My friend Nina taught me the word rabat-joie in French. She explained the meaning to me when she met one of my coworkers from when I was working in the Cote D'Azur. HAHAHAHA! In other words, rabat-joie means buzzkill.
This past weekend, Christine was accompanied by her coworker - they were both being sent to Ireland for work after this short trip to Paris. Well, her coworker was definitely a rabat-joie.
When I picked them up from the airport, she seemed pretty friendly. I assumed she was just really shy. I mean, she seemed like a nice person. I figure she just needed a little warming up. I can be extremely shy at times too so I understood. Or perhaps she recently moved to California for work from SE Asia and didn't feel comfortable speaking English since it wasn't her native language. But then I was told she had been in the US for eight years already. It was just really odd that she didn't want to converse with us.
Our first meal, she didn't say a word. She would just give these weird looks when she ate her food. The next day when we had lunch, she continued with these weird expressions. She obviously didn't like her food again. And she tried ordering cheesecake at a very very French restaurant.
For dinner, we met up with three other guys that were attending Ferrandi this year as well as Amanda. She didn't say a word to them. During dinner, her and Christine ended up at a separate table than us since it was so crowded. I wonder how that dinner conversation went?
It was a Saturday night so we all decided to do something chill after dinner - we got a few bottles of wine and went to Amanda's to watch the Office. Of course she didn't want to go. But Christine had to tell us because I guess she didn't want to speak with us.
The next day we went to eat crepes. I asked her what she wanted, and she said the mushroom, onions, ham crepe. When she received, she continued with her weird expressions and started deconstructing her crepe. Amanda asked her if she liked it. She kind of mumbled. I looked at her plate, saw that she had pretty much taken out ALL the filling, then quizically asked her,
"Um... you don't like mushrooms, onions... or ham...?"
She mumbled that she didn't like the ham. Amanda and I just looked at each other a bit confused and a bit annoyed.
Later when I left the table to go to the bathroom, Amanda followed, and Christine went to use the phone, she was sitting at the table alone. Amanda returned and quickly sat down at the table to try to keep her company. The moment she sat down, Rabat-joie took out her iPhone and started playing with it. And didn't say a word to Amanda.
I had an appointment to look at an apartment, so thankfully, Amanda was nice enough to take her and Christine to Pierre Hermé. I mean, how can you come to Paris and not go there? Christine spent a good 60 Euro on a box of macaroons. Her coworker didn't want to try it at first. Then Amanda convinced her to try the dark chocolate and caramel one. You can't go wrong with chocolate and caramel right? She hated it.
At this point, I was borderline offended. Not simply because she didn't like macaroons. Everyone has their preferences. It was because everywhere we went, she refused to speak to us, made constant weird faces about the food, pouted everywhere we went, and hated everything. She didn't want to try anything. French cuisine is my passion and career and I really feel that Paris is my home now. I spent a great deal of time thinking and planning and she was just a huge BUZZKILL about everything that contained a gram of amusement. You don't walk into someone's home and tell them everything in it sucks.
I met up with Nina for dinner the next day and was telling her about this rabat-joie that I had met. Naturally, as a Native French woman, Nina was quite surprised on how much the rabat-joie hated French cuisine (especially since I ordered simple and non-risky dishes for her), and the fact that she didn't say a word to anyone in 2.5 days. Then when I said she hated the macaroons from Pierre Hermé, she paused, took a moment, and said,
"I never want to meet this girl. Ever."
HAHAHAAH. So there you have it. A true and complete RABAT-JOIE.
In addition, I received an update from Christine today. She is in Ireland right now and is fed up with babysitting the rabat-joie. She can't take her anywhere because she pouts everywhere she goes. And tries to order tofu in Irish restaurants. Bonne Courage, Christine !
Monday, October 20, 2008
Bread and Roses
I had previously eaten at Bread and Roses for the first time with Ulla just a few days ago. I had a café crème and a blueberry muffin. This was not a muffin, but rather a scone in muffin form. Holy butter ! It was good - just don't expect a fluffy blueberry muffin.
She mentioned that the cheesecake here was better than American cheesecake. I found it very hard to believe so I opted to come back and try it for myself. I met up with Amanda and Amir today to try it out.
Sorry Ulla, it has nothing on American cheesecake! It was made with crème fraîche instead of Philly cream cheese (Philly cream cheese is a MUST). Also, the crust was a bit too watery and salty for me. It was a lot better than most cheese cake I have tried in France, but not the same as back home. Amanda claims that her cheesecake is better (she made the recipe at her restaurant and the chef put it on their menu - 11 Euro a pop!). I believe her. ;)
The brioche, however, was amazing. Loved it! Amir managed to eat most of the loaf by himself... with some help from me and Amanda. Good job, Amir! Tu bouffe tous. haha
This place is pretty pricey but the quality is definitely there. Next time I will come back and try some of their savory items.
Bread and Roses
7, Rue de Fleurus
75006 Paris
Te: 01 42 22 06 06
She mentioned that the cheesecake here was better than American cheesecake. I found it very hard to believe so I opted to come back and try it for myself. I met up with Amanda and Amir today to try it out.
Sorry Ulla, it has nothing on American cheesecake! It was made with crème fraîche instead of Philly cream cheese (Philly cream cheese is a MUST). Also, the crust was a bit too watery and salty for me. It was a lot better than most cheese cake I have tried in France, but not the same as back home. Amanda claims that her cheesecake is better (she made the recipe at her restaurant and the chef put it on their menu - 11 Euro a pop!). I believe her. ;)
The brioche, however, was amazing. Loved it! Amir managed to eat most of the loaf by himself... with some help from me and Amanda. Good job, Amir! Tu bouffe tous. haha
This place is pretty pricey but the quality is definitely there. Next time I will come back and try some of their savory items.
Bread and Roses
7, Rue de Fleurus
75006 Paris
Te: 01 42 22 06 06
Saturday, October 18, 2008
My love for L'Ardoise only continues to grow deeper
I originally planned all my meals from reading Hungry for Paris. La Gazetta was whatever; Higuma was average, and Le Baratin was a bust. I decided to change all the reservations I made and go to bistros that I knew were good from experience. Made last minute plans to go to L'Ardoise. It was already 14h00 by the time we got there but the lady on the phone said it was okay to come by. (Hey, I am a cook, I know what it feels like to have customers come in right before closing. They need their break!)
It was so refreshing to be greeted with a warm smile. There were two other tables there eating so I didn't feel too bad. On with the food.
I ordered langoustine ravioli with bisque. Can I just say that this was fucking delicious. It came out piping hot too. Just like my chef always said in school:
"Hot, well-seasoned, and on time!"
And roasted lamb with coco beans. Again, H.W-S.O-T. And delicious, of course.
The "vegetarian" eating scallops! (She ate one for the first time last night!) Her dish came with puff pastry and cepes. Christine thought the food was a bit "weird" since she wasn't used to it. Her coworker, on the other hand, hated everything. But I will get to that in another post. ahhahahaha
It's been a good year since I ordered profiteroles (or in Raf's words - Roger Federals). These are probably some of the best I've had here. F'in bon, man !
AND CHRISTINE STOLE MY LAST BITE OF ICE-CREAM - FROM MY PLATE. WHO DOES THAT???
She claims it's a "Jersey" thing.
L'Ardoise toned down on the size of the portions which was nice. The waitress there was so incredibly sweet and accommodating. (Last time we ate here, we had a stress case as a waitress). I was so happy to have a good meal here in addition to a nice serveuse - especially after the shit meal we had last night.
Je suis très contente.
L'Ardoise
28, Rue Mont Thabor
75001 Paris
Tel: + 33 1 42 96 28 18
It was so refreshing to be greeted with a warm smile. There were two other tables there eating so I didn't feel too bad. On with the food.
I ordered langoustine ravioli with bisque. Can I just say that this was fucking delicious. It came out piping hot too. Just like my chef always said in school:
"Hot, well-seasoned, and on time!"
And roasted lamb with coco beans. Again, H.W-S.O-T. And delicious, of course.
The "vegetarian" eating scallops! (She ate one for the first time last night!) Her dish came with puff pastry and cepes. Christine thought the food was a bit "weird" since she wasn't used to it. Her coworker, on the other hand, hated everything. But I will get to that in another post. ahhahahaha
It's been a good year since I ordered profiteroles (or in Raf's words - Roger Federals). These are probably some of the best I've had here. F'in bon, man !
AND CHRISTINE STOLE MY LAST BITE OF ICE-CREAM - FROM MY PLATE. WHO DOES THAT???
She claims it's a "Jersey" thing.
L'Ardoise toned down on the size of the portions which was nice. The waitress there was so incredibly sweet and accommodating. (Last time we ate here, we had a stress case as a waitress). I was so happy to have a good meal here in addition to a nice serveuse - especially after the shit meal we had last night.
Je suis très contente.
L'Ardoise
28, Rue Mont Thabor
75001 Paris
Tel: + 33 1 42 96 28 18
Friday, October 17, 2008
Le Baratin is the suck
Had Christine come visit me in Paris this weekend with her coworker. I took quite a bit of time researching places to eat. Le Baratin is one of those "local" favorites - it's a wine bar serving rustic bistro fair. Well, I guess I was expecting a lot from this place because of the rave reviews made by food writers and foodies in general. This place is le suck.
I made a reservation at 19h30. I was told on the phone that we would only have the table for two hours. No prob. When we first walked in, we weren't greeted with any smiles (actually we weren't even greeted at all) and instead with cold service. And the 2nd thing that came out of the (I think) owners mouth was to be out by 21h30.
We were the first ones seated, and the last ones served. There were four other tables seated after us - even 10-15 minutes after us. We got our entrees 30 minutes later! Incroyable ! Keep in mind that I am always polite, and speak only in French when I go to restaurants. But it was clear that me and the company I was with are American.
Ok let's get to the food - it was mediocre at most. My scallops were luke warm if not room temperature. I think they just let it sit out to cool down just for kicks. The plate was cold. The dressing sloppier than the rest of the clients who ordered the same dish. The scallops weren't cooked evenly. This was simple - I have done this at home, it's not that hard people.
In between courses, we wanted to order more wine. I tried to get the attention of the waiter. He totally looked at me, then looked away. And pretended that he didn't see me. He came by 5 minutes later. What a douche. However, there was another waiter that was polite to us - he was the only one that really acknowledged our existence. It was too bad he wasn't our serveur.
Duck done two ways - roasted and confit. The confit was cooked properly but there was no salt! Is that even possible? The roasted slice was overcooked. See the beautiful gray coloring of the duck meat?
I didn't finish my dish at all. Christine only ate some mackarel carppacio and didn't even want to eat the vegetables on my plate. (She is vegetarian). We had enough of the shitty service and luke-warm, under-seasoned food so we skipped on dessert.
The only good thing about this place is their cat. She (I think) made herself comfortable on Christine's jacket. The entire dinner.
I have been in Paris for a year and this is the first time I have experienced shitty service like this. The rest of the clients were French and were greeted with smiles and good service. Funny thing is, I am not even picky about service and thought this place was bad. I can't think of any other reason why they would be rude to us except for the fact we are American. And it sucked because this was Christine's first trip to France. Not a good impresson.
I'm glad that this was expensed on Christine's company. We would feel worse if we actually had to pay for it. Definitely not going back. Attention, les Americains !
I made a reservation at 19h30. I was told on the phone that we would only have the table for two hours. No prob. When we first walked in, we weren't greeted with any smiles (actually we weren't even greeted at all) and instead with cold service. And the 2nd thing that came out of the (I think) owners mouth was to be out by 21h30.
We were the first ones seated, and the last ones served. There were four other tables seated after us - even 10-15 minutes after us. We got our entrees 30 minutes later! Incroyable ! Keep in mind that I am always polite, and speak only in French when I go to restaurants. But it was clear that me and the company I was with are American.
Ok let's get to the food - it was mediocre at most. My scallops were luke warm if not room temperature. I think they just let it sit out to cool down just for kicks. The plate was cold. The dressing sloppier than the rest of the clients who ordered the same dish. The scallops weren't cooked evenly. This was simple - I have done this at home, it's not that hard people.
In between courses, we wanted to order more wine. I tried to get the attention of the waiter. He totally looked at me, then looked away. And pretended that he didn't see me. He came by 5 minutes later. What a douche. However, there was another waiter that was polite to us - he was the only one that really acknowledged our existence. It was too bad he wasn't our serveur.
Duck done two ways - roasted and confit. The confit was cooked properly but there was no salt! Is that even possible? The roasted slice was overcooked. See the beautiful gray coloring of the duck meat?
I didn't finish my dish at all. Christine only ate some mackarel carppacio and didn't even want to eat the vegetables on my plate. (She is vegetarian). We had enough of the shitty service and luke-warm, under-seasoned food so we skipped on dessert.
The only good thing about this place is their cat. She (I think) made herself comfortable on Christine's jacket. The entire dinner.
I have been in Paris for a year and this is the first time I have experienced shitty service like this. The rest of the clients were French and were greeted with smiles and good service. Funny thing is, I am not even picky about service and thought this place was bad. I can't think of any other reason why they would be rude to us except for the fact we are American. And it sucked because this was Christine's first trip to France. Not a good impresson.
I'm glad that this was expensed on Christine's company. We would feel worse if we actually had to pay for it. Definitely not going back. Attention, les Americains !
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Toni & Guy, Gyoza, Lamen, Balls... what more could a girl ask for?
Had an uneventful day in the office. Rushed to my FREE hair appointment at the Academie de Toni & Guy. It was awesome. It took around 2.5 hours because all students needed their professor's approval before moving onto the next step. Totally fine by me. Was reading Hungry for Paris (Alexander Lobrano) in the salon. Relaxing. Almost fell asleep. And T&G did a great job.
At first they asked if I they could cut it to my shoulders. Of course I said no. I wanted to keep the length, otherwise, I didn't care. They started cutting the top part really short. Like to the middle of my ears short. I got scared. But I had to keep in mind that they were training professionals at Toni & Guy. Their goal was to add more volume but also keep it sleek and modern. By the end of it, I was very happy. Who can refuse a free haircut from a popular (and normally expensive) salon?
My hair is 10 lbs lighter than before. Can't totally see all the layers but you get the gist of it.
Academie de Toni & Guy
122 rue du Faubourg St. Honore
75008 Paris
T: 0033 1 40 20 1593 (Call at least 3 weeks in advance)
toniandguy.academy@wanadoo.fr
I was so sleepy by the end of the rdv - I went back to Amanda's hoping to take a nap, but received an email to check out an apartment in the Montmartre area. It was located in a beautiful private street.
It was so Parisian - I loved it. It even had the old old old elevators. This would NEVER fly in the US. But I found it quite charming.
I love the architecture of the buildings in Paris - and the fact that all these old buildings have modern digicode pads. Well, the owners of the apt were a no-show so I went to try Higuma in Japantown. I read about it in Hungry for Paris. I ordered what was recommended - the gyoza and ramen. The gyoza was good but not fried enough on the bottom, but I remain neutral on the ramen. Noodles weren't the right noodles. Broth a bit bland. Pork was nicely cooked though. But definitely NOT something to write about. It ain't got nothing on Ryowa or Santa Ramen in CA!
Afterwards, I realized that balls were right around the corner... so why not? Nice lid.
Ummm I got warm balls in my belly ! (Hot green tea with milk). If you look closely, you can see my semi-healed thumb injury.
I was so full so I decided to walk back home from the 2nd arrondisement. It was beautiful tonight.
At first they asked if I they could cut it to my shoulders. Of course I said no. I wanted to keep the length, otherwise, I didn't care. They started cutting the top part really short. Like to the middle of my ears short. I got scared. But I had to keep in mind that they were training professionals at Toni & Guy. Their goal was to add more volume but also keep it sleek and modern. By the end of it, I was very happy. Who can refuse a free haircut from a popular (and normally expensive) salon?
My hair is 10 lbs lighter than before. Can't totally see all the layers but you get the gist of it.
Academie de Toni & Guy
122 rue du Faubourg St. Honore
75008 Paris
T: 0033 1 40 20 1593 (Call at least 3 weeks in advance)
toniandguy.academy@wanadoo.fr
I was so sleepy by the end of the rdv - I went back to Amanda's hoping to take a nap, but received an email to check out an apartment in the Montmartre area. It was located in a beautiful private street.
It was so Parisian - I loved it. It even had the old old old elevators. This would NEVER fly in the US. But I found it quite charming.
I love the architecture of the buildings in Paris - and the fact that all these old buildings have modern digicode pads. Well, the owners of the apt were a no-show so I went to try Higuma in Japantown. I read about it in Hungry for Paris. I ordered what was recommended - the gyoza and ramen. The gyoza was good but not fried enough on the bottom, but I remain neutral on the ramen. Noodles weren't the right noodles. Broth a bit bland. Pork was nicely cooked though. But definitely NOT something to write about. It ain't got nothing on Ryowa or Santa Ramen in CA!
Afterwards, I realized that balls were right around the corner... so why not? Nice lid.
Ummm I got warm balls in my belly ! (Hot green tea with milk). If you look closely, you can see my semi-healed thumb injury.
I was so full so I decided to walk back home from the 2nd arrondisement. It was beautiful tonight.
Raf's Birthday dinner
My fam took Raf out for his birthday at one of our favorite Chinese [Muslim] restaurants. =)
I love how they put candles in the oranges for him.
Love him =)
Chinjin Eastern House Restaurant
1530 South De Anza Blvd.
San Jose, CA 95129
(408) 865-0302
I love how they put candles in the oranges for him.
Love him =)
Chinjin Eastern House Restaurant
1530 South De Anza Blvd.
San Jose, CA 95129
(408) 865-0302
Saturday, October 11, 2008
La Gazetta and Nina day
Grabbed lunch with Nina today at La Gazzetta (referral from the book Hungry for Paris). Some dishes were good like the sardine rillettes (ummm garlic, eggplant, red peppers) and the chou-fleur soup (cauliflower - simple but delicious). And also "foie de volaille" (poultry/chicken liver) on a thin piece of pita-type bread. It tasted like vomit/stomach acid. Major turn-off. *Shudders.* I had a beef dish with spinach and squash that was pretty good. Nina had a braised beef dish which she did not like. Overall it was decent for the price but I probably won't go back.
Massa-san, my colleague from my last resto was supposed to work here in December. Unfortunately, the contract fell through. He happened to be in Paris that day and actually stopped by the resto to see if the chef was in. He ended up walking around Paris with us.
We walked from the Bastille all the way to the Pompidou and Les Halles.
We went to Chez George which is (on the top floor of the Pompidou) to have ridiculously expensive smoothies that aren't as good as back in the States. The French have just begun catching on to the smoothie craze.
See Sacre Coeur ? I'd love to live in Montmartre someday.
This is a place where all the trendy folks and hipsters go to hang out. It has a beautiful ambiance - can't say much about the food.
Earlier, I had stopped by Pain de Sucre to grab a little gateau for Nina's late birthday treat. I had tried to work something out earlier in the week but we were both too busy to meet up even though we live one stop away from each other now. So Nina ended up carrying her lil treat the entire afternoon. Didn't get a chance to munch on it until we sat down at Chez George.
Tant pis !
The lil gateau was SUPER rich and heavy on the green tea. One bite was enough for me. Pretty good though. As for the pain au chocolat, I've had better.
Pain de Sucre
14, Rue Rambuteau
75003 Paris, France
Tel: 01 45 74 68 92
I had a lot of errands to run, and thankfully, Nina was very patient and came with me. I had to go to H&M since it was the only place that carried baby clothes. H&M at Les Halles is like COSTCO in Sunnyvale. On a Saturday afternoon. *Shudders again* But I got that over with. We ended up walking around rue Montorgeuil, then through rue de St. Denis where the prostitutes were getting ready for work. Then all the way back to the 18th. Didn't take one metro - it was nice! I need to do this more often. Didn't get back home until around 20h30 ! Was a pretty productive day.
Massa-san, my colleague from my last resto was supposed to work here in December. Unfortunately, the contract fell through. He happened to be in Paris that day and actually stopped by the resto to see if the chef was in. He ended up walking around Paris with us.
We walked from the Bastille all the way to the Pompidou and Les Halles.
We went to Chez George which is (on the top floor of the Pompidou) to have ridiculously expensive smoothies that aren't as good as back in the States. The French have just begun catching on to the smoothie craze.
See Sacre Coeur ? I'd love to live in Montmartre someday.
This is a place where all the trendy folks and hipsters go to hang out. It has a beautiful ambiance - can't say much about the food.
Earlier, I had stopped by Pain de Sucre to grab a little gateau for Nina's late birthday treat. I had tried to work something out earlier in the week but we were both too busy to meet up even though we live one stop away from each other now. So Nina ended up carrying her lil treat the entire afternoon. Didn't get a chance to munch on it until we sat down at Chez George.
Tant pis !
The lil gateau was SUPER rich and heavy on the green tea. One bite was enough for me. Pretty good though. As for the pain au chocolat, I've had better.
Pain de Sucre
14, Rue Rambuteau
75003 Paris, France
Tel: 01 45 74 68 92
I had a lot of errands to run, and thankfully, Nina was very patient and came with me. I had to go to H&M since it was the only place that carried baby clothes. H&M at Les Halles is like COSTCO in Sunnyvale. On a Saturday afternoon. *Shudders again* But I got that over with. We ended up walking around rue Montorgeuil, then through rue de St. Denis where the prostitutes were getting ready for work. Then all the way back to the 18th. Didn't take one metro - it was nice! I need to do this more often. Didn't get back home until around 20h30 ! Was a pretty productive day.
Friday, October 10, 2008
Food... what else?
I made financiers the other day with my new financier molds - they were for Nina but she was too busy this week to pick them up. Tant pis - me and Amanda ate them.
For lunch, we went back to Le Salon de Thé Wen Zhou - I know, I have been there a million times this week, but not for lunch. ;)
We tried this "flat bun" with Chinese veg and meat.
And of course ordered the Cha Niu Hu.
Their buns
GOOD NEWS ! They started making zhi ma qio ! And they are 100x better than the ones a few doors down. Perfectly cooked.
For lunch, we went back to Le Salon de Thé Wen Zhou - I know, I have been there a million times this week, but not for lunch. ;)
We tried this "flat bun" with Chinese veg and meat.
And of course ordered the Cha Niu Hu.
Their buns
GOOD NEWS ! They started making zhi ma qio ! And they are 100x better than the ones a few doors down. Perfectly cooked.
Thursday, October 09, 2008
The Office: Episode 2 - Business Ethics
Ah, an excellent episode of The Office. Could life get any better?
Jim Halpert: By any chance did you see Battlestar Gallactica?
Andy: No I did not. Was that any good?
Jim Halpert: Actually not. It was really so-so. [holds up stopwatch to Dwight] I mean I like all the crazy monsters and stuff, you know like Klingons and Wookies and all that but-- Sorry was, there something you wanted to add Dwight?
Andy: Is that anything like the original Battlestar Galactica.
Jim Halpert: You know what's weird? It's practically a shot for shot remake.
Andy: Really? Huh. Cool.
Jim Halpert: The story's kind of bland. It's about this guy named Dumbledore Calamazin and he has to return the ring back to Mordor.
Andy: [pause] That doesn't sound right...
Jim Halpert: By any chance did you see Battlestar Gallactica?
Andy: No I did not. Was that any good?
Jim Halpert: Actually not. It was really so-so. [holds up stopwatch to Dwight] I mean I like all the crazy monsters and stuff, you know like Klingons and Wookies and all that but-- Sorry was, there something you wanted to add Dwight?
Andy: Is that anything like the original Battlestar Galactica.
Jim Halpert: You know what's weird? It's practically a shot for shot remake.
Andy: Really? Huh. Cool.
Jim Halpert: The story's kind of bland. It's about this guy named Dumbledore Calamazin and he has to return the ring back to Mordor.
Andy: [pause] That doesn't sound right...
Routine again... sort of.
Went into work today. Was maybe 5 minutes late. Started to freak out a bit. But then realized that I am in France. Doucement. I was actually the first one there. I guess I had flashbacks of working in the Office back in CA where I was micromanaged. HAH!
At 11h30 today I was told to prepare a lunch. Like toute de suite (right away) for three people - one of them didn't eat bread or things with lactose in it. Ummmm... ok, so I ran to the market and bought a bunch of veg and fruit. I wanted to roast my own chicken but since I was given about 5 minutes notice, it didn't happen so I bought already roasted chicken legs... I was afraid of it being dry already. Oh well. Made a little avocado/endive amuse bouche with Vinaigre de Xeres, olive oil, and honey. Another simple salad. Rabbit terrine. Chicken. Figs with honey and goat cheese. Rasberries and clementines with sugar. Yah, very simple.
This reminds me of an incident where a vegan came to eat at the restaurant last month. The pastry chef wasn't given notice so during service he was told:
"Ok, so this client doesn't eat flour, milk, cheese, or butter. What do you have?"
"... Rien." (Nothing) HAHAHAHA
I don't understand veganism. Anyway back to the subject of making lunch, it was nice to do something non-administrative. I am reminded why there are some jobs that I cannot do for the long-term.
There is another culinary-related company that shares the office with us. I met a Californian who works there. He was actually doing business with my former chef last month. I am sure we walked by each other a ton of times but didn't notice since we were focused so much on work. Small world - everyone is connected in this industry. It was nice to talk with another NorCalian.
After work, I went to Belleville with Amanda to pick up more buns and loads of Bok Choy. Then went to go talk to Chef Séb at school. It was nice since I hadn't seen him for awhile. Grabbed a café and talked for a good hour. Had to fill him in on all that has happened the past 3 months - which was a LOT... and I probably left out a lot of details but he got the gist of everything - trip to the hospital, annoying men hitting on me at work, working in CA, staying in France 'legally' yada yada yada.
Also ran into Chef Thierry - my former pastry chef at Ferrandi. Me as well as the rest of the Anglo class loved Thierry so it was really nice to see him. I think I will always have an attachment to Ferrandi and all my chefs as well as the coordinator of the Anglo program - this was already my 4th visit to the school since I have been back in Paris.
I lost track of time and then rushed to meet Amanda at work so I could pick up her apt keys. I got to see a bit of the kitchen that she works in. Ah, Amanda.
One word sums her up.
Catastrophe
Actually two - disastre.=D
When she introduced me to one of her coworkers, this is what she did.
(Points to me and then looks at her co-worker) Joan. Ummm Amie from l'école." (Friend from school)
Then I said to her "Did you just say Amie from l'école?
Amanda :"Oh yah ~ you know I butcher the French language."
HAHAHAHAH - catastrophe. =D
So I am finally having some kind of routine again. I am still pretty tired though. I haven't been sleeping much lately. But it's nice having time to update my blog, visit friends in Paris, read, attempt to figure out what I am going to do with my life, have "me" time... and have the option to eat 'non-staff meal' lunches and dinners that don't include pasta pasta and more pasta.
At 11h30 today I was told to prepare a lunch. Like toute de suite (right away) for three people - one of them didn't eat bread or things with lactose in it. Ummmm... ok, so I ran to the market and bought a bunch of veg and fruit. I wanted to roast my own chicken but since I was given about 5 minutes notice, it didn't happen so I bought already roasted chicken legs... I was afraid of it being dry already. Oh well. Made a little avocado/endive amuse bouche with Vinaigre de Xeres, olive oil, and honey. Another simple salad. Rabbit terrine. Chicken. Figs with honey and goat cheese. Rasberries and clementines with sugar. Yah, very simple.
This reminds me of an incident where a vegan came to eat at the restaurant last month. The pastry chef wasn't given notice so during service he was told:
"Ok, so this client doesn't eat flour, milk, cheese, or butter. What do you have?"
"... Rien." (Nothing) HAHAHAHA
I don't understand veganism. Anyway back to the subject of making lunch, it was nice to do something non-administrative. I am reminded why there are some jobs that I cannot do for the long-term.
There is another culinary-related company that shares the office with us. I met a Californian who works there. He was actually doing business with my former chef last month. I am sure we walked by each other a ton of times but didn't notice since we were focused so much on work. Small world - everyone is connected in this industry. It was nice to talk with another NorCalian.
After work, I went to Belleville with Amanda to pick up more buns and loads of Bok Choy. Then went to go talk to Chef Séb at school. It was nice since I hadn't seen him for awhile. Grabbed a café and talked for a good hour. Had to fill him in on all that has happened the past 3 months - which was a LOT... and I probably left out a lot of details but he got the gist of everything - trip to the hospital, annoying men hitting on me at work, working in CA, staying in France 'legally' yada yada yada.
Also ran into Chef Thierry - my former pastry chef at Ferrandi. Me as well as the rest of the Anglo class loved Thierry so it was really nice to see him. I think I will always have an attachment to Ferrandi and all my chefs as well as the coordinator of the Anglo program - this was already my 4th visit to the school since I have been back in Paris.
I lost track of time and then rushed to meet Amanda at work so I could pick up her apt keys. I got to see a bit of the kitchen that she works in. Ah, Amanda.
One word sums her up.
Catastrophe
Actually two - disastre.=D
When she introduced me to one of her coworkers, this is what she did.
(Points to me and then looks at her co-worker) Joan. Ummm Amie from l'école." (Friend from school)
Then I said to her "Did you just say Amie from l'école?
Amanda :"Oh yah ~ you know I butcher the French language."
HAHAHAHAH - catastrophe. =D
So I am finally having some kind of routine again. I am still pretty tired though. I haven't been sleeping much lately. But it's nice having time to update my blog, visit friends in Paris, read, attempt to figure out what I am going to do with my life, have "me" time... and have the option to eat 'non-staff meal' lunches and dinners that don't include pasta pasta and more pasta.
Tuesday, October 07, 2008
Just another day at the office ... ?
Got a part-time gig in the office at a culinary company. hah! I will be working here until I start my next stage in November.
There is an empty office that I will be using. Isn't this awesome wall art? Her torso is painted.
Anyone know who this model is? I love this photo. Beats the boring office wall art back home.
Can you imagine if someone hung this up in the US? Lawsuit city.
Which reminds me of an incident that happened at my last company. I had a picture of Gwen Stefani on my wall. Someone complained about it to HR because of the short shorts and plunging neckline. It was placed next to a half naked photo of the Rock. (It was the fashion spread on the right side)
hahah! Oh the memories...
Look how hard I am working
The secretary recommended a tiny little sandwich/salad/wrap place that served smoothies. Picked up a bagel (been a LONG time - it was quite good) and a smoothie with mango/banana/yogurt ice-cream. And I got a "student" discount. Woot !
The company is in a gorgeous building with an awesome view of the Seine. This is the view from the particular office I am working in.
Tomorrow I go to school for a "kitchen design" class. =)
Oh, and another big HAPPY BIRTHDAY to RAF !!! I made delicious rich, dark chocolate, buttery/fudgey brownies in his honor.
There is an empty office that I will be using. Isn't this awesome wall art? Her torso is painted.
Anyone know who this model is? I love this photo. Beats the boring office wall art back home.
Can you imagine if someone hung this up in the US? Lawsuit city.
Which reminds me of an incident that happened at my last company. I had a picture of Gwen Stefani on my wall. Someone complained about it to HR because of the short shorts and plunging neckline. It was placed next to a half naked photo of the Rock. (It was the fashion spread on the right side)
hahah! Oh the memories...
Look how hard I am working
The secretary recommended a tiny little sandwich/salad/wrap place that served smoothies. Picked up a bagel (been a LONG time - it was quite good) and a smoothie with mango/banana/yogurt ice-cream. And I got a "student" discount. Woot !
The company is in a gorgeous building with an awesome view of the Seine. This is the view from the particular office I am working in.
Tomorrow I go to school for a "kitchen design" class. =)
Oh, and another big HAPPY BIRTHDAY to RAF !!! I made delicious rich, dark chocolate, buttery/fudgey brownies in his honor.
Monday, October 06, 2008
Happy Belated Birthday to Zachary !
He turned 1 on 2 Oct 2008. What a feast - that lucky boy. =)
With mommy and daddy
With the grandparents
Cake =)
I didn't know it was possible for him to get any cuter!
With mommy and daddy
With the grandparents
Cake =)
I didn't know it was possible for him to get any cuter!
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