Goat cheese

Another of my favorite vendors in our twice weekly street market is the goat cheese guy. His cheese is delicious and he's fun to talk to. He mentioned that visitors are welcome at his farm. Too bad I didn't realize that when Cindy and I were visiting the Loire Valley. The farm is not too far from Cheverney and Bracieux. It's also near the region of France known for Sancerre wines which are a perfect match for these goat cheeses.

Ducks, geese, and guinea hens

Have you ever eaten a goose egg? I hadn't - until yesterday. I went to my favorite duck lady to buy some more of her delicious terrines. I noticed that she had some very large eggs. "The geese have started to lay," she said.
I've never tasted a goose egg - so I decided to try one. It has a giant yolk with a taste much richer and silkier than a chicken egg. Yumm!


I served some of her artisanal terrine de canard (duck) and terrine de pintade (guinea hen), plus some of her duck saucisson (salami) at a party recently and got loads of compliments. But all the compliments go to Cécile. She makes all of the products herself and then drives from her farm in Normandy to our Paris street market once a week.
I suppose this isn't much different than those of you who support your local farmers' markets - but I never tire of these discoveries.


Want to practice your French and see the farm for yourself? Check it out here:

Marché Castagnary

I got my hair cut on Thursday and chatted with Steeve, exchanging oyster stories. Of course I told him about the Cabane a Huitres and my recent visit to Arcachon, and he told me about the famous Castagnary fish market. I've never heard of this market so I set out to find it.

You can't miss it, he said, just look for the lighthouse. And sure enough:


I got there about 11:30 on a Friday morning and found the three employees sitting bored in the vast hall without a single customer. We struck up a conversation and I heard how the place is usually mobbed with dozens of vendors and hundreds of customers - especially on Sunday mornings in the winter. But Paris in August is dead. I'll have to come back later in the year to see some action.



After chatting for a while and taking a few pictures, I figured I should probably buy something, so I asked the poissonnier (fish guy) for a recommendation. He instantly recommended the bar (sea bass) and I took one home to eat for lunch.


Simply pan fried and served with purple heirloom tomatoes. Yumm. BTW, fish is always sold with the head on, but I cut it off to fit in my frying pan.

Markets

I love open air markets. Almost every neighborhood in Paris has traveling markets offering a large variety of fruits, vegetables, meat, fish, cheeses, flowers, etc. I especially enjoy watching the vendors who prepare each item on demand - meaning that they will fillet your fish, or prepare your quails, or slice your meat to your exact specifications.

Yesterday on my way to lunch I wandered through a nearby market and was surprised by the variety of items for sale. No need to cook; you can find lots of prepared foods. Want paella for dinner? Or steaming choucroute garni (sauerkraut and sausages)? You'll find it here.


There were lots of non-food items too. How about a new hat for spring?


Or an authentic Panama hat?


Maybe a carpet?


Or African art?


I thought of Carol Fier who has one of these gadgets for slicing vegetables!

Monoprix

I love open air markets and shopping at the little boutiques that line the rue Mouffetard near my current apartment. Yesterday, however, I needed to buy some household articles that I couldn't find in my neighborhood. When I asked where I could find the goods in question, the answer was unanimous: Monoprix. Monoprix is the French equivalent of Target - or so I thought. I took a bus to a nearby large Monoprix store and was astonished at the range of items sold there. Yes, I was able to find needle nose pliers, a mattress cover, light bulbs, batteries, and toilet paper. But I didn't expect to see truffles and foie gras:



or chilled champagne next to the yogurt:


or twenty varieties of pâté and terrines with a sweet helpful clerk.


Of course they had a large wine selection but can you imagine shopping at Target for a $700 bottle of wine??

Sunday afternoon

Sundays are family days in Paris. The markets are very busy before 1:00PM when everyone goes home for a big lunch. In the afternoons, people take to the streets for walks, bike rides and roller blading. Last Sunday was no exception, even though the weather was gray and quite cold. Here are a few shots taken on Sunday:


Nice boots! Parisian women really do dress differently than Boulderites.


No need to cook, just pick up a roast chicken to take home . .


Roller blades anyone?


Ah, j'aime Paris!

New phone number

I now have a French phone number. It was a very easy process; I went to a local phone store and purchased a new prepaid sim card for my Blackberry. Voila! Now my friend Odette can call me back without calling the U.S. first.

The phone number is quite a mouthful. In numbers it looks like this: 06 73 80 08 92. But when you say it, it comes out like this: zero six, soixante-treize, quatre-vingts, zero huit, quatre-vingt-douze. That’s because the French have an odd numbering system. The number “sixty” = “soixante”, but “seventy” = “soixante-dix” or sixty plus ten. “Eighty” = “four twenties”, and “ninety” = “four twenties plus ten”. That means that “ninety two” = “four twenties plus twelve”. Get it? Anyway, trust me – it’s a mouthful!

Numbers aside, I am delighted to be back in Paris. I feel so at home here. And while many things have changed since I lived here in the ‘70s, many things have not changed. I am taking lots of photos and will be posting more soon. In the meantime, here are just a few:

Leaving FNAC with brand new books


Fromagerie (cheese shop) near my apartment


Fresh fish anyone?