So upon my departure from the city of light, a torrential about of bad luck befell me. Hence, why I have not since posted. My last week in Europe flew by in a whirl of upset, happiness, sun and fantasy. I went from the beautiful beaches of Alicante, Spain, where I seemed to meet my every possible foe (thieves, sun and technology) to the charmed life of England's gentry, all the way back to Santa Barbara, California where I promptly got a terrible cold and remained in bed for my 5 days at home. A quick roadtrip up the coast later and I am safely settled back in Walla Walla, Washington. Having been back for two weeks, it appears that the summer will consist of lots of potlucks, porch sitting and volleyball in the sun. With that realized, I have decided to continue the blog: a little bear's search for cheese: part deux.
The origin and inspiration for the dinner we hosted last night needs a bit of explanation. After graduation, the senior DGs left for their grown up lives and the fraternity houses closed their doors for the summer. Living in the most prominent DG house on campus, our humble abode lent itself easily as a deposit for all the leftover food that all the previously mentioned groups had to hand off. 3 days later, we found ourselves laden with boxes of pasta, cans, cereal and a variety of different lunch meats and cheeses. As such, we decided to have a "Zoo feeds everyone-pasta feed". We cooked up all of our different pastas, creating a potpourri of sorts. I then proceeded to create a sauce that turned out to be quite delicious. My own variation on an amatriciana, I made a sauce using onions,garlic, julienned salami, roasted red peppers, oregano from our garden, tomatoes and some red pepper flakes. To my delight, it proved to be quite good. Everyone else contributed dishes of fresh sauteed asparagus, salad, and banana bread. We sat out on our large patio and shared a wonderful meal with random foods and random friends. There is going to be an effort made to keep this tradition going weekly. Next week? Mexican. We also acquired seemingly endless amounts of tortillas, cheese, refried beans and tomatoes.
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Sunday, June 5, 2011
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
T-Minus...
ONE WEEK?? Well, technically one week and 4 days until I leave Europe, but I leave France one week from today! It is absolutely crazy how fast time has flown. There is so much left to do and not nearly enough time to do it. The past 2 weeks have most definitely gone the fastest. Easter weekend was such fun. Even though France is a neutral country (religiously), Easter is clearly a big holiday. Everyone gets monday off work, and many Parisians leave town. I chose to spend the day with Laurel. We started off the fresh, sunny morning with homemade crepes (made by yours truly), then headed to Chatelet-Les Halles to go to mass at St Eustache. While this church is a bit more off the grid than a church such as Notre Dame, it is certainly not understated. Probably the size of one and a half Notre Dames, it is an early gothic church built around 1200. The service was lovely. Not very touristy and filled with mostly locals, it was such an interesting experience to attend. The catholic Easter tradition is very different from that of the Protestant, yet equally as moving. The music was spectacular and the ambiance was joyful and calm at the same time. Surprisingly enough, I understood close to 90% of the service which I was not expecting, in part because the priest spoke rather slowly.
On Tuesday night, Helene returned home from her town of Vosges, so I made dinner for the three of us. Sonia supplied the desserts. Originally intending to make lavender roast chicken, that plan was foiled when I realized I only know how to use our broiler and not our oven. Instead I turned to a staple of my mother's: Korean marinated milanese steaks and arugula salad with grilled bread and spring onions. While I maintain it was not my best meal, Helene and Sonia were kind enough to gush over it. This weeks family dinners have been bittersweet because we know the end is coming. Helene has truly been the best host mother I could have asked for and was an incredible blessing considering my past host family experiences. After she left on Saturday, I came home to find a giant chocolate rooster and basket sitting on my bedside table with an Easter note. I cannot wait to come back to Paris and visit her.
Knowing that we only have one week left has also made preparing for finals that much more difficult. I don't want to stay in my room and study when I could be checking off my bucket list?? Who do they think we are...students?? I just think it would be much more practical to have finals a week before we leave, not the week of.
A wonderful thing happened this week as well. I had the chance to meet up with a good friend whom I had not seen for 12 years! (it made me feel quite old). Adrian Merrick moved away when we were 9 and I have not seen her since. Coincidentally we are both study in Paris and decided to meet up at a cafe for coffee. Coffee turned into 5 hours of catching up on all we had missed. 12 years later and we are still the same little girls with a love for old movies and tea. Fantastic and surreal, it felt like nothing had changed.
On Tuesday night, Helene returned home from her town of Vosges, so I made dinner for the three of us. Sonia supplied the desserts. Originally intending to make lavender roast chicken, that plan was foiled when I realized I only know how to use our broiler and not our oven. Instead I turned to a staple of my mother's: Korean marinated milanese steaks and arugula salad with grilled bread and spring onions. While I maintain it was not my best meal, Helene and Sonia were kind enough to gush over it. This weeks family dinners have been bittersweet because we know the end is coming. Helene has truly been the best host mother I could have asked for and was an incredible blessing considering my past host family experiences. After she left on Saturday, I came home to find a giant chocolate rooster and basket sitting on my bedside table with an Easter note. I cannot wait to come back to Paris and visit her.
Knowing that we only have one week left has also made preparing for finals that much more difficult. I don't want to stay in my room and study when I could be checking off my bucket list?? Who do they think we are...students?? I just think it would be much more practical to have finals a week before we leave, not the week of.
A wonderful thing happened this week as well. I had the chance to meet up with a good friend whom I had not seen for 12 years! (it made me feel quite old). Adrian Merrick moved away when we were 9 and I have not seen her since. Coincidentally we are both study in Paris and decided to meet up at a cafe for coffee. Coffee turned into 5 hours of catching up on all we had missed. 12 years later and we are still the same little girls with a love for old movies and tea. Fantastic and surreal, it felt like nothing had changed.
Sunday, April 17, 2011
Spring Break
After three months of classes and a wonderful visit from the parents, spring break finally came and is now coming to a close. Originally, Laurel and I considered visiting the UK for our free week, however the gloomy Paris weather drove us, instead, to the Cote d'Azur in the south. A week of Nice and Monaco were indeed the perfect tonic to what had been a very long winter. I hadn't realized how much I missed the beach until I smelled the salt and felt the breeze. The last time I visited the Mediterranean Sea I was only 2, so essentially this was my first time. While absolutely gorgeous, blue water, calm waves, it is very different than the Pacific Ocean beaches I am used to. The beach is not sand, but instead made up of lots of fist sized rocks. These are perfectly fine to sit and lay on, but they make getting in and out of the ocean very difficult and hard on the feet. The culture is also very different. Umbrellas are hard to come by and there are equal numbers of young people and old people baking in the sun. There appears to be far less concern for sun damage. After soaking up some much needed vitamin D, we decided to venture onto Monaco, land-of-plenty, for a day. If one were to combine Disneyland and Las Vegas, add some european flare and a beach, you would come up with Monaco. The palace where the prince still lives today, looks like It's a Small World. There are more yachts in the three harbors than I have ever seen in one place at a time and photos of Grace Kelly line the streets. It really is a beautiful place, it just had a bit of a fake feel. The most fun part for me was getting to visit the Musee Oceanographique where Jacques Cousteau was the director for 32 years. The amazing building sits built into a cliffside over looking the ocean. The entire interior was designed for the aquarium, down to the staircase banisters which are decorated with conch shell sculptures.
It was wonderful to come home to a sunny Paris and it seems that the weather is to remain sunny for the rest of our time here. Wonderful news indeed. It is really crazy that the semester is coming to a close. In total, we have 7 days left of class, 3 days of finals and 2 weekends. Time really flew by. I was walking along the Seine last night on my way home, the moon was full, I could see Notre Dame to my left and the Eiffel Tower to my right. I realized that while I will be happy to go home, I really will miss this place so much. Though the culture may be odd (ex it was 70 degrees this weekend and I got weird looks for wearing shorts) and the cost of living expensive as hell, Paris is a wonderful combination of history and modernity. Traditional is so many ways and cutting edge at others, it is truly awe inspiring.
Saturday, March 26, 2011
Playing Catch Up
When living in a city far away, there comes a point when distraction sets in and, for a fleeting moment, you forget about your life back home. I had several of those moments in the two weeks and I send my apologies for neglecting you all. Since last time, I have celebrated St. Patrick's day, gone to Chartres Cathedral, given a thirty minute oral presentation to my Institut Catholique class, and spent a lovely week with my parents.
St Patrick's Day:
A holiday much more exuberantly celebrated here than in the US, I assume because of the proximity to Ireland. It was quite nice, actually. It was the first time that most of our program all got a chance to hang out together outside of the classroom. An overwhelming abundance of shamrock pins, hats and singing.
Chartres Cathedral:
I have dreamt about visiting this church since I studied it in high school. Known for it's stained glass windows, Chartres is one of the oldest cathedrals in France and has the 3rd largest crypt in the world. The Cathedral was stunning even if the windows weren't as thrilling as I had expected. I think the most beautiful parts were the marble labyrinth on the floor and the gothic semi-circle wall around the altar. The windows, of course, were beautiful, but the intricate carving and decoration on the inside was really amazing.
It was such a pleasure to have my parents here this past week and to really so them my Paris. Although there were some hiccups, mom got sick and there were some sub-par meals, I think they were able to get a taste of how my life has been going here. The highlight by far was our dinner with Helene and Thomas. It was so funny to hear Helene speak in English, because she rarely does when we are at home. She prepared a fabulous aperitif which consisted of far more than appetizers. Thomas loved getting a chance to speak English and mom thought Helene was a hoot. We found out that Helene is a virgo and Thomas is a Tauren just like my parents, what a coincidence. At the end of the evening, seeing how much my mom enjoyed the Laduree cookbook that Helene published, gave mom her copy. She is really one of the most generous people. The sadness of having to leave her is already starting to set in.
We have spring break starting on Friday and I am beyond ready for a break. I am going to Nice with Laurel and plan on doing nothing but lie on the beach. I need some sun.
St Patrick's Day:
A holiday much more exuberantly celebrated here than in the US, I assume because of the proximity to Ireland. It was quite nice, actually. It was the first time that most of our program all got a chance to hang out together outside of the classroom. An overwhelming abundance of shamrock pins, hats and singing.
Chartres Cathedral:
I have dreamt about visiting this church since I studied it in high school. Known for it's stained glass windows, Chartres is one of the oldest cathedrals in France and has the 3rd largest crypt in the world. The Cathedral was stunning even if the windows weren't as thrilling as I had expected. I think the most beautiful parts were the marble labyrinth on the floor and the gothic semi-circle wall around the altar. The windows, of course, were beautiful, but the intricate carving and decoration on the inside was really amazing.
It was such a pleasure to have my parents here this past week and to really so them my Paris. Although there were some hiccups, mom got sick and there were some sub-par meals, I think they were able to get a taste of how my life has been going here. The highlight by far was our dinner with Helene and Thomas. It was so funny to hear Helene speak in English, because she rarely does when we are at home. She prepared a fabulous aperitif which consisted of far more than appetizers. Thomas loved getting a chance to speak English and mom thought Helene was a hoot. We found out that Helene is a virgo and Thomas is a Tauren just like my parents, what a coincidence. At the end of the evening, seeing how much my mom enjoyed the Laduree cookbook that Helene published, gave mom her copy. She is really one of the most generous people. The sadness of having to leave her is already starting to set in.
We have spring break starting on Friday and I am beyond ready for a break. I am going to Nice with Laurel and plan on doing nothing but lie on the beach. I need some sun.
Sunday, March 13, 2011
One French entry
À cause de ce qui m’attend ce soir, j’écris tous ce blog en français. Ce soir, il y a quatre amis d’Hélène qui viennent ici (y compris son fils) pour dîner. Ma camarade de chambre est à Prague donc, je suis toute seule. C’était un bon weekend sans elle, mais dans une situation comme ça, je voudrais qu’il y aura une autre personne pour faire référence s’il y a un problème avec compréhension. Bref, j’essayerai et je parlerai ma meilleure française.
Nous avons fini les examens de mi-semestre cette semaine. C’était la semaine la plus stressant que j’ai eu en tous ce voyage. Je n’ai pas les examens beaucoup à Whitman parce que j’écris des comptes-rendus le plus souvent. J’ai eu 4 examens cette semaine dernière et tous en français ! C’était difficile. J’ai trouvé aussi que je suis obligé de donner un présentation de 30 minutes pour mon cours a l’institut catholique, devant une classe des étudiants élites et français ! Aidez-moi ! Nous devons présenter sur un sujet que la prof nous a donné. Mon sujet ? Les pouvoirs présidentiels dans les lois constitutionnelles en 1875. Mon dieu. Priez pour moi.
Sur une note plus léger, vendredi, je suis allée à la ville de Reims. C’est le centre de la production de champagne et le lieu de l’église Notre Dame de Reims. Notre Dame de Reims était là pour presque 800 années. Il est plus ancien, plus large et plus orna que Notre Dame de Paris. Mais, dedans, il y des fenêtres en verre souillées par Marc Chagall. Ensuite, nous sommes allées à un bon déjeuner de potage aux légumes, rôti de porc et crème caramel. Après, nous avons reçu un excursion de la maison Pommery, un producteur de champagnes. C’était très intéressant et délicieux. Quand nous sommes parties de Reims, nous avons vu la maison de Veuve Clicquot et Moët. C’a été une bonne journée.
Hier, je suis allée à Berthillon, la plus célèbre producteur de la glace à Paris. Et maintenant je sais pourquoi. C'était la meilleure crème glacée que j'ai jamais eue. C’est naturel aussi !
J’aime les Parisiennes et les Français mais, j’ai noté qu’ils sont les moins politiquement correcte gens en tout le monde. C’est génial de porter la fourrure, ce soir Hélène est en train de faire un plat traditionnel français avec le veau et ils mangent le fois gras tous le temps. Il me fait un peu inconfortable, mais je dois accepter que ça, c’est leur culture. Mais, je suis heureuse parce qu’Hélène fait du lapin pour dîner demain soir et j’aime beaucoup le lapin.
C’est tout pour maintenant. À tout à l’heure !
Nous avons fini les examens de mi-semestre cette semaine. C’était la semaine la plus stressant que j’ai eu en tous ce voyage. Je n’ai pas les examens beaucoup à Whitman parce que j’écris des comptes-rendus le plus souvent. J’ai eu 4 examens cette semaine dernière et tous en français ! C’était difficile. J’ai trouvé aussi que je suis obligé de donner un présentation de 30 minutes pour mon cours a l’institut catholique, devant une classe des étudiants élites et français ! Aidez-moi ! Nous devons présenter sur un sujet que la prof nous a donné. Mon sujet ? Les pouvoirs présidentiels dans les lois constitutionnelles en 1875. Mon dieu. Priez pour moi.
Sur une note plus léger, vendredi, je suis allée à la ville de Reims. C’est le centre de la production de champagne et le lieu de l’église Notre Dame de Reims. Notre Dame de Reims était là pour presque 800 années. Il est plus ancien, plus large et plus orna que Notre Dame de Paris. Mais, dedans, il y des fenêtres en verre souillées par Marc Chagall. Ensuite, nous sommes allées à un bon déjeuner de potage aux légumes, rôti de porc et crème caramel. Après, nous avons reçu un excursion de la maison Pommery, un producteur de champagnes. C’était très intéressant et délicieux. Quand nous sommes parties de Reims, nous avons vu la maison de Veuve Clicquot et Moët. C’a été une bonne journée.
Hier, je suis allée à Berthillon, la plus célèbre producteur de la glace à Paris. Et maintenant je sais pourquoi. C'était la meilleure crème glacée que j'ai jamais eue. C’est naturel aussi !
J’aime les Parisiennes et les Français mais, j’ai noté qu’ils sont les moins politiquement correcte gens en tout le monde. C’est génial de porter la fourrure, ce soir Hélène est en train de faire un plat traditionnel français avec le veau et ils mangent le fois gras tous le temps. Il me fait un peu inconfortable, mais je dois accepter que ça, c’est leur culture. Mais, je suis heureuse parce qu’Hélène fait du lapin pour dîner demain soir et j’aime beaucoup le lapin.
C’est tout pour maintenant. À tout à l’heure !
Sunday, March 6, 2011
Fashion Week: the good, the bad and the ugly
As the tents and trailers and models and cameras rolled in this week for the Pret-a-porter shows, so did the tourists, the closed lanes and the traffic. Two lessons learned: allow 25 extra minutes minimum to get anywhere and always carry a camera. Just to scratch the surface of what I have seen this week: the skinniest women in the world, sky-high heels, fur coats and one silver metallic fingerless glove. But who am I to complain-I get to be in Paris for Fashion Week.
On Thursday morning we arose at 6:30 to see the sunrise at the Sacre Coeur- a church up on a hill which overlooks all of Paris. The weather had been clear all week so we thought the conditions were optimal. Regardless of the freezing cold, I think this is a necessary adventure for anyone visiting Paris. It was absolutely stunning and it lacked all the peddlers and crazy people who normally hang out in Montmartre. Outside the sunrise was glorious as was the church inside. Wonderfully peaceful, it was a fantastic way to start the day. Much to our surprise, the church still has a group of nuns (full habit-wearing nuns) who practice in the church and live next door. While we were walking through the ambulatory of the church, they were on the altar praying and then started singing. It was quite magical. After the sun had risen, we went to have breakfast in the Marais and got to school in time for our first class. All in all a very productive morning.
Friday, two high school friends came into town so I met them at the train station and took them to their hotel. It felt nice to actually be the knowledgeable one for once. Saturday we explored the area around the eiffel tower which I had not done yet. We didn't climb it because Paris on Saturdays is mind-blowingly crowded. I showed them the Champs-Elysees, Hotel des Invalides and the Louvre.
Today, Laurel and I went to a flea market. Suffice to say, I cannot let myself go every weekend or I will completely blow my budget. They are so cool! Everything from old prints, to clothes, to street signs and dishes. Everything you could every want, really. I got a beautiful antique map, shell dish and a silver egg cup. One stand had a vintage Chanel bag for 1500 euro. yikes. Tonight, Helene made dinner for Sonia's birthday which was on Thursday. I think it was one of the most French meals I have had so far.
Midterms start this week. Oh no....
Notable Meals:
Sunday
Lunch: Mushroom and cheese crepe from a stand at the flea market. So amazingly delicious. Galettes (savory crepes) are made out of buckwheat flour instead of white and have a rich, earth taste. With the mushrooms and cheese it was absolutely etherial. And only 3.50 euro
Dinner:
Salad of spinach and arugula with shrimp and mushrooms with Thomas's famous balsamic vinaigrette.
Boeuf bourguignon with polenta. (I had never had this dish, though I have heard so much about it. It fulfilled all of my dreams about it)
Chocolate fondue.
During dinner Helene was asking if we ever ate lamb or rabbit, which of course I said yes, so she said she will make her rabbit ragu with gnocci soon. I cannot wait.
On Thursday morning we arose at 6:30 to see the sunrise at the Sacre Coeur- a church up on a hill which overlooks all of Paris. The weather had been clear all week so we thought the conditions were optimal. Regardless of the freezing cold, I think this is a necessary adventure for anyone visiting Paris. It was absolutely stunning and it lacked all the peddlers and crazy people who normally hang out in Montmartre. Outside the sunrise was glorious as was the church inside. Wonderfully peaceful, it was a fantastic way to start the day. Much to our surprise, the church still has a group of nuns (full habit-wearing nuns) who practice in the church and live next door. While we were walking through the ambulatory of the church, they were on the altar praying and then started singing. It was quite magical. After the sun had risen, we went to have breakfast in the Marais and got to school in time for our first class. All in all a very productive morning.
Friday, two high school friends came into town so I met them at the train station and took them to their hotel. It felt nice to actually be the knowledgeable one for once. Saturday we explored the area around the eiffel tower which I had not done yet. We didn't climb it because Paris on Saturdays is mind-blowingly crowded. I showed them the Champs-Elysees, Hotel des Invalides and the Louvre.
Today, Laurel and I went to a flea market. Suffice to say, I cannot let myself go every weekend or I will completely blow my budget. They are so cool! Everything from old prints, to clothes, to street signs and dishes. Everything you could every want, really. I got a beautiful antique map, shell dish and a silver egg cup. One stand had a vintage Chanel bag for 1500 euro. yikes. Tonight, Helene made dinner for Sonia's birthday which was on Thursday. I think it was one of the most French meals I have had so far.
Midterms start this week. Oh no....
Notable Meals:
Sunday
Lunch: Mushroom and cheese crepe from a stand at the flea market. So amazingly delicious. Galettes (savory crepes) are made out of buckwheat flour instead of white and have a rich, earth taste. With the mushrooms and cheese it was absolutely etherial. And only 3.50 euro
Dinner:
Salad of spinach and arugula with shrimp and mushrooms with Thomas's famous balsamic vinaigrette.
Boeuf bourguignon with polenta. (I had never had this dish, though I have heard so much about it. It fulfilled all of my dreams about it)
Chocolate fondue.
During dinner Helene was asking if we ever ate lamb or rabbit, which of course I said yes, so she said she will make her rabbit ragu with gnocci soon. I cannot wait.
Monday, February 28, 2011
Dinner with friends, Louis Vuitton and OFII adventures
Though is was largely and uneventful weekend, it did have some notable nuggets. My host mom was out of town and it was actually nice to have the apartment to ourselves. I had some friends over for a relaxing dinner on Friday night. We made fajitas and just sat around laughing. On Saturday, Sunni and I went to Musee Carnavalet in the Marais. While the actual works of art housed in this museum are not that exciting (the theme of the museum is Parisienne history), the building itself is an old mansion. It is absolutely beautiful and sort of crazy that it used to be someone's house. The real reason we went was because it was the last weekend of the Louis Vuitton exhibit. Vuitton is not actually one of my favorite designers, but the exhibit was fascinating. It documented how and where he got his start and went through his career and his legacy. They had some of the original trunks and pieces from each decade. It was quite awesome.
This week commenced with our OFII appointments. In order to stay in France for more than three months, one must have an appointment at l'Office Francais de l'immigration et l'integration. This appointment consists of lots of paper work, a quick chat with a nurse, measurements, eye check and a chest x-ray. Basically, they want to make sure you aren't spreading tuberculosis around the country. One of the weirdest parts is that they let you keep the x-ray. So, I now how a sizable x-ray of my lungs. Alright...new wall decoration? The most annoying part is that they make you pay 55 euros to put this great big sticker in your passport. The French make you pay for everything. At least it was good to know I'm nice and healthy. And aside from asking the desk manager if I was dead instead of if I was finished, the appointment went without a hitch.
In addition to delicious pastries, every boulangerie produces fresh meringues everyday. I have taken to sampling ones that look good and trying to find the best blend of crispy outside and chewy inside. I have yet to find the perfection I am looking for.
Erin and Bianca are coming into town next weekend and I can't wait! And the weather report shows straight sun!
This week commenced with our OFII appointments. In order to stay in France for more than three months, one must have an appointment at l'Office Francais de l'immigration et l'integration. This appointment consists of lots of paper work, a quick chat with a nurse, measurements, eye check and a chest x-ray. Basically, they want to make sure you aren't spreading tuberculosis around the country. One of the weirdest parts is that they let you keep the x-ray. So, I now how a sizable x-ray of my lungs. Alright...new wall decoration? The most annoying part is that they make you pay 55 euros to put this great big sticker in your passport. The French make you pay for everything. At least it was good to know I'm nice and healthy. And aside from asking the desk manager if I was dead instead of if I was finished, the appointment went without a hitch.
In addition to delicious pastries, every boulangerie produces fresh meringues everyday. I have taken to sampling ones that look good and trying to find the best blend of crispy outside and chewy inside. I have yet to find the perfection I am looking for.
Erin and Bianca are coming into town next weekend and I can't wait! And the weather report shows straight sun!
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