Le Brunch à Paris

Ah Paris, the quintessential romantic city in which one envisions a stroll by the Seine, a kiss under the Eiffel Tower... however for those who live in Paris, we become creatures of habit.

Wake up. Quick shower. Bus to work. Work. Lunch. Work. Bus to home. Dinner. Sleep. Repeat.

Which is why we, in Paris, tend to live for the weekends. Those lazy Saturday mornings, where you don't wake up heart pounding at 5am thinking you forgot something important at work, where you just do as you feel.

Brunch in Paris is a more recent phenomenon, branching from the Americanism that has spread across France post-Bush era.  The Yuppie culture from the 90's was a time of listenting to The Zombies while sipping a Chai Tea Latte in a chic Café. France has not been spared.

One of the things we have discovered as a 20 something Franco-American couple in Paris is the Brunch spots.

So popular, websites even started popping up, such as:

Ou Bruncher? or Brunch A Paris.com

Explications of the best local brunch spots, those to be avoided.. Of course in my American skepticism I realized the French are not quite sure what the concept of Brunch truly is. Some brunch spots offer a sort of croisement between both cultures, starting with a basket filled with crispy viennoisseries and finishing with a lumpy bowl of scrambled eggs. Some go as far as have a pancake, for dessert.

Every few weeks when we get the inspiration we tredge through the different sites and select our Sunday brunch adventure.

So far, some of the ones that we have discovered as a young Yuppy couple in Paris:

Café Charlot (38 Rue de Bretagne  75003 Paris)
Just a few steps from Métro line 8 (Filles de Calvaire) or Métro line 11 (Arts et Métiers) this little café somehow always has a little table in the corner for us. We've been there twice,

Interior of Café Charlot - Photo from Holiday Goddess

First time I took their Brunch Menu at 19€, which includes a drinks (coffee and orange juice), salty things (scrambled eggs, cream and smoked salmon, French toast and a fromage blanc) as well as unlimited breads.

Quite filling, and a nice little finish with some fresh fruit to soak up the fat. A fabulous choice after a soirée from the previous night.

However the next time we went, I decided I needed something different.  I am a personal fan and adorer of Eggs Benedict... those nicely poached eggs placed delicately on a pillowed English muffin and sandwiched with bacon or ham and a large coating of Hollandaise sauce.  For 13.50€, the restaurant has two of these delicacies, add 3€ for a coffee, 9€ for a hefty dessert and there is no need to eat dinner that night.

Eggs Benedict - 13.50€, Café Charlot in Paris

Cheesecake du Jour (Noisettes Caramélisées) - 9.00€, Café Charlot in Paris

Of course, there are weekends where the last thing we want is a large breakfast, so then we decide to hunt down one of our little American pastry shops and settle for a little coffee and a slice of American style cake.

Sugarplum Cake Shop (68 rue du Cardinal Lemoine 75005)
A little shop situated right up the street from the famous French University La Sorbonne, it's a perfect quaint escape from the bustle of Parisian life.

Interior of Sugar Plum Cakeshop, photo credit: Paper Blog

A selection of desserts and coffee items, ranging from 5€-10€, it's easy to have a pretty excellent slice of Carrot Cake and a latté for 10€, the price of a Starbucks and a pastry, but a much more pleasant atmosphere. It's easy to run into expatriates, writers, homesick students and of course the curious French.

Carrot Cake, Valrhona hot Chocolate at Sugar Plum Cakeshop (11€)

Of course the egg hunt doesn't stop at Charlot café, next stop to try out the authenticity of the name, Eggs & Co.

Eggs & Co. (11 rue Bernard Palissy, 75006)
First off, this place is quite small, translation, if you don't want to hear your neighbors or bend down to sit down, this is not the place for you. If you appreciate slightly off restaurants with unique personality, then do come... RESERVE however. Otherwise a lovely line of 30 minutes is what you will be welcomed with.

Secondly, there are eggs any way you want them.  In the fashion of Bubba from Forrest Gump, any type you can imagine, Eggs & Co serves.  There is of course a brunch at 22€, including the juice and coffee as well as eggs and a pancake for dessert.

Eggs Benedict at Eggs & Co., photo credit Jerome Dreyfuss

Upstairs of Eggs & Co., photo credit Ou Bruncher

L'Inedit Cafe (4 Rue Taine, 75012)

When I first moved to Paris, I gave English courses. One of my students was a fabulous lady, her English impeccable and she loved to eat as much as she loved to talk. She dragged her family out to Brunch and invited us to join to discover a little place with a fantastic menu at 18€ for everything, including unlimited REAL coffee. This place proposes the typical Frunch, French Brunch, with the pastries and eggs as well as a lovely dessert... we have been there twice and each time the ambiance was fabulous.

Interior of l'Edit Cafe, photo credit Bon Plan Party

Beginning of brunch (18€) at l'Inedit Café, photo credit Rygo Point

Le Passy (2 Rue de Passy, 75016)

As a bit of an upscale day, we decided to be a bit fancier and head over to the 16th for a brunch branché. The difference is this place has a brunch menu at 26€, drinks included, however the presentation is completely different. First half, salty, is presented in delicate little plates so that we can taste each dish. Then the sweet things come out, also in delicate mini plates. It is a bit expensive, but the restaurant is so beautiful it almost makes up for the price.

Exterior of Le Passy, photo credit Vous Avez Choisi

Interior of Le Passy, photo credit Ou Bruncher

Mini Desserts from the brunch at Le Passy

And finally, out of love for the Brits and all other Anglosaxons, we took a stop by the Frog chain:

Frog XVI (110 Avenue Kléber, 75116)

Nestled in a quiet little area on the west side of Paris, this little pub is immense in the inside. Chairs and tables for at least a cover of 200 people, we came on a quiet Sunday for their brunch. Unfortunately, no menu fixe, however there is a quite decent eggs benedict for 14€.

It wasn't the most exceptional brunch that I ever had, but still a place to visit. I assume this place is much more fun during a week night for a happy hour!

Happy Brunching!

What-what: Fête du Cinéma

Come one, come all, from the poorest students to the most bored executives… it’s now the time of the year for the Fête du Cinéma in France!

The 28^th year in action, the Movie Festival takes place from Sunday, June 24^th to Wednesday, June 27th ALL OVER FRANCE.

Basically:  With full-priced purchase on Sunday or Monday of film, a special bracelet is given to the movie-goer enabling the chance to see every following movie for the one-price of 2.50€ per movie per seat.  This means all those blockbuster movies you’ve been dying to see, but that ghastly price of 10.50€ are now at a reduced price at the simple presentation of a bracelet.

With over 70 million attendees since 1985, the Fête du Cinéma has enabled young individuals to enjoy screenings without breaking the bank… This is all thanks to support from BNP Paribas, who is offering a week extension to 200 000 lucky participants.

Thus, our film-planning for the week:

Sunday night: Men in Black 3

Monday night: Dark Shadows

Tuesday night: Prometheus

Wednesday night: De rouille et d’os

Useful links:

Fête du Cinéma Website

Allo Ciné

Those Weird "8-Bit" Tags around Paris

So, I've disappeared again, granted I have good reason (Internship, stress.. etc).. The temperature in Paris has impossibly increased to the point I can almost see water dry up in a puff of heat when dropped... and of course the Metros have become almost impossible to bear in the heat. (Imagine a fat, sweaty man crunched into a small metro car and their arm somehow decides to cross over your head. Putrid.)

So this post is more about the discovery I have made recently, and while I wasn't posting during the last month, I was indeed discovering and imagining the different things I could share.

Which is how I found those odd 8-Bit block tags scattered around Paris.

Often in large cities we walk with our head hanging, staring at our feet and avoiding the things around us. We have iPods stuck in our ears, hands in our pockets and we simply want to transport ourselves to the direction we are heading.

Hence where I come in.

I tend to be a stroller, those types that look around and observe with an attentitive interest in all the details around me.  That odd looking fountain from the 16th century, the group of children playing in the grass, everything.

One day we were wandering around our neighborhood and after staring up at a building, I noticed this odd little mosaic in the form of an 8-bit creature plastered to the wall.

Then I started to collect them...

Near the 3ème Arrondissement, near a Brunch place 

Another one in the 3ème Arrondissement 

Found while wandering with my Finnish friend, it was plastered next to a fountain from the 17th century,  Fontaine Boucherat in the 3ème

Bri staring at the plastered piece near Métro Volontaires in the 15th

Down my street in the 15th, Rue LeCourbe

Rue Leon Delhomme, 15ème arrondissement

Rue de la Choiseuil 2ème arrondissement

Rue de la Verrerie, 4ème Arrondissement

More to come as I find them.. it's insane the things we find...

Anyone else have these?

Advice: La Fourchette

This weekend was the best weekend of 2012- starting with a crêpe dinner and ending with a crispy chicken in a park next door.

However, I realized, talking to several close friends, many people don't even know what "La Fourchette" is, especially not tourists or newcomers to Paris.

La Fourchette (http://www.lafourchette.com) is a website that basically offers the function to reserve a table online, look at their menu/pricing and the best part- get a huge discount on a normally overpriced meal.  From either the website or the iPhone application, reserving a table is super simple and the service is really quite unique.  I've used the service about 5 times now in Paris.. and they were pretty fantastic restaurants.

This weekend I used it twice, once on Friday evening at a crêperie, basically a 15€ menu with aperitif, salty crêpe, sweet crêpe and the typically French 'cidre'.

Afterwards, Saturday night was the best deal- we decided to eat at a much fancier restaurant, just to have a little break from the cheap stuff, and so I was in charge of hunting around la Fourchette.

What I stumbled across was "La Millésimes" near the Montparnasse tower, an amazingly chic restaurant bustling with foreign and local individuals.

Normal menu averaged about 30€, we got the full entrée-plat-dessert deal for only 24€ and was the meal amazing.  Starting with a delicately wrapped goat cheese with garden salad,

My polenta and fish..

a polenta base with sautéed rougets filets,

and ending with the best lava cake I've ever eaten in my life... topped with a pistachio ice cream fait maison.


La Fourchette not only facilitates booking restaurants, it allows you to cancel, review the restaurant, search by type of food, read previous reviews, look at photos- an amazing service that didn't, unfortunately, exist in Lyon.  Paris has hundreds if not thousands of restaurants that are signed up for La Fourchette, and unlike Groupon, the patrons and servers respect the clients from La Fourchette.  I've never had a side look or a hesitation when I've booked through them, always treated with patience and care.

If you plan to move to Paris, already live in Paris, want to visit Paris- try La Fourchette to book your dinners and I guarantee you won't be disappointed.

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Cupcakes in Paris: What a Fad

Fad or fade in French (same pronunciation). Actually that word means boring in French, but the word in French that typically fits into our American concept would be la mode or une tendance.  So what is up with all this tendance around the word cupcake?

Recently I was watching a reportage on M6 discussing the explosion of American bakeries around Paris.  I decided to do a bit of investigation and try to list out some of these cupcake houses by arrondisement, but then got carried into a whole new domain.

le cupcake

According to the French a cupcake is:

• A masculine noun (meaning starts with "le" or "un")
• Une tendance du moment (the current fad)
• Comes from any Anglo-Saxon country, but usually America
• Called "Fairy Cakes" in Britain (who knew?)
• Called "cup cakes" due to the fact we use a "cup measure" to make them and they are the size of a tasse
• Popular for tea parties, weddings, birthdays, baptisms and birthdays
• An art in pastry-making that allows for ANY kind of cupcake and flavor (toujours sucré)

According to Americans, a cupcake is:

• Traced back to 1796
• Small individual cakes designed for one person
• Becoming more a trend as years go on

Now, I am used to the whole cupcake frenzy, when I was working at the Children's Museum in Portland we had lots of fancy fundraising events, the start was usually Cupcake Jones, a luxury cupcakery that sells 12 of little mini fancy cakes at 16.50$ a pop.

That whole upscale pricing has caught onto the explosion of Cupcake shops in Paris.  It's become such a fad that Parisiens are even dishing out piles of cash for the tools and classes.

Fait Maison, les Kits Cupcakes

For example, Made in Cupcake offers cupcake making kits at a price of 13€.  Some searches can show kits selling at even higher prices, such as the Sibo Sibon kits selling at 27€ for the cupcake papers, coloring kit and some sprinkles... things I used to buy at the dollar store in the States.

Kit Cupcake, 27€ Sibo Sibon

The most shocking seems to be the ateliers created by pastry makers in Paris to teach the common house wife, girlfriend, loving boyfriend or die-hard Ameriphile how to create little masterful cupcakes.  L'Atelier des Gateâux charges about 45€ for a cupcake making course, and in the end you can take home a little box of your masterful creations... about 7 cupcakes designed and made by yourself.

Thanksgiving Store: Chocolate Kit, 5€

Gone are the days when I bought a box of quick-mix, threw in some veggie oil, water and eggs and scooped the mixture into mini cake pans.. this is a whole new level of fancy that I never even knew existed.  

Some of my favorite flavors I've discovered (from Scarlett's Bakery):

• Tiramisu: Coffee flavored, cream cheese topping
• Pistache: Pistachio flavored, cream cheese topping
• Citron Meringué: Vanilla bean base, meringue topping
• Red Velvet:  Red velvet cake base, cream cheese frosting

Now onto some addresses:

Berko

23 Rue Rambuteau, 75004 Paris

Established in 1988, several great reviews

Synie's Cupcakes

23 Rue de l'Abbé Grégoire, 75006 Paris

Open Tuesday to Saturday 11am to 8pm

Cupcakes and co

16 Rue des Tournelles, 75004 Paris

3,50€ a cupcake, open Tuesday to Sunday 11am to 7pm

Miss Cupcake

22 rue la Vieuville, 75018 Paris

4€ a cupcake, considered pretty expensive and reviews not too hot

L'Atelier des Gâteaux

23 Rue de l'Abbé Grégoire, 75006 Paris

Open odd hours, 2:30 to 6:30pm Thursday through Saturday, 3,50€ a cupcake

Oh mon Cake!!

154 Rue Saint-Honoré, 75001 Paris

Open every day 11:30 to 8:30pm

Sugarplum Cake Shop

68 Rue du Cardinal Lemoine, 75005 Paris

Great American café feel, unlimited drip coffee and CARROT CAKE

Can you think of any others...?

81 Rue de Loo

Alright, I am getting way behind on my blogging... so much for my New Year's Resolution!  I think I'll just have to spend my free Friday's prepping up some hot stuff to discuss... especially since my recent move to Pah-ree!

So, as a super die-hard, probably born in the wrong time period FAN of Julia Child, I was just ravie to have #1 on my "To Do in Pah-ree" list "Visit Julia Child's 81 Rue de Loo Apartment Building".

Well, because my hours are usually between 9am to 6pm Mon-Thurs, and Bri isn't free until 7pm on Fridays; that leaves us the weekends to run errands, visit, enjoy a bit and discover Pah-ree.

Thus the reason we found ourselves at a little Café in the 8ème plotting our mission to see the infamous 81 rue de Loo.

First off, Pah-ree is amazing.  I keep finding these incredible little pockets of America and cultures popping up all over different areas of the city.  I have discovered that the 8th Arrondissement is sort of evolving into an American sub-culture.

Take for example the whole onset of Cupcakes in Paris; I remember cupcakes were big when I left the States- all the big fund raising events would have the classy Cupcake Jones; and now Paris has caught the drift.  A search for these American delights leads us to many American cafés located, none other than, the 8ème.

Which is how we found ourselves in the Sugar Plum Café, located at 68 rue Cardinal Lemoine.. yup... 8ème.

My horribly shot photo of the barista at Sugar Plum Café

As soon as we entered the shop my ears were buzzing... something wasn't right.. everyone was speaking in.. ENGLISH!  All the menu- English!  All the people spattered about- English!  Amazing experience that I hadn't had in over a year and a half.. so of course I did the first thing I could think of.  I ordered a slice of good ol' American style Carrot Cake.

Cake 4€, bottomless crap coffee 2€

And did I chow down?  I forgot how much I loved carrot cake until I was downing fork after forkful of the stuff.  Bri ordered some weird chocolate thing.. was a bit dry- but his Valrhona Hot Chocolate? To die for.

After I was all fattened up and American-ed out, I decided it was time to go see Mrs. Child.  A quick métro ride later we found ourselves in the Métro leading up to Julia's street.. I imagined her taking the métro everywhere.. she had walked where I was walking. Her and Paul had strolled where WE were strolling.

Métro Roo de Loo

I was almost beside myself with excitement!

As we climbed up onto the street I started feeling like I did when I visited her exhibit in the Smithsonian, excitement... sadness (wishing she was still around and that she'd wanna meet me.  She'd like me, I'm no Julie Powell!)

On the corner, why was it TAGGED?

And then, of course, I got to my destination.  Ladies, gentlemen, die-hard fans of Julia Child, I present to you 81 Rue de Loo, her residence during 10 years when she begun The Book in France:

81 Rue de Loo

It was amazing.

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My Night in China

I can count the days on my fingers before I train it to Paris, and it is passing by quickly.  As Bri isn't here, I'm been busying myself with packing suitcases for Paris (we're doing a move via TGV, more to come later), eating with girlfriends and partying.

Partying?

Let me rephrase that, utterly destroying my French Master's friends with bottles upon bottles of alcohol.

How much alcohol?

About this much.. for those who need a count, that's about 8 bottles of wine, plus a boxed wine (3 bottles), two full bottles of liquer, an 1/8 of a bottle of Absinthe... plus later into cleaning I uncovered 4 more bottles of wine.

Roughly, 11,25 liters of 12% alcohol, and about 2 liters of hard alcohol.  For about 16 people... so.. a lot.

This was the end to a very long week, one event at the Chamber of Commerce in Paris, one morning of terrible illness and then a train at 6am the next day.

All in all I was thrilled when my good Chinese friend, Qingyun, invited me for a free Chinese dinner at some of her close friends.  

The minute we walked into the restaurant, I could see it was clean and family oriented.  Bisous passed around, Qingyun began rapid fire Mandarin with the chef and then her herself pointed to a giant bucket of dinosaur-looking body parts.

"We are going to eat chicken feet tonight!" I smiled, I wasn't shocked, this is exactly what I wanted to eat. I had heard about for years from my Sister, and I was thrilled to eat with the family and be a part of the experience.

The chef's jacket was a little too large.

The kitchen was covered with the dense smells of spices, I noted around me, ginger, garlic, star anise, cinnamon, salt, pepper, oyster sauce, hoisin sauce, soy sauce...  The chef expertly used his giant spoon to eyeball out the quantities and toss into his wok that he tossed around as though it weighed nothing.  A giant chef's knife laid on the chopping board, which he's used to chop the toes off the chicken feet, mince up the vegetables.

I watched with intrigue as I realized this dinner wasn't a little dinner, they had made about 5 different dishes.  2 dishes were crab based, one short ribs, one chicken feet, another with mussels, fresh baby peas.  Qingyun jumped on the wok and began doing the same, I sat back afraid to touch anything, but observing nonetheless.

"You like spicy?" She smiled at me, "Most white people don't like too spicy, the French like sweet or bland..." I nodded, of course I loved spicy.  I used to eat jalapenos on my eggs for breakfast!

Finally the meal was coming together, the chef adding the finishing touches, a dash of salt, a ladle full of sauce:

Adding the sauce

Presenting the Crab Dish

I sat at the table, set before me a completely luxurous meal...

Two types of crab, (the mussels and feet came after)

I ate SO MUCH!

So.

Story is, if you wanna have some good Chinese, for not too expensive either A. Find a Chinese friend, or B. Go to Seng Heng in Lyon 3ème: http://www.webcity.fr/seng-heng-lyon/lieu

The owners are incredibly nice, patient and even though they've tried to branch out to Japanese specialities, try to ask for the typical Chinese dishes; dumplings.. Very high quality, clean kitchen and gentille staff.

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Midnight in Lyon..

It's been one year and a half that I've lived in Lyon, and I realized recently that I've never discovered or lived in Lyon alone!

Bri is in Paris starting his new job and apartment hunting, I'm stuck in Lyon for my Master's program until the beginning of February... and so yesterday I decided to go and venture around my city.

I'd never been to the Musée Gadagne since I moved to Lyon, but I mean a free entrance to a museum for a Lyon Gastronomie display?  I couldn't resist.  I packed a compote and a bottle of water, my journal and my walking boots; off I was on my very own to a Lyonnais museum!

Les Toques Blanches de Lyon (in my garden!)

It was lovely to walk through the city at my own pace, in silence, listening to the people around me.  It was in the actual exhibit that I was enamoured, posters of food, photos of the famous Cuisiniers and Cuisinières, I looked at every single detailed menu, watched every black and white video.  The exhibit is not that impressive, in regards to actual 'gastronomy', but there were a few things I picked up on and tucked away in my journal:

When visiting the musée Gadagne, I can almost imagine myself with the famous Gourmands of Lyon.  A sort of "Midnight in Lyon", instead of the 'high time' with artists and painters in Paris, it is a Golden Age of eating and gourmandises.  Lyon was for foodies what Paris was for artists... while artists and writers were indulging in social abnormalities, the foodies were just doing what they do best... eating!

Even though Julia Child mentions that Paris was an amazing culinary hot-spot, even the great Curnosky wrote, Lyon est la capitale mondiale de gastronomie.  Can't argue with the Prince of Gourmand!

La Mère Brazier

I was amazed at the culinary freedom of the 1920's and 1930's and longed to jetset back in time to sit at a table with Mère Brazier, Mère Fillioux and Curnosky...

What's more incredible is the feminism so prevalent in this era- why do I say this?  Because women truly were the creators of the Lyon Gastronomy!  I stared at the photos, imagining the times... there was respect to these women because they could cook.  These women, the lost generation of the culinary world in Lyon were the epitomy of feminism.  Enormous amounts of respect were doted upon their culinary confections, and they remain important and engrained in Lyon history!

So potentially in France... if you can cook you can earn respect?

But what is up with this whole Lyon cuisine?  What was amazing was the distinctive contrast between the Bourgeois dishes (Brasserie Georges, etc) and the typical Bouchon (la Mère Jean) also known as La Cuisine Guignolesque which was for the hard workers.  One of the videos in the museum shows a report wandering around and asking locals:

Reporter:  Pensez-vous d'être un gourmand?

Man 1: Tout à fait que oui, nous sommes des plus grandes gourmands ici à Lyon... on adore les choses bonnes à manger, les cochonnailles, la viande... du vin.. du fromage...

Report: (Same question)

Older Woman: Mais oui!  Je suis une gourmande.. j'adore à manger!

I am not a personal fan of Bocuse... who has taken the idea of being a Foodie and capitalised it until it's just a bunch of carbon-copy restaurants with little or no creativity.  I love the simple, local, bouchons... with a pot du vins and a tender quenelle.

Les Toques Blanches.. les mères de Lyon.. Oh la la!

This move is going to be tough.

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Release of the New Petit Paumé!

Hey all!

I received an email from one of the organizers from Petit Paumé... apparently the new season has just arrived and it is time.. to pick up.. your new french copy.....!

If you have no idea what Petit Paumé is, check out my post from a few months back:  The Petit Paumé.

Basically to summarize it's a special Lyon based guide and discount booklet for all those living in Lyon.  Pretty much a fabulous way to save cash and get some awesome advice (not to mention pratice le skills françaises) the new 2012 season has officially arrived.

Where to get a copy?

Well my little Petit-Paumé bird, Etienne, has informed me that next weekend on October 8th, starting at 12h30, Place Bellecour, free copies will be distributed until they have run out.

I have to work that day, but I've decided to send Bri out to get my copy in my absence.

Enjoy the savings and réductions!

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Les Nuits des Fourvière

I don't think there exists such an experience as enjoying a live show in an ancient Roman gladiator site.  Bri surprised me a month or so ago with tickets to see The Do, King Charles and Two Door Cinema Club during Les Nuits des Fourvière in July.  It had been over 3 years since my last real concert and I was absolutely excited for the experience!

What is Les Nuits des Fourvière
Le Basilisque de Fourvière is that fabulous looking church that over looks the city.  It was built in the late 1800's to celebrate the Virgin Mary and thank the Gods that they didn't die during a horrific plague in the 19th century.  Structured in the typical Catholic fashion the church is like a piece of religion over looking the entire city.  Beautifully kept by the city, the city decides to put on a concert every year in the surrounding area.  Not just a single concert but a summer long event in which several very famous bands come to Lyon to play their songs.

The Nuits usually starts beginning of the summer and continues through August, tickets go fast so it's important to buy in advance for a band that is very popular.  The largest bands play in the ancient Roman amphitheatre a few hundred feet from the Basilisque.

The Experience
Being in an Ancient Roman site where gladiators and theatre shows were put on is a true rarity.  There are few words to describe the experience, all these hundreds of people squished together, overlooking the city of Lyon with this insane sound quality reverbing around.  Here's our video of the show we went to:



Just to say: Incredible experience.

Definitely recommended if you plan to move to Lyon, but remember tickets go quickly!

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Things to Do: Picnic in the Park

As promised from my 'bread' post I want to share the secrets to a perfect picnic in Lyon.  Nothing is as uncomplicated but yet so enjoyable as a fabulous picnic between friends.  Here's what you'll need:

• Friends:  You can picnic alone, of course, but a group of 3+ tends to be more convivial
• Food: Ah, here's where the joy comes in.. either go for fancy be creating some dishes such as:
• Quiche
• Taboulé Salad
• Tomato/Basil/Red Onion Salad
• BLT (Bacon Lettuce Tomato) Sandwiches
• Fruit salad
• Baguette
• OR simplify:
• Cherry Tomatoes
• Packs of Salami/saucisson
• Chips
• Brie/gooey fromage
• Baguette
• OR spend some cash:
• Go to Brind'Soupe on 70 rue masséna
• For 9 bucks get entrée/plat/dessert packed up and ready to go
• OR go to Pizza Hut on Rue Massena and get their 5 buck pizza deal
• Booze: Not obligatory, but tends to be much more fun and interesting with a chilled bottle of rosé wine in tow.
• Necessaries:
• Bottled water
• Napkins
• Trash bag
• Forks
• One knife
• Bottle opener

Now the spot.  There are three spots I like to visit in rotating occasions:

1/ The Parc de la Tête d'Or:  Everyone knows this place and it's usually a great place with a group of people. As a warning, avoid large crowded areas in the park or you could get hit in the head with a soccer ball.  We usually cycle up to the main entrance, take a right into the large park and find an area with a tree nearby.

2/ Place Antonin Poncet:  Suprisingly unknown to many, the little area that has a below level parking garage, located to la Rue des Marronniers, also has a fairly clean grassy area with a lovely fountain next door.  Need an address?  Just head for le Sud and then picnic in the grass.

3/ Sur le Quai:  Of course, typical evening spot on the waterfront.. side of the Rhone.  Fabulous area, and can always wander to a boat bar after for a digestive.

Here's some of my favorite picnics:

Quick - like the French version of McDonalds

Park among French friends (parc de la tête d'or) 2011

Best Picnic Ever (or close), rosé wine, cheese, chicken salad, baguette, chips.

What's your favorite picnic?

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Advice: Family Care Packages

After moving overseas, there will most likely be a time when your family will want to send you a care package.  It's not a complicated process, but there are some very important things to pay attention to.

First off:

U.S. Postal service offers one size only boxes where you can send as much as you can stuff into a box for only about $50. It has a maximum of about 50 lbs, and the best part is that it can be tracked.  Here's where it gets particular:

1. The package contents must be worth less than $1,000
2. The contents must be of personal use, if not your family will want to note on the customs form *CADEAUX*

When the family wants to send a package:

-Stuff the box as much as possible
-Note on the OUTSIDE of the box, "CADEAUX" and also note clearly the "RENDRE CHEZ BUREAU DE POSTE *INSERT ADDRESS OF CLOSEST POSTE TO YOU*"

The return to Bureau is the MOST important piece to remember.  Many times I have heard friends that have waited for their loving packages only to find it was sent back to the States because the post office wasn't able to deliver.

Ensure also to remember the simple address pieces, such as, is the *batiment sur cour* or *4ème étage*.  We don't need to do this in the states, but due to the old buildings and structures in France, it's never completely clear WHERE the apartment is located.

Now the fun part, what to send?
-American Trash Mags
-McCormick Seasoning packs (beef stew, chili, taco, spice mixes)
-Peanut Butter (incredibly expensive here)
-Skittles
-Reeses Pieces
-Root Beer Mix
-Cream of Tartar
-Cornbread Mix (Jiffy)
-Dried Black Beans
-Jello Mix
-Kraft Macaroni and Cheese
-English Cook Books or Reading books not available in France
-Twinkies
-Reeses Peanut Butter Cups
-Steel Cut Oats
-Snickers
-Chocolate Chips (White/Milk Chocolate)
-Smuckers Grape Jelly (I know, evil of me)
-Canned Pumpkin
-Microwave Popcorn
-Wild Rice
-College Ruled Notebooks

Then you can be as happy as Bri and I...

As you can see, my mom is the pro at package sending.








Happy sending, if any doubts or if hunting/ packaging isn't your thing:

http://sendcare.com/

Apparently they will send packages for you. Neat idea!

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My Little Lyon

Ah the joy it was when I came across the application for my iPhone My Little Lyon.  Simple interface, cute images, the goal?  Describes things to do around Lyon during these quiet summer months.  It seems like there is little to do, especially when you want to watch your money- but the app has actually lead me into some interesting ideas.

Even better?  The application is also a website available online for non iPhone users: http://www.mylittle.fr/mylittlelyon/

Every day there is a nouveau idée of what to do around the city.  An example?  Picnic from a specialty epicerie who makes a menu of entrée/plat/dessert for the low sum of 9€.


Check out the site to see even more, the best deal that I found on there yet is the free tour of la croix russe told by two actors/comediens.

Called, les visites d'idées, the two gents tell a 'veritable subjective truth' of the Croix Russe.  The best part?  It's absolutely free.  Here is their site: http://www.visitesdidees.blogspot.com/

Bri and I plan to go on the 8th of July, it's going to be great for a Friday night... and because they do it for free it will be absolutely fabulous for our pockets.

My Little Lyon is a fabulous tool for those who live in Lyon and claim, there's nothing to do! Sometimes it just takes a bit of hunting and searching.

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What_What: M Ton Marché

By chance I was watching the local Lyonnais channel TLM when I came across this totally awesome movement via the web (hosted of course by our lovely Rhone Commerce center) that puts the positive back on marchés.

Seeing how people usually avoid the marché at a young age, especially for the following reasons:

1. Getting up at 10am is physically impossible for many students;
2. Only old people shop the marché;
3. Everything is more expensive at the marche;
4. What's the point?

Well, there is a big point of going to the marché, and the region here is trying to show why.  M Ton Marché is a play on words, which goes to say, Aimes Ton Marché.  Means love your market, and in order to do this they have created a website by the same name.  M Ton Marché is going to become a sort of profile on the markets in the Rhone Alpes region, an exposé that puts the positive back in balader du marché.

I'm always amazed at the negative context surrounding the markets in France.  I see tons of young people walking around with carrefour or Lidl sacs, believing they have saved a load of money.  In reality, by smart shopping and buying in season we can eat more vegetables and fruits, create a relationship with our food and appreciate the effort even more.

France is meant to be the one place that shopping for the food is still an art and a pleasure.  You have your lovely wicker basket, you look lovingly at your French lover and ask for a kilo of tomatoes.  It's a fantastic experience as roasted chickens waft in the air, the smell of fresh produce entices your appetite.

Lidl sacs or wicker baskets?  I choose basket.

M Ton Marché is available, but definitely needs some continuing work.  Soon there will be profiles on our favorite producer's (I hope for the dairy guy, the chicken dude and my shouting fruity dude).  They will explain the different areas of the marché, which is difficult as the marché tends to change weekly..

In the mean time.. here's my marché map..

Afficher Lyon Markets & Épiceries (Lyon, France) sur une carte plus grande

Weekend Event: Le Pardon des Mariniers

If you are from any port-city, like myself, the summertime always marks the beginning of a few things :

• summertime weather
• ability to wear shorts
• slew of sailors coming in for the awesome festival known as FLEET WEEK in my mother tongue.

How joyous was I when I unlocked my boite de lettre and out popped a flyer that stated, “Le Pardon des Mariniers”, or the forgiving of sailors. I could only assume, as Lyon is also a port city, that this meant Fleet Week!

Well. It does. It apparently is a yearly event put on by Lyon in the 2ème arrondissment and celebrates the mariniers, the sailors. It’s only this weekend, so with the beautiful weather, hot sailors in outfits and some time to kill why not check out the weekend events??

First off, today, starting at 2pm, there will be the following (all along the Quai Rambaud, next to Perrache), look at the map in regards to WHERE exactly the find the events:

(1) 2PM - Welcoming Ceremony at 21 Quai Rambaud

(2) 8:30pm to 1:00am – Sailor’s Ball… also at 21 Quai Rambaud.. if you can find a sailor alone, you could get invited!

Now onto the SUNDAY events…

In the Morning (Specific Agenda)…

(1) 9:30am – Competition for boat decorating.

(1) 10:00am – Mass (catholic service) by Father Gréa, accompanied by the Choir of Saint Blandine.

(1) 11:00am – Blessing of the boats along the quai.

(1) 12:00 pm – ‘verre d’amité’ or a glass of friendship by the Mayor of the 2ème.

In the Afternoon…

(5) 12:30pm – Lunch under the trees, drink and barbeque for 6-13€. PLUS Barbarian organs by Jean-Marie Nicollet.

(4) 2:00pm – Race of wherries (little boats) presented by Association of Battalion Families

(4) 2:30pm – Demonstration of the joutes or long boats that joust, resembling Viking boats. Accompanied by music presented by La Barquette de Givors.

(4) 4:00pm – Demonstration of rescue dogs.

(2) 4:00pm to 6:30pm– A presentation by the Folk Lore group, Estrelas douradas, of the 6ème.

(1 & 9) 4:30pm/5:30pm – Presentation (like a fashion show) of the musical decorated boats presented by Grand Lyon.

Offered ALL DAY LONG…

(1) Commented visit of the Chapel Boat “Le Lien”

(2) Wooden toy creation by “Billy the Kit”

• Fun area and toys for children.
• Reduction in prices for the decoration of the boats

(6) Large commercial boats and artisanal floats

• 3 free shows with the famous Lyonnais Guignols.

(7) Discover the Canoeing/Kayaking and initiation of Baby Ski for 4/13 years old, free, please bring a swimsuit.

(9) The boats of plaisanciers

• Racing games

Enjoy your SUNDAY and happy Fleet Weekend!

Long Time No Write?

What can I say- I have gotten extremely busy... and I obviously have so much to 'recount'..  I'll start with the beginning of the month:

In the beginning of the month I was working for Baby-Speaking and trying to balance out my social life, my love life and all the multitude of tests I was taking.  What tests- you might ask?  First off the mid-terms for my CIEF classes, which typically counts for a whopping 50% of my grade.  Secondly, the IAE-SIM test, or the entrance exam so I can 'postuler' for a Masters at Lyon 3.


The IAE-SIM score test is a requirement for any person that wants to continue into Lyon 3 (Master's 1 or Master's 2 level).  I had signed up back in March, and knew it would be absolutely dreadful... and was it.  French testing is so much more in depth and complicated than American testing- the test itself was held in an Amphitheatre for 300; everyone evenly spaced in uncomfortable folding seats.  Bring nothing.  Put your bag in the corner.  Pencil is handed out.


The questions were even worse- there are four sections:  Culture Générale, Compréhension Français, Logique/Mathmatique, Compréhension Anglais.  Awful... the general culture tests asked questions such as:
-What is the height of a tennis net in meters?
-What region in France became recognized as a world heritage site by UNESCO in 2008?
-Who sang Purple Rain?


And yeah, the questions were multiple choice- but when the choices are almost exactly identical.. it sort of casse la tête to find the answer.


The French comprehension- surprisingly- was a strength.  I managed to get higher on that section than my French counterparts- explain that logic.


The math was my weakest point... I'm almost ashamed to even say my score (15/100).  Yes folks, I am mathematically and logically retarded... but whatever it's never been my strength.


The English, of course, was easy- but somehow I still missed 2 questions.  I say it's based on the fact that it was British English and the language in the States differs in quite a few ways.  (Although I adore saying 'lovely' now).


So you can see why I wasn't available for the first half of the month- but what about the second half?


The second half of the month I was busy working and preparing for my SECOND exam I needed to get into Lyon 3.. the DELF B2.


The DELF B2 was suprisingly easy, even though I stressed about it.. unfortunately I won't receive the results until mid-May which means I have to wet myself in anticipation!!


Last week, however, I went on a business trip!!  Baby-Speaking sent me to Paris to meet with the team, get to know how it's done Paris-style and basically have discussions about good business practices.  I left on a Wednesday, returned on a Friday, which left almost no time for fun and games... plus I had to work a complete day on Thursday.


Paris is an incredible place- way to big for my taste... but still am amazing city to visit when wanting to experience a city that always is on the go.


I arrived Wednesday afternoon, and I quickly scoured through two different magazines (Management/Entreprise) to gouge for some business information.  I was able to lift a bunch of vocabulary in order to have some 'knowhow' during my visit.  Once I arrived I had to hustle around the city, figure out the Metro system and get to the office.


As soon as I got to the office I was on the go, chatting it up with some entrepreneurs, charming my co-workers, having small talk with whomever waltzed through the door.  I missed Bri, of course, but I had my 'small talk business face' on and I was perfectly fine.

The night continued on after our little wine/cheese soirée, and I got dragged out to a club about 1 km away.  I need to mention that I was wearing boots, that were not flat, and carrying to huge bags of my crap for the stay.  My feet were killing me, but we arrived unharmed.  The bar was a little hidden and to my surprise was a specialty club for R+B.  Needless to say I felt pretty white that night but I totally got into the groove and swayed around Jamaican style.


The funniest moment of the night was one of the entrepreneurs that shares the office.. he came with us to the club.  The guy was kind of the geeky type, business suit, leather briefcase and glasses, kind of looked like the guy in Kick-Ass.  As soon as we got into the club he was waving around, bobbing his head and shouting, "I MET THIS ARTIST THAT'S PLAYING WHEN I WAS IN THE CARIBBEAN".  I stared at him and responded, "ARE YOU A BLACK MAN IN A WHITE MAN DISGUISE?"  He just smiled and responded, "TOUS MES AMIS ME DISENT QUE JSUIS NOIR COINCÉ DANS LE CORPS D'UN BLANC".  I laughed.  After about a good 30-45 minutes of swaying around I decided it was time for me to head home on the M8 to see my good friend Thévi.


30 minutes in Metro later....


Thévi had a lovely spot ready for me, we had a bit of water, talked and I totally crashed. 

The next day, I had to be at work by 10h30, so I popped up, took a shower, put on my cute dress (that I had originally worn to go SIGHT SEEING) and got to work.  Luckily, Aurélie, the Development intern in Paris, was like my identical twin in regards to work ethic; we slammed through our plans and determined a new method of development for myself in Lyon.


A nice business lunch, the rest of the day spent in the office- I was finally free to wander around.  I decided to avoid the monuments (I really didn't feel like roughing it through tourists) and made my way to Les Halles for a nice beer.


That night, I had my first sushi since I left Portland, and I almost died with happiness- it was so amazingly good.  I remembered how much I missed my foreign foods and how much I live in the French diet now.. and the rest of the night was fabulous.


It ended as soon as it started and I was happy to be back to my simple small city of Lyon; I felt a euphoria coming off the train as I looked around and felt at ease.  Lyon has officially become a second home for me and I was elated as I waltzed around the Metro to get home and smiled at everyone I ran in to.


Since the trip I've been busy going to classes, working, tutoring, breathing and having some time to enjoy my life with Bri.  The weather has been incessantly fabulous and although the temperature has dropped a bit over the week- we see that it will only get better and warmer as the month goes on.  So lovely.


Right.  I'm off to clean and prepare for our little 'soirée' for tonight- tomorrow I'll be posting about Paul Bocuse, and I promise- I won't fall off the face of the Earth again.. this was, as we say in French, exceptionel.

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