Well, finals week begins. I have grammar tomorrow, and I'm terrified! La grammaire, je ne l'aime pas :(. It is funny, though, when you go into a bakery and confuse the gender of whatever it is you want to buy.
"Je voudrais un eclair, s'il vous plait."
"Un eclair? Euhh, une eclaire?"
When I get this sort of response I only assume it means that there is something out there that is "un eclair" or "un galette" or "une beignet." I mean, if I say, no, I don't want une eclaire, but rather, un eclair, do they come out with something else? A small animal, perhaps? I guess I'll just have to try it sometime...
Showing posts with label food. Show all posts
Showing posts with label food. Show all posts
Sunday, December 14, 2008
Friday, December 12, 2008
I learned how to make crepes!
Last Sunday my friend Mathilde picked me up from my dorm and we drove to her house in Courseulles-sur-mer, which is a cute little town by the sea. It was a great day. It's fun to ride in a car, for one thing! I never thought that I'd miss that because I'm not a huge fan of driving most of the time.
We went to the beach where we saw some WWII memorial trucs* (like on almost all of the beaches around here, as one would expect). We walked around her village for a bit and then schlumped on her couch at home, using REAL internet and swapping music. Then, we made good old American chocolate chip cookies, for which Mathilde chopped up some nice dark chocolate. The first batch was pretty good, but I think I added something to the second that made them turn out extremely flat and weird.
For dinner, Mathilde taught me how to make crepes. They were very easy to make, and of course having a good teacher helped! I put ham and Camembert in mine for dinner, and then had a chocolate crepe for dessert. Her father treats himself to raw oysters with a dressing of shallots and red wine vinegar every Sunday, and he let me try a couple of those. This is me schlurping one up!
It was so much fun. Mathilde and her family are very sweet, and it's always nice to get away from the old Tilleuls dorm room!
*French for "thingamajig."
We went to the beach where we saw some WWII memorial trucs* (like on almost all of the beaches around here, as one would expect). We walked around her village for a bit and then schlumped on her couch at home, using REAL internet and swapping music. Then, we made good old American chocolate chip cookies, for which Mathilde chopped up some nice dark chocolate. The first batch was pretty good, but I think I added something to the second that made them turn out extremely flat and weird.
For dinner, Mathilde taught me how to make crepes. They were very easy to make, and of course having a good teacher helped! I put ham and Camembert in mine for dinner, and then had a chocolate crepe for dessert. Her father treats himself to raw oysters with a dressing of shallots and red wine vinegar every Sunday, and he let me try a couple of those. This is me schlurping one up!
It was so much fun. Mathilde and her family are very sweet, and it's always nice to get away from the old Tilleuls dorm room!
*French for "thingamajig."
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Suzanne's Cooking Challenge!
My cooking resources include:
--A kitchen sink
--Two burners
--A large saucepan (large enough to make a full box of pasta in)
--A colander
--A wooden spoon, forks, spoons, butter knives, and a steak knife
And that's all. No microwave, refrigerator, or oven. I have been eating pasta with pesto mixed in for the last week, and I'm not tired of it yet (it's actually quite delicious!) but I don't want to get tired of it, so I need other ideas! They'd probably have to be vegetarian dishes because I do not have a way of storing meat. Cheese and eggs are okay. Milk probably isn't, but I'd try. No peanut butter unless you intend to send me a jar or two (it's about $6 for a tiny jar). I can buy another pot or pan if necessary. Desserts appreciated. The fewer ingredients and the less preparation time the better. Contestant with the best recipe wins a prize. Anyone who submits a recipe with Nutella wins a prize. E-mail all recipes to seemmert@gmail.com Ready, set, go!
--A kitchen sink
--Two burners
--A large saucepan (large enough to make a full box of pasta in)
--A colander
--A wooden spoon, forks, spoons, butter knives, and a steak knife
And that's all. No microwave, refrigerator, or oven. I have been eating pasta with pesto mixed in for the last week, and I'm not tired of it yet (it's actually quite delicious!) but I don't want to get tired of it, so I need other ideas! They'd probably have to be vegetarian dishes because I do not have a way of storing meat. Cheese and eggs are okay. Milk probably isn't, but I'd try. No peanut butter unless you intend to send me a jar or two (it's about $6 for a tiny jar). I can buy another pot or pan if necessary. Desserts appreciated. The fewer ingredients and the less preparation time the better. Contestant with the best recipe wins a prize. Anyone who submits a recipe with Nutella wins a prize. E-mail all recipes to seemmert@gmail.com Ready, set, go!
Saturday, October 4, 2008
Perfect ending to a rough week!
Fromage du jour: Does ice-cream count as a cheese?
Yesterday I felt woozy all day long, and so I took the entire afternoon to sleep. I gave Kylie some money to buy me a dinner because walking put too much pressure on my head—isn’t that pathetic? Who knew that a broken nose and a bump on the head would make walking difficult? I had a delicious dinner of kebab sandwich, Coca Cola, and no preservative, no artificial flavors Twix bars. Oh, mama, it was delicious. I spent the evening alone in my room, just resting off the week by napping and watching House and the season premier of Pushing Daisies. I felt bad that I didn’t feel well enough to go out with my friends (the Chinese waitress, Karen, at our favorite restaurant asked where I was!), but it was exactly what I needed. Today I woke up to the Calvados I love and have been missing during this cold, stormy week: it was warm, sunny, and I felt great!
We had kebab sandwiches for lunch and then Courtney and I went shopping (Kylie and Erica were too sleepy). I found a beret, a sweater, and a skirt at H&M and a much-needed pillow from Eurodif. Eurodif is one of the most amazing stores! It’s a home decorating store with clothing and accessories as well. They have a small selection of yarn that reminded me that I need to attempt knitting again.
Courtney and I swung by the dorm and took Kylie and Erica along to our favorite patisserie (raspberry donut* for me!), and then to Marche Plus (formerly 8 a Huit) for. . .
Cereal and milk.
That’s right. We bought Frosted Flakes and cold milk. Milk in France doesn’t taste good at all, but we couldn’t tell when it was poured over the cereal, and so we had the best afternoon snack! I can’t even tell you how much I’ve missed cereal! Our kitchen doesn’t have a fridge and so we can’t store milk, but I guess we figured that if we all had milk and cereal for dinner we could drink it before it needed refrigeration.
So, how could it not be a good day? The cuts on my nose are healing nicely, I had a great shopping trip, and now I’m at McDonald’s for some WIFI. Let me tell you, I will not take Super Value Menus or WIFI for granted ever, EVER again!
*Forget all you knew about donuts, and pastries in general, if you ever come to France. They’re otherworldly here. How will I ever be able to leave?
Yesterday I felt woozy all day long, and so I took the entire afternoon to sleep. I gave Kylie some money to buy me a dinner because walking put too much pressure on my head—isn’t that pathetic? Who knew that a broken nose and a bump on the head would make walking difficult? I had a delicious dinner of kebab sandwich, Coca Cola, and no preservative, no artificial flavors Twix bars. Oh, mama, it was delicious. I spent the evening alone in my room, just resting off the week by napping and watching House and the season premier of Pushing Daisies. I felt bad that I didn’t feel well enough to go out with my friends (the Chinese waitress, Karen, at our favorite restaurant asked where I was!), but it was exactly what I needed. Today I woke up to the Calvados I love and have been missing during this cold, stormy week: it was warm, sunny, and I felt great!
We had kebab sandwiches for lunch and then Courtney and I went shopping (Kylie and Erica were too sleepy). I found a beret, a sweater, and a skirt at H&M and a much-needed pillow from Eurodif. Eurodif is one of the most amazing stores! It’s a home decorating store with clothing and accessories as well. They have a small selection of yarn that reminded me that I need to attempt knitting again.
Courtney and I swung by the dorm and took Kylie and Erica along to our favorite patisserie (raspberry donut* for me!), and then to Marche Plus (formerly 8 a Huit) for. . .
Cereal and milk.
That’s right. We bought Frosted Flakes and cold milk. Milk in France doesn’t taste good at all, but we couldn’t tell when it was poured over the cereal, and so we had the best afternoon snack! I can’t even tell you how much I’ve missed cereal! Our kitchen doesn’t have a fridge and so we can’t store milk, but I guess we figured that if we all had milk and cereal for dinner we could drink it before it needed refrigeration.
So, how could it not be a good day? The cuts on my nose are healing nicely, I had a great shopping trip, and now I’m at McDonald’s for some WIFI. Let me tell you, I will not take Super Value Menus or WIFI for granted ever, EVER again!
*Forget all you knew about donuts, and pastries in general, if you ever come to France. They’re otherworldly here. How will I ever be able to leave?
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