Just Hanging Out

Every Friday and Sunday morning when I go to the market (marché), I walk past what seems to me a strange phenomenon : snails on a fence. I am not just talking about one. I am talking about a dozen or so on each post.

I pointed it out the first time I saw them to my husband, but he didn't find it as cool as I did and he wouldn't let me take a picture. So last week, I decided to walk by the same place and saw the snails hanging out again. I got my camera out and took a picture just as a woman walked past and she had the same look on her face as my husband ded. Kind of like a "why is the girl taking a picture of a fence" and she walked away too fast for me to explain "Oh, je prends un photo de l'escargot!" (translation - I am taking a picture of the snails).

I found it odd, because I always thought that snails slept or hung out on trees or bushes, not attached to some fence.

Maybe they are on the fence because it's green?

Also, I have never found another snail hangout like this one. Maybe they are too afraid to be out in bird eyes view because they know that the French like to eat them, haha.

Have you ever ate snails? and what did you think?

Illumination aux Champs-Elysées

The best part of the Christmas season not to miss in Paris is the illuminations aux Champs-Elysées (yes you have my permission to break out into song)


is the Illumination and the Marché de Noël. This week it opened it's doors, Mélanie Laurent, a French actress, was in charge of pressing the button, along with Bertrand Delanoe, the mayor of Paris. Check the video out here!
There are 415 trees on "the most beautiful avenue in the world" from Place de L'Etoile to Place de la concorde, so more than 2km of lights!

The Marché de Noël

So, if you are looking for a fun time, and want to do some Christmas shopping or shopping of any kind, check out the marché, sip some hot chocolate, cider, or vin chaud, and capture the brightness of the Champs-Elysées.
Pratical Information http://www.parisvillagedenoel-champselysees.com/

19 november 2010- 3 january 2011

Sunday to Thursday 12h00 à 23h00
Friday to Saturday12h00 à 24h00
Station Métro: Champs-Elysées / Clémenceau Lignes : 1 & 13

2 - How to Cook French in the States

Its fish night.
Directions:
1. Go to the market, or the local place to buy good fish and buy trout or another kind similar.
2. Make sure that its cleaned and slit in the middle. because if not it will take awhile.
3. Find a large baking sheet or casserole dish, put olive oil in the bottom
4. Then put the fish in the pan and in the slit of all the fish place butter (butter with salt if possible) and a small amount of herbs de provenance.
5. Then cut up one large onion and place the onions on top.
6. Put a few pieces of butter on top of the fish, along with some more herbs.

Then put it in the oven @ 200°F or 110°C and cook for about 30-45 minutes.
Serve with rice and green beans with garlic sauce.

Le Marche

Today was a rare experience, I went to two different marches or markets.

My usual Sunday consists of my husband and I going to the market around 10 making the usual stops to ED (the supermarket), the butcher shop, and then taking a stroll down the main street, where there are mostly non-food vendors, before hitting up the baskets of anything your heart desires from a euro, fifty-two cent lady.

But today was not the typical Sunday, instead it was me who did all of the above alone and then returning home, to find my husband ready to go to the other market down the street. A market which was mostly consisted of Algerian Arabic household items and food supplies. I don't think I have ever seen that many arabic/turkish women in one place at one time in my life. The people were all in a hurry and if I spent one minute extra looking at the fish and deciding if I wanted to buy some, I would get angry glances and comments behind my back. Whereas if I was to do that, in my market in Drancy, never would that happen, or even in a Parisian market.

The markets are a place to meet people and where people come together either to sit at the cafes and people watch, stroll along looking at all of the useless items that no one really needs, but will end up buying because it only cost one euro, or for those who want to get in and get out, because they are not into the crowds. There are endless aisles of bread, meats, veggies and fruits in each little building of the market, alongside rows and rows of clothes from socks to suits, wallets, purses, and shoes for only a mere 5 euros. Its just the people that sometimes get in the way...but if you take your time and let the other people suck it up, the experience is bound to continue.