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Marché aux puces

Friday, February 3rd, 2012

As a child, I remember spending hours and hours waiting while my parents shopped for antique furniture. They used to bribe me with Famous Five novels, but those books had no chance of lasting long enough for my speedy eyes and their lengthy negotiations. As I sat in dark corners illicitly popping bubble wrap, I [...]

Carnet de cuisine

Friday, January 13th, 2012

A few months ago I had dinner with a French friend and he showed me something really cool — his mother’s dinner party notebooks. For years — decades, even — ever since she was a young bride, his maman has kept a record of every dinner party she’s ever thrown: guest list, menu, recipes. As [...]

Home sweet stir fry

Tuesday, November 8th, 2011

When my husband went away for the weekend, I planned three days of abstinence and industry for myself. I would humor the workaholic in me (so often ignored) and write late into the night. And I would indulge the hypochondriac in me and eat only healthy foods for his entire 72-hour absence. I prepared my garments [...]

Household gods in Pompéi

Friday, October 14th, 2011

Wandering through a new exhibit on Pompeii at the Musée Maillol a few weeks ago, I couldn’t help but imagine life as an ancient Roman housewife. Hundreds of objects from everyday life are on display, from perfume bottles and heavy-linked woven gold necklaces, to heart-shaped cake tins and terracotta vessels used to store garum, a [...]

Tiny houses

Monday, August 8th, 2011

  Reading the New Yorker last week, I became fascinated by the idea of tiny houses. Have you heard of this phenomenon, mes amis? Only about 120 square feet, these small structures look like playhouses — but they’re actually full-functioning dwellings complete with running water, bathrooms and kitchens. Tiny houses are built on trailer platforms, so they’re [...]

Dreamy kitchens

Thursday, June 30th, 2011

After years of saving our pennies, we’re finally taking the plunge and buying an apartment in Paris, a postage stamp that we can call our very own. And now that I’ve viewed many (many, many) apartments, I can say with some confidence that whatever and wherever we end up buying, we’ll need to do some [...]