Tag Archives: Paris

Doing it All

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Or, trying to.

Excuse me for my frequent (and sporadic) absences. I’m gone for a week, I post for a week, and then before I know it, my last post was on February 8th and it’s about the be the 14th. Oops.

I know excuses don’t often suffice, but I’ve been a very busy girl.

Internship (kitchen and boutique). Running (10 miles on Sunday!). Work (Virginia Woolf and Thomas Hardy in french, woof). Sleeping (early to bed, early to rise, man!). Friends. Family (dad and brother arrive Friday!). Plus, I’ve just discovered pinterest. So that’s where all my time has been going…

So it’s been hard to find the time to write a blog post among doing everything else. Plus, I keep forgetting my camera everywhere I go. So I don’t have a lot of stuff to post! Such a bad blogger.

I’m going to ask you all to hang in there for another 2 weeks. Less than that! (Also, “you all”– let’s be serious, how many of “you” are there?) I’ve got a busy week ahead of me, and an even busier weekend with the family. As excited as I am for all of it, I feel like I’ll finally be able to take a breath next Wednesday. February break is in 2 weeks, so hopefully I’ll be able to get some quality posts in!

PS. As mentioned above, I’m back in the running saddle and loving it. I just did my first 10-miler since 2010!

Check this out:

Scaling Mont Blanc

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It’s freezing here. I never thought I would consider any place other than Clinton, NY as cold, but Paris is certainly climbing the charts (though dropping in temperature). Luckily, it’s only a cold spell and the temperatures will be back in the 40′s by the middle of next week. Unfortunately, Clinton will be back in the 40′s mid-May. Bring on Senior Year…

Anyways, this weather has lent some interesting sights around Paris– most namely, the frozen fountains. To be fair, I’ve only seen one frozen fountain, and that’s because I have to cut through the Lux (oh, excuse me, Jardin du Luxembourg) most days on my way to and from class.

Check this out, will ya?

No ice skating here. You’ll have to go to the Hôtel de Ville for that. (Is it even still open?)

A better look…

The poor birds!

In honor of the cold weather (and also because I’m like a polar bear and don’t shy away from gaining any extra layer of fat when it’s really  [excuse my french] cold out), I picked out an extra special dessert at lunch.

The Mont Blanc. Ever seen it? I guess you’d say it was modeled after the Mont Blanc. But I just thought it looked really interesting. I’ll admit, the vermicelli freaked me out (all those tiny tiny stringy-things), but when I learnt that it was made of crème de marron (chestnut cream), I thought I would give this pastry a second chance.

*Apologies for the photos. I keep my windows shut at all times now (#recluse) because it’s so cold out, so there is literally no natural light in my room.*

It’s also much smaller than these pictures make it look. I promise I’m not a huge glutton. Only a little one.

I can’t even begin to describe to you what this thing is, other than deliciousness. And it’s a lot of fun to eat. Contrary to what I thought, the dessert is not made entirely of these chestunut strings– that’s only the cover. Literally. On the inside, held in place by a buttery tart on the bottom, is a mix of whipped cream, crème de marron, and marrons glacés (sugary chestnuts). The dessert is garnished with marrons glacés atop the mound of vermicelli.

It’s delicious. And definitely something you’ll only want to have once in a while.

Oh, and I’d suggest a plate and a fork. You may not need as much equipment as an actual mountain climber, but you’ll want to be prepared.

Visions of Sugarplums

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Let’s talk about life. More specifically, life anxiety. I have a ton of it. I think anyone currently in college is familiar with the huge amount of pressure the career center puts on you to have a “Career Related Experience” by the time you graduate. And you only have 3 summers to fit one in!

Let me share a little bit about my own experiences, though not always “Career-Related.” The summer after freshman year, I worked as a camp counselor at the camp I’ve attended since I was 10. I don’t regret this at all.

I finally made a resumé sophomore year. I believe the career center referred to this as “Mile 1.” That spring, I finally started thinking about how I might want to spend my summer. I knew it was time to do something away from camp, but I didn’t know what. And I tend to always choose where I want to be before I decide what I’ll actually be doing there. The two options I had in my mind were both internship opportunities at healthy living magazines. The first one, in San Francisco, was at VegNews. As a vegan at the time, I wanted nothing more than to intern here. Sure, I’d have to find my  way out to California and somehow make everything work while only living there for a summer, but I wasn’t thinking too hard about it. The only problem was, they didn’t have any summer internships– only Spring and Fall. As much as I would have loved to spend a semester in SanFran, I had already made plans to go to Paris for the year. And I’m so glad I did!

I turned, therefore, to my second choice– EatingWell magazine based out of Charlotte, Vermont, a 15-minute drive from downtown Burlington. This, I thought, would be perfect. I thought I had all the credentials I would need to work at this magazine that focused on healthy living and vegetarian cooking. I was so confident! And in retrospect, I think I had every right to be. Before I go on, there’s something you should know about me. When I get an idea in my head, it quickly snowballs. So when I decided that I wanted to work at EatingWell for the summer, I immediately set out to find an apartment. After some late nights searching cool apartments on Craigslist, I finally found one that I thought would work for a sublet. I did all the paperwork, and the lease was set in stone. Mind you, though I had already mailed my internship application to EatingWell, I hadn’t heard back from them. They had told me “late April” as the deadline, but at this point it was March and I was worried about not being able to find an apartment in Burlington. So, as I said, I secured a living situation before I secured a job. Smart, right? Never do this.

So there I was, hanging out in Burlington but with no money coming in and a bank account draining daily from living expenses and monthly rent. Luckily, I found work at a bakery in Vergennes, VT, but that was only after about a month there, and it was only on Saturdays. I was happy with that, though, because it was something that interested me. After spending the weekend at a friend’s house in Norwich, VT, her mom informed me that she had a friend who worked at the Burlington Community Health Center, and perhaps they were looking for someone to help out in the summer! I have no interest in going into healthcare, but I was open to anything at this point. Lo and behold, they had just posted a position that, in their words, was “ideal for a college student.” It was 40 hours a week for 6 weeks– it actually ended the last day of my lease. So, for 8 hours a day, 5 days a week, for 6 weeks, I sat/stood outside on the sidewalk in the burning sun and pouring rain and directed confused patients through a construction zone. Talk about “character building” experiences. But I met some great people, and I really did have a good time. And I actually balanced out my bank account!

With spending the year in Paris, however, I’ve come to recognize that it will be most important for me to spend the summer at home, with my family. I don’t remember the last time I did this, and I want to get it out of my system while it’s still sort of socially acceptable. Because of this decision, I won’t be looking for any summer internships. Work, sure! I’ll need something to get me out of the house, as I think most people can understand that after being at home for 2 straight weeks, you start to go crazy.

But what about my Career Related Experience? How was I ever going to enter the workforce without having some sort of formal internship/work experience on my resumé? Who would want me? The words “LIFE FAILURE” kept flashing into my mind. I pictured myself lounging at home as a 30-year-old. I tend to be dramatic, but that’s where the whole anxiety thing comes into play. I couldn’t help but feel so much pressure to get an internship, even though I knew that to do so would be to create even more problems for myself. After being at home for only 30 days, maximum, since last March, I know that the most important thing for me is to spend time with my family and visit relatives. Of course, I’ll see my friends as well– but I need a summer of litte responsibilty while I can still get away with it!

Now, how does the title of this post come into play, here? Where am I going with all of this? Well, at the beginning of 2012, my friend Cordeliacame to visit. I already told you that. One day while I had class, she decided to wander around the quartier and explore. When I met up with her afterwards, she told me how she had found this super cute bakery– very New Yorkais– only 5 minutes from the house. She told me that I would enjoy it, so I asked her to take me back there another day. We decided the perfect time to do so was when our other camp friend, Caroline– who’s studying in Rennes for the year– came to visit that weekend.

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We went to Sugarplum together on a Saturday, and loved it! Super cute space, with wonderful service and bright smiles. The carrot cake caught my eye, but right before I was about to order, I noticed a piece of paper from the corner of my eye. When I looked, I noticed it said “SUGARPLUM IS LOOKING FOR INTERNS.” What? Could it be true? I read further. “We’re looking for passionate/enthusiastic individuals to come work 2/3 days per week!” I couldn’t believe my luck. I inquired right then and there, and, after finishing the delicious carrot cake, met with one of the three Sugarplums, Laurel, who’s now the office manager (though she’s the original baker–all the baked goods in the display case come from her own recipes!). I had my first trial shift last Friday, and it went well– so now I’ll be interning there for all of February and March! It’s an unpaid internship, but as Laurel said… “we can pay you in cake!” And it’s so true. I’m going to have to watch my waistline these next two months!

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I don’t have any of my own pictures of Sugarplum, but for more information, check out some of the following links:

http://www.sugarplumcakeshop.com/en/

http://www.davidlebovitz.com/2011/06/sugarplum-cake-shop-paris/

http://myfrenchlife.org/2011/04/10/interview-having-our-cake-and-eating-it-too/

Oh, and did I mention that Sugarplum is mainly a cake shop? Yep. They make wedding cakes, which does not help my out-of-control wedding imagination at all.

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Stop by sometime for a glass of lemonade and a slice of carrot cake! My favorite combo.

Sugarplum, 68 Rue Cardinal Lémoine, 75005. Métro Cardinal Lémoine.

Alive and (sort of) Well

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It’s been a LONG time since I last posted! I apologize! I attribute it to a lack of hustle. I couldn’t really think of anything to post, which is stupid– as I’ve been so busy doing so many things!

I’ve also come down with a cold. A typical run-of-the-mill “rhume,” but sometimes those are even worse. Just like a papercut. It’s so trivial, and yet— it sucks. People who know me are familiar with my anti-medicine tirades, but I finally caved and bought some, which really says something!

 

Such incredible photo quality, right? Let’s talk about the huge bottle of nasal spray that the pharmacist gave me. Seriously, it looks like a bottle of air freshener. Other than my newly-purchased medicine, I’ve been chugging tea, liquids, and citrus fruit like it’s my job. I have to pee, all the time. Nice, right? But it’s freezing here, and I can’t afford to get sicker with the busy months ahead of me.

Don’t be fooled by the pretty picture– it’s bone-chillin’ cold out!

The dome in the right of the picture belongs to the Panthéon, which is actually right around the corner from my new apartment. I love that I can see it from almost everywhere in Paris!

Stay tuned for the following in the upcoming days:

- An INTERNSHIP (and the temporary end to my life anxiety)

- A meetup with a fellow food blogger! (hint: http://baketomake.wordpress.com/)

- Two movie reviews

-February Goals

Update: In writing this post, I just took a break to try out my new nasal spray. What a strong bottle… I sprayed my entire face and I’m pretty sure I now have salt water in my brain.

Happy February! I can’t believe it’s already the second month of 2012. Time flies when you’re having fun.

La Galette des Rois

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Not many people in the states celebrate Epiphany, much less know what it is.

When I was little, I think my brother and I just used it as an excuse to get extra presents. We’d read about it in Tomie Depaola’s illustrated book, “The Legend of Old Befana,” where an old woman hears of the birth of baby Jesus but is late to the party and flies on her broom all over the world delivering gifts to children (actually, in the book it was cookies), hoping that she’ll find the baby Jesus.

I can’t give you any better historical significance than that.

Actually, I will say, in translating the name for you (the cake of kings), that it has something to do with the 3 wise men. Ok, now google the rest. That’s all I have.

Technically, Epiphany falls on January 6th, though many French choose to celebrate on the following Sunday. Easier, I guess. In honor of the fête, many boulangeries and pâtisseries– and maybe your host sister, if she likes to bake– make a special pastry known as la Galette des Rois. They actually start making it weeks in advance, and don’t stop making it until weeks after. Case in point: it is now January 26th and I still see tons of galettes des rois in local boulangeries and pâtisseries. Who knows when they’ll stop.

La Galette des rois is a circular cake made of puff pastry, with frangipane on the inside. That’s pretty much all there is. If you’ve ever had an almond croissant, the taste is similar. But be careful– though delicious, these cakes are pretty heavy!

Recently, two camp friends– Caroline and Cordelia– came to Paris for a visit. Caroline is studying in France for the year as well, in Rennes– so she knows how big a deal this cake is. Cordelia, however, had no idea. So of course, we made her eat one.

But we let her share it with us.

We got the smallest size, which usually works for one person– but we shied away from gluttony. They also come in larger sizes, up to cakes that can serve 16 people. Huge! But so good.

If you’re ever in Paris for Christmas, be sure to stop by a boulangerie and ask for one of these! And it’s even better if they’ve been warmed up. Happy (late) New Year!

Photo credit: Caroline Cunfer. (thanks Caroline!)

*Addendum: I can’t believe I forgot to talk about the whole tradition behind La Galette des rois! When you buy your cake (though this doesn’t usually apply for the individual sizes), whether it’s January 6th, the Sunday after, or just a normal, run-of-the-mill Wednesday, you should know that there’s a surprise inside! It’s called a fève, or a broad bean, which was actually what was hidden inside in the olden days. Nowadays, however, the fève refers to a little tiny baby Jesus figurine– though I once saw a panda version. Ah, secularism.

When everyone sits down to eat the cake, the youngest person at the table must, in fact, go under it. Or, if you don’t want to have as much fun, one can keep one’s eyes closed. Then, whoever is in charge of cutting the cake will ask the youngest person to announce which piece is for whom. Example: “This piece?” (“Henry.”) “And this next peace? (“Helen.”)

This continues until everyone at the table has a piece. Obviously, someone is bound to find the fève by the end of the meal– whoever this is becomes the King (or Queen) of the evening, and must choose the Queen (or King) from the other members of the table. You’ll notice, when buying a Galette, that they often come with a paper crown. This is used to crown the reigning member of the party when they find the fève.

Pink Flamingo

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As I mentioned earlier this week (like, ages ago, on Tuesday), I had a friend coming to Paris to visit. Actually, Cordelia was making a brief stop in Paris before continuing on her way to Tuscany, for 3 weeks of WWOOF-ing (World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms). How cool is that?

We did a lot of walking. And today was no different. We started off our morning (okay, try late morning) with a trip to the Bastille, and then walked northwards to catch a glimpse of the Canal Saint-Martin.

(If you’re wondering why there’s still foliage in Paris in January, you have every right to wonder. This picture is from October.)

When we’d finally caught sight of the canal, Cordy brought up an interesting point. My friends were telling me about this pizza place near here where you could get your pizza to go and they give you a balloon so you can picnic by the Canal and they’ll come by and pick up your plates afterwards.

Luckily, I knew what she was talking about! I’d heard of– and seen– this pizza restaurant, but I had never been in. I’d heard great things, though. And, since it was lunchtime, we decided that it would be the perfect spot to eat– if we could find it.

With noses to the ground (figuratively), we came across Pink Flamingo in no time.

You order first, in the tiny tiny room, and then head next door to sit down at the tables. Just so you know? They have a pizza called “Obama.” American, representin’.

We couldn’t decide between the Aphrodite pizza (Cordy), a classic pizza topped with grilled eggplant and hummus, or the Marcello (Louisa), which had roquette drizzled in olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and shaved parmesan. They both sounded really good. So we asked the guy behind the counter, who told us that his favorite was the Aphrodite.

Goddess of Love, it was.

The pizza was perfec to split between two people, and not at all expensive for what we got. 13 Euros for a perfect lunch for two.

Although I was initially wary of the hummus, it was actually delicious! Never underestimate the power of bread, cheese, and hummus.

I really wanted to get the Nutella pizza for dessert, but Cordy stopped me. Probably for the best.

On our way back, we decided to wander through the Marché Bastille that we had seen earlier that morning. This market was HUGE. Maybe it’s just because I don’t usually have a chance to check out the Sunday markets, but there was so much more space around the Bastille than in the center of Paris, so there were so many more stalls and vendors that I’ve ever seen. It almost felt like I was in a completely different place!

We each picked up some fruit for our respective travels. (oh, glory to clementines.)

Of course, we got Nutella crêpes from the Breton products stall (just picture lots of salted butter caramel). Come to think of it, we should have gotten salted caramel crêpes. When in Bretagne… (except not.) I guess I have an excuse to go back next Sunday!

So here’s to a fabulous weekend of friends and food. The best combo.

Hopefully I’ll have an exciting announcement at the end of the month– stay tuned!

State of Bliss

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Ah, life is good. Just a quick post to say, well, exactly that. No, I don’t have any pictures or any exciting news (other than the fact that I moved host families). But I’m happy. Just blissfully happy. And that’s enough. Strangely, even the horribly awful grade that I got an exam yesterday (but like seriously, horribly awful) can’t phase me.

 

I am here, I am happy, and I have a stomach full of yummy things. Gratin de tomates et d’aubergines, simple green salads, and fava beans. Yes, I’ve already eaten the tiniest piece of chicken but life did not end and I’ve already talked about my attitude towards that whole deal. When I get home in late May/early June I am going on a vegan cooking/baking spree, bu for now, I’m just going with the flow.

Stay tuned in the next few days for some wicked posts about my adventures with my friend, Cordelia, who’s coming to visit– TOMORROW!

For now it’s time to go watch The Fantastic Mr. Fox (for the first time) while simulateously studying for vocab for my exam tomorrow. No judgment, I’m okay with it.

Running in Paris, Part II

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Earlier year (as in October), I posted about running in Paris. I got some responses asking for pictures– I was in Paris, of all places!

While I like to tone down my running presence (though 5 finger vibrams don’t help with that), I decided that these people had a point. I see such beautiful things when I run, I had no reason not to take pictures!

1. Champs Elysées Christmas market, view of Arc de Triomphe

 

2. Champs Elysées, view of La Grande Roue

 

3. Le Petit Palais et Le Grand Palais

 

4. Pont Alexandre III, view of Les Invalides

 

5. Pont Alexandre III, view of La Tour Eiffel

 

6. La Seine

7. Les Invalides

 

8. Parc around Les Invalides

 

9. View of Le Grande Palais and Pont Alexandre III

 

10. Pont Alexandre III

 

So there you have it. This run is usually the foundation for my 3 milers, or 5+ milers. It’s beautiful! I’ll try to remember to take my camera on other runs, and to explore a bit more (though that gets tricky with sidewalks). Pretty soon, I’ll be running in Jardin du Luxembourg!

 

Happy Running!

New Year’s Resolutions

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Earlier this week, I started a post about my New Year’s resolutions. But I couldn’t seem to finish it. Why? I couldn’t think of any resolutions! Every idea I had was too vague, too lofty, or too superficial. So I got really anxious and sort of decided that I would just forget about the whole thing.

Last night, however, I was thinking of two particular goals I had made for myself this past year. 1) To have a bob by New Years (90% there), and 2) to have ponytail-capable hair by the time I go home. In thinking of these goals (which, obviously, have little to do with how much effort I may put in to making them happen), I realized that I’d been putting too much pressure on myself. I can have as many resolutions as I want, and they can be at either end of the stupid-serious spectrum.

I’m allowed.

So, with that in mind, and without further ado, I present to you my New Year’s resolutions 2012.

1. Have ponytail-capable hair by May 24th. (Ideally, almost shoulder-length.)

2. Do yoga once a week. (I’m already part of a yoga studio here, but it can be easy to deprioritize my practice.) Be more open to doing yoga on my own with a DVD.

3. Go to at least one jazz club in Paris.

4. Stay more informed on current events, both in France and back home. I usually have the NYTimes Style section as my homepage, but I’m going to make the plunge and change it to the World section. Goodbye, home interior slideshows, upcoming fashion designers, and romantic wedding stories.

5. Spend less time on Facebook. Who doesn’t have this goal in 2012?

6. Use my computer at my desk. Anywhere else and I turn into the biggest lump of non-productivity. (As I write this, I have just moved my computer to my desk and feel like a much smarter individual. Hence this resolution.)

7. Find little ways to get moving. I tend to deem a type of exercise worthy only if I think of it as super intense and sweat-inducing. So if I’m not in the mood to get super sweaty, I tend to shirk exercising. I haven’t always been like this, it’s only a recent occurence. But I want to remember that yoga and walking are perfectly acceptable forms of exercise. Of course, I’ll also be keeping up with my running, as I’ve signed myself up for the Paris half-marathon on March 4th!

 

I’m hesitant to cap the list off here, as I’m always thinking of other things I could add, but I think 7 (relatively) attainable goals will be enough.

 

Happy 2012! I made it!