Monday, July 17, 2017

Julia Child and French Cuisine

I've been reading My Life in France by Julia Child with Alex Prud'homme, and I am LOVING it! She had such a vivid memory of the life she led in France and the meals she ate and made. It is delightful to read about how genuinely excited she was by all the people she got to interact with and how hard she worked to master not just cooking but everything that made her feel more French - the language, habits, a way of looking at the world through a not-so-American lens.

I am about a third of the way through the book, but of course, I had to take a mini-break from it to watch Julie & Julia so I could get some wonderful Parisian scenery and Nora Ephron dialogue. And to ogle the food in that movie. I wanted to eat everything.

Which reminds me! I made croissants from scratch this weekend. The whole process took three days and more space than my NYC apartment really has, but je ne regrette rien! They turned out flaky and delicious. I made nine croissants and six pain au chocolat, but there are substantially fewer of each kind of pastry in my home now.

Tips for making croissants!

  • Plan ahead! Letting the dough rest properly requires a lot of time (two separate nights in your fridge, so make room!).
  • Make space! In addition to the room the dough will need in your fridge, you may also want to make space in your freezer between rounds of laminating (rolling out and folding the dough) to cool it quickly so the butter doesn't melt within the dough. This keeps your croissants from getting greasy and flat. Also, you're going to need a long working surface as you have to roll the dough out thin, narrow, and long for cutting out your croissants.
  • Have fun stuff on hand! You're making a tricky dough that takes a lot of time and energy. Now is your chance to play. Have good, dark chocolate ready to go! Put ham and cheese in some! Variety is the spice of life/baked goods.
  • Parchment paper! I love parchment paper like it is my job to love parchment paper. I spread it on my work surface for easier clean up. I put it in the bottom of my pans and cookie sheets before they go in the oven. It keeps the bottoms of your baked goods nicer and washing up pans and cookie sheets is MUCH easier if your line with parchment paper. Plus, it looks so old school when you take photos of your finished products. ;)

It was an oh-so-French weekend, and even though my pants are a little tighter than I'd like, I wouldn't change a thing about it!

Tuesday, July 11, 2017

A trip to Paris

A friend of mine is going to Paris this summer, so I sent her some suggestions for places and activities that I loved while I was living there. It was such a nostalgic delight to write it up and share my memories with her, and so thrilling to imagine someone I know visiting all of these places and seeing them with her eyes in this different time. I think it's a fairly great Parisian vacation gameplan, so I thought I'd share it here.

If you're lucky enough to be going to Paris anytime soon, why not try out some of these options? Bon voyage!

++++++++++

Okay. I have a LOT of favorites. I lived in the 5th Arrondissement, and I absolutely ADORE the Latin Quarter, but I'll try to diversify suggestions.

However, here's a:
Dream day in the Latin Quarter! 

In the 5th, go to Rue Mouffetard for wonderful stalls and markets and restaurants. If you want moules, fondue, or a crepe to go, this street will not disappoint. I'd say this is the best place to get any of these delights. 

Also in the 5th is the Jardin du Luxembourg. On Boulevard Saint-Michel, which runs alongside the gardens, is the quintessential cane chair French cafe. It's called Le Cercle and it has great coffee and creme brulee (and a decent croque madame). The waiters are deliciously rude, but that's Paris. 

If you walk north up Saint-Michel from Le Cercle to the river, you'll pass a ton of nice stores including several bookshops and just north of Le Cercle, you'll turn your head to the right and get wonderful views of the Pantheon. It's a beautiful tree-lined stroll all the way to the Seine and just before you reach the river, you'll see the Saint-Michel fountain, which is lovely.

Now you're at the corner of Boulevard Saint-Michel and Quai Saint-Michel. Turn right and walk a block or so and BOOM - Sylvia Beach's world famous Shakespeare and Company! If you get tired of all those wonderful books, you are directly across the bridge from Notre Dame on Ile de la Cite! 

Cross over any of the bridges into the 4th Arrondissement and turn left to reach the Louvre. The Pont des Arts is right by the Louvre, just west of Ile de la Cite. Bring a lock to add!!

Outside of the 5th, I think I spent most of my time in the 18th. Get your Amelie kicks there by skipping a stone on St. Martin's Canal! JK, I think you'll get in trouble if you try to do that, but it's gorgeous and fun to watch the lock and dam system in play as the little boats go up and down the hillside.

Sacre-Coeur is also in the 18th and often in the summer, there's free outdoor theatre on the hillside in front of it. There's also a beautiful carousel right there, and the top of the hill gives you the best views of the whole city. Try to get there for the golden hour if you can. It is more beautiful than anything else I've ever seen. Behind Sacre-Coeur, you'll find artists with easels set up all over the street and sidewalk. Also behind Sacre-Couer is the Espace Dali museum, which is small and weird and great. I can't remember the address, but if you ask people in the area, they may be able to point you to an adorable gate that leads up to a house that Picasso lived in in the 20s and 30s. You can't go into the house, but the gate itself is pretty. Below Sacre-Coeur and a little west on Boulevard de Clichy is Moulin Rogue!

In the 6th, you can swing by 27 rue de Fleurus and see where Gertrude Stein lived with Alice B. Toklas. (Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas is a perfect pre-/during- Paris read!!) Then it's a quick walk to the entrance to the Catacombs which are creepy and unlike anything else I've ever experienced.

When you go to the Eiffel Tower, I recommend taking the stairs. It's exhausting, but then you can say you did it! Also, you get nicer views the whole time than you would in the elevator and the line is a lot shorter. Earn those macarons and pamplemousse glaces (the most refreshing flavor)! After the Eiffel Tower, you're very close to the Rodin Museum which is full of great statues (the original copy of The Thinker is there). It's all sort of outdoorsy/gardeny and a great spot to rest and read for a bit. 

The Paris Opera House (9th Arrondissement) might not have anything on in August as I think that's the off month, but if they do have something going, it's probably the ballet. If nothing is playing, you may still be able to tour it and look at those stunning staircases! This is right by the Galeries Lafayette if you want to do some serious shopping, too. If you get to Paris before August 8th, Les Soldes will be going on. All the stores in France have sales at the same time, once in winter and once in summer. It's called Les Soldes and it's the best time to shop there.

If you only have time for one of the two big museums, I cannot stress enough that Musee d'Orsay is the one to see and that the Louvre is the one to skip. Winged Victory and the Mona Lisa are in the Louvre, but I found the Mona Lisa to be a bit of a letdown and hard to see through all the crowds. BUT EVERYTHING IN THE MUSEE D'ORSAY IS GORGEOUS. Take tissues. You will sob. You won't know why, but you will.

Paris day trips
Depending on how long you're there, the two great Paris day trips are Versailles (1st choice) and Giverny (2nd choice, Monet's house and gardens.

Versailles has two tour options - house and gardens or just gardens. If you can only do the gardens, it's still fantastic. Giverny is beautiful and where Waterlillies was painted, but it's a little trickier to get to and probably not as memorable as Versailles. If you go to Versailles, get the fresh orange juice they make there. It's the bomb dot com.

THINGS TO EAT!!!
  • Obviously hazelnut everything (I wasn't yet allergic to treenuts when I lived in Paris, thank god!)
  • crepes. Both sweet and savory. They can be eaten on the go wrapped in paper cones.
  • Moules! Any kind. Have a pot and a glass (or bottle) of sauv blanc
  • Macrons
  • Pamplemousse glace. Other flavors are also acceptable. :)
  • Croque Madame
  • Falafel from anywhere in the 4th/le Marais. Get the eggplant and the spicy sauce. I don't know why, but it's better than any falafel I've had in the States.
  • If you eat duck, this is the city to get duck in
  • Every creme brulee you can find!!
  • Honestly, I enjoy fondue, but I found I could only do it if it was the last thing I did for the night, because I was always so stuffed and gross after. But maybe get fondue anyway.
  • Chocolat chaud with a fresh croissant for breakfast. Dunk that croissant right into your hot chocolate and regret nothing!

Friday, July 07, 2017

French reads

Ooh la la! Anyone else notice that when you request books from the library, they all arrive at the same time?

I just got My Life in France by Julia Child and Bright Lights Paris by Angie Niles at the same time, and I can't wait to dive into both of them.

I feel like using the library, while very New York, is also slightly French. I don't know if libraries are used extensively in France, but there's something tactile and ancient about holding real books in your hands and using a system that moves those books all across a city to be shared with other human being day in and day out. The physicality or it, the interaction, having to go to a brick and mortar location to pick up a good. It seems oh so European to me.

I'm not anti-e-reader by any means. I have a Kindle, but there's something magical about holding a hardcover book in your hands.

Thursday, July 06, 2017

Table française

A coworker was asking about my Le Petit Prince tattoo (yes, I know I'm a walking cliché), and I told him it reminds me of the brief time when I lived in Paris (2004). He asked if I spoke French, and I told him, "je parle un peu le français, mais pas très bien."

Turns out my coworker's wife is Haitian, and he is trying to improve his French. He suggested we set up what he called a French table to chat in French with coworkers who are also interested in learning the language. I absolutely love this idea as the hardest part of learning the language, for me du moins, is understanding spoken French.

I'll let you know how this turns out!

Wednesday, July 05, 2017

Happily Ever After

This past weekend I jumped up to 36% fluent in French according to Duolingo. The fluency tracking is more inspiring to me than other elements of Duolingo, so I"m happy they added this feature.

This weekend I also watched Happily Ever After, a 2004 French film starring Charlotte Gainsbourg. The movie was charming and beautifully shot. It's on Netflix if you're looking for French films about long-term satisfaction (or lack thereof) in monogamy. Great performances all around, beautiful Paris apartments, and a lengthy Johnny Depp cameo.

I was oddly moved by a scene set in the Paris Virgin Megastore (it closed in 2014, alas), where I bought my first Françoise Hardy album when I was 20. Ah, memories!

Friday, June 30, 2017

Au Service de la France

Last night I started watching a French television series on Netflix. The English title is A Very Secret Service, but the French title is Au Service de la France.

It's set in 1960 and has a mixed feeling of being a spy spoof, which it very openly is, and a comedic alternative to Mad Men. I enjoyed the pilot. It had a very dry sense of humor carried off well by the sincerity of the cast, none of whom I recognized. The episodes are short (half hour), so I think it will make a great end of the day program to make sure I hear some French before I fall asleep each night.

The hero is introduced in his underpants, strapped to a chair in an interrogation room. After being drilled on some patriotic points, he is informed that he's been selected to be a secret agent. He's told his first day of work will be a test, though it mostly consisted of being admonished for his cheap suit and for answering a ringing phone that everyone else usually ignores. Mocking the mundane is right up my alley, so I'm excited to keep watching this one.

IMDB says there are 24 episodes, though I'm not sure how many are on Netflix. I'll find out.



Thursday, June 29, 2017

Reading list

I'm compiling a reading list of French and French-related books. Full disclosure - at this stage in the game I'll be reading them in English, but hopefully, by the holidays I'll be reading them in French. I have read several French classics already, but I may revisit some once I switch over to reading in French. Only time can tell.

Here are the titles on my list so far:

  • The Stranger, Albert Camus
  • Down and Out in Paris and London, George Orwell
  • The Elegance of the Hedgehog, Muriel Barbery
  • The Red and the Black, Stendhal
  • The Paris Wife, Paula McLain
  • Swann's Way, Marcel Proust
  • Delta of Venus, Anaïs Nin
  • Shakespeare and Company, Sylvia Beach
  • Paris, France, Gertrude Stein
  • Cousin Bette, Balzac
  • A Year in Provence, Peter Mayle
  • Lunch in Paris, Elizabeth Bard
I'm adding to the list constantly, but let me know in the comments if there are any books either by French authors, set in France, or about France that you think I should add to my reading list.

Au revoir!

Wednesday, June 28, 2017

Christine and the Queens

Bon après-midi!

Today I listened to a LOT of Christine and the Queens. Contemporary French pop music led by Héloïse Letissier. You may have heard them perform "Tilted" on The Daily Show, or maybe you were lucky enough to see them live at the Governor's Ball in 2016 before they really took off in the US. Anyway, I'm loving Héloise's urgent yet light voice and the group's persistent electric beats.

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/04vj3iPUiVh5melWr0w3xT

Video:

Practicing French & some tweaks

According to Duolingo, I am 28% fluent in French. I'm at level 11 and feel like I have plateaued a bit, but hopefully, with practice on some of the things I'm finding more challenging (bonjour, conjugaisons de verbes), I'll pop out of this stuck spot and keep getting better.

Two of my coworkers can speak conversational French and do so from time to time. Hopefully, I can offer more in those conversations soon.

I am practicing French and Spanish simultaneously, though I only added Spanish a couple weeks ago. Because there is so much literature in Spanish in my daily life (signs on the subway, advertisements, etc.) I think I am coming along in that much faster, which is a little disheartening considering that I lived in France for a summer and took two courses in the language in college. Immersion makes a huge difference, and that summer in France was 13 years ago (wow)!

To try to increase my level of immersion, I've made the following little tweaks in my life:
  • Set the language on my phone to French
    • On an iPhone, choose Settings>General>Language & Region>iPhone Language>Français
  • Set the language on my internet browser to French
    • In Chrome, click the three vertical dots to the right of your URL bar. Choose Settings. Scroll down and open the Advanced tab. Set your language (I almost exclusively type to other people in English, so I have left my spell check settings in US English, but my browser is now in French!)
  • Writing my to-do lists in French. This one is harder as I tend to jot things down in a hurry, and now I have to stop and think about them more. Also, to-do lists are always verbs. But that's where I need to work the most, so it's probably good that this is tough.
Have you made little adjustments in your daily life to help you learn a new language? Any tips?

Tuesday, June 27, 2017

Bonjour!

Bonjour! Je m'appelle Becca, and I am a Francophile.

I, like everyone else, am busy most of the time. I work, I have social obligations, I cook, I have a side hustle. Nothing special. We all do.

But I also wish my French weren't so abysmal, so I thought I would start a blog to track my practice and the cultural tidbits I alway seem to be checking out. Nothing fancy.

I use Duolingo to practice both French and Spanish, and I'm always happy for some friendly competition. I'm whynotbecca on the Duolingo app.