Cuisine Couture

Last week, Andrew and I went on one of our exploratory adventures to (drum roll, please....) the Fashion District of Paris! Suffice it to say, we had an interesting time there. You must understand that this area of Paris does not suggest merely pret a porter fashions, but rather is its own culture. Certainly the clothing and general look is a huge part of this subculture of Paris, but that's only the beginning. The fever of fashion has taken over everything in this area, from people, shops, and wares to architecture, presentation, and (you guessed it!) FOOD!!

This street (great name, huh?) is one of the most fashionable in the city, and is home to shops such as Gucci and Hermes.

Today's discourse will be on the food of the fashion district. And before we go any further will you just allow me to gape and drool for a moment as I recall the food...

Thank you.

Andrew and I walked into the beautiful Galleries Lafayette, as I wanted to show him around this famous Paris department store. I had been to visit in high school, and weather or not you're into fashion, you sort of just have to see this place in order to believe it...

Only in Paris can a DEPARTMENT STORE look like this!! Unbelievable, isn't it?

This place is like some monumental shrine where patrons come to pay homage (and LOTS of money!) to the art of shopping.

You may recognize a couple of these designers from the "immaculate" ground-floor cosmetology department.

So we came to the Galleries Lafayette because I just wanted to show Andrew this craziness. We walked in via the underground metro entrance, and I wasn't really sure of the way. We followed the signs that were leading to the "main store," which I supposed to be the aforementioned shopping shrine. But no, we suddenly found ourselves in the market of all markets!! We literally walked around dumb-founded and dazed for at least a half-hour while we just marvelled at the marvels around us.

A small portion of the amazing cheeses at the large and diverse cheese counter!

Look at the intricate details...don't you just want to eat these cheeses?? Except that they're almost too pretty to eat.

If you've been following the blog previously, you will have read my post about Auchan, the mega-super-uber-market of Paris. We hated it. The market in Galleries Lafayette was nothing like that though, but rather was classy, incredible, and beautifully organized. The market specializes in gourmet foods from around the world, and there were many and various sections within the market that carried these foods. For example...

Everything edible that you see in this photo is foie gras...everything. SO French!

We didn't get any foie gras, but we did love looking through the chocolate section which was unbelievably huge!! And the chocolates all looked delicious and contained every imaginable flavor. There was an enormous rack for honey, and as Andrew said, you could probably make up a flavor/type of honey completely ridiculous, but it would exist here in France! There were all sorts of jams and speads as well, and coffees and teas from all corners of the earth. And speaking of diverse flavors, try the incredible spice-mania...all kinds of spices packed in perfect pyramids! This area smelled so divine, and there were also flowering loose teas...


CHOCOLATE!!!! Check out these goodies...

These delectable delicacies are were only about the size of a finger, but were priced at about 6 Euros EACH! But you would not believe how perfectly uniform they were. I think if I bought one I would just put it in a glass case and sell it on e-bay later...

Yes, these are gold-flecked chocolate truffles. I know...WOW.

The market also had a deli and sandwich section, where you could order food ready-made. This was one of my favorite things in the whole store:

Individual (and adorable!) baby-sized bottles of olive oil so you can get that perfect dressing just the way you want it on your salad.

So after our treck to the fashion district, we stepped back into reality (i.e. our own life). What a day! There is such a different and (for us) rather mind-boggling understanding of food here. The photos that you see are from just one shop out of the many many shops in Paris that sell this sort of food. We've seen honey shops, a mustard and vinegar shop, chocolatiers, an organic cookie shop...pretty much anything you can think of. We're interested to learn more about it, but really we want to learn to cook and utilize delectable ingredients in true French style, just maybe without the price tag.

You know what they say...

A picture is worth a thousand words! This one certainly is no exception! This is Fiona...


I came to work today and saw the woman who I had worked with the day that I was with Fiona. She told me that the family had sent her this photo, along with an email expressing their gratitude. I am so very thankful to have this beautiful photo!! It is the visible expression of what will always be a fond memory for me (she was telling me about the picture she drew when this photo was taken). Thank you again for letting me share it with you. (Note: please be careful with this photo and do not post it anywhere or send it around at all, in respect to the family and my job. Thanks!)

Moments of today:

• I had a lovely day today, and the chance to be Cinderella today! I was having a conversation with a sweet and shy little British girl, about 5 years old. I asked her all about her day at Disneyland, and she seemed to have been having a lovely time. She seemed hesitant throughout our whole conversation, until she finally asked "Um, Cinderella...can I have a kiss?" So sweet!! Definitely the quote of the day! Of course I said yes! :-) In Europe, it's expected that kisses and "cuddles" (hugs! I like their word better though) be given to and received from the children. I wasn't very used to it at first, being that these children are complete strangers and no job at home would EVER allow such interaction, but now it's one of my favorite customs!!
• Speaking of cuddles...later on today, a French family came who had two daughters, one of whom was very young, perhaps just two years old. I always squat down with children so small so that my size does not intimidate them. This little doll of a child came running up to me, but instead of giving the expected "cuddle," she plopped down on my dress and laid her head on my knee, as if in a dream. I think she would've stayed there all day, perfectly content, had there not been other children around. It was just so cute!! Everyone around was "aww-ing" and smiling. She came back to visit me later and sat down on my dress again, and snuggled up under my arm. What a cutie! I love these special moment with kids.
• I met the most talkative child in the universe today. She was American (of course!) and extremely eager about everything. She just about talked my ear off, which is actually a welcome change when you've been taking photos all day. She told me she had me in the parade yesterday..."Remember, you waved at me?! And you know what else??? Right now, I'm going to go in my stroller, and take my pass[ifier], and have a nice nap, and then I'm going to watch you in the parade again!!" Haha! I love it! She told me that she went on "it's a small world" and "Saw all the countries and states!" and that she didn't like the teacups "because they give me dizzies and make my tummy hurt kinda."
  

I seriously have the dream job! :-)

Say Cheese!

I don't have a whole lot to write about, as we've both been sick during the past two weeks. Also, it's been raining quite a bit, so we have tried to avoid going out into the cold. We are both on the mend though, now, and are getting back into a routine of exploring the city...

Paris is full of little gems, and last week, Andrew and I went to visit one. We did not happen upon this place, but rather it was recommended to us by a friend of mine from work. This place, Gemi's, is a wine and cheese bar, very Parisian and very chic! We loved the atmosphere, and both the cheese and wine proved delicious. Just wanted to share photos to give you an idea of the place and its funky-fun atmosphere. It would've been near-perfect, except for the slow service and continuous replay of Taylor Swift's album. Nevertheless, Gemi's:

So cozy!

So yummy! The waiter picked out cheeses from goat, cow, and lamb's milk. We liked the bleu (cow) cheese the best, but all three were very good. Lamb's milk cheese was a first for both of us, at first a little too tart and stinky. But by the end, we both really liked it. The substance in the small ramekin is fig marmalade. SOOO delicious! Who'd have thought to put fig with cheese? Genius!

The very suave atmosphere of Gemi's. The entrance to the bar is upstairs, but the seating there is more plain. My friend Elodie said we must sit downstairs, in the "cave," because that's where the true Parisians sit!

You can see that it really is rather "cave-like." We really liked this place, and can't wait to go back for some more tasty cheese!!

Well, that's all for now. We'll see what this week brings, and will hopefully have more pictures for you after my days off tomorrow and Tuesday! Miss you all!!

Oui, Cendrillon aime le chocolat!

Please excuse me for this very long entry, but the story that it contains is just so very special, I could barely wait to share it with all of you after it happened today...

Her name was Fiona, and at just four years old, she has a serious and impeding heart-condition. When I got to work this morning, I did not even know Fiona existed. But when I checked in, I was told I was going to be Cinderella for this very special little girl today! I was thrilled, and a little nervous.

My knowledge of Fiona before our meeting was very limited. I knew only her name, her age, and that she had some type of heart condition. Whether or not it was curable, I still do not know. I was told that it was her dream to meet Cinderella, and that today I was being employed by the "Disney Make a Dream Foundation" as Cinderella to make her dream into a reality! What a pleasure and blessing for me!

All done up in my beautiful gown, I nervously went to meet the little princess. I was meeting her in the Disneyland Hotel, in a lovely room, usually reserved for VIP's, that overlooks the castle and park. Only when I was taken to this room was I told that Fiona did not know that she was about to meet Cinderella, and this whole set up was a total surprise for her, arranged by her family and the "Make a Dream" team! They would leave me in an enclosed side-room, and then bring Fiona and her family into the VIP room. While they were admiring the view and the castle, Cinderella would come out to greet them, to Fiona's utter surprise and (we hoped) joy! So off went the two French members of our "dream team" to find Fiona, leaving me alone with my thoughts and anticipation.

As I sat there, I realized just how special this meeting was for this little girl. It dawned on me that out of all the wishes she could have, she wished to meet Cinderella. And not only that, but now she actually was going to meet her, living, breathing, real Cinderella. And at four years old, she would probably remember this meeting for many years to come. I wondered what she would look like, what would be her countenance. What could I say to this little creature? I thought of as many French phrases about "Cendrillon" as I could; could I tell her about my prince? My dress? My mice friends? Could I ask if she liked Disneyland, had she met other princesses, how long would she be here? I sat there waiting and wondering...

All too soon, my French companions came back to get me saying "She's here!" and out came Cinderella. Fiona's mother looked delighted, and kept looking towards her daugher's face, anticipating her reaction to seeing Cinderella. Fiona had not yet noticed, as she was being shown the castle and the view of Disneyland on this rainy but happy day. I had just a quick moment to observe little Fiona...I actually didn't realize at first that this tiny creature in my co-workers arms was a four-year-old. At first I thought she was an infant! She was so small, she barely stood above my knee, and weighed next to nothing. Everything about her was petite and yet adorable, especially her round brown eyes, framed by her blonde bob and straight bangs.

I walked over to the family and greeted them with a pleasant "Bonjour!" "Qui est ca?" (Who is that?), my French host asked the little girl. "Cendrillon!" she whispered, almost in disbelief, as her eyes grew wide at the sight of her dearest yet previously unknown friend! They introduced me to the family: mother, father, and older brother, each one with a camera or video camera. They all beamed at me over Fiona, and I assured them that I was "enchante" at having the pleasure of meeting them! Fiona seemed slightly dazed, but as my co-worker put her down, she walked slowly over to me with outstretched arms for a "grand embrace" (a big hug). With her head on my shoulder and arms round my neck, she smiled shyly at her mother, content to just be with her "Cendrillon." Her family and the team gently asked her questions, "Are you excited to meet Cinderella? Do you like her?" And she just smiled and nodded, shy little thing that she was. I told her that she had on a beautiful princess dress, and what lovely shoes! And was she enjoying Disneyland?

The team leader suggested that we sit down, as Fiona was just a tiny thing and I'd been kneeling down the whole time. Would Fiona like to sit on Cinderella's lap? Yes indeed, and not only that! Fiona went to her stroller, picked up a well-loved copy of her favorite storybook, Disney's Cendrillon (yes, in French), and proceeded to bring it to me as I lifted her into my lap. "Cendrillon--mais oui, c'est moi!" (Cinderella--why yes, that's me!) I said as I opened the book. "Et regarde, mon petit chaussure!" (And look, my little shoe!) as we glanced over the inside cover.

By this point, I must say I felt just a pure joy, and also an awe. I felt blessed that God could use me to help make this little girl's life special today. And ever-grateful that I not only knew "my" story well, (after all, Cinderella has always been my favorite fairy tale), but also that I had lots of experience reading and acting out this story back home, with my little girl friends from church and my students at summer camp. And now I was reading, as Cinderella, my story, to a dear little girl who wanted nothing more than this! What a dream come true this must truly have been for her! I proceeded to read the whoe story, stumbling multiple times to be sure, but excusing myself with a "Pardonez-moi!" and a responsive giggle from the family and my team! I was especially confused by a phrase reading "Cinderella was delicious..." I thought, surely this is some other word that looks like the word "delicious" in French. After all, while I can speak the language fairly well, I've never read out loud for an audience in French, and didn't know half the words and animal noises that appeared in the book. I discovered laster that Cinderella truly was "delicious," because when the word is used to describe a person, it means they got all dressed up and looked lovely! And all that time I felt awful, as I assumed I must be saying something rather naughty...I did my best to make the appropriate voice influctions, to really tell the story, to interpose with personal anecdotes when I could..."Oh look, there is my handsome prince! I love him!" "Who is that lady there, with the magic wand?" (by the way, "wand" in French is "baguette"! I had to surpress a chuckle at that one!)

When we finished reading the story, Fiona's family asked me to sign the title page. I signed it "To Fiona, from Cinderella, with many kisses" and she loved it. She had drawn me a picture, and did I want to see it? Why of course! I opened up the precious little drawing, and asked her what it was. Flowers, she said. And what was her favorite color of flower? Red, and green. I liked those colors too, I told her. I pointed out her name, written on the bottom of the picture. "And there, a heart." She said! How sweet!! I almost had tears by this point, just at the thought that this little girl was giving me a heart, though her own heart was pained.

Fiona's "coeur" (heart), which she pointed out to me

This drawing will always be precious to me! The family proceeded to give me a large bag of M & M's, which I gladly and laughingly accepted. I asked, "What is this? Is this chocolate? Because I love chocolate!!" Fiona said that she wanted to take a promenade with Cinderella around the hotel, and as she was such a tiny and frail thing, I asked if I could hold her during our walk. That worked better anyway, because I couldn't hold her hand without having to bend down significantly. She was thrilled at the thought of being "carried in Cinderella's arms," as she said.

My cherished drawing and (now half-eaten) M & M's!

We went all around the inside of the hotel, looking in gift shop windows, and out the hotel windows at the castle. All the hotel employees beamed at us; they could see that this was a precious girl and a very special circumstance. Fiona's parents told her that Cinderella would be saying goodbye soon. She asked if Cinderella could please put on her jacket? Of course! I put on her jacket, and took her outside where we would say goodbye "just beyond the door." She did not want me to leave, though her parents, myself, and my co-workers tried to persuade her that I must go so that I could see her when I danced in the parade later today! Finally she said alright, but couldn't she visit me again after the parade? No, but she was going to play in Disneyland, and see many other wonderful things and people and friends! Finally it was time to say farewell, and as I waved goodbye and told her I would see her later in the parade, I watched the little angelic face gaze back with a shy wave, and as her family turned to go I said "thank you." No, thanks to you, affirmed her mother, and then they were off.

Going back to the costuming building, I was on cloud 9! Everyone asked "Wow Mary, did you have a good day or something?" I could not wait to share my joy with others around me! I had a memory that would last forever, and some chocolate that would not. I offered to do this again...everyday, I said, if the "dream team" needed it. My two co-workers laughed, saying they would have me anytime! They were still amazed...they had not realized that I spoke French until I entered the room to greet the family! Who knows what we would've done about reading the story, and walking round the hotel, and all the special things we talked about, had I not known French!!? I felt like the experiences I've had in the past had all in some way contributed to the knowledge that I would need to make this day a special and a success. Whether I will have another such meeting, and whether it will be such a success, I don't now know. But I do know that I will remember today, and I will remember Fiona, forever.

And they all lived "happily ever after. The end."

Paris, the City

Well, it is now June 1st, and it seems impossible that we've been here for nearly 4 weeks already. My, but how time flies! I feel that we've learned so much in even the very short time we've enjoyed here, and yet that there are so many many things we have yet to discover. Not that that's a bad thing. On the contrary, if there's one thing I've learned while here, it is that Paris is a city of discovery.

Andrew and I do our best to discover and explore at least one or two areas of the city per week, as our schedule permits. After all, as my schedule "regulates" more and more, the days off I enjoy each week become more and more "irregular." So, if I can pull together the energy, and Andrew the patience, to walk around the city together, we will. This works best when I have the whole day off, as we can take our time and really learn a new place! The people, the vibes, the smells, the landscape, the views, the metros (of course). In a particular area of Paris, called Montmartre, one must also form an understanding with the streets, which seem an endlessly winding mass of tangles that lead, well, nowhere in particular.

We went to visit Montmartre this past Thursday, and just being there led me to discover a few of my favorite things about Paris. Before I go into that, for those of you who don't know Montmartre, the French film Amelie is all about a girl who lives in this "village" of Paris. I love this very artistic and beautifully shot film (and its wonderful music), though it definitely has its naughty French moments. :-/ ahem... However, there is a beautiful scene in the movie that depicts the area of the Basilique du Sacre Coeur, Montmartre's famous landmark white-washed church at the very top of the "mont" (hill). You can watch the scene here to get a better idea.

A quaint Tea Salon in Montmartre...I can't wait to take both my mom and mother-in-law here!

Montmartre has long been the haven of both French and foreign artists of all types, and because of this has gained a very bad reputation. However, it also has a sacred history, which includes the Sacre Coeur ("Sacred Heart"). The Sacre Coeur was built as a peace offering for the attrocities and bloodshed of war, significant in Paris, a city that has historically been torn by war. Personally, we both found the basilica more impressive and beautiful on the outside than on the inside. Still, we were very glad to have visited.

The impressive Basilique du Sacre Coeur. The rare white stone from which it is built is found in a French quarry. The stone contains lots of calcium, which insures that the structure cleans itself each time it rains, which happens all the time in Paris!

So, back to Paris. Being up here at the top of the city led me to realize some things that I love about it. While each city is truly unique, I think I can firmly state, along with anyone else who has ever lived here in Paris, that there is no city like it anywhere. It has such a sense of intimacy, although it houses millions. The people and the sights are so intertwined with the history behind this place that they seem to breathe as one. The views from the top of Montmartre are breathtaking, even on the overcast day when we visited...

As is so often the case, the photo just doesn't do the view any justice. We could recognize many, many landmarks across the panorama. You can see the beautifully laced clouds hanging over the horizon, though...

Note that you can really see the city, unlike New York, Boston, or even San Francisco, where the view is blocked by large, bulky skyscrapers. Here in Paris, the majority of the buildings are 6-7 stories high, with some very notable landmarks and larger buildings spread around. In fact, you can recognize many of them, even from so great a distance. One can even see the spires of the Notre Dame and other impressive cathedrals rising over the organized streets and by-ways. Of course, there's also the Opera Bastille, the Tour Montparnasse, the Louvre museum, the Sainte Chappelle...

Andrew contemplating Montmartre

Speaking of the view and the weather, being at Montmartre made me realize that Paris boasts some of the most beautiful sky in the world. Well, all the same sky in the world, one might say. However, the presentation of the sky here is always awe-inspiring. The other day I was walking from the train to work and wishing I had brought the camera...the sky was such a perfect shade of blue with such perfect sprawling white clouds that it seemed I was in a movie set. All the days have been like that, even the "ugly" ones. The sky is composed in a unique way that we have never before experienced. But we love it! Especially at night and in the mornings...last night at 10, the sun had just barely gone down, and there were blue and pink whisps of cotton candy spattered across the hemisphere. "Lovely" is really the only fitting word to describe such a sight!

I love the pulse of the city. This includes all the elements named earlier, sights, sounds, smells, etc. And even more interesting, the fact that each area has a different pulse or function, almost like the systems of the body. It's really quite fascinating. In some ways, I might say that Montmartre gives Paris its "soul," having on the one hand a rich spiritual history, and on the other an artistic expression that hails beauty. Not to mention that being up at the top, looking over the green lawns beneath the basilica, and then into the sprawling city, you can't help appreciating the beauty and hidden holiness of this place.