Foodie Friday: What I learned in France

I have many fond memories of eating in France. Once again, it is a food culture based on seasonal, fresh and local.  While we think of the temples of gastronomy, France is also a country filled with tiny local cafes offering a limited menu of incredible food. 

My first visit to France as in January 1991. A few days in Paris. I have  one vivid memory from that trip. Being turned away at the sidewalk in front of Maxim's based on what I was wearing.  It was winter, I was wearing jeans, hiking boots, a wool sweater and a leather jacket, the doorman literally stuffed me back in the taxi. Their loss, we went around the corner, up a narrow street and had an incredible lunch in a tiny restaurant. 

A few years later we had Christmas dinner on the Eiffel Tower. We didn't reservations and I out pouted the Maitre D. He didn't say no, and I just stood there until one of the servers said, "this way."  

My Sweet Bear and I spent a week in a Gite in Normandy.  We went to see the Abbey de Hambye, the ruins of an abbey nearby.  We had parked just around the corner from a restaurant, and it was lunch time when we were ready to leave, so we thought, why not give it a try. Oh my were we in for a treat at Auberge de l'Abbaye. The food and service were pure artistry, someplace I have photos of the food, I don't often take photos of what we are served, this was really special. When you get a chance, go there, it is worth the effort. 

To really understand French food culture get off of the beaten path. Nearly every village has a small local restaurant.  Go with the Plat de Jour, the daily special.  This is what the chef or cook, selected as fresh, seasonal, and most likely local. It is the best food, and often the best value. I did a solo trip to Normandy, one lunch I stopped in a small town, there were several trucks from EDF, the electric company parked out front. Always a good idea to try where the locals flock to. I was a little unsure, my French is very basic, and this was very rural. I was made welcome, ordered the special of the day, and it was so wonderful.  The pear tart at the end was heavenly. 

On another trip we were driving along the coast on our way to St Malo and stopped in a small village, along the coast with vast shellfish beds along the harbour. Order the seafood tower, at least once in your life, I'd like to do that again. 

A couple of times in France we have rented Gites, these are country vacation rentals, most of them are on farms. One was a converted barn, the second one was an apartment in a massive stone farmhouse.  Gites have a kitchen, and that made it possible to shop local and cook. 

I could go on and on about food in France, but I would sooner go back.  

 

Thursday Ramble: Connecting to the world

Last Sunday's stage of the Tour de France, finished in Carcassonne France, just hearing that was the destination my mind lept to connections.  On our 2024 Grand Adventure we spent two nights in Carcassonne. Carcassonne has one of the most complete medieval walls, surrounding the core of the old town. The hotel we stayed in was about a five minute walk south of one of the Gateways.  

Travel and seeing places around parts of the world, creates a connection, a familiarity when I see, hear, or read about those places.  It adds a depth of understanding, a curiosity, often, but not always, a yearning to return. Travel broadens  horizons, helps us to better understand different places and people. It brings me a connection to the world that I wouldn't have if I hadn't been there, seen that, done that. 

There are thousands of excuses not to travel. Ignore them and go. Even if it is to a place that leaves you saying say, "never again" you will have a connection and understanding of that place and the people who live there that you can't have any other way. 

I am planning next springs Grand Adventure, a trip that will take us places we have not been.  I was talking with one of the summer lifeguards last Friday.  He commented about "where he is from" and I asked where he is from. Slovakia - and he showed me photos of the alpine mountain lakes in his corner of the country. Hmm? Pretty place. 

My World of Wonders, AKA, the Wednesday Ws July 23rd edition

Where have I been this week? An arts meeting, the pool, the gym, Target, the Dentist, the farmers market.  

Who did I reach out to this week? One of my former colleagues, she is doing okay, everything considered. My successor to wish her a happy birthday. 

Who have a talked with this week? The water aerobics gang, Ana and Susan, it has been a quiet week. 

What have I been watching? The Tour de France, it will finish in Paris next weekend, about 2,200 miles of riding over 21 days. YouTube, I am always amazed by the talented content producers.  

What have I been up to in the kitchen? Roast Pork Tenderloin, Swiss Steak - that yields a wonderful tomato sauce, meatballs, focaccia topped with goat cheese, onions and mushrooms - that was wonderful but not well received. Dill pickles.  

What have I been reading? I finished IMAGINE by Jonah Lehrer a very good book on the science of creativity, and have started into a book on creative aging. 

What do I need more of? Laughter. 

Why am I stressing? The VW is due for a visit to the repair shop, I hate car repairs. 

What made me smirk this week?  Apparently a CEO took his HR director, not his wife, to a concert and ended up being shown on the jumbotron.  Don't do anything in pubic, that you feel the need to hide from the cameras. 

 

 

Travel Tuesday: Southampton

Last April the ship made a port call in Southampton, most of the shore excursions were for destinations an hour or two away, Stonehenge (been there), London (been there and we were going there later in the trip) so we opted to explore on our own.  I was looking for things that would have been there when my ancestors passed through 115-120 years ago. 

The Cruise Line provided a shuttle bus into town, sadly it dropped us in the middle of a modern shopping center. I was surprised at people who were excited about going shopping. We wandered around, stopped in a pharmacy for a couple of things, and Sweet Bear took the bus back to the ship. I walked back to the ship. It was 2-3 miles along the harbour.  The walk allowed me to see Southampton. To take photos of places that have been there for hundreds of years, things my great-grandparents and my grandmother may have seen on their way to the ships. 
 

Monday Mood: Centered

Take a deep breath in, slowly exhale counting to 8 if you can, start with your arms bent over your chest, and as you exhale make a circle with them ending overhead. Repeat several times. Focus on your breathing, and gentle controlled movement. You can do this standing, sitting in your most comfortable chair, or standing in the water in a comfortable pool or lake. 

Emptying your mind, think about nothing, is difficult or impossible for most of us, but we can focus what we are thinking about.  Think about things that went well, that you did well, things that bring pleasure, that bring you happiness.  Fall asleep thinking about things that bring joy to your life, the things you are grateful for. 

I smear paint on canvas, you can call it painting if you want, for the most part I call it playing. There is a saying that we don't stop playing because we have grown old, we have grown old because we stopped playing.  Feed your creative outlet, play with the paint, or pencils, or cameras, or words. Escape into playing. 

I play in the kitchen.  I have spent my adult life reading about cooking, technique, ingredients, the alchemy of saucing.  And I play. I am often surprised at what inspires me in the kitchen. A particular ingredient, a meal out, something I have read, something I have seen.  Recipes are guides, not blueprints or chemistry formulas.  Julia Child emphasized one correct way to do things, very much a French approach. Martha Stewart emphasized the best ingredients. Glen of Glen and Friends, encourages good ingredients, solid technique, and breaking the rules.  His style is very much playing in the kitchen. I like it.  I work clean, something I learned from watching and reading, and the kitchen is a playground not a workspace.  

From a technical standpoint the canvass above is flawed, the focal point, the horizon is centered, it should be above or below the center. I was playing when I made this, and the golden sun is at the center of that play.  Time for me to go float in the pool. 

The Sunday Five: Wedding Parties

A hen do, in the train station in Glasgow, Scotland

1: When was the last time you attended a wedding? 

2: Should we continue the tradition of "white wedding dresses"? 

3: Have you been a part of a  bachelor or bachelorette party? 

4: What was the strangest wedding you have ever seen? 

5: Do you cry at weddings? 

My answers: 

1: When was the last time you attended a wedding? Last September in Michigan. 

2: Should we continue the tradition of "white wedding dresses"? I think they are silly, something that is worn only once. And I would look strange in one. 

3: Have you been a part of a  bachelor or bachelorette party? No, never invited to one. 

4: What was the strangest wedding you have ever seen? The ex-husband of my ex's middle sister, in the mid 1980s in Ocoee Florida. It was a redneck affair, I never knew anyone made blue jean suits.  Budweiser served in cans. We left before the fights broke out. 

5: Do you cry at weddings? Yes, I am a softy.

Please share your answers in the comments. 

The Saturday Morning Post: 50 States in 52 Weeks: New Hampshire

In 2009 I was invited to present at a conference at Mt. Washington in New Hampshire. New Hampshire is in the heart of northern New England, and I had never been there. I flew up a day early, rented a car and explored New Hampshire and Vermont. Spending the first night in Vermont, the second night at Mt. Washington in New Hampshire.  

Mt Washington sits in an opening between mountains, with the prevailing winds blowing through creating a unique micro climate. It is one of the windiest places in North America. A tourist cog-railway was built up the side of the mountain (and there is now a road up the other side.) I had never ridden a cog-railway, and research revealed that the line was still running part of the trains on coal fired steam locomotives.  I booked tickets for that experience. 

It was thrilling and at times terrifying, the train climbs the mountain with a gear (the cog) gripping a special rail in the middle of the track. The steam engine at times seemed to struggle with the very steep grade, as the train climbed the mountain we disappeared into the clouds. I'd do it again today. 

The conference was in the fall, near the peak of the autumn color. It was one of the most scenic work trips I ever had. If you get a chance, go to New Hampshire.