Iโve become weary โ and wary โ of the American aisles in European supermarkets. And have come to the conclusion that people think we all eat badly because we live on bottled salad dressings, orange cheese in squirt bottles, and strawberry Fluff, which is something Iโve never seen in America. And I like Fluff just fine. (Just the plain, though. The red scares me. Howeverโฆ
At any given time, there are between two โ and fourteen โ nubbins of cheese in my refrigerator. Those odds and ends are the result of me getting too excited when Iโm at the fromagerie, usually going with the intention of buying just one or two wedges. But after scanning the shelves, and seeing a few cheeses that also look worthy of my shopping basket,โฆ
When I take visitors through those big glass doors of the La Grande รpicerie in Paris, the first stop may very well be the spectacular pastry section, where fanciful cakes wrapped with ribbons of chocolate, or covered with a spun-sugar lattice topping, are proudly displayed in glass showcases like jewels. In the corner, less obvious, are the sweets for le grignotages, or snacking. (Which theyโฆ
Someday, someone is going set up a camera in my place. At least I hope so. Because over the last three years, I can safely say that the craziest things have happened to me. Iโve often toyed with writing a book about it, but no one would believe me, and it would quickly get tossed into the fiction bin, dismissed as folly. Oddly, Iโve beenโฆ
I donโt regularly watch American cooking programs and competitions, although occasionally I come across them on TV here in France, dubbed (Version Franรงaise, or VF), which makes them less interesting to watch. And I donโt go to those cooking vacations where chefs come and cook for guests on tropical islands because, frankly, Iโm never asked. (Although unbelievably, I did just get an email from aโฆ
Some say that the French can be very narrow in their definitions of things, which is why traditional French cuisine can be so simple, yet spectacular; because the classics donโt get messed with. Other cuisines, however, do get modified to local tastes, like les brochettes de bลuf-fromage, or beef skewers with cheese, at les sushis restaurants, popcorn available as salty or sweet (!?), and whileโฆ
Beef is very popular in France. And itโs not just for the taste: on more than one occasion, Iโve been told I need to eat more red meat by folks concerned about my health. (I guess I need to look in the mirror more often.) I like a good steak every once in a while, and, fortunately for meat-lovers, there are butchers in every neighborhoodโฆ
Someone once asked me how I know when to give up on a recipe. Sometimes I realize after a few tries, that I should just forget about it. And others, like the tarte tropรฉzienne in my next book, I made seventeen times until I got it just right. (Because I got a little crazy about getting it just right, including bringing slices around to localโฆ
I was part of a whole generation of San Franciscans that were terrorized by Bruno, a cantankerous, older Persian man who had a bar in the Haight called Persian Aub Zam Zam. Iโve probably mentioned him before, but I recently went down that rabbit hole of the Internet where I found a few stories about him via a search for something else. Thenโฆwell, we allโฆ
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