A Moveable Feast

We’ve arrived! The apartment is located in the premier arrondissement, also known as the museum neighborhood, one block from the Louvre above a restaurant and flanked by a patisserie and a bistro—could we ask for more?

Tired after traveling 24 hours we seated ourselves in a bistro chair on the sidewalk and watched the world pass by as we sipped un cafe. More on fashion later, but the blog advice (we’ll call it blice) was true: women are wearing summer dresses, skirts and tops, and jeans—skirts are for the most part knee length, haven’t seen many minis but again, this is the working crowd, maybe the legs come out at night. Shoes are flats, and some sandals, have not seen many people tottering around in heels. I am happy with my 50 lb. suitcase full of clothes. I thought that I should pack light, because afterall the apartment has a washer an dryer, but the agent told me upon arrival: “the dryer doesn’t work very well. Eef you have clothes to dry, put small amount in the dryer and run it all day.” So much for doing laundry.

Next stop, food. I craved french onion soup and the downstairs restaurant creates something that is too good to merely be called French Onion Soup, (maybe it’s simply because I’m eating it at restaurant in Paris but it will go on my “best’ list: best grilled fish (mexico), best pasta (Montalcino), best soup (Paris). The stock had been simmered for hours, the bread was a hunk of crusty french bread covered in melted gruyere adrift on the sea of beef stock. We also ordered A “green salad with cheese” which was actually a cheese plate–goat, brie, blue, aged parmesan— with greens on the side, enough for a meal in itself. Is all food in Paris so beautiful? Is it possible to eat too much cheese? Why aren’t French women fat? (note to self: must by the book.)

But dining “politesse” is something we are learning. Plates are not shared. Leftovers are not taken home in “doggie bags.” Wine and water are the only two acceptable beverages allowed on your table during a meal. If you order a coke to drink with your dinner, the french waiter will reply, “Non!” If you eat at a bistro, you may have an entrée (appetizer) without other courses, but at better restaurants it is expected that you will at least have a plate (main course.) So the first day as we tried to adjust our internal time clocks, as well as feed our souls, we were out of sync and we ended up eating a lot of food at weird times, well basically, nonstop. Today, slightly better, but still figuring out when to eat, what to eat, and where to eat.(there is no shortage options of where to eat.)