The kids voted and the third Country of the Week is France. C’est bon!
I don’t know about you, but when I think of France I think of amazing food. But man cannot live by bread alone, c’est dommage, so this morning we brainstormed a list of What We Know or Would Like to Know More of About France. Le voilà!
(But first: The little French I know is from two sources: a) Hercule Poirot and b) two years of college French taught by a very kind young man from Sierra Leone. When I finally make it to France, I have a feeling the natives will wonder why this blonde American is speaking with a West African accent. C’est la vie! And, yes, I’ll be doing this all week. I can’t help it! C’est plus fort que moi.)
Now on to the list:
Tour de France
macarons
madeleines
Madeline (books and movie)
Babar
Eiffel Tower
Statue of Liberty
Seine
Hunchback of Notre Dame
Arc de Triomphe
fashion
Tuileries
Louvre
Monet
Renoir
Gauguin
Chopin
eclairs
croissants
Trop bien! Lots of great ideas to keep us busy this week.
Yesterday our dear friend Jackie, the Queen of Good Sports, came down to spend the afternoon with us. She arrived loaded with French bread, cheeses, and meringues. And when it was time to make the salade Niçoise and Lily said, “Don’t you need a puffy hat?” Jackie gamely put one on and started chopping.
Are you a fan of salade Niçoise? I’ve always wanted to make one but never have. I did some googling and found this. It turns out there are some very specific rules about what goes into a “proper” salade Niçoise, but since the perfect is the enemy of the good, we made this. Because we like potatoes and green beans. (But Lebovitz’s post was wonderful to read.)
I loved this salad and will be making it again. My camera is not great so please believe me when I say that the colors were gorgeous.
We finished up the day by watching Madeline and reading a Babar story. Today we’re going in search of macarons at Sweets Bakeshop in St. Paul:
Did we forget your favorite thing about France? Please share!
Amusez-vous bien !
That salad looks wonderful, and as for the macarons … miam miam, as they say here!
The salad WAS delicious! And the adventure of it all was pretty great too.
I think this idea you have going with your kids is so great! I lived and studied in France in the 80s. I stayed with a french family and remember maman teaching me how to make crepes. So hard but delicious. My favorite meals there included a cheese course more than a dessert course. Meals en famille were a big event and I loved it. One of my favorite dinner parties included escargot (which I had never had before). Can’t wait to here more of what you do to learn about France. Passez une bonne semaine!
Meant to write: Can’t wait to hear what you do next!
Also forgot to mention French philosophers like Sartre and Simone de Beauvoir. Also french music would be an interesting addition- Ravel’s Bolero or DeBussy. More modern music includes Daft Punk and Gipsy Kings.
Thank you for the great ideas, Soleil! We’ll definitely check out the bands you mentioned. I feel like I’ve heard of the Gipsy Kings…. And, yes, what would France week be without some good discussions about philosophy? 🙂
I always love to hear people’s stories about living or studying abroad. I didn’t do it while I was in school, but never say never!