Dec 15

European vs. American Homes

We’ve rented apartments in Paris three times. In addition, we’ve visited relatives and friends in the Netherlands and Switzerland over the years. There are features in some European homes that would be beneficial in North America:

  • Heated towel racks that double as a radiant heat source for the bathroom.
  • Separate the toilet from the rest of the bathroom. Most American homes have more than one bathroom these days, but this feature can be helpful in the morning rush.
  • Electric shutters. Our rental apartment in Paris is just off a busy street. The shutters protect the people and property inside from prying eyes. They can also serve as good noise and light blocks for people who sleep at odd hours (night shift workers).

As always, there are two sides to this post.

  • Most separate toilet rooms in France do not contain a sink. (Remember that I work in a hospital and my boss is an infectious disease doc; therefore, hand hygiene is automatic for me.)
  • We hate European home washers and dryers. Their logic escapes us. The set in our current rental apartment is driving Julian nuts. We can do metric conversions for temperatures in our heads, but the time it takes to get one load of laundry washed and dried is almost enough to pay someone else do it for us.
  • Most French kitchens don’t have an oven. If there is one, it’s small.
  • The kitchens overall are small. You think everyone has a La Cornue range in their flat? Pas de chance. (Come to think of it, we’d be hard pressed to shoehorn one into Casa Sammamish unless we put it in the garage and left one of the cars in the driveway. In addition, a La Cornue costs about as much as a new car.) David Lebovitz tells many stories about trying to bake in a Paris kitchen in his book, The Sweet Life in Paris. He also has a new book about his exploits in Paris, L’Appart. Maybe I’ll pick it up when I get back home.

Much of the differences are what one is used to. Americans are used to huge houses and (at least recently) large kitchens with big ranges. Retrofitting an old building with modern fixtures in Europe is not an easy task. Many of these buildings predate electricity and indoor plumbing. Bottom line: Vive la différence.

Permanent link to this article: http://ediblethoughts.com/2017/12/15/european-vs-american-homes/

Dec 14

Gluten-Free in France

Two years ago (see this post) we were hard-pressed to find much in the way of gluten-free foods in France. I saw a couple of French translations of Wheat Belly and other “diet books” in a bookstore, but little food for folks who had to be gluten-free due to intolerance or celiac disease. Things may be changing, however. Our hotel in Lyon segregated some gluten-free foods on a counter away from croissants and other items on the breakfast buffet. There were gluten-free sections in La Grande Epicerie de Paris and Galeries Lafayette. Both also had a wide selection of non-glutenous grains such as rice and quinoa. We also saw a restaurant off Rue Montmartre called Noglu, which is entirely gluten-free. There is hope for celiacs in France.

Permanent link to this article: http://ediblethoughts.com/2017/12/14/gluten-free-in-france/

Dec 14

For the Cute Shoes Clan

A masterpiece at only 250 Euros.

This artist must have been on some rather potent pharmaceuticals.

Another weird one.

We couldn’t resist taking these pictures of figurines in the window of a furniture store in Colmar.

Permanent link to this article: http://ediblethoughts.com/2017/12/14/for-the-cute-shoes-clan/

Dec 14

Two Moments of Zen

We found these two window displays in Lyon. Enjoy!

The first one is of marmots.IMG_2035

The second is a geographically incorrect one of dancing penguins and a polar bear. (Sorry, the scientist in me sneaked out.) IMG_2036

Permanent link to this article: http://ediblethoughts.com/2017/12/14/two-moments-of-zen/

Dec 13

Last Stop: Paris

We checked out of Colmar and grabbed the train to Paris. Before we left Colmar, we stopped at a French bagel chain restaurant called Bagelstein’s. Before my bagel-eating friends book tickets to France, let me warn you: These are not real bagels. These are bagel-shaped dinner rolls. They are not boiled. If you want the real deal, stay on the North American continent. Julian got a smoked salmon sandwich, while I got a pastrami sandwich. Another difference between Bagelstein’s and American Jewish delis: the meat portions are more reasonable, demonstrating the concept of assez.

We’re renting an apartment near the Rue Cler, not far from the Eiffel Tower. The last time we were in Paris, Rue Cler was clogged with American tourists carrying their blue Rick Steves travel guides. Given that it’s mid-December, we may have fewer fellow Americans in the neighborhood. We walked around the corner to a restaurant called Brasserie PTT for dinner in the rain. I had salad Auvergne with beef cheek pot roast, Julian had a black eyed pea and sardine salad with a duck dish. The dinners were quite reasonably priced by Paris standards. The Brasserie seemed to be a neighborhood joint. Julian was greeted by one of the regulars, a pudgy Pug named Henri.

More news to come.

Permanent link to this article: http://ediblethoughts.com/2017/12/13/last-stop-paris/

Dec 13

French Fluff Fixation

What is it with the French and Marshmallow Fluff? Two years ago we saw this at the Galeries Lafayette food hall:

I’m not sure if the sign is supposed to be ironic or not.

Our hotel in Lyon overlooked a bagel restaurant. Along with the oversized bagel models, there was a large model jar of Marshmallow Fluff. We found a candy store called Lolly’s down the street from our hotel in Colmar. This shop specializes in American sweets. Among the gift boxes in the window was this one:

There’s no way I could have made this up.

Lucky Charms, Marshmallow Fluff, and cotton candy? Where’s that insulin syringe?

When we were in La Grand Epicerie de Paris today, we noticed a new flavor:

Caramel Marshmallow Fluff?

Permanent link to this article: http://ediblethoughts.com/2017/12/13/french-fluff-fixation/

Dec 12

Next Stop, Colmar

Yesterday we took another train from Lyon to Colmar, in Alsace. Colmar is about 45 miles (70 km) south of Strasbourg. Colmar was spared some of the wartime damage that affected Strasbourg and other cities in the area.

Since Alsace has been swapped between Germany and France for centuries, the cuisine is a hybrid that tends toward German. Lots of potatoes, sauerkraut, pork, sausage, and the like. On our first night in town we went to the Winstub Schwendi, a very typical Alsatian restaurant across the plaza from our hotel. I had a vegetarian roesti, a shredded potato and cheese concoction, and vin chaud (hot spiced red wine); Julian had a pork roesti. Mine was a bit on the bland side.
Colmar has a Christmas market that stretches for blocks. Most of the offerings are made in China trinkets or local baked goods, along with the ubiquitous vin chaud. The city also had a craft sale in the old customs house. Some of the jewelry and pottery were quite impressive. The giant Advent calendar was also interesting.

Today’s main activity was a visit to the Musée Unterlinden, housed in a former convent. The highlight of the museum was the altarpiece of Issenheim, a multilayered, multi-panel painting of scenes from the life of Jesus and Saints Anthony and Sebastian. Pilgrims suffering from St. Anthony’s Fire (otherwise known as ergotism) used to pray in front of the altarpiece. One look at the accurate depiction of Jesus’s suffering, and the pilgrims realized they didn’t have it so bad. (A fun fact: Ergot derivatives have been used to treat migraines.)

Dinner was at Le Petit Schlossberg, another typical Alsatian restaurant. The specialty of this restaurant seems to be nontraditional meats. I had a venison ragout. You could also get ostrich, zebra, and kangaroo (non!) to cook on a tabletop grill. My ragout was almost black in color. I wonder if they used blood as part of the thickening. Julian ordered a gizzard torte. We split a bowl of three sorbets, which Julian said was the best food so far of our visit here.

This critter was looking over Julian’s shoulder at Le Petit Schlossberg.

I think we’ll go for something a little more tame on our last night in Colmar.

Permanent link to this article: http://ediblethoughts.com/2017/12/12/next-stop-colmar/

Dec 12

Pho in Alsace

After two weeks on the road, my blood fish sauce level was getting extremely low. In addition, the heavy Lyonnais and Alsatian food was wearing on me. We’d seen a restaurant down the street from our hotel that served pho, Restaurant Chez Thuy. We went back there for lunch today.

The menu was a mashup of Alsatian, Thai, and Chinese. The only Vietnamese items on the menu were pho and deep-fried spring rolls (nems). At first the waiter said there was no pho, but the chef said that there was and she’d make it for us. It took a while, but two bowls landed in front of us. It was obvious that she’d made the beef fresh – most of the pieces were rare. The broth had the all-important star anise and cinnamon notes. There was a bottle of sriracha on the table to spike things up.

When the chef came by to clean off our table, Julian asked if she made bun bo Hue. As with most Vietnamese folks, she was quite surprised that we knew about that soup. I explained my discovery of bun bo Hue in New York and that several restaurants in Seattle serve that soup – and I’ve been known to cook it.

Although Restaurant Chez Thuy wasn’t the most transcendent pho we’ve had, the soup was enough to replenish my fish sauce level, at least until we get back home.

Permanent link to this article: http://ediblethoughts.com/2017/12/12/pho-in-alsace/

Dec 10

La Fête, Last Day (for Us)

The crowds descended in earnest on Saturday. We went to the open-air market on the quai to scrounge up breakfast goodies for two days. We picked up some tangerines, yogurt, St. Marcellin cheese, and two briks, North African pastries stuffed with meat or tuna. Both were good.

We did our main shopping of the Lyon trip this day. Julian had lost one of his gloves, and my gloves weren’t up to Lyon’s cold and damp, so we walked up to the North Face store to get replacements. We also did another load of laundry, then took a walk down to Place Bellecour. We found a cookbook store, In Cuisine, where we had caffeine and a snack. I also picked up a small French-English Lyonnais cookbook.

We walked over to Vieux Lyon to check out the chances of going to the installations on the top of the hill. Several brass bands were stationed throughout the neighborhood. These buskers are usually dressed in crazy attire and play tunes not associated with a standard brass band. Some groups were better than others. When we saw the crowds in the streets of Vieux Lyon, we figured that going to see the installations on Fourvière hill was not in our cards. We went back to the hotel and made dinner reservations at a Korean restaurant down the street from the hotel, Gang-Nam. I was worried that it was just a gimmicky joint and we’d have our eardrums blasted out with K-Pop tunes. Quelle surprise – it was a serious and good restaurant. We had the bul gogi menu for two. The meat and mini bi bim bap bowl were excellent. The kim chi was on the bland side. I wonder if they had to tone down the capsaicin for French tastes.

After dinner we went back to the quai so Julian could record the light show on the basilica, cathedral, and the Palace of Justice. The spot where he set up the camera offered the best view, but the sound was muted. So we recorded the sound near one of the speakers, so he could splice them together when we get home. I’ll have the songs played during that light show as earworms for weeks. We chanced one look at the Théâtre des Célestins installation. Unlike the earlier evening, the sound system was working. The chants were very interesting.

Going back to the hotel was akin to swimming in a large school of fish. We managed to get out of the crowd and pick up some brioche for breakfast the next day. Once we returned to the hotel, it was time to pack for our next stop – Colmar.

Permanent link to this article: http://ediblethoughts.com/2017/12/10/la-fete-last-day-for-us/

Dec 10

Words from the Wiseacres, 2017 Edition

So you want to come to next year’s Fête des Lumières? Based on our experience this year, here’s what you need to do:

  • Book flights and hotel rooms EARLY. Julian did so back in February. The Fête is centered around December 8, so you may want to try for a room between December 6-10 next year. We recommend two hotels. Hôtel des Célestins is a more traditional hotel. It was booked solid when Julian called. This year we stayed at Hôtel des Citadines, an apartment hotel. Our room was a studio with a kitchenette. Both offer breakfast as an add-on expense. Staying on the Presqu’Ile is the way to go. Not only is it closest to most of the light installations, it’s the best part of the city for shopping – especially for cute shoes.
  • If you want to eat at some of the more popular places, book reservations early (3 months or so).
  • Don’t rent a car while you’re in Lyon for La Fête. You’ll have a hard time finding a place to park, and you won’t need a car to get around the city. Subways are free during the evenings of La Fête.
  • Bring warm clothes, a hat, and gloves. While we didn’t have snow this year, night time temperatures were in the low 40’s (Fahrenheit). I brought layers to wear underneath my coat.
  • Wear sensible shoes with flexible soles. Some of these cobblestone streets have seen better centuries. I suffered through our first day walking around town in my closed heel clogs. I switched to my trail running shoes for the rest of the visit. Many attendees were wearing sneakers and hiking shoes. As I said earlier, Lyon is much more casual than Paris is.
  • If you’re claustrophobic, bring your anti-anxiety medication. There WILL be crowds stuffed into narrow streets. Saturday night was the worst for crowds, although Friday had its bad spots (the top of Croix-Rousse).
  • As with any large city, expect to see people looking for a handout. Also, expect that there will be people wanting to separate you from your valuables. Exercise caution, and leave your bling at home.
  • We felt reasonably safe from a terrorist attack. Most of the locations were scrubbed of cars parked on the street, and there was a security perimeter at which you had to open your backpacks and other large bags. Soldiers and police officers armed with assault weapons patrolled the streets.

We’re big fans of Lyon, but we probably won’t visit next year. We have many other locations on the bucket list.

Permanent link to this article: http://ediblethoughts.com/2017/12/10/words-from-the-wiseacres-2017-edition/

Load more