Alive and Well & Living in France, now Italy!: January 2009

Tuesday, January 27, 2009

Jeudi Noir - 29 january

One of the biggest "grèves" to hit France is coming this Thursday. Everybody and their mother are striking. If you ask why, the answer is "c'est la France". Stay tuned for more.

*grève: strike
*jeudi noir: black thursday

Saturday, January 10, 2009

Porte de bonheur

These cute little cochons* are offered for a porte de bonheur** for the new year. They were all over the patisseries in Strasbourg. They use alot of pork in their cooking in this area, hence "the pig". They are made from almond paste and are delicious.

*cochons - pigs
**porte de bonheur - happiness for the new year - literally an " open door of happiness" for the new year.

Galette de Rois

To celebrate the ephiphany of 6 january, all over France one can find the galette de rois - which is a tarte with almond paste inside. Also hidden inside is a small
fève(*) that one lucky person will find. How it works is one person goes under the table while another cuts the slices. The person under the table calls out a name to give a slice to and continues till all slices are cut. The winner is the one who finds the fève in their slice and is crowned the "roi" and proudly wears the gold paper crown that is given with each galette. The fèves range from religous figures to Disney characters to random things. It is best to warm the galette before eating. If you like almond paste, these are fantastic. Its fun to visit different bakeries and taste the different galettes and see what fève you will find in your galette. The galettes are usually around till mid February.

*fève: small charm

Friday, January 2, 2009

Beautiful Alsace - What's in Your Backyard??

Most families have a playset in their backyard. However most of the houses in this area boast a vineyard in theirs. Most of these are small family-owned plots and the wine never leaves the area. This is one of the most beautiful areas, I think. I just love the small villages and timbered houses that are characteristic of this area. The food and wine are just as awesome. My favorite food has to be the tarte flambé which is heavy cream, small pieces of ham, and sometimes cheese, if you ask for it gratinée, on a very thin crust that is literally cooked for 30 seconds. We struck up a conversation with a local restauranter in Ribeauvillé and I asked him how to make the tarte flambée and he ended up giving me 3 thin crusts with which to make the tartes with. Mine were not as yummy as his, but still pretty good.

Foie Gras in the Cantine

The girls and I enjoy some good albeit interesting lunches at times. It is quite different from any school lunch we are accustomed to. We always have a starter and bread of course, followed by a main dish and then cheese and bread and of course yogurt, fruit yogurt, flan, chocolate, yogurt with sugar, you name it, we have had it!!

One Friday we had foie gras for our starter!! The children actually spread it on the bread and then eat it. Even the two year olds were given this. I guess that's one way to introduce the palette to different tastes at such a young age. Did Rachel and Isabel eat it? What do you think???!!!

A La Marché

I love the markets and the girls do as well. We pull our cart up to the market, yes, we have one of those "old lady carts" and savor what vegetables and fruits are in season. We have our "favorites" - we visit the same fruit and vegetable stand every week and when they see us coming, they always try out the little bit of English they know on us. The jolly old cheese man who gives the girls endless samples of his yummy cheese, the "chicken man" who has the best tasting poulet roti I have ever had, even the women who sells children's clothing is always eager to help us find exactly what we are looking for. These vendors take pride in their wares and take the time to ask you when you will eat the fruit, ensuring they pick the best one for that day. The customer service at these markets is probably something French people take for granted and just assume it's the norm, however for us, it is a nice change of pace to know you can purchase something and it has truly come from the heart.

You Are Charging Me How Much???!!!

7,50 euros for an application of mousse!! That is what my itemized bill said after I dared to look at it upon leaving the hairdresser. I feel certain I have paid for the entire case of the stuff for a month. For every bit of extra service one needs, you pay for it. I cannot figure out if our prices in America are so inflated that we don't even know we are paying exhoribitant prices or the French are nickel and diming every foreigner they can to get back at their own government for the high taxes they must pay.

Its All Relative

The living situation in France bring a whole new meaning to the word "small". Obviously people are smaller in both size and stature here, and their defination of "personal space" is completely opposite of mine, but come on!! 140 cm for 2 people. Basically this is the size of an american twin/double. I told my husband he better stop making extra trips to the bakery or we are going to have to get an extend-a-bed to fit him!!

I am still trying to imagine how anybody over 170 pounds fits in these french tubs. If you have wide hips, forget it. I am sure the pompiers have been called on more than one occasion to yank someone out of the tub. I do like the fact the toilet area is separate from the "douche" room, however, being the claustrophobic I am, have the toilet in a space the size of a closet just doesn't go over well with me. Even when you are there for just a bit, there is no ventilation, thereby causing one to continuely keel over from the sheer odor. I am sure my whole family will be diagnosed with some form of rare cancer from all the "odeur de maladie spray" we use everytime we exit "the closet".

Nothing Seems to Work Properly

Not even the liquid soap works correctly. I was warned about things not working well and the level of service one expects from living in the states. I am confussed why everything I have purchased thus far has broken or failed to live up to its expectation. I am trying to rationalize whether one pays a high price for each item they want just so they can have the thing live on way beyond their lifetime. This way, indeed they can pass on that foot pedal trash bin onto their children and even grandchildren if they are lucky to have it endure for that long.

My children are lucky, I think..... our 50 euro trash bin complete with a foot pedal broke after a month. They'll be able to put in for the "upgraded" model and the foot pedal won't get kicked around the kitchen floor all day long.

Many of the items from France are shipped from China, (Gasp) but the route is shorter. Maybe the items going to the states have an opportunity to ferment longer at sea, thereby creating a more rugged product. By the time the product reaches America, that liquid soap can handle lots of pushes. The route from China to Europe is much shorter, leaving me to believe not enough salt air has aged the product.

Le Bisous

Instead of a hug, one greets their friends, lovers, male, female etc with one kiss on each cheek - really almost an airbrush kiss. It takes some coordination to make sure the kiss lands on the cheek quickly as before you know it the person has turned their head to have the other cheek kissed. I have to admit I like this greeting. It is a bit more personal and takes some getting used to, but it is a very sweet way to greet or say goodbye to someone. However, one has to know when it is appropriate to use "le bisous". I wait for someone to initiate it as I am not sure if or when I should even be initiating this greeting, for fear of appearing over eager. Now, not everyone is the reciprocal of "le bisous". There is sort of an initiation to being on the receiving end of a kiss. It appears that one must have made your acquaintance at least a few times before, or just a "bonjour" or handshake is given. On that note, I'd say make lots of friends and give lots of bisous!! Remember one has to kiss both cheeks, if just one is done, it could be construed as the "kiss of death"!!