French Home Cuisine

Once a week, the students of Coeur de France gather to cook traditional French dishes-- completely in French!

 Here, I am making crepes! I was not brave enough to flip them in the air, though... I used a spatula;)
My favorite crepes were filled with honey and banana.

 This tourte was amazing.

One of my absolutely favorite dishes! A fresh green salad with ham smoked with vine cuttings and toast with melted artisanal goat cheese. Fabulous!

My sous-chef and I made the chocolate mousse.

The toast with goat cheese ready for the salads.

I loved this simple mousse.

Tarte aux oignons.

Dinner is served!

 Playing around with crepes...

Haha, my teacher and I were always serious, with no goofing off. ;)

I am too tired to write much tonight, but in case anyone was nervous, I am safely home from my weekend in Paris, and I had an amazing time!

Kara

I located my camera charger! So, here are the photos of the field trip to the winery:

The grapes come from these ancient vineyards, handed down for generations. We learned about how the soil influences the finished product, and why Sancerre wine is some of the best in the world.

Aging in barrels...

American oak is now sought after:)

This machine washes the bottles...

...and this one fills them with the new wine...

 Labeling and sealing...
  

The finished product is ready to ship all over the world...

 Or for me to taste here in Sancerre:)
I learned to look at the color first, then smell, then aerate, repeat, and taste:) The typical Sancerrois is lively and bright, with a grapefruit aroma.

Class today was hard. I was frustrated, and though I am sure my sweet teacher did not mean it this way, it seemed like when she asked me a question, she would change it if I happened to guess correctly: like a 'why did the chicken cross the road' joke-- there are so many possible answers that the children who tell it can improvise a different response any time!

I did not expect learning French to be easy, and I do feel like I grasped the concepts a bit more as I completed my homework.
I will work harder tomorrow, and I have to!;) Tomorrow I have a 4 hour class, followed by a cooking lesson. I am looking forward to the cooking lesson!

This evening I went to a Pilates class... en Francais. I think everyone should take an exercise class some language other than their mother tongue-- haha, it went well, actually. I now know the words for inhale, exhale, and exercise ball. (I am not going to lie, though, doing so many exercises with the ball felt more like I imagine pre-natal classes than Pilates!) Anyway-- it was an unique experience, and gave me a good workout:)
We had the most gorgeous weather here this morning-- blue and sunny-- the whole village sparkled! Incongruously, by late afternoon, heavy fog shrouded the ancient, irregular streets. I happened to be listening to an crime thriller set in old Moscow on my way to Pilates... creepy. I switched to upbeat Michael Buble music, and reminded myself that there are more retired police officers and officers in training than civilians in this village-- the safest place in the world, according to the director of the language school!

La vie en rose

My second day of class was amazing! I am starting to love French:) Perhaps never as much as Spanish, but the softly guttural, expressive language is growing on me, and I genuinely enjoy speaking it, especially when someone understands me!;)
Ma professeur, Marianne, is amazing, and very fun to work with... however, we really have to stop this French-Spanish melange! Her Spanish is better than her English, so when we need to explain some word, or point of grammar, we use that language, and when I don't know a French word, I guess the Frenchified equivalent of a Spanish word. Usually it works!;)

Today we went to the post office where I bought a stamp by myself!
 I love how Sancerre exudes small-town friendliness-- everyone I pass on the street greets me with a cheery 'Bonjour!', and the village butcher called us into his shop to chat for a few minutes before sending us on our way, sure that we were not in a hurry, because no one hurries in Sancerre.

After class, almost all the students went on a wine tasting excursion. Thankfully, they don't give you much of each kind... I can't really enjoy more than a few sips! Nonetheless, I wouldn't miss the chance to see how each tiny vineyard-- usually just a husband and wife-- make some of the world's best wine with such painstaking care and picturesque charm.

Speaking of pictures, I did take my camera, and snapped lots of photos. However, after Mom left for the states, I cannot find the charger... so until I find that rather useful gadget, I cannot access the winery photos!
Back chez moi, in my adorable, tres French apartment, I watched The Count of Monte-Cristo, en Fraincais, bien sur! I will spare you the many, many points in the the film differs from Dumas' original, but surprisingly, I enjoyed it... though it breaks my heart every time I watch it!
Maybe it is better in French?
Okay, I have only seen Jim Caviezel in this, and the Passion, and I am starting to feel sorry for the poor guy! Is he ever in a movie where he is not whipped half to death???;)

Anyway, I am very tired, and I have a pronunciation workshop in the morning.

Au revoir!

I can't believe I'm here.

I can't believe I'm here, in Sancerre, France. I can't believe that I'm full of French pastry, typing in a room with traditional exposed beams. (My taller friends might be distressed, but I love the village decor!) I can't believe that after my mom leaves, I will speak only French for weeks!

My apologies for not posting sooner; I have been intent upon soaking up every nuance of French culture. Today, I am-- haha, not busy, to phrase it mildly. Small French villages do not bother to open shops or restaurants on a winter Sunday!

France has surprised me in some ways:

• Co-ed bathrooms seem to be completely acceptable-- I had to double-check the bathroom sign before I realized that the young man washing his hands thought that this was completely normal! 'Deep breath, Kara!' The men had a little stall around the corner, and there was another tiny stall close to the front for women, and we share a mirror and a sink.
• Okay... I am completely used to a kiss on the cheek as a greeting. This is normal with all my latino friends (I am sure I have instinctively done the same a time or two with my American friends as well... If y'all are reading this, sorry if I shocked you! I meant nothing by it:), and, of course, whenever I travel. HOWEVER, the French make the loudest smooching sounds of my life! If they kiss you on the cheek, your ears ring. When a whole group came together at the restaurant last night, it was just scary. That is too much smooching for a platonic greeting!;)
• I came prepared to meet some of the stereotypical rude French people, but everyone I have met is warm and welcoming, like the chef at La Pomme D'or, who told me to stop by whenever I need anything at all, and to consider them my temporary family when I am alone, to the staff at the Louvre and the train staff who tried to understand my poor French, and get me exactly where I needed to go, to the village butcher/grocer who already calls me 'ma petite.'

Nonetheless, I have thoroughly enjoyed my stay to date.

After a semi-regular commute to and from the Philippines (easily 18-24 hours of travel) the mere 8 hour flight to Paris seemed a breeze, and after a nap Mom and I felt ready to face the confusing and wonderful maze of old and new that is the Louvre-- it was amazing to see all these famous works of art that I have read about for years!

I finally got to see my old favorite, The Oath of the Horatii, in person. The skill these artists must have cultivated astounds me-- I could not even make out the brushstrokes of Ingres' and David's masterpieces.
I also saw the Law Code of Hammurabi
(the oldest code of laws still in existence, written in Akkadian cuneiform),
 the Winged Victory of Samothrace, Venus de Milo, Delacroix's Liberty leading the people (the inspiration for Gavroche, my favorite character in Victor Hugo's Les Miserables) and the Mona Lisa. And... whenever I became too serious, Mom was there to make me laugh: pointing to any work of art we passed and interpreting the subjects's expression. "Look! That morose old guy is saying 'WHY did I eat that last croissant???'"