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From Abroad

In an earlier post I wrote about going to Prague with other ERASMUS (international exchange) students. One of my colleagues that went with me was Bénédicte (Béné) from France. She had great things to say about Paris (where she is from) and France in general, so I decided to make a journey there as a part of my tour around Europe. I have always been intrigued by France, from their pioneering culinary abilities, to how they carry their language worldwide proudly.

When I meet someone new, I pay close attention to their mannerisms (how they carry themselves). I noticed many things about the French that I wanted to get to know better. They are among the most articulated eaters I have ever seen! Every slice of the knife or fork seems to be deliberate, the transfer of food from plate to mouth (a bite) is made with such a precision I cannot help but notice (and try to imitate immediately (-: ). If you have ever spent time with a French person, perhaps you know what I mean! They have a specific technique for applying cheese to the baguette, a technique I am quite proud to have conquered (-: Another item worth mentioning is how the French greet each other- nearly everyone greets you with “monsiouer” or “madame” and the utmost of courteousness is practiced. The French etiquette is worth looking into, if only everyone in America could treat each other with such respect.

Well, enough about eating etiquette, let me talk about the food! The French really know a good meal, when I arrived at Béné’s residence around 10pm the day I flew in, her family had prepared a 4 course meal! We started with an aperitif of a sweet wine, with some light snacks. Then moved onto a kind of mashed potato casserole with ground beef called “hachis parnentier” with a salad and of course a robust red wine from the Bordeaux region (-: After that came the cheese course, and to my delight- it was a 4 cheese platter with sliced baguette! The French _really _know how to make a proper cheese (partly because the cheese is not always pasteurized- which can eliminate the flavor)! I would also like to note that it is not unusual for a French family to go to the “Boulangerie” (bakery) for baguettes and other items twice a day! The last course was an ice cream with fresh pear- absolutely amazingly delicious! Every evening we had a lovely home cooked meal- and on my last night we had a 3 course crêpe meal!

Wow, writing that just made me really hungry (-; Béné’s family lives in Bullion, a suburb south-west of Paris and the commute into the downtown takes about an hour. Since I arrived on a Monday and departed on a Friday, each morning took the train to work with her father- Jacques and just kept riding further after he got off each day to go the office, it worked out surprisingly well (-: Her family was even gracious enough to purchase the train tickets I needed to get downtown. In fact, I was thoroughly impressed by her whole familys’ hospitality for my visit; they provided me with a roof over my head (my own room (-: ), great dinners with traditional food and wine, opportunities to sightsee (Jacques and Marie-Pierre took me to the palace of Versailles!), and pleasant company. Staying with lovely families is the only way to travel around Europe, it is all about the people you know (-:

The photo above is the Promenade Plantée- a former railway viaduct that has been converted into a park- perhaps one of the most romantic places to go for a walk in Paris (in my opinion (-; ) It has inspired other cities to plant their old railway bridges too.

The photos below are of the gardens at the Palace of Versailles- some of the most exquisitely maintained gardens I have ever seen, it is amazing the symmetry exhibited there. Clearly in former times, there was no shortage of absolute opulence for the king!

Above is myself, Jacques and Marie-Pierre

If you have had a lovely experience in France like I did- feel free to post a comment! I think many Americans stereotype the French as people who do not like us, this is absolutely wrong, take my word- they are a friendly, fun-loving people (just make an attempt at speaking/learning French when you are there (-: ).