Ainsley- The best place to start picking out restaurants is the Pudlo Paris restaurant guide. It is a guide for Parisians and translated to English. Our favorite meal was at 404 in the 3rd arrondissemont on rue des Gravilliers. It has the most delicious North African food. The inside is decorated such you feel transported to Morroco! Our splurge was at Le Jules Verne on the second floor of the Eiffel tower bluekitobsessed- You make me laugh! I had so much fun washing dishes tonight in my sink! Who woulda thunk? I read your thread about your cooking class with Anne Willan. I am soooooooo jealous!! She was at the Greenbrier in W Virginia earlier this year. I was bummed I couldn't go! I've seen the method of mixing right on the counter (Bertinet's "Dough" book/DVD) Can't wait to try it out myself! Neesie- Staying in an apartment is totally the way to go! Below is a link to where we stayed. Scroll down to the bottom of the page for a link to look at other apartments. The price was better per night than a hotel and so much more relaxing. We were immursed in this total "local" 'hood within walking distance of the Seine. What did I buy a e. Dehillerin? A simple, beautiful French rolling pin. I'm in heaven! rmkitchen- sounds like you have some very sweet memories! Here is a link that might be useful: Paris apartment

This is an interesting thread. I know a lot of people love Julia Child's kitchen and that the best thing about it is that everything is right there and handy. But for me, this would not be a comfortable workspace. I think we all have our own way of working and I like having everything handy but I think there might be such a thing as TOO handy -- at least for me. I have to agree with the statement above that "it's my kitchen and I should be comfortable in it" and if putting all your pots and pans and knives and utensils makes you comfortable then that's exactly what you should do! But all that would feel like clutter to me in my own workspace. I don't mean to offend anyone or say I don't like that style, in fact, I think Julia's kitchen is a marvel to look at. I'm just saying it's not for everyone. I haven't heard any complaints where guests were uncomfortable looking at utilitarian articles. I would hope that even if someone didn't like that they'd keep their opinions to themselves! But in any case, I'm a firm believer in doing what you like in your own house -- and not catering to what you THINK your guests might like or not like.

I loved Chicken Run, and realized I'd missed many good lines the first time, when we watched it again. The line I laughed hardest and loudest was 'Captain, we've got a cling-on, the engines can't take much more'. Gods must be Crazy is wonderful and still stands up over time - I showed it to my DH a few years back. The sequel is a disappointment btw I love silent movies, btw. Some of my fav include Sunrise, Metropolis (for the 'a head of its time' design, not so much for the acting), The General, The Wind and Greed. Also love some original silents of later popular movies: Wizard of Oz and Oliver Twist are very interesting, and Scarlet Letter is probably the best version I've ever seen. I have a huge collection of these movies and often find myself drawn to the time and place, and the acting of those days.

I've never had this happen to me, but if it did I would be too busy verifying my information, because I'd want to be sure that I was correct in my identification. Perhaps some people feel it's a blow to their ego to be questioned because they consider themselves experts. One of my passions is acquiring antique Chinese porcelain, and it took me a good while to be fairly certainly that I hadn't bought a fake, never mind what dynasty it was from, eating humble pie all the way. Some of the people I interacted with were renowned experts in their field, and I wasn't about to question their knowledge. To react negatively in the way that you describe tells me that this person is more concerned about looking like an "expert" rather than definitely nailing down the correct name. The real expert won't let his personal feelings interfere with his quest of finding out the truth. That's really the only thing that should matter, but I suppose it's easy to get carried away when you're already invested in a rose being a certain one. It's a human failing, and most of us have probably fallen prey to it at one time or another. I'd rather not admit it, but I have, more than once.