French felines
By Ann | June 23, 2010
I love cats. I love Paris. I love cats in Paris. But it turns out French felines are a little bit harder to capture on camera than their canine counterparts. Still, with a careful eye, you can find them slinking around the City of Light’s quiet corners.
Topics: Totally unrelated to food, Uncategorized | 7 Comments »
Adventures in Burgundy
By Ann | June 16, 2010
When I traveled down to Burgundy to research my NY Times article on Thomas Jefferson and wine, I had a big hurdle to face: Driving. See, I can’t drive a stick shift. And apparently there are only two automatic cars for rent in the town of Dijon. Both of which were reserved.
So, I decided to rent a car in Paris and drive the 300 kilometers myself. Pas de problème!
The day of my trip dawned and I picked up the car. At first, all seemed well. The car was an automatic. It was a normal-sized Dodge SUV and not an enormous 9-person van. But then, I realized there was a problem. A big one. The seat wouldn’t move forward. My short little legs could barely reach the pedals.
In the parking garage, I found a rental agency employee. He was reluctant to end his cigarette break, but after a few minutes of pleading, I convinced him to try to adjust the seat. Alas, nothing.
Was it broken? Could he fix it?
No, he told me. “The seat doesn’t move forward any further because this is an American car.”
Because, apparently, all Americans are giants. Hmph.
“I’m American,” I said, a little bit defensively, it must be admitted.
Nevertheless, the seat wouldn’t budge and, this being France, there were no other automatic cars available for rent. So, I wadded up my coat, shoved it behind my back, and drove with it wedged behind me the entire 300 kilometers. The entire five days, actually. Sometimes I would forget about needing it, only to get in the car, reach for the brakes and feel my feet hit air.
Still, even though my drive through the Côte d’Or quite possibly did permanent damage to my lower lumbar, it was impossible not to be enchanted by the region…
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Topics: Voyages, Articles | 5 Comments »
Thomas Jefferson, Burgundy and me
By Ann | June 12, 2010
Salut, mes amis! I’m so excited to share this article from this Sunday’s New York Times travel section, Retracing Jefferson’s Steps in Burgundy!
It was so much fun to visit the Côte d’Or in March, to follow in the Founding Father’s footsteps. After reading Jefferson’s journals, I’ve developed quite the crush on the self-described “foreign gentlemen” from Virginia.
I’ll post trip photos and tales of adventure soon, but in the meantime I hope you’ll read the article (and don’t miss the accompanying slideshow’s beautiful photographs).
(Photo from the New York Times.)
Topics: Articles | 7 Comments »
Dining Out and About (Paris): Afternoon snack
By Ann | June 3, 2010
Goûter is usually for kids, served up after school, the type of snack that legitimizes chocolate bars stuffed into a fresh baguette.But a mid-afternoon snack is also a good idea for grown-ups, especially when you’re surrounded by the world’s most delicious pâtisserie. So many toothsome delicacies, so little time. Goûter is just another opportunity to gobble them up.
My friend, Erin, and I sometimes meet for goûter, indulging in a little tea, a little pastry, a little gossip. A few weeks ago, we sampled a box of Pierre Hermé’s finest and played with Erin’s son. At two months, he was still too young to gum down on a macaron. We ate his share.
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Topics: Dining Out and About | 8 Comments »
Chez Julia
By Ann | May 26, 2010
The other day I walked by Julia Child’s apartment at 81 rue de l’Université in the 7ème. She called it “rue de Loo.” There’s no plaque (though I’ve heard there’s a movement afoot to install one), but if you’ve read Julia’s memoir, My Life in France, it’s not hard to picture her living here. She and Paul occupied the second and third floors in a rambling flat that Julia described as “large, centrally located, and a bit weird.”
Topics: Uncategorized | 4 Comments »
Subcontinental spice spree
By Ann | May 19, 2010
I love French food as much as the next person, but a girl can’t live on steak frites alone. When a crise de chili strikes, I’ve been known to hightail it over to the 10th, for a visit to Paris’s Indian neighborhood. Here, sari shops line the boulevard, spices scent the air and people scrum to purchase boxes of mangoes. In the Indian grocery store, the aisles are filled with unusual ingredients: chilies and other exotic vegetables, boxes of dosa or idli mix, bags of spices. But, what to buy and how to cook it? For a long time, I had no idea.
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Topics: Cooking the Books | 16 Comments »
La Belle Bretagne
By Ann | May 12, 2010
I’d dreamed of going to Brittany for so long — land of crêpes and oysters, wild coast, striped shirts, wooden shoes, corsairs and fishing boats — that I was afraid it would disappoint me. It didn’t. Even though I only touched a tiny part of the jagged coast of France, I was charmed. Alors, what did I do?
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Topics: Uncategorized | 7 Comments »
Kitchen Chinese: What’s cooking
By Ann | May 9, 2010
Apologies for the recent paucity of posts, mes amis. I just got back from a whirlwind trip to the States and I am still struggling to catch up with everything that happened while I was away. It was a lovely trip — well worth the backlog! — capped off by a terrific reading at Borders in Washington, D.C., where I was thrilled to see so many friendly faces. Thanks to all who came for making the event so awesome!
Meanwhile, as my hypothalamus struggles to readjust, here’s a round-up of nice news about Kitchen Chinese.
–A Q&A in the Washingtonian magazine.
–Another Q&A from the Washington Post Express (thanks Amy Rogers Nazarov!).
–And yet another Q&A! This one is from Book Club Girl’s blog, and is an interview with my generous writer friend, Claire Cook. If you don’t know her funny, heartfelt novels, I recommend them — her latest, Seven Year Switch, will be published in June.
–Parisian-American super-blogger and cookbook author David Lebovitz is reading Kitchen Chinese!
–How do you say Kitchen Chinese in Dutch?
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Topics: Book, Kitchen Chinese: a novel | 6 Comments »
Secrets of a vegan cupcake baker
By Ann | April 27, 2010
Paris’s current dessert trend goes something like this: The cupcake is the new macaron which is the new black. At least according to the New York Times. In celebration of everyone’s favorite mini-gateau, we sat down with Celeste Rhoads of Pop Cupcakes, a Parisian cupcake traiteur (shhh! her sweet treats are vegan!), to discuss French enthusiasm for American desserts, and her favorite animal-friendly baking tips.
Why cupcakes in Paris? Why vegan cupcakes?
There is a real lack of fun and colorful desserts in this city! I noticed a growing interest in cupcakes here in Paris, but none of them did it for me. I thought it was time to bring a little more American flavor to the mix and add some extra adult charm as well (some Pop Cupcakes are spiked with rum or other “party” flavors), so I started making my Pop Cupcakes. And aside from the fact that I’m vegetarian (not vegan; I do love cheese, just not in my cupcakes), I simply think vegan cupcakes taste better.
I have to admit, the words “vegan baked goods” don’t exactly make my mouth water. Are your cupcakes appealing for non-vegans as well?
Yes!!! When people hear the word “vegan” they often think “gross!” but honestly, isn’t coconut cream more appealing than eggs in a cake? Or almond milk instead of boring old low-fat? My biggest and first “fans” didn’t know my cupcakes were vegan when they had their first bites; they just noticed that they were extra moist and flavorful. I think that’s really the benefit for non-vegans: a vegan cupcake leaves more room for the yummy flavors and the consistency is better as well.
Topics: Q&A | 8 Comments »
Dining Out and About (Paris): More Chinese!
By Ann | April 19, 2010
After writing a novel about Chinese food, nothing makes me happier than when people tell me: “I read your book and it made me hungry.”
And if this conversation takes place in Paris, there’s always a follow-up question: “Can you recommend a good Chinese restaurant here?”
As I’ve lamented before, Chinese food in the City of Light is quite often mediocre. Oh, why split hairs? It’s terrible.
Happily, I’d discovered — and blogged about – two reliable restaurants, Likafo and Délices de Shandong, both in the 13th. And now I’ve found a third!
Topics: Dining Out and About | 10 Comments »