Miles to go: February 2006

Wednesday, February 15, 2006

Guten Tag , Rise & Shine

Wanting a fresh start to my day, I jumped out from the right side of my bed this Sunday morning to get myself a fresh loaf of bread for breakfast. Bread to the French is Raisins to Chinchillas. They simply adore it. Being typically European, not all bakeries were open(Sunday), and the one that I got my loaf of bread from this morning was just rolling the cash in. After two years of being in France, I still haven't had a chance to know the different options that I really have in a bakery since

1) The labels are bad
2) The labels are handwritten in bad handwriting
3) Some breads don't even have prices/ labels on them + They are *behind* the counter where I have to extend my powers of bad eyesight and still not recognise the same bread in one bakery from another.

So, I just point and the woman went: "oh the maxi baguette? (which seemed like the normal sized one to me?)"
And I said yes.
Wanting more variety, I chose a bread that looked a little rustic, and I heard the woman go "Country Bread?Dry bread? "(Pain de Compagne,pain sec?).
Dry bread??? Isn't that what you put into milk and feed birds with?
And I said yes.

It's actually...Pain Segle (spelling?!) a type of country bread- pain de compagne.

Feast thy eyes on mine breakfast,
Of bread and milk and juice and jam.

Saturday, February 04, 2006

Salsa passée, Cuisine la mode

The second half of my first year in France, Salsa was my passion.

Salsa Congress,
Paris Latino Village 2004.

Dr. Tiziano Nocentini, a brilliant chem-scientist, who taught me Salsa, has the ability to whirl you into a magical world just by taking your hand and leading you into a dance. You were my best friend in my first year in France, and you will always remain my dearest friend. You made the word dance come alive.