Food...Wine...Chocolate...Expatriates. PARIS!

Folks in Paris tend to stay up late, at least in our neighborhood, especially on Saturday night. The result, Sunday mornings tend to be quiet - and this Sunday, Father's Day, was no exception. Susan and I had our restaurant of choice to ourselves for the first hour. As I wrote in my last post, Un Dimanche a Paris is a concept restaurant featuring chocolate. Each dish has cocoa used as an ingredient, even when it is done very subtly. This was brunch, so it was interesting to see how cocoa/chocolate was incorporated into breakfast dishes. Since a picture is worth a thousand words, I will simply attach the photos. And I truly wish I could take credit for creating each dish as they were beautiful as well as tasty. The brunch option I had chosen was a progression of dishes chosen by the chef. I could have sworn the menu listed pastries (note PLURAL). However, when it was time for my dessert course and I was lead to the case to choose, they told me to select ONE! Horrors! So, I did what any self-respecting foodie would do...and insisted on three. My choices, a chocolate cake with hazelnut praline, a citrine (lemon) meringue tart, and a raspberry eclair with pistachio creme. We waddled home.






Oh, yes, CLASS. Yesterday was a Wine Master Class. Have I mentioned the French take their wine very, VERY seriously? One poor student made the mistake of saying he preferred Italian wine...let's just say this was "une terrible erreur". The class was several intense hours of learning each element of a French wine label, food/wine pairings, wine texture, and wine regions and appellations, which is how the French typically make wine choices rather than by the grape as most Americans do. In other words, they think of Bordeaux or Alsace, or Burgundy, which are regions of France and do not choose their wine based on whether it is a Pinot Noir or Chardonnay, etc. It was very interesting and very complicated...and we were reminded AGAIN, lest any of us might forget, IT CAN ONLY BE CALLED CHAMPAGNE IF THE GRAPES AND THE ENTIRE BOTTLING PROCESS HAIL FROM THE CHAMPAGNE REGION OF FRANCE. Otherwise, it is JUST sparkling wine.






If I had to name one thing I love most about Paris, it is the people. Not just Parisians, but the interesting, eclectic group of expatriates -- individuals from other countries who are living in Paris. Some for short stints and some for decades. Last night around 9pm, Susan remembered she had finished her book and decided we should walk to the bookstore for a new one. (it stays light outside until nearly 11pm here. And I do mean, light, like it could be 6pm light.) We set out for the ultimate in Paris expatriate experiences: the bookstore "Shakespeare & Company". Shakespeare & Co. Is an independent bookstore in the 5th arrondissement. It was originally established in the 1920's by Sylvia Beach and was considered the center of Anglo-American literary culture and modernism in Paris. Ernest Hemingway, Gertrude Stein, and F. Scott Fitzgerald all spent significant time at the bookstore, which was mentioned in Hemingway's novel, "A Moveable Feast". In modern times, as it did decades ago, the bookstore is a place where writers, students, and the random ex-pat can spend the night, volunteer to work a few days, eat a meal, etc. It makes for a very interesting mix of people. A must-see for anyone visiting Paris. So...while Susan was making her selection and I was waiting outside the store to watch the world pass by, a group of five men and women ranging in age from 45 - 80 asked if I wanted to join their conversation. (Seriously, where else does that happen?) Although I was not sure I wanted to, I could not quickly think of a graceful way to decline. So I went over. All five were Brit or American expats who've been living in Paris for 15 -20 years. One was a physicist who travels frequently to the US and China for speaking engagements. The oldest man was a writer; quite interesting and well-read. When Susan joined us with her latest purchase (ironically, an F. Scott Fitzgerald book) there was a 15-minute lively debate on Fitzgerald and William Styron, who wrote Sophie'S Choice. When I said we needed to head home, we were immediately invited to join the Sunday "soiree" they attend each week at the home of Jim Haynes; writer, producer, newspaper owner and the man who, for 30 years, has hosted a Sunday dinner in his home for 50 people, including some total strangers (as I would be). Who knows if we will go. But it is a great example of what makes Paris exciting and unique. There is really a sense of camaraderie that might surprise many. I have been to two dinners hosted by ex-pats and locals since I arrived in Paris and it has been a wonderful way to meet interesting people and to learn more about life in Paris.






Tonight was a relaxing night with a wonderful, rustic French meal - complete with chocolate souffle for dessert. Hope everyone enjoys the pictures of brunch, the bookstore, my wine class, and my dinner this evening. A nice compilation of the past few days.