Raclette

This weekend we were in Nancy, France looking at apartments and spending time with the French family. We had a really nice weekend; although I still can't manage to survive a gathering like they do. When they are all together, they eat around midnight and then stay up until about 3:30 in the morning talking. We ate dinner around 11:30 on Saturday night and were eating dessert a little bit before 1am. By 1:30, I was on the couch out cold (mouth wide open I'm sure... that's my signature move... so attractive). At 3:30 my guy woke me to help me get my body moving toward the hotel. I felt a little embarrassed to not be able to "keep up with the Jones'" so to speak, but I just can't manage to stay up that late anymore! What an old lady I am! And, he said nobody thought I was rude or anything.

I was a little confused as to what was happening for dinner (or if we were eating at all). Everyone was sitting leisurely in the living room chatting and sipping on some drinks but no one was in the kitchen preparing anything. I had seen meat being cut earlier but it wasn't being cooked. So when we were called to the table, I was thinking, "what the heck are we eating!?"

I was in for a nice treat. We were eating traditional French cuisine - raclette. You use something like this one from Tefal....

Here's how it works. On the top of the grill, they sprinkled some freshly cracked pepper and sea salt. The meat I had seen them cutting came into play here. The meat - beef and turkey - was thinly sliced so as to cook evenly and quickly. Right away everyone started putting the meat of their choice on top of the grill which was already hot. Underneath, where you see the little handles, are these little spatula-ish things. You put a piece of cheese (raclette) onto this and place it underneath the grill where it melts. Once it melts, you pull out your handle and the cheese slides right off. There were boiled potatoes which you slice and dice to your little heart's desire. There was a fresh, crusty baguette. Then, you take the melted cheese and put it on top of your potatoes, bread, and/or your meat. I even had a nice laugh when I saw my guy's brother putting cheese on top of a pickle!! Those French, they'll eat cheese with/on anything! 

As you see in the picture above, you can try it with veggies or whatever else you'd like! If I wasn't eating with a bunch of carnivores, I definitely would have tried some veggies brochettes out.

This was a pretty cool experience and an awesome way to host guests. Not only was the hostess able to sit and spend time with the guests rather than being stuck in the kitchen, we were able to have some fun with the dinner. There was also a big salad and an elaborate array of sauces to put on the meat. I would love to buy one of these to use at dinner parties one day (a wonderful wedding registry gift, people!!). 

I can't wait until I have my American family visit and can share this wonderful French experience with them. I am also so glad I got to be there on Saturday night to spend this wonderful evening with the French fam. They have welcomed me with open arms, and considering my family is so far away, it feels good to be loved by so many people here. 

As far as the apartment searching goes, well, it hasn't gone very far. The problem is that the buildings are all about 3 stories high and this doesn't allow much light to get it. Each building blocks the light from the next. It's like when people come to the beach and sit right on top of you and put an umbrella up. It felt like every apartment we walked into was dark. There wasn't a whole lot of natural light. Even the pictures we look at online are dark! We need to find a place that won't be miserable and will have a lot of windows and light. **Side note: When I lived in Long Island, NY for a short period of time, I had an apartment that literally didn't have one window. There were a few occasions where I fell asleep early on the couch and would wake up and see my phone said 10 and would freak out thinking I was super late to work - not even realizing it was 10pm. When there's no natural light, you have no concept of whether it's night or day and it's a whole heck of a lot harder to get your butt out of bed in the morning.

The apartments we saw also fell into two not so wonderful categories. There were the apartments that were old and classic with hardwood floors that I just loved, but they were also kind of falling apart with cracks in the ceiling and things that would require an insane amount of scrubbing. There's also the issue of them not having any appliances in the kitchen. My guy found and apartment last night and said, "the kitchen isn't that great." When I looked, I saw that there was literally nothing in the kitchen except for a few pipes to hook up your gas and water lines, too. And then we both laughed and simultaneously said something like, it's really just a kitchen. A lot of the apartments were like this - you really need to use your imagination to figure out where everything would go. For renters, it's also an added hassle and an obvious added cost to have to buy new appliances. For fourth floor walk-up apartments, lugging appliances around isn't enticing at all.

The second category of apartments were the ones that were trying to be modern but done in a very cheap way. They had fake wood floors and those kind of marble looking counter tops that are made of plastic. Everything was just so cheap looking.

My ideal apartment would be classic (while not falling apart) with modern appliances. I like the classic meets modern feel where the modern is just in the kitchen. I love to cook and don't like cooking on old stuff. I wouldn't mind having something classic and fixing it up if it was something we were buying, but since we're renting, we don't really want to invest a load of cash into something we're not investing in for our future. We'd really just be making it better for the next renter!!

I think I have just been typing as my brain is rambling and thinking. That's enough!! :)

TGIF

This has been a long week. Last Thursday night I started to have a fever and woke up on Friday feeling terrible. I had a horrible stomach ache and felt tired all day, despite going to bed at 10pm. Saturday, Sunday, and Monday I was totally fine! I ran 6 miles on Saturday and 6 miles on Monday. Things were fine. I woke up Tuesday morning and got out of bed and my stomach was hurting again. When I was sitting or laying on my back but standing and walking were horrible. The thud thud of my feet on the ground just vibrated through my stomach. I walked to the doctor and it was just excruciating.

I had convinced myself this was a pulled muscle from crunches or something and really didn't want to go to the doctor. However, Wednesday I finally did. He said my situation was atypical and really didn't know what to make of it. He said it wasn't the muscle and my stomach was certainly inflamed. Other than that... he really wasn't sure. Yesterday I was feeling a bit better but still not 100%. Today I feel great. I have no idea what that little problem was with my stomach. The medicine he gave me appears to have worked and I guess the mystery will never be solved. As long as I'm better, who cares!

The perfect part is... it's just in time for the weekend! Tomorrow we will go to our new city (we're moving in April) and look at an apartment. We are really excited to move to a bigger city. In fact, I can't wait. Everyday I say to my guy, "Can I tell my work today!?"

This week wasn't all bad. With my time off of work, I was obviously bored. I read a book. I watched movies and television. The Vow was really cute! This is War was really bad. So bad that I stopped halfway through, watched The Vow, and then came back to finish what I started. I also spent a lot of time experimenting with new recipes since I was able to do the slicing and dicing while seated.

I made a delicious take on Sheppard's Pie. Vegetarian, of course. It was super simple:
mirepoix
2 garlic cloves
1 bay leaf
1 Tablespoon dried Thyme
100 ml red wine
1.5 liters vegetable broth
1 small (the baby) can of peas or some frozen ones
3 Tablespoons tomato paste
then add a big can of lentils (the big mama, not the little guy)
The red wine, of course, is optional but it added such a lovely flavor. Then, you make mashed potatoes. I put some thyme in them, too. After, you use a ladle to add the lentils and broth to the bottom of a bowl. I first used a ladle with holes to make sure to get a lot of lentils. I topped that with the sauce. I put a heaping helping of mashed potatoes in the center, topped with cheese, and added a little more sauce. This was so delicious and my carnivorous guy loved it, too. I did first cook him a steak and sat it in the sauce thenadded the potatoes and more sauce on top. He finished that and wanted more and I told him his only choice was to have the lentils and he didn't care at all and raved about it. I was pleased.

And since I had nothing to do, I made apple tarts and turnovers which were equally as tasty! By the end of the night, he was calling me a chef :) This made me feel good considering the last time I posted my dinner on the blog he had worked late and ordered takeout. Upon seeing my post, he said, "Well, if I knew you were making that for dinner, I would have come home to eat." I thought, oh okay, I should call you and then you can decide if you'll order takeout or not!! He swears he didn't mean it like that, but what can I say, I'm sensitive!

Everyone have a wonderful weekend! :)

nudity, sex, politics- rated R

Well, this weekend took an interesting turn while out on the town in Mulhouse. The drive to Mulhouse is about 45 minutes. We take this trip almost every weekend because the cuisine is a lot more diverse. We love Thai food and we have become somewhat of regulars at Pum Thai. It definitely doesn't compete with our favorite Thai restaurants in NYC or the delicious Thai food we ate in Amsterdam, but we'll take what we can get. 


After dinner we ended up at a salsa bar that was recommended to us. We were minding our own business and chatting when randomly a male stripper came out... a bachelorette party, we assumed. He was wrapped in an American flag (and totally disrespecting it if I might add). That was enough to get my attention. Well, that and the fact that he was right in the center of the bar for all to see. Everyone formed a circle and had their cameras flashing. His innocent grinding (okay not so innocent for a woman about to be married) turned into him being fully naked, kissing, and on the ground... uum dare I say body slamming this woman. Now, I have heard of lap dances but this was on a whole different level. 


I thought I'd share a picture... (P.S. Men in thongs = totally wrong)

This is just another example of how the world is somewhat obsessed with the culture and life in the United States. What made this stripper use an American flag as his theme? Or umm... as his clothing. 


I remember once reading this quote about nudity: "I always thought, because America is supposed to be the land of the free, nudity would be part of the norm over there, but it isn't. It's surprising." -Mark Roberts


Television, Media, etc. in the United States have always been censored. This has, perhaps, been one of the biggest WOAH things for me here. You can find nakedness almost everywhere in Europe. There are prostitutes on the streets of my small town. Additionally, I can think of at least three sex shops I've seen in a three block radius. I remember a sign I saw in Switzerland when vacationing with my family in 2005, "Last sex shop before the Jungfrau." Better stock up on your sex toys before you get to the summit of the mountain! You can easily turn on the television and see a commercial about sex. Movies are rated totally differently and there is so much sex for the youngsters to see. And, well, lastly and perhaps the most serious issue regarding sex is sex and politics.


Sex and politics have gone hand in hand here for... well, for as far back as... always (Napolean Bonaparte famously took a mistress after rumors surfaced that his wife Josephine had taken a lover), but stories about the private lives of politicians historically have mostly been kept secret unlike in the USA (JFK, Bill Clinton, Eliot Spitzer, John Edwards). When Bill Clinton "didn't have sexual relations with that woman" it was a HUGE scandal but here politicians all admittedly have mistresses. Sex is open, power is sexy, and just seen as normal behavior. 


I don't think of myself as a prude. I don't close my eyes during sex scenes in a movie, but, when is it too much? What kind of influence does this have on the people here? I think if I could vote in France I wouldn't vote for someone like DSK just because he is a man-whore. However, a majority of the people I have spoken to are not phased by this because he is so good at his job. I cannot believe that someone has the time to spend on his job when he is so easily sidetracked by women and that he could respect his business affairs when he is so disrespectful to his own wife. 

President François Mitterrand knowingly had a love child. It was kept secret throughout his whole presidency but disclosed not long before his death. He was essentially leading a double life. Don't you agree? In this article, France's most prominent psychologist said: Jacques Chirac recently admitted in a book: "There have been women I have loved a lot, as discreetly as possible". Her article is about husband's affairs being "good for marriage." Uuum, what??

This isn't to say that cheating isn't a two way street. I met a colleague here in France. While out with her (trying to make a friend), she admitted to me that she could "never be faithful" and that she wouldn't mind her boyfriend of five years (and the one she calls "the one") cheating on her so long as she never knew about it. I'd like to think I have an open mind but this instantly made me dismiss her as anything more than a colleague. If someone can lie to someone they love, what kind of friend would that make them?

I could go on and on about this topic, but quite frankly, I have said enough. The taste in my mouth is full of bile and I am in need of another chocolate chip pancake ;) 

I will never understand that kind of life, and I can't see how a strong, powerful woman like Anne Sinclair (think: France's Oprah) could say (to L'Express in 2006) regarding her husband's extramarital affairs and nickname "the great seducer" that she's “rather proud of it.”

There are cultural differences here that I can accept and will soon adapt to but there are other cultural norms that I will never be able to tolerate. I am a passionate person, a hopeless romantic, and a lover of love. If someone can't make a commitment, then don't. The definition of commitment is dedication; a promise and a synonym is obligation. And, well, if someone can't commit to one person, how can they possibly commit to 65 million people? 

Ausfahrt.

Well I don't have much to say as this week has been anticlimactic. Saturday we woke up very early to go shopping in Germany (I didn't buy anything). However, I did eat delicious falafel.

I did see a woman with a crazy mohawk Afro thing going on.

And, we did, as always, laugh at the German exit signs (because we're immature).

But, that's really all we did. It continues to be either freezing cold, snowing, raining, or sleeting which isn't really fun. I guess that's winter for ya.

I joined the gym here two days ago at the incredible price of 90 euros ($118) per month. I literally gasped. I am not sure what the price of my gym back home is these days, but I used to pay $60 a month and that included a ton of amazing classes, a ton of equipment, two pools, a hot tub, etc etc etc. This gym is SO small - there are only 2 treadmills so it's a game of chance. It doesn't even have dumbbells. It certainly doesn't have any classes. There isn't a place to do any abdominal exercises so I have to come home and do that on my yoga mat. There is a pool... I'll give them that.

I think I am too hard on France sometimes and always want to compare it to the wonderful things I am accustomed to at home... but gosh, in the USA, possibilities really are endless. The United States is a blending of all cultures, and that's what makes it so special.

I am looking forward to the Spring and one glorious month in the USA :) April, are you here yet??

amsterdam.

view from hotel window

all the bikes from the hotel window

see my excitement upon finding this place in the video below

Two weekends ago we spent our weekend in Amsterdam. It was a short, spontaneous trip. My guy was going there on business starting that Sunday and Friday night he suggested I come a day early (the following day) so I could meet his friend, see the city, and spend a night out dancing our butts off. And, so that's what we did. We arrived Saturday evening. I met his very nice friend (whose English had a very wonderful Croatian accent). We stayed out until the wee hours of the morning - because, well, why not? Sunday we enjoyed an Asian food festival and had one too many (or not) veggie spring rolls. We had to, of course, go to a French fry place and eat French fries smothered in ketchup (although there were about 20 different toppings to choose from). We walked all around the city - Bopping in and out of shops, looking at old buildings, marveling at bikers and houseboats aplenty, and paying 1€ to use the 'loo' all the while. We ate at a delicious Thai restaurant for dinner (SOOO good!). Then, Monday morning I was on the first flight back to France. Boo!

The nice thing about Amsterdam is that almost everyone speaks English. It made things very easy for us English-speakers. There are so many tourists in Amsterdam, but luckily, my guy had studied in Holland while in University so he knew a little bit about the city to help us steer clear of too much touristy stuff. 

I first went to Amsterdam in 2005 with my sister. We did the whole hostel, meeting people, being young thing. It was so much fun. We went to coffee shops. I ate space cake which was a big thing for me as I was a vegan. I figured, when in Amsterdam, eat space cake. We went to the Anne Frank house which was so so so moving and something I would love to do every time I am in Amsterdam. Our youthful trip was wonderful and fun (and a trip to remember!), but it is always a different experience doing things with someone new. It is nice to walk through a strange city, seeing new things, and holding the hand of someone you adore. I enjoy that... a lot. I don't think I will ever tire of walking through strange cities and seeing new things and holding the hand of that someone I adore. ....as long as life is always as spontaneous and bizarre as it is now. Because, as I have said before, I bore easily.

Video below makes clear two things. The first is that I love Asian food. The second is that I am a pig! 

material girl in a material world.

or maybe not... Sure, material things are nice. I always feel prettier going to work in a new outfit or having a new piece of jewelry and a hot pair of heels. But, how important are the material things to you? I'd be lying if I said these things don't matter to me. However, if I had the choice, I'd choose the alternative every time.

I would so much rather share a cup of tea and conversation with someone. I would choose a walk or an adventure. I would choose a road trip or a board game. I would choose a game of tennis or a run in the park. I would choose a home-cooked dinner and a wonderful movie. I would choose a good book. I think in these changing times we think everything has to cost money, but it doesn't. There is so much mother nature gives us for free.

So many people forget to stop and be thankful for all the things nature has to offer. They want more, more, more - material things. Too many people are greedy and money hungry, and when they are like this, they miss out on more important things in life. Maybe the things people need are sitting right in front of them, and they are too stupid to see. They want the finer things in life. People have different priorities, I see that, I know that. When will enough be enough?

Change scenery. See the world. Dream big. Love deeply. Be generous. When you hug someone, always let them be the first to let go. But, don't always think that the things you need cost money or the thing that will make you the happiest is having money. I think the less money you have the more appreciative you are. Money makes things easier, of course. There is less stress, but that doesn't mean you have to throw it all away. Look in front of you. While you are searching for the finer things, you are losing out on what matters most.

What are the most important things to you? Would you choose love or money? Would you choose material things or intangible things?

What I'm listening to:

P.S. Isn't Friday the best day!? I'm always happier on Fridays! 

instant pleasure

Coming to France has been such a life-changing event. When people ask my parents, "Why is she in France?" And they say, "Chasing a boy." It's irritating to me. Sure, I came here because of someone, but to me, it was more than that. It was the hope of something new - a chance at a better credit score ;) kidding (a little!). Really though, I just wanted to see life on the other side. What would it be like to live in a strange place? What would it be like to be forced to speak another language? What would it be like to be immersed into a new, different culture. So here I am figuring that all out. Did I come here with someone? Yes, yes I did. However, if I was chasing anything, I'd say it was a dream. I want to be able to stand on my own two feet in any situation, in any place, and maybe even with anyone. "Chasing someone" or chasing something... I guess you can interpret it how you'd like, because even I'm never sure.

Everyday brings a new dream for me. I'm the girl that changed her major five times in college - nutrition, communications, education, landscape architecture, then finally HRIM (hotel, restaurant and institutional management) - and my final decision actually ended up being closely tied with where I started. What does that tell me? In time, all things come back around? I don't know. I'm just following the road of life, and I seem to swerve a lot and hit a lot of things (not so far from my actual driving skills) but in the end, I'll reach my destination, right?

Life is full of so many emotions and sometimes it seems more than I can bare (anyone that knows me knows I am a big crybaby). I just want to believe that there is some purpose for everyone. That it will one day be clear to me what my purpose is. I'm not content with just being. I never thought I'd be the person to have a job that I go to that sucks the life out of me. I want a job that fulfills me. I want to be fulfilled. I know, deep down, that when I find what fulfills me, I will understand my purpose. I know that what fulfills me will be something that will leave other people fulfilled. We all want to be needed. I want to be someone that someone else needs, wants, desires. I mean... like a person so badly wants to read a good book, eat at a good restaurant, look at beautiful pictures, watch a good movie, be entertained at an amazing event, see an awesome concert... I want to entertain fantasies... What fulfills you?

Maybe, as people can so easily criticize, maybe I want too much. Maybe I am asking for too much. Maybe I am impossible to satisfy. Maybe I am difficult and emotional and always searching for more. But what would the contrary be like? I cannot imagine being okay with the mundane. I much prefer to entertain my wildest fantasies, to reach for things beyond my reach, to dream within a dream. I don't think I will ever be okay with staying in one place and doing the same thing and living the same dream. I crave change and movement and new things. I want to see new faces. Routine scares me. Every time I get into a routine, I want to run. I envy people in their quiet nests with their ducks all in a row, it must be nice, but oh how bored I would be.

And so, I've reached that point yet again. I'm here. I need to dive into something new. I'm stir crazy. I'm anxious. I'm bored to tears. I'm pacing. I'm thinking. I'm searching. I'm complaining. I'm hashing and rehashing. I'm dreaming. I'm trying to find something to capture my attention. What is it? What is it that I'm searching for? How do I know? When will I know? Where is it I need to be? What is it I need to do? These white walls are so confining. I want to burst out of here.

Ehhh maybe it's just the cold weather. What do I know. The only thing I do know is this town really sucks. I look at the faces of people here and think, what kind of creatures are you? It's a robotic, simple life. It's small and people are narrow-minded. Everyone with their cigarettes and their baguettes and their dogs shitting all over the streets. Little robots. How can people live in a place like this? You have to drive to find grass. Even in NYC, there is a massive park wedged between buildings of overwhelming size. In little Belfort, dogs shit on the street because they don't have grass. I understand now why places like this have crime and prostitutes, well golly, what the heck else is there to do?

Huh, I've got to go. I'm bored just writing this. Are you bored reading this? Are you still there!? Ha!

Here's what I'm listening to right now: *a song less about sex and more about finding pleasure!
(the best line: you in the traffic for all eternity, how can that speed be where you want to be?)

one day in food.

Yesterday was quite the food experiment. I only had to work for 4 hours - 4 hours that were spread throughout the day. So, although, my day involved a little bit of back and forth traveling, it also allowed for me to cook some delicious meals and read from my lovely Kindle.


I started out my morning with a sweet (vegan) treat! mmmmm.... pancakes topped with hot fruit and a delicious vanilla latte (and a good book!).

For lunch, I enjoyed a grilled cheese sandwich with tomato and avocado!! I used my favorite French cheese from the Pays Basque region, Brebis. It's fruity and light. I paired the sandwich with a bowl of spicy lentil soup (full of about 10 different veggies). *Notice the cute coasters I picked up with quirky images and comments at a little shop in Stuart, Florida. The one on top says, "now just because grandma farts at the table doesn't mean you have to."

For dinner, I devoured white bean patties (seasoned with thyme), roasted balsamic brussel sprouts, and rosemary mashed sweet potatoes. Thyme is seriously my new favorite herb! I thought I didn't like it but it turns out it's so versatile and adds such a nice flavor to many dishes. *It's hard to make white bean patties look good in a picture, but I promise you they were surprisingly good. I think I would even serve them to carnivores.

As you can see, I had a lot of comfort food yesterday. However, nothing I ate was really that bad for me besides maybe the pancakes (which really aren't all that bad for you - minus the sugar). It was a well balanced day - fruit topping (just frozen fruit heated up in a saucepan), pancakes (1/2 cup wheat flour, 1/2 cup soy milk, 1 tsp. sugar, 1 tsp. oil, 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract, 1/2 tsp. baking soda), the grilled cheese (wheat bread, lightly coated with vegan butter - we need some fat in our diet),  super healthy lentil and veggie soup with a ton of spices which means you don't need to add much salt, brussel sprouts (dash of salt, a lot of pepper, shallot, drizzle of balsamic and EVOO), potatoes (sweet potato, soy milk, vegan butter, salt, pepper, rosemary), white bean patties (white beans, thyme, bread crumbs, shallot, pepper - cooked in the oven for about 10 minutes then pan-fried for about 2 minutes on each side).

I heard on the news that because it is unbearably cold here, we shouldn't exercise and we should eat greasy food and we should drink a lot of water. I thought it was a joke. However, if it's what the doctor ordered, I really can't disobey. No exercise, grease, and water... okay... DONE!

What are your favorite recipes? Do you stick to the same recipes or do you like trying new things?

little treasures. a woman i never got to meet.

Last May I visited my Aunt and Uncle at their beautiful home in Italy (as seen here and here). My Aunt and Uncle save everything. They have all their old passports, old pictures, and so many other little treasures. It was fun looking at all their keepsakes. I am the kind of person that is always on the move and is always throwing things out. When I don't want something anymore, it's trash. This drives my Mom crazy when I am home. I just can't understand keeping the clutter hanging around and it's terribly inconvenient to lug this stuff around when I'm moving. Little by little my possessions have become a small number of things and after having moved to France, I could probably pack these things in one box (not including my shoes and clothes!!).

My Dad and his brothers and sisters lost their Mom at such a young age (six children in total for their young father). My Uncle who just passed wasn't even one yet. My Dad, the second oldest, was nine. I can't imagine what that was like. I don't want to imagine. They cherish the little pieces of their Mother, the grandmother I never met, that they can get their hands on.

My Aunt happened to have her Mother's old wallet. It was such a treat to look through it. She was obviously a very organized woman, and I guess you would have to be with six children. She had all of her receipts and new driver's licenses and old driver's licenses, but the best was the way she kept track of her children's education. She had three little pieces of paper tracking the grades of her oldest children. It had each subject, their grades, and then the percentile that those scores placed them in. How cute! It was something so cool to find all those years later and especially fun to see my Dad's scores!!!

What little treasures have you found recently?

Here's what I am listening to now:

Hope you're having a nice day! :) xoxo