Archive for January, 2009
A year in a French market: When life hands you January vegetables…
Friday, January 30th, 2009Lest we forget that it’s the dead of winter, my neighborhood Parisian market provided a stark reminder earlier this week. The colder-than-usual temperatures and weak northern European sun have brought forth only the most wintry of local produce — could anything say January more than carrots, leeks, turnips, and beets? (Side note: my favorite vegetable [...]
Queen in a candy shop: Marie Antoinette
Monday, January 26th, 2009I’m about three years behind, but I finally saw Sophia Coppola’s Marie Antoinette last night. After all the negative reviews, I was quite pleasantly surprised to find that I really enjoyed it. To all those history buffs who criticized the rock music soundtrack, and shots of Converse all-stars among Blahnik heels, and Kirstin Dunst’s Valley-Girl-accent, [...]
A Year in a French Market
Thursday, January 22nd, 2009One of the things that I love most about living in France is shopping at the outdoor market, and I’m lucky enough to live five steps from one of the best — the thrice-weekly marché at Boulevard Raspail. On Sundays, Tuesdays and Fridays local vendors set up shop and hawk their wares — everything from [...]
Galette des Rois
Tuesday, January 6th, 2009It’s January 6th, also known as Epiphany, Twelfth Night, or, in France, la fête des rois, or “festival of kings.” Of course, like most French festivals, today’s celebration has its very own traditional food, in this case a special cake called la galette des rois. The bakeries have been stuffed full with these flaky pastries for [...]