Dreaming of France -- Healthy Food

Thank you for joining this weekly meme. Grab a copy of the photo above and link back to An Accidental Blog. Share with the rest of us your passion for France. Did you read a good book set in France? See a movie? Take a photo in France? Have an adventure? Eat a fabulous meal or even just a pastry? Or if you're in France now, go ahead and lord it over the rest of us. We can take it.
This week, because of some borderline medical test results (nothing serious), we have started getting serious about eating healthier.
If we already lived in France, we'd be eating healthier, so we might as well get a jump on it. But I expect it to be a bit more challenging here in the U.S.
In France, we'll visit the market a few times a week and buy whatever is fresh.

Do you think these oranges came from Spain?

These potatoes and peppers look firm and fresh.
We're trying to eat more whole foods, cutting down on carbs and sugars.
Salad seems to always be a part of a French meal, traditionally after the main course, although some restaurants have begun to serve them before the main course, more American style.

That's not to say that we will only eat fruits and vegetables. We'll definitely indulge in French specialties, such as these galettes served with hard cider.

Galettes are similar to crepes but they are made with buckwheat rather than white flour, and they are savory instead of sweet. These galettes might have been filled with cheese, ham, potatoes, eggs or a variety of other fillings. 

I hope I've convinced you to start thinking about more whole foods, as my family embarks on healthier meals. Tonight, we had garlic butter haddock filets, baked sweet potatoes and green beans. 

Thanks for playing along and please visit the blogs of others who join in too.

Dreaming of France -- What do you love about France?

Thank you for joining this weekly meme. Grab a copy of the photo above and link back to An Accidental Blog. Share with the rest of us your passion for France. Did you read a good book set in France? See a movie? Take a photo in France? Have an adventure? Eat a fabulous meal or even just a pastry? Or if you're in France now, go ahead and lord it over the rest of us. We can take it.

This morning, as I drove my college son back to college, because he had missed his bus, he asked me why his father and I hate the U.S.
"We don't hate the U.S.," I hastily said, and he knew that already.
We don't want to move to France because we are unhappy with the United States, we want to move to France because we love it.
Mostly, people could say, "Of course, you love France. You've only been there on vacation."
But I did spend three months in France working as an au pair, so I have some experience working in France.
While there, traveling from Corsica to Bourges, we spent a few days in Aix en Provence. A relative we were staying with, took me to the main street of Aix -- the Cours Mirabeau, and while we explored shops along this street, I had a strange tugging at my heartstrings, as if this was the place I belonged.
I've felt that every time we traveled there.

Here's a plaza in Aix en Provence

We also appreciate the culture in France -- the importance of long, slow meals. The emphasis put on education and music and art. The value of spending time with family and friends.

Enjoying dinner at a Moroccan restaurant with friends in Aix en Provence. 

A musical interlude by our friends' children. 

 And all of these things draw us to France without even talking about the food and wine.

Without even considering the beauty of the diverse scenery throughout France and the glory of the history.

We biked across the Pont du Gard, a Roman-built aqueduct in southern France. 

We realize how fortunate we are to live in the United States, to have been able to raise our family here, to earn a good living that may allow us to move to France in the coming year.
What do you love about France?

Thanks for playing along with Dreaming of France. Please leave your name and blog address in Mr. Linky below, and leave a comment letting me know what  you think about my love affair with France, or your own passion for the country and its people and cultures. Also consider visiting the blogs of others who play along so we can all share the love.

Dreaming of France -- Street Food

Please join this weekly meme. Grab a copy of the photo above and link back to An Accidental Blog. Share with the rest of us your passion for France. Did you read a good book set in France? See a movie? Take a photo in France? Have an adventure? Eat a fabulous meal or even just a pastry? Or if you're in France now, go ahead and lord it over the rest of us. We can take it.

It's true that the French don't eat on the run like Americans do, but I've noticed more and more stalls that offer crepes or panini to go.
Just down the street from us in rue Mouffetarde were two popular crepe-to-go stands.
When we arrived in Paris, after four hours on the train, we stopped and shared a panini mid-afternoon. We knew we needed to eat something before our 8 or 9 p.m. dinner.

It was delicious, in spite of the pained look on my face.

As our trip continued, we realized that most days we were too full to eat a three-course meal for lunch and dinner. 

So on the last evening of our trip, our bellies still too full from our large lunch, we decided to share a crepe rather than to go out for another big dinner. 

The crepe, or technically a galette since it's a savory crepe, had ground beef and mushrooms, plus cheese and lettuce. 

Earl waited in line for it while I traipsed back to the hotel. And we shared our last meal in France, for that trip.

Have you ever eaten street food in France? 

Of course, I prefer a lovely three-course meal, but sometimes, a smaller meal is just as fulfilling.

Thanks for playing along with Dreaming of France. Please leave a comment and visit each other's blogs too so you can get your fix of France dreams.

Dreaming of France -- Food

Please join this weekly meme. Grab a copy of the photo above and link back to An Accidental Blog. Share with the rest of us your passion for France. Did you read a good book set in France? See a movie? Take a photo in France? Have an adventure? Eat a fabulous meal or even just a pastry? Or if you're in France now, go ahead and lord it over the rest of us. We can take it.
Obviously, food is a huge draw to France.
In France, I eat a lot of things that I might not at home.  American foie gras? I don't think so. I'm not even likely to eat lamb or duck when I'm in the United States, but those are my go-to meals when I'm in France.
But my all time favorite thing to eat when I'm in France is salad with goat cheese.
Usually, the salads have little pieces of toast with rounds of goat cheese on them. If I'm careful in my bite calculations, I can have a bit of toast and goat cheese with each bite of salad.

This salad had three separate kinds of goat cheese and I forgot to take a picture until I had eaten half of it. 

This salad in Marseille had wedges of deep-fried goat cheese. 

Luckily, I found goat cheese salads pretty much everywhere we went. 

How bout  you? Is there something that you look forward to eating in France?

Please leave a comment and visit each other's blogs to share more about your love for France.

Dreaming of France -- Food!

Hope everyone in the States had a terrific Thanksgiving. My house has just cleared out with all three kids going back to college, although Spencer brought two friends home with him, so the house was even more crowded than usual.
Thanksgiving got me thinking about some of the delicious meals I've eaten in France, and they usually had nothing to do with turkey.
When Earl and I were wandering around Rue Mouffetarde, debating whether we should eat dinner, a restaurant employee lured us over. He promised us a free aperitif if we'd sit down outside. In addition to wanting our business, I think the idea is that the more people who sit down, the more people who feel comfortable coming there to eat.
So we sat down and had this lovely meal, starting with a salad with goat cheese.

Here's another meal on a different day of a galette, which is a savory crepe made with buckwheat, and filled with just about anything  you can imagine. Mine was probably ham and cheese.

And in France, I never forego dessert. Here's a lovely chocolate crepe for dessert. 

Just looking at these pictures is making me hungry. What delicious meals have you eaten in France?

Thanks for playing along. I'd love it if you'd leave a comment and visit each other's blogs.

Dreaming of France -- Good Meals, Bad Meals

Please join this weekly meme. Grab a copy of the photo above and link back to An Accidental Blog. Share with the rest of us your passion for France. Did you read a good book set in France? See a movie? Take a photo in France? Have an adventure? Eat a fabulous meal or even just a pastry? Or if you're in France now, go ahead and lord it over the rest of us. We can take it.
Food is always a big draw for visitors to France. I'm not a foodie. I don't plan specific meals that I will eat or arrange tours at chocolateries or take cooking classes -- not that I wouldn't love to do all of those things.
I can't think of many meals that I haven't enjoyed in France.
Well, one does come to mind.
Earl and I enjoyed the book Luncheon of the Boating Party by Susan Vreeland, and last time we went to France together we decided to eat at the restaurant which inspired the painting by Renoir.
The setting did not disappoint us, but the food was not as tasty as I'd expected from a French restaurant, even a mundane French restaurant.
The restaurant is located along the Seine outside of Paris. We took a train then muddled our way along the streets in search of the river and the restaurant.
We were there in April, so it was asparagus season.

The markets in Paris were full of thick stalks of white asparagus. So we both ordered asparagus for a starter but were disappointed by the limpness (make your own sexual joke here).

Even the dessert, although pretty, was a little bland. 

 
My favorite meal in France is usually breakfast, and I like to eat it at the hotel.
The pitcher of coffee and the pitcher of steamed milk alongside the basket of croissants and mini jars of jam. Yum.

Do you have a favorite meal in France?

I hope you'll visit each others' blogs to see more posts on Dreaming of France. 

Highly Influenced

Do you ever read about food in a book and suddenly get a craving for it?
If that has happened to you, then you'll understand why there is a turkey roasting in my oven today.
I blame it all on Anna Quindlen's novel Still Life with Bread Crumbs. No, it wasn't the bread crumbs but the description of Thanksgiving. Really, not the main Thanksgiving meal, but the leftovers. The idea of a turkey sandwich, those thick slabs between two slices of wheat bread, are what convinced me to buy a turkey at the grocery store yesterday.
I finished Quindlen's novel yesterday, and it made me feel hopeful at the end. Maybe the feeling that remains once you've closed the book is the most important thing.
Of course, it also made me feel hungry.
How bout it? Have you ever gone in search of food after reading about it in a book?

I Love France -- Ice Cream Sundaes

This week, I'm participating in the I Love France meme that is sponsored by Words and Peace.
Because I'm hungry, since my friend Sheila convinced me to start keeping track of my calories on an App, I'm sharing with you a picture of me eating an ice cream sundae in France.
Nobody does ice cream sundaes like the French. It's not just a sundae; it's a production.

The glass is a tall parfait glass with carefully placed layers of ice cream and chocolate. No one asks if you'd like whipped cream, they just give it to you. And they include a wedge of wafer sticking out from the top.
I guess that's the thing about the French; they know how to do food. One of the many (main) reasons we love them.
This photo was taken in Aix end Provence about 10 years ago.

I Want a France Meme

Last week, on Thursday, I tried the "I Love France" meme. Unfortunately, it looks like the blog that used to do that is no longer doing it. Sigh...
I want a weekly France meme, but I don't have any bright ideas. Do you?
What could bloggers write about every week if they love France?
I'd like to include books, movies, photos, stories, food, fashion -- all from France.
I could even make a cool logo for it (or ask a more-talented friend to do it).
I'm waiting for your brilliant suggestions. Meanwhile, here's a photo that Grace took of Mont St. Michel with some sort of special effect. Lovely.

A Tart Read

I picked up the book because of the title The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake by Aimee Bender. Of course, lemon cake is tart and that could be a bit sad, but no, that is not what the book was about. The cover told me that 9-year-old Rose can taste the sadness in the cake when her mother bakes it.
The book sounded similar to Like Water For Chocolate, which is one of my favorite books, so I brought it home, uncertain if I would hate it because it tried to imitate Like Water for Chocolate or love it for its similarities.
The similarities did not continue.
Like a present from a fairy godmother gone awry, the little girl can taste the emotions of everyone involved in the food-making process. She isn't attuned only to her mother, but to the farmer who drove the lemons to market, and the cows that gave the milk. She tries to confide in adults but you can imagine how that goes over. She takes to eating mechanically prepared foods -- twinkies and honeybuns.
The story really though is more about the emotions she discovers in her family. She can taste the guilt when her mother begins an affair. She watches as her brother begins to disappear -- literally.
Near the end of the book while talking with her father, she discovers that her grandfather could smell emotions. Where was the father all this time that the little girl claimed she could taste emotions?
In spite of, or because of, the mystical qualities of the book, it's a good read filled with the emotions of coping in a family.
Photo from Amazon, where you can look inside the book.

Food, Glorious Food

(Do you think I overuse the word glorious? Really, it should be a fairly rare occurence.)
I should have written about food today because we had some of the best meals. The day was spent trying to track down gifts that are apparently non-existent. In France, we found all kinds of NBA jerseys, even a USA olympics jersey with the names of players on the back, but no French basketball jerseys. Come on? Not even a team France with Tony Parker's name on the back?
After giving up on le basket, we tried to find French Open gear. Here in France, they don't call it the French Open. They call it Roland Garros after the stadium where it is held. A man in the Nike (prounced NIKE to rhyme with bike) store told us about a tennis shop over near the Champs Elysee. Metro and buses later, we arrived in a tennis shop that did not include in Roland Garros gear. Discouraged, we began to look for a lunch place.

Down a side street, we found a restaurant de Normande. That meant we got to have galettes, which are like crepes but they have savory food in them. For the 13 E menu, we each had a meal galette, a dessert crepe and a cup of cider, which isn't like apple cider, but more like beer with a tingle. Earl's galette had tomatoes, ham and cheese. Mine had bacon, potatoes, cheese. Hmmm. His dessert crepe was apple and mine was, of course, chocolate.
More walking, more shopping, more sightseeing. We went up to Montmartre to enjoy the view. The steps leading to Sacre Coeur are filled with teenagers watching breakdancers at the bottom. Guys walk along with 12-packs of Heineken selling individual beers like they're at a ball park. All too surreal.

Spencer's wish from France was a French basketball jersey. Since we couldn't make that wish come true, we decided to eat his favorite French meal. Steak Frites. He begins to salivate just thinking of it.
My blogging friend Linda who lives in Paris in the winter and Provence in the summer told me about the best steak frites place in the city, so we made our way there around 8 p.m. It's on Georges V, near the Champs Elysee again. The restaurant only serves steak and fries. There is no ordering, only the question of how you want your meat done.
We had half a bottle of red wine, salad to start then steak and fries. The sauce is greenish and tastes like it has basil in it too me. But wait, once you've eaten your salad then the steak and fries, they bring a second order of steak and fries. We declined the dessert.
Got to go catch a train. Hope I can blog again tomorrow.
The moon last night was phenomenal. Is that better than glorious?

Food

Today was a day of food. We planned our day around a restaurant. The restaurant is the one where Renoir painted Luncheon of the Boating Party. We read the book of the same title by Susan Vreeland and decided that we should visit the restaurant, which is still standing. Of course, times have changed and the restaurant may rely more on the fame of the location than the tastiness of the food. The restaurant, called Maison Fournaise, in Chatou, a suburb of Paris, was a train ride and a walk along the Seine away. We sat on the balcony and chose from the meager menu..
Asparagus in a mediocre sauce. The tip of the asparagus was tender and sweet. The thick stalk was stringy and should have been broken off, in my humble opinion. I had duck as my main dish which was not overdone and was quite juicy. Earl ordered sea bream, just praying that the fish wouldn't be looking at him when it arrived. It wasn't
The best thing about Earl's meal was the tiny, hollowed-out zucchini filled with carrots and peas and potatoes. Isn't it adorable? I don't think the taste knocked him over, but the presentation was spectacular..
Although the food at the Maison Fournaise wasn't great, we have had some yummy food experiences.
On Sunday, following an afternoon of walking and museums, we stopped at the Cafe des Beaux Arts for ice cream sundaes. This is called a Chocolate Ligeois. The ice cream was chocolate and the whipped cream, or chantilly as it is called here, was rich and only a tiny bit sweet.
After a disappointing meal at the Maison Fournaise, we took an afternoon stroll down the Champs Elysee and ended up at Laduree, the famous tea room. Earl tried the macarons the restaurant is known for while I opted for the lemon tart. The macaroons were interesting with a soft cookie shell and an almost jelly-like filling. The lemon tart filled my mouth with a burst of sweet and tart. Hmmm.
We also drank tea. It was all very dignified with little pots of tea in the hand-filled tea bags. When the waiter brought the two pots, he took the lid off and sniffed deeply from the steam arising. Then he put the lid on and sniffed the other one. One more smell and he pronounced the pot almond tea, while he poured for me. Then he gave Earl, what else, Earl Grey tea.
One adjustment that we are having to make as Americans is being patient in cafes and restaurants. I keep reminding myself that we are paying for the seat as much as anything. So when the waiter is slow to bring us a check, he is doing us a favor. The longer we sit there, the more we get our money's worth. And, frankly, we have no place else to go, so we may as well sit until we get tired of Paris.
Here's a view of the very fancy Laduree from the street.
And I may as well include a photo of Earl on the terrace where Renoir painted, because that meal was all about location, location, location.
Truthfully, Earl would have added a lot to that painting. Here's a copy of the original for anyone who doesn't recall.