Tonight’s dinner was at a Basque restaurant near our apartment called Pottoka. Le Pays Basque straddles the border between France and Spain. The Basques are independent sorts who have their own language, which bears no resemblance to any other Indo-European tongue. They were horribly suppressed by the Franco regime in Spain; as a partial result, …
December 2018 archive
Permanent link to this article: http://ediblethoughts.com/2018/12/13/basque-ing-in-goodness/
Dec 13
Power Tools of a Different Type
Today’s adventures involved looking for the woodworkers near Place Bastille. Since our woodworking friend Bruce is joining us on this trip (see the post, Our Wine Cellar), we were looking for power tools. We ran across one wood shop that had this gorgeous chair in the display window: After lunch, we walked up to the …
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Dec 13
Seen in a Marks & Spencer
Marks & Spencer is an upscale British grocery chain that’s established a beach-head in France. Today we dove into one to warm up on our travels near La Place Bastille. This is one of the first items I ran across: I saw several more shelves of gluten-free goodies.
Permanent link to this article: http://ediblethoughts.com/2018/12/13/seen-in-a-marks-spencer/
Dec 13
A Curiosity
Tuesday night there was a mass shooting at the Christmas Market in Strasbourg. By Thursday morning, there was no mention of it on the CNN, Washington Post, or New York Times websites. I guess they’re waiting on the next shooting/bombing.
Permanent link to this article: http://ediblethoughts.com/2018/12/13/a-curiosity/
Dec 13
Seen at Galeries Lafayette
My friends in the Cult of Cute Shoes have been waiting for this all year. The only animated items in this window are the assorted monsters. Since I belong to the Cult of Shoes that fit, my purchase this year was two round-neck cashmere sweaters: One coral (the color of the year, according to Pantone), …
Permanent link to this article: http://ediblethoughts.com/2018/12/13/seen-at-galeries-lafayette/
Dec 13
Paris Promenades
We’ve had some scheduled items on this year’s trip. However, we’ve had plenty of chance encounters. On our first full day we went to the Church of St. Denis. This is a very old church that’s the burial place of much of French royalty, from Dagobert and Charlemagne to Marie Antoinette and Louis XVI. St. …
Permanent link to this article: http://ediblethoughts.com/2018/12/13/paris-promenades/
Dec 10
Noir est le Noir Nouveau
So we were at a café in Paris this afternoon people-watching. The vast majority of passersby were wearing black or gray. We figured that anyone who walked by wearing bright colors had to be a tourist. Now this was a Monday. Come Saturday, yellow vests will be de rigueur.
Permanent link to this article: http://ediblethoughts.com/2018/12/10/noir-est-le-noir-nouveau/
Dec 08
Diving Crows?!?
We’re used to seeing ducks, cormorants, geese, eagles, and herons fishing in the river behind our home. Today I saw something completely different. I saw some ripples near the shore, indicative of some bird looking for lunch. What I was not expecting was to see a crow surface with a minnow in its beak. I …
Permanent link to this article: http://ediblethoughts.com/2018/12/08/diving-crows/
Dec 07
How Do I Like Them Apples?
As with applesauce apples, I have strong opinions on eating apples. The latest fad in apple varieties is super-sweet. Witness the popularity of the Honeycrisp variety. I bought some Sugar Bee apples a week or two ago, and they were even sweeter than Honeycrisps. I prefer my apples crunchy with a tart edge. Perhaps tastes …
Permanent link to this article: http://ediblethoughts.com/2018/12/07/how-do-i-like-them-apples/
Dec 07
Paris Packing
We’re traveling to Paris for a quick vacation. This was a spur-of-the-moment decision and came together surprisingly fast. Julian made the plane reservations and rented the apartment we were in last year within a 48-hour span. Going to Paris this year may be a little different, thanks to the “yellow vest” riots. President Macron increased …
Permanent link to this article: http://ediblethoughts.com/2018/12/07/paris-packing/
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