France

My Other House Is In France

Mushy Translations

Souvenirs de Quebec

At the end of June, we had the opportunity to visit Québec City for a few days. It is our tradition to buy a Christmas ornament from each destination we visit, and Quebec didn't disappoint; there were several Christmas-themed stores offering a wide array of nutcrackers, tree toppers, ornaments and lights. Aside from our tree ornaments, the other items we purchase while on vacation could never be easily identified as souvenirs. For example, while wandering the streets of the Old City, we stumbled across this adorable store, Pot en Ciel (which means "Pot in the Sky"). They sell an incredible collection of kitchen wares just like the dishes, utensils, dish towels, serving trays, and coffee bowls you'd find in France. I could have easily dropped a few thousand dollars in this dreamy store (I wanted one of everything!), but Pascal and I settled on just two souvenirs of Quebec: a jam spoon (also called a honey spoon) and a wine carafe (also known as a decanter).



The jam spoon is designed so that the handle of the spoon can rest on the edge of the jam jar - that way the handle doesn't get sticky. Or, you can dip the spoon in honey and then rest it on the edge of your teacup so that honey drips right into the cup.  

We use wine carafes at all of our cooking lesson parties to aerate our red wines. They’'re quite fragile, and this year alone, we've already gone through five of them. So, we're always on the lookout for well-designed, yet affordable carafes. We couldn't resist the beautiful one we found at Pot en Ciel, engraved with the words: "Grand Vin de France, Appellation Controllée".

Souvenir means "to remember" in French, and it is the motto of Québec: "Je me souviens"  ("I remember", as in "I remember my French heritage"). The great thing about our souvenirs is that they'll do double duty. Each time we use our jam spoon or wine carafe, we'll be reminded of a glorious afternoon spent in old Québec City, but we'll also be using them as tools to create new memories in our own kitchen.

It’s a Sign!

Our South 'n France logo mimics the form of a Parisian streetsign. Just like the Eiffel Tower, the azure blue plaques with white writing are a symbol of France and its capitol city. These iconic signs, which have remained the same since 1847, are unlike any other in the world and are amongst the oldest street signs still in usage.

In France, the first and the last house (or building) on each street bears one of these signs on the corner wall.  If you visit South 'n France, you'll find one on our building. After all, we are the last house on the 800 block of Orange Street. The sign was made in France by Codifa Diffusion, a company that specializes in making street signs. Yesterday, I wrote about how children are named in France (blog link). There is also a well-defined system for naming streets in Paris. The biggest roads have "majestic names that are worthy of public recognition." Thus, major streets are often named for French national heroes (Victor Hugo, Charlemagne, Charles de Gaulle, Jeanne d'Arc, etc).

Smaller neighborhood streets usually follow a theme. The street names around the train station of Saint Lazare are named for European cities. Near the Pasteur Institute, the streets are named for famous scientists. For streets near churches, the names of saints and famous religious figures are given preference. Schools have bordering streets named after intellectuals. Streets with hospitals are named for famous doctors. My favorite of the street naming rules (established in the late 1800s) is that the names of French streets must meet the practical requirements of simplicity. They should be easy to spell, pronounce, describe and remember.

This doesn't mean, though, that all streets are named after dead philosophers and generals. Wander the streets of Paris, and you're sure to find some charming, imaginative street names that are indeed easy to describe and remember.  Here are a few of my favorites:

Rue des Trois Freres  (Street of the Three Brothers)
Rue du Chat Qui Peche (Street of the Cat Who Fishes)
Impasse des Deux Anges (Two-Angel Alley)
Rue des Bons Enfants  (Street of the Good Children)
Rue des Bons Vivants (Street of the People Who Enjoy the Luxuries in Life)
Rue Princesse  (Street of the Princess)
Rue des Cinq Diamants  (Street of the Five Diamonds)
Rue des Mauvais Garcons  (Street of the Bad Boys)

Bonjour. Je m’appelle….

Eet Eezn’t Easy to Speek Like Ze French!

Happy Bastille Day! Today is the day that the French celebrate their independence from the royal monarchy. While Parisians fete the anniversary of the storming of the Bastille 4,000 miles away, fourteen lucky locals in Wilmington will be dining like kings and queens. Today, Pascal and I are in the kitchen preparing a seven-course feast that will illustrate the art of regal French dining. During the evening, I’ll be regaling our guests with stories about life at the royal court in France.

I love to tell a good story, and those who've heard my stories know that I often slip into a French accent when appropriate. After fifteen years with Pascal, my accent is pretty faithful to the original I copy, but every now and again it strays. There have been moments when my imitation of a French chef sounds more like a cross between Arnold Schwarzenegger and Chef Boyardee. But at least I'm not alone. Listen to this improvisational skit performed by professional comedians Ryan Stiles and Colin Mochrie on Whose Line Is It Anyway? You'll hear that it happens to the best of us!

Punny Parisian Art Thief Strikes Again!

I Scream, You Scream, We All Scream for Bon Bons

We've spent the past month celebrating the joys of parenting with our Bon Bon Mom of the Year Contest; now let's take a look at the flip side! Check out this commercial featuring a young kid throwing a first-class temper tantrum at the grocery store because he wants to eat bonbons (meaning any "candy" in French). You'll be surprised at the product the commercial is promoting! A word of advice: you may want to lower the volume on your computer!



No temper tantrums necessary to get a taste of our delicious bon bon treats. It’s as simple as placing an order online or by telephone.

P.S. Many people say our bon bons are better than...well, you know...

A Day in the Life of a French Flirt

Jupiter, The Famous Artistic Mystic Cat, Better Than a Magic 8-Ball

Perhaps you've heard of the artist and writer SARK (which stands for Susan Ariel Rainbow Kennedy). I first discovered her at the age of eighteen when I was a student at The University of Chicago. While browsing through the Chicago Art Institute's Gift Shop (which is almost as fabulous as the actual museum), I happened on her second book Inspiration Sandwich.

The gorgeous colors, big bold writing, and quirky drawings had me hooked immediately. I was in love with this woman's energy, spirit, and creative life force. I wrote the only fan letter I've ever written to SARK. Sadly, she did not write me back. But it didn't stop me from following her journey as a creative soul and business woman.

Once, I literally followed in her footsteps. In her early years, SARK traveled Europe as a starving artist and spent a few weeks living above the Shakespeare and Company book shop in Paris. It is a legendary, independent English-text bookstore that's been around since 1951.  Henry Miller described it as "a wonderland of books".  The owner, George Whitman, is an institution who retired at the age of 91. He housed artists, poets, writers, and other creative travelers free of charge under two conditions; they had to work in the store for a couple of hours and read a book a day. 

I went to see the bookstore, meet George and find the nook where SARK slept, imagining myself in her artistic shoes. Since then, SARK has written something like 15 books and has gained a huge following.

She used to have an inspiration hotline (a telephone number where you could listen to an inspiration recorded message by SARK - and yes I called it quite a few times!). Now, she has an amazing website, online community and newsletter. Her site is one of my favorites for a quick dose of inspiration: www.planetsark.com.

Last week, after reading an Anne Lamott book that mentioned Magic 8-Balls, I remembered a feature on SARK’s site - Ask Jupiter.  SARK's faithful companion since the beginning of time has been a black cat named Jupiter. Jupiter is like a mystic sage whose advice is far more complex and varied than the limited Magic 8-Ball. It was late at night, my mind was racing with dreams, goals, to do lists, and worries, so just before midnight I decided to pay a visit to Jupiter (he's really good for a free online psychic cat!) to see if he still had the magic touch.

I started with this question: "Jupiter, will money flow to me in abundance?"