Pastries

It''s what's for breakfast, lunch, dinner or a snack at any part of the day. Just walking near a boulangerie I start salivating at the smell of warm bread, pain aux chocolats, eclairs and lemon tarts and it is hard not to go inside each time.

Doesn't it look yummy?

Most boulangeries offer a wide selection of delicious treats and usually they are not that expensive. There are those expensive hard to believe it's not plastic macarons or mousse au chocolat, delicious (why am I spending 100 euros) cakes from Laudrée and Dalloyau. These places are great for a one-time per year visit otherwise I would be broke.

For those who are a little tight on the belt, can find some delicious cakes for 30 euros in the neighborhood boulangerie. Like my birthday cake, it was chocolate and opera cream with a little bit of yellow cake. It was yummy and was gone within a few days. Also, for a quick breakfast pick up pain au chocolat and pain aux raisins for the whole gang under 10 euros, some places have cool deals like 15 for 10 euros.

Boulangeries to stop by:

• M° 4 St. Sulpice - Name Unknown - It has black decorations outside and there is bound to be a line @ noon, for the lunch crowd. Sandwiches to try: ham and cheese, tuna. Dessert : amande chocolat (like a pancake with chocolate and almonds), palmier
• M°4 St. Sulpice - Poilâne - A very famous bread shop, I once had one of their breads that was like sandwich bread, it was so good. A very different taste from the typical French baguette
• Paul - Depends on what time you go, sometimes the selection is good and sometimes it is not good. Right before lunch hour you will be able to linger over what you want, but when the lunch bell dings no lingering is allowed!
• Banette - same thing as Paul, these are found all over the cities, just depends on the time
• M° Olymipiades - Rue de Tolbiac the second one on the right - their tuna sandwiches are really good and you can pair it with the pastry of your choice and the menu price is only 5,60! how cool is that!
• any boulangerie that has a long line is sure to have good pastries and sandwiches

What is your favorite Parisian pastry? and your favorite boulangerie?

Once again Happy Strike Day...

September 23 -24, 2010

The reason for the strikes this time around is the new retirement age. France is having a similar problem that the USA has with their social security: people are living longer after they retire and there is not enough money to support them! So that's why the government is interested in raising the age of retirement to 62 from 60.

Therefore, tons of people are upset about it, note the 3 million people who went on strike in the beginning of September for two days to the same amount of people doing the same this week.

The only reason I don't like the days are because the train when it arrives at Noisy le Sec (my stop) is already packed like literally not a single person can get on. I knew the times of the trains thanks to the handy paper and signs in the station. So I knew in order to get to work on time I needed to get there at 8:40 to scope out the train at 8:48. Of course it was packed no real way of getting on. I waited for the 9:07 train, a little better so I pushed and squeezed on. I said pardon when ever I bumped into anyone expecting one from them, but one never came. And it was worst at night. One woman stood in front of me and then she grabbed the handle and pulled her way in, not even saying pardon. It made me mad, but I tried to stay calm and suck it up.

A quote from my earlier blog in March about strike day:

This is the day that I love (please note the sarcasm) a day when every person who takes the transports has the "right" to get upset be cause there are no trains or the lack of trains, like 3 in 1 hour! A day where your face is pushed into the glass and someone's hand just happens to touch your butt too long, or a roller coaster effect would take place if the train moved a little bit faster or pushed a little to hard on the brakes, causing you and the 5 people next to you to crash and fall down. Thus an argument starts about how you stepped on someone's Prada shoe or that your elbow is in someone's way, or why is there a big gap in the middle when it happens to be a baby stroller, etc. A really fun and great way to spend your day!

And I don't understand the real reason for the strike if the only thing the adminstration is going to do is let the strike happen but doesn't handle the situation.



from le parisien

 Have you ever experienced a strike in Paris/France during a trip? How did you feel?

Terrorism and your Future Trip

Do not let the "threat " of terrorism ruin your upcoming trip to France, especially to the rich capital of Paris. Really there is nothing to be afraid of, I continue my day without even thinking twice about the threat. Yes, it ok to be cautionary, especially where there are lots of people, because it would be easy that someone could "leave" something behind. But again, there are plenty of people around that someone would notice it and bring it to the attention of the RATP.

Also, places like Les Champs-Elysées or the Eiffel Tower and all the airports they have bumped up security, making you feel safe when there are 20 guys with machine-guns around.

My point to this entry is not to be afraid, or freak out that a terrorist is going to ruin your vacation. Just be careful, note your surroundings; if you see a package or suitcase with no one around tell someone. I mean it is not worth it to spend your whole trip freaking out, it is better to take in the sights.

 You only get to live once and that might mean you only get to visit Paris once.

From the French Kitchen to yours 1

As requested by Kirsten Watters from Texas! :)

I found all sorts of recipes for Curry Chicken, and I am going to share two. The first is a creamy version and the second will really bring the spice. Enjoy and then share which one you liked better!!

Creamy Chicken Curry with Lemon Rice   serves 4

• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 4 skinless, boneless chicken breast; cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 large onion, grated
• 2 fresh green chiles, finely chopped
• 2 large garlic cloves; grated
• 2 tsp ginger
• 1tsp ground turmeric
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 10 fl oz. coconut milk
• 9 fl oz. canned chopped tomatoes
• 2 tsp. lemon juice
• salt
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro

 Rice

• 1 3/4 cups basmati rice, rinsed
• 5 cups water
• juiced and grated rind of 1 lemon

1. Heat the oil in a large, heavy-bottom pan over medium heat. Add the chicken and cook for 5-8 minutes, turning frequently, until lightly browned and cooked through. Remove from the pan and set aside. Add the cumin seeds and cook until they start to darken and sizzle. Stir in the onion, partially cover, and cook over medium-low heat, stirring frequently, for 10 minutes, or until soft and golden. Add the chiles, garlic, ginger, turmeric, ground coriander and cook for 1 minute
2. Return the chicken to the pan and stir in the coconut milk and tomatoes. Partially cover and cook over medium heat for 15 minutes until the sauce has reduced and thickened. Stir in the lemon juice and season with salt.
3. Meanwhile cook the rice. Put the rice into a pan and cover with the water. Add the lemon juice. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat, cover and let simmer over very low heat for 15 minutes, or until the rice is tender and all the water has been absorbed. Remove the pan from the heat, and stir in the lemon rind. Let the rice stand, covered for 5 minutes.
4. Serve the curry with the lemon rice, sprinkled with fresh cilantro.

Carrefour - The Walmart of Europe

It is true, they really do exist! There are the mega stores and the market versions, it’s like Walmart finally had an influence on the French supermarket!

The store that I frequent the most is Rosny 2 ( a mall in Rosny Sous Bois, 93000).

It is so big that there are 3 levels. The first is dedicated to rows and rows of every kind of food imaginable, a representation of every culture – peanut butter, Chinese, Mexican, etc. The second and third are like the home/garden/entertainment  section of Walmart, there is everything that one would ever want, and it is hard to walk out emptied handed.

There are cool escalators, basically like moving sidewalks that go up hills with a slip-proof floor, that way no one looses or accidently ( or on purpose) lets their cart go. Plus, one thing that Walmarts in the US mare missing arte the rollerblades. Employees go skating around the store to be extra efficient especially when there is a price check.

The one thing that I miss are the “ lower prices everyday,” often the prices are the same as supermarket stores that sell the same home products or food. But one thing stays the same is the people. There literally needs to be a people of Carrefour, you think Americans dress interestingly, it’s a whole other world across the ocean!

What are your thoughts on Carrefour? Have you ever visited one?

Freebox and Client Relations

It has been three months since we moved and I decided it was time to get our internet changed over into our name (before it was in my brother-in-law's). I had his box closed, and I started the moving process on ours.
First let me explain what the Freebox is. It is a telephone, internet, and tv service in one for the low price of 29,99 euros per month. International calling is free to all landlines, so Y can call Turkey for free and I can call the states, it is wonderful. Plus we have all kinds of TV stations, there are like 10 turk channels; and the english ones are only the news stations, but that's what internet is for. It sounds good right?

Well when you decide to move, it isn't that appealing. September 1 passed and I plugged in our boxes and applied online to finish the moving process. Well there was a box that said it wasn't possible. So I called their service relations number and tried to talk to someone about it. I explained the situation about applying online and the guy was like "Madame there is no phone line, therefore you must call French Telecom!" Yeah they blamed it on the other guys, I called France Telecom and explained the situation and they were like no its Freebox who has to fix the line. I called back to explain it to the service people and it was the same man and he put me on 'hold' and never came back.

And calling the service people is not cheap, its 0,34 cents a minute that they apply directly to your bill! And of course you are on hold for more than 10 minutes! Ridiculous!

So I called back another day, explained the situation again and the woman told me that I clicked on the wrong button. I clicked a button that asked if we wanted to keep the old number, so I clicked on it and I didn't know it was wrong. I called her a bad word - because in France you have to get forceful with them in order for them to change their mind! I preceded to tell her that they shouldn't offer moving services online if people are always clicking the wrong button. She was like "well its your fault not mine, I didn't force you to click it". And then she said call back tomorrow.

So I did just that I called back the next day, and played a little stupid even though I had all the information in front of me on how they could fix it. The guy was super nice, he understood that I didn't speak French very well and made an effort to make sure he got the information right. He said Freebox would pay to open a new phone line and take care of everything! Wow! I was nice and didn't have to cuss at him in order to get my way!

Remember:

• Raising your voice isn't always a bad thing, just make sure your French is good
• Always have the information available so you can say "haha you're lying"
• Never play dumb, because the French will just walk all over you!

Now I will have internet to post adventures and information about visiting, living in Paris.


Share if you have stories similar to this! Doesn't have to be only Freebox!

I have not forgot about you!

New posts coming soon!!! I have not forgot about my adventures. Next post will explain the delay - internet service relations - are just as crazy no matter what country you are in!