saved us 80 euro. We had to rent their van, which is only available for an hour for 20 euro. For each additional 15 min after that it's supposed to be somewhere around 10 euros. The first warehouse employee loaded our stuff into the van, checked it out and chatted with me about school, insisting that I try the food in France because it's the best in the world (well duh!). We then had to go to another depot to pick other things up where they were supposed to write down our time of departure, but didn't do so even at my discreet prompting, so we were able to get other things we needed, unload our stuff and drive back. We felt bad being dishonest, so I explained that the departure time hadn't been filled in, but instead of charging us anyway, the woman at the desk wrote in that we'd been gone for 40 minutes, instead of 3 hours... We then were shuffled back to the warehouse employee who seemed pleased/surprised that the van had not been scratched, was impressed we'd moved everything ourselves (where were our "hommes forts" -strong men- he wondered? Aux Etats-Unis, we sadly replied), and reminded me to try the food. Yes, sir!
-In the middle of all of that picking up of furniture, I realized that I hadn't the faintest clue how to drive a big, manual transmission van in reverse (I'd only had to pull out and park before going to the next store). I was absolutely mortified and tried checking the ambiguous owner's manual before getting the guts to ask a woman with her two sons to help me. She hopped right into the van (no small feat for someone who was probably about 5' and 150 lbs) and showed me. When I thanked her profusely, she just shrugged and said it happens to everyone.
-The charming bakery people around the corner who seem to have begun to recognize us when we come in for one of several of our baguettes every day.
Now that I've finished my Oscar length thank-you list... I have just one complaint. The supermarkets are no fun at all! There aren't nearly as many options for things like vegetables (which we were dying for when we moved in after a week of mainly cheap carbs), even in cans or jars. My next step is to figure out where the markets are and to hope I can find some frequently enough to avoid cramming our tiny fridge with fresh produce that I've stocked up.
I'll post some pictures of food and our apartment next.
A bientôt!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
