Cooking School in Brittany

Mom was fortunate to take a week off in June for cooking school in Brittany.  (Thank you Dad!) My friend Noreen, who I met at another cooking class, and I bravely hopped on a train to a tiny town near the coast.  What a great week it turned out to be.  Noreen and I shared many laughs along with our cooking buddies (Marade from Ireland, Linda from Australia) while we chopped our way through the week. They  allowed us to sleep in but by 10 am we had our knives and cutting boards at work.  We finished lunch by 2 and spent the afternoons walking about the rural town and its unique inhabitants, visiting other neat towns such as Jocelyn and Dinan and walking amongst the cows.  Then we reported back by 5 to make dinner and enjoy a 3-4 course meal with beaucoup du vin.  Noreen and I stumbled back to our apt giggling about this and that after midnight and were thankful to be able to sleep in.

We weren't sure we would graduate or if they would just want to get rid of us.  But thankfully, the last night we passed the quiz and enjoyed our last meal with our homemade elder flower cordial and champagne along with beef wellington.

Jocelyn

Dinan

Food in France

There have been some interesting differences between food in France and the United States. Sorry for the long tedious list.

-Butter is fabulous even from the tub in the store.  The fromagerie sells butter from a big bucket.

-Yogurt is a big deal here and there is a whole aisle at the supermarket and the fromagerie has awesome fresh yogurt made with whole milk.

-Excellent bread.  I go to the boulangerie daily. We have 3 boulangeries very close to us and one even open on Sundays.  We mostly buy baguettes and the best is a fresh warm one.  It has become a bad habit of mine to have a bit of bread and butter before I cook dinner.

-Most people buy milk in boxed containers and some buy it fresh in plastic containers.  The kids prefer the box. I prefer fresh but it is very hard to find fresh lowfat milk and there is no nonfat milk. Also, if you want vitamin D added that is also something you have to look for.

-Fromage or cheese.....many different kinds and flavors...we have tried strong blue cheese and various goat cheese with salads, various hard white cheese like compte and tome, bries, and still experimenting and trying to develop my palate for it.  There are seasonal cheeses as well.  In the spring the butter, and cheese is much better because the animals are eating new spring grass.  They don't eat cheddar here but you can sometimes find English cheddar at the Monoprix grocery store or one of the American import stores.  Forget though about having crackers with your cheese.  They only sell buttery/sweet biscuits.

-Wine is like water here....the french frequently drink wine at lunch in addition to dinner.  House wine is very good and cheap.  Store bought wine is not bad and very affordable.  There are many kinds and we have enjoyed going to several wine classes and a champagne tasting.  By the end of the year we were trying to get more specialized wines.

-Cereal-they have only a few cereals here and half of them have chocolate.  I always have Duane bring cheerios and my favorite wheat cereal from America.

-Lots of ham in many different cuts from head to toe.  I suspect people eat much more ham than beef here.  When I ordered filet mignon here for x-mas eve a guy next to me was smirking and said, " Are you sure you don't want pork?".  They call filet mignon a type of pork cut. Filet de boeuf is a beef cut.  There are many different cuts from the cow and pig and I still havn't mastered the art of buying at the butcher shop.  I actually dread going to the butcher because they don't speak any English and they have tall counters so you have to speak loudly in your perfect french which is difficult for me.  I prefer to just get steak hache (ground beef) or poulet blanc (chicken breast).

-Some American food is found here but often it is slightly different and you can't quite put your finger on it.....although I said I wouldn't buy mac and cheese, I found some made in Mississippi. It it convenient with baby-sitters, etc.  There are some stores that import American food but it is very expensive.

-Eggs are not kept cold here because they don't mess with the eggs like we do in America.  Thus there is a protective coating that keeps the egg fresh.  I love getting fresh eggs from the fromagerie and making scrambled eggs.

-Dry beans have to be bought at the health food store and they don't carry black beans or refried beans.  You can get a few mexican food items from the store like taco shells and rubbery flour tortillas. The beef here makes tasty tacos.

-Chocolate is big here.....tons of expensive chocolate shops and many things have a bit of chocolate with them...unfortunately I missed the salon de chocolate which is a huge expo on chocolate where you can taste many forms of chocolate including salad dressings.

-It is hard to get used to buying small quantities of things like nuts, kleenex, tp, etc.  But, there is not much space in the apt so I guess that is ok. 

-The grocery stores are great here and I can often find most of what I need except it is closed on Sundays.  The clerks are not always very friendly and often there are workers taking up the aisle stocking the shelves so it makes it difficult.  One wonderful thing about the groceries is livraison or home delivery. You have to plan to be home for up to 3 hours after you shop but there is no extra charge for grocery delivery right into your kitchen.  There are also markets all year with everything from clothes and slippers to fish and cider.  I have enjoyed visiting markets in different neighborhoods.

Le medecin i.e. doctor

Great to find the American Hospital of Paris which follows a more consistent practice of American medicine and the doctors speak English.  They are mostly not American doctors but French.  It is nearly impossible to practice medicine in France if you trained in another country.  The visit went well until it came to the exam. The doctor does not leave the room or give you a gown so he just waits for you to undress and you hang out in your undies.  Awkward!  Oh well, it went okay.  Had to pay 160E and cash only.

Later Paige saw a doctor in Chamonix who only charged 25 E.

Some differences between France and US healthcare include cost, lack of on-call doctors (though there are SOS doctors who come to your house for emergencies after hours), month long summer vacations, a pharmacy on every corner, increase in patient responsibility of keeping patient records, arranging for tests and getting the results to the ordering doctor.

It was stressful speaking french to convey Paige's health problems on several occasions and not knowing if they fully understood what I was trying to get across.  I was so glad to return home and speak with American doctors and feel confident in the diagnosis and prognosis.

Socialism in France

After you have lived in France for awhile, you realize there are many rules/laws in France.  For example the price of a baguette is regulated.  Because of lack of food around the time of the revolution, at some point there became a law that a baguette must be affordable for everyone.  So in the bakeries in Paris there are two of the basic types of baguette....one for 1.05 E and another higher quality baguette for 1.15-1.35.  The more expensive one is the baguette tradition and takes more work because the dough is held longer before baking.

It is difficult to fire people...in fact in many stores it seems there are a lot of people hanging around not working (although this never seems to apply to restaurants it seems they are always very busy).

There is a law that every restaurant in France must serve tap water.  This seems obvious but in other countries such as Belgium you must buy water.

Parks sometimes seem like they are just for admiring and not for playing in.  The grass in all the parks sleeps (thus is off limits) during the winter until April 19th. This was very difficult for the kids after school as you couldn't even walk on the grass and there was limited dirt space.  There are also many park police walking around enforcing these rules....sometimes we joked at how much more money France would have if they didn't spend so much on these people.

One doctor told me the conflict of the government with smoking.  It seems the government wants to gather the taxes more than prevent smoking. They did make a law to ban smoking indoors but you don't see much publicity or government effort to encourage people not to smoke.

Fashion boutiques must list prices for clothes shown in their windows....I found this was a nice way to check out the store.

There are lots of taxes here.  One time we saw a pay stub with 15-20 taxes listed.  But the benefits include healthcare (a visit to a doctor in Chamonix only cost 25E) and university education is free.

Montmartre

One of the things I am really enjoying in Paris is going on guided walks throughout the city.  Duane and I have learned about the French Revolution, Knights Templar, WW II sites in Paris, the Marais, and recently Montmartre (you recognize this area by the magnificent Basilica of Sacre Coeur at the north end of the city).  The walks have been a great chance to get out, exercise and talk with other parents from our school.  Here are some notes about Montmartre....

First of all it is interesting that this area was outside the city for many years until 1860, when it was incorporated into Paris.  There are maps depicting the layers of city walls as the town grew. The metro 2 line, which is our "home" line, was developed right along the site of an old city wall.

For many years during the medieval times people would travel on pilgrimage routes.  In Montmartre there were people who came in pilgrimage to see the route and resting place of St. Denis, the patron saint of Paris.  He was beheaded in 250 AD. The story goes that he picked up his head and walked over the hill where he collapsed (in the area that is now called Saint-Denis and is home to a cathedral where the kings of France are traditionally buried).  Along the way, he supposedly washed his head off in a fountain we visited.  

In order to profit more from people on their pilgrimage route, an abbey was established.  They in turn developed agriculture in the area--vineyards, etc.  There were windmills throughout this area that helped with a number of tasks such as crushing grapes and grinding flour. 

People would need food and wine on their route to see the patron saint and would stop at various places to get a biscuit, drinks, and such.  This became the first sort of tourism in medieval times.  A couple of windmills gave biscuits and water.  (Later these windmill owners profited from changing their menu from water to wine). In addition, people from Paris would come to this area because food and wine were plentiful and thus cheaper. People would come just outside the Paris city wall to have a drink. It became known as "the party area".  Cabarets developed and eventually the Moulin Rouge.  

Many poor artists couldn't afford to live in downtown Paris so they would live in Montmartre.  Some lived in a commune called Le Bateau.....Many famous artists-Picasso, Van Gogh, Renoir, Matisse, Toulouse-Lautrec, would hang out together sharing ideas, etc.  Restaurants often allowed artists to trade sketches or poems for food. Cubism started to develop here.  The artists preferred north facing windows so the light would be more stable.  Many old homes still have large windows facing north.

During the walk, we also learned about how the area under Montmartre was a quarry for a fine material used for building.  This was called Plaster of Paris.  Often there were particles of this stuff in the air so it often looked like it was snowing.  This concept later inspired the name of the nearby metro stop, Blanche meaning white. Unfortunately, when they went to build Sacre Coeur, they had to set in many columns of concrete to support the building because much of Montmartre is hollowed out from excavation.

Valentine's Day

Valentine's Day is just another day around here.  Hallmark has definitely not infiltrated the country by any means. I noticed a few chocolate shops with some hearts in the windows. Duane found a few heart stickers in the Monoprix grocery store.  I was told that it is a holiday for lovers but not kids.
Clay made a heart in class but there was no candy or chocolate, no valentine making.  Paige went on a nature field trip as scheduled with no mention of the holiday. So,we decided to celebrate in our own way. Actually it was Paige's idea to have a Valentine's party.  She and Clay insisted we celebrate.  Due to our small apt we told them they could invite one family each.  Since we are in France, we ate cheese and wine along with our chocolate at our soiree! It was a fun way to celebrate Valentine's Day!  We were joined by Alice, Mark, Emily, and Sebastian as well as Nima, Andrew, Cy, and Safi but I forgot to get a picture of them.

Brugge, Belgium

My friend Elizabeth from Washington and I spent a fun mom's weekend in Brugge in November. Having just come from Venice, it was fun to see this picturesque city, often called the Venice of the north.  There were many canals, although the bridges are flat and so we didn't have to climb hundreds of steps.  The city is full of cobblestone streets, red tile roofs, and interesting gilded architecture. There are multiple buildings with step down roofs (see picture) it almost seems like they have just a front face.  This city only has 20,000 inhabitants but tons of shops for tourists (and tons of tourists) where you can buy chocolate laced gingerbread cookies, flemish stew, Belgian beer, french fries with mayonnaise, linens with lace, clothes and most importantly chocolate!

We enjoyed being tourists here walking along pedestrian friendly streets. There are few cars but you do need to watch out for bike riders and buses who take up most of the road.  We climbed the bell tower to see many of the 40 bells and hear the chimes up close.  Also, we noted an expansive city view overlooking all the red roofs.  We loved visiting the museums (without someone tugging at our sleeves wondering when it was time to go) featuring artists of the 14-16th centuries.  I really enjoyed seeing one museum set in an old hospital which displayed paintings depicting how it functioned years ago.  There were many paintings showing the nuns praying as there wasn't many therapies at that time.  There also showed a few instruments and an old chair used for patients who couldn't walk to the hospital. They had to be picked up in this wheelbarrow like structure.  It was also great to see another Michelangelo sculpture of the pieta in a church.

Later in May, we went to Brugge as a family for a chocolate and speculoos filled weekend.  The kids were anxious to see Brugge as I had recounted my visit with Elizabeth to them and they couldn't wait to get their hands on all that chocolate!  We had a chocolate tour trying out chocolate from all the different shops.  One shop is particularly creative with chocolate lipstick (we learned about this from friend Safi) and they use all sort of flavors even marijuana.  My favorite was the early gray tea chocolate.  Paris and Belgium are known for their chocolate and we decided Brugge was one of the best places for chocolate.  But after lots of chocolate, waffles, and speculoos cookies from the bakery we felt like we had tasted a bit too much!  Next time maybe we can spread it out over a few days.

The other great thing about Belgium are all the bike paths.  Luckily we had time to go biking along a canal to Damme. And we followed that with some more chocolate...:)  

Chamonix Trip #2

In March, we finished our 5th week of school vacation in scenic and lively Chamonix. (Kids in France have 8 weeks plus 2-3day weekends throughout the year.)  Although there was more rain and less snow we still enjoyed the gorgeous scenery and sunshine.  We realized how much we miss mountains and trees like back home.  Our apt was cozy and cabin-like and sat up on a hill close to the center of town.  It was on the corner of the building and had large windows to let in sunshine and provided amazing mountain views in a couple of directions including Mont Blanc.  I enjoyed sitting outside in the sun to read on the large terrasse.

The kids were worried they would not survive French ski school but in fact easily understood what the teachers were saying and Paige even said she felt she now understood lots of French.  She didn't speak much to her teacher though who was always teasing her to get her to speak more. 

Paige was happy to meet up with her Italian friend, Francesca (from school) to go swimming and I met her mom for coffee a couple of times as well. I also hiked along a scenic path through the woods to our hotel we enjoyed so much on our last visit.  A great place to hike for refreshments and visit with the owner.  Clay enjoyed skipping ski school to ski with dad and explore the town.  Duane was glad to try to different types of cross-country skiing.  Duane and I hiked around Les Houches and discovered a scenic lake, kids practicing for a biathalon (combination of cross-country skiing and shooting), and a shrine.  We weren't sure if this area was perhaps a path for people on pilgrimage (in midieval days pilgrims would often travel to places that held religious significance.  The sites might have been visited by saints, miracles might have been performed there, or held relics--famous bones, etc). 

Once again, we all partook in the tasty, hearty food in Chamonix famous for its cheese fondue, sausage, raclette (see picture....raclette cheese is melted on a fiery contraption then eaten with bread, ham, etc ), , escargot, french onion soup, desserts, and mom even tried the strong liqueur Genepi on ice cream. Genepi is made from a plant in the local forest.  It has a hint of mint and pine.   The kids surprised us by wanting fondue for dinner a couple of nights but weren't yet brave enough to try escargot.

We do hope to make it back here again soon!