I had to chuckle at the auto-correct "fois bras". The truffles (truffes), fois gras, and everything look so delicious. And oh the cheese. And truffled eggs with ham for breakfast. The food quality is so high.

"Les treize desserts de Noel" are enjoyed over Provence, I've learned (from a Provencale teacher/friend). I think there are micro-regional differences, but often contain the dried, fresh and conserved fruits, nuts plus calissons (fruit/almond paste candy), nougat (dark and light) and round orange-flavored sweet bread made with olive oil (pompe a huile). I assembled/made one two years ago for a French holiday party. Frankly, not my favorite thing (but the bread is tasty).

Funny, I missed that auto-correct!

The food quality is amazing. I seem to be holding up better to the torrent of dishes, and things seem a little more organized into distinct meals than the last time we were here. Because Alain is gone, there is not much whisky tasting and smoking. So i’ve actually been able to go out for walks and explore the village a little bit.

Here is my new favorite cheese. It is liquid love!

Salmon

We are leaving tomorrow for Paris, where we have two nights and a full day. During that day we have to get our covid tests - fingers crossed - but otherwise have no real plans. I imagine we’ll go to a museum or something like that, I mostly just want to walk around. Maybe I’ll take DS to le Place des Vosges which I think an architecture student should see.

DD has two weeks off in April and then one final week of work, before her teaching year ends. She’ll likely renew her contract and start teaching in Marseille again in October ’22, after a summer working in California. so, we are trying to figure out when and how to return. Maybe in April? Or in September? If we stay in DD’s apartment, the next trip won’t be very expensive, and if we’re not sick next time, we’ll be able to see and do a lot more than we’ve managed on this trip. I’d like to bring a bike and explore on wheels, rent a car and visit other places.

You know what I’d really love to do? When I was a little boy we lived in a small town somewhere between Montpelier and the coast, for several months. We had a Citroen 2CV ”Fourgonette” which is the delivery van version. I’ve always wanted a 2CV and fantasize about buying one in France and bringing it to the US. Granted, I can probably buy a good 2CV in the US for not much more than I can buy a good one in France plus the shipping and registration. But maybe . . . I have a connection to a guy in Marseille who imports American cars to France, restores and sells them. Old Mustangs, Corvettes and so on. I might be able to enlist him to help with this silly idea.

Something like this

You sound much better! I had to google your liquid love. Munster melted into gewurztraminer......what's not to love. I can order it over the net...... but I feel we have enough cheese. Sigh. Alsace is a wickedly wonderful place to eat and drink. Have fun in Paris.

>>> but I feel we have enough cheese

Strike those words, Islay! Not in this household.

I had to also google your object of John's affection. That sounds like an amazing thing on bread or potatoes. With a nice gewurtz or riesling.

John's 2CV "Fourgonette" brings to mind images of farmers, craftsmen and bakers bringing their wares into neighboring villages for sale. (and you're right --here's one or an Acadianenearby)

April sounds like a great time to visit your old stomping grounds and tool around with your daughter. .

LOL

I just bought a nice coat!

It was in a fashionable second-hand shop on Rue des Filles du Calvaire, in Paris. We were trying to get to the used camera shops on Blvd Beaumarchais before they closed, but as usual we got distracted along the way. DD saw this shop and thought it had a curated look, so everyone disappeared inside. After cooling my heels on the sidewalk, I wandered inside, where I was tackled and forced into various pieces of clothing until I gave up and picked this coat.

My overcoat is long, heavy, full cut, double-breasted, and dark blue. It was made in France for Galeries Lafayette, of English “pure cashmere”. I’m not sure how old it is. This sort of overcoat is classic enough that it is never completely outdated, but it hasn’t been fully ”in style” in the US for many decades. It is the kind of coat that Cary Grant might once have worn, but during most of my lifetime it was mostly older men who wore these coats. I guess it’s my turn.

And it was only 20 euros!

Paris is really pretty expensive in some ways - on the Rue St Dominique I found a suede and fur wrap that looked perfect for SWMBO until we saw the price tag, nearly 1,000 euros, which is so far out of our range that we both laughed out loud - but then there are things that are quite reasonable.

DD got the best deal today. A big orange enameled pot, marked ”DOUFEU” and “France. Entranger” along with a patent reference. The lid has lots of little studs for drippage, like Staub pots. It had been left on the sidewalk in a rather prosperous-looking neighborhood near the Eiffel Tower. DD rescued it from its sorry fate, cleaned it up, and now it will be her stew pot.

Islay, where can you order Creme d’Albert online? DD wants to know!

I have a Doufeu pot, it’s made by Le Crueset I believe. It’s very good for slow stove top cooking. What a find!

Here's one place. You're just trying to encourage my cheese consumption! I'm tempted LOL

https://www.croisee-des-saveurs.com/produit/creme-d-albert/

Her pot could have cost a lot of money new!!! Great find!

https://www.lecreuset.fr/fr_FR/c/cuisine-et-patisserie/cuisine/articles-de-cuisine-specialises?utm_content=&gclid=CjwKCAiAzrWOBhBjEiwAq85QZ0pXkMhrDHxXZ2gvFif04KN_qqTVUN0XT58wDgaQ7TlX3N3c99PhYBoCqMIQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

DD has just finished her NYE dinner in Marseille

The “pink lettuce” is Italian raddichio, the puree is celery root, and she roasted the meat in her toaster oven.

I’m happy to see that the mouse army weapons also have a culinary use

I guess there is a traditional French dessert pastry called “galette du roi” that always comes with a paper crown that some guest gets stuck wearing

Lovely dinner!

We eat la galette du roi in January. It starts usually for the Epiphany - hence the crown. Normally, you get the youngest child in the room to sit under the table so they can't see the pie, then they tell the person serving it which slice to give to which person. One person will find a trinket in their slice, which makes them the king/queen. They have to wear the crown. The pie is filled with frangipane and the pastry is very buttery. Unfortunately, people invite you throughout January for a glass of wine and a slice of pie - not what most people want after all the festive eating.

I’ve always heard of it as “des rois” referring to the three kings. Is ”du roi” a variant?

Yes, Flora, you're right.

DD launching into her New years’ resolution to resume painting. She is starting with small still lifes, to get her painting chops warmed up.

She's surrounded with inspiration. I can't draw or paint so am very envious. A lovely talent to have.

Good news, which will be appreciated by the French here - DD finally got her Carte Vitale and Social Security number. As I understand it, the former will allow her to easily get her vaccine booster shot. Which is important as she returned to teaching in her schools this week, and her original vaccination was almost 9 months ago. I'm not sure what the latter means.

EBIT: DD got her booster shot.

The carte vitale IS the social security. Now she has that, she can work legally - it's very difficult without one, she can be ill, get a doctor, go to hospital - get her vaccine. In a nutshell, she's nearly Fench LOL

[so I have added DD’s descriptions in quotes, and turns out I posted the photos all out of order …]

“Last is a desert that was SO GOOD. Poached pear with praline crumble. Not in the picture, but it came with this incredible hazelnut cream that i would happily drown in”

“Third is a blanquette de veau”

“First is guacamole with tiny cubes of lemon cake and carrot+cucumber”

”Second is a filet de boeuf that had like a small puff pastry shell or something (i didnt eat that one)”

“I didnt get a picture of it, but vincent had a filet de loup dish that had BANANA in it”

What DD has been eating - or rather what she’s been fed by our friend, Martine.

She will be making good old Southern fried chicken for some French friends next week!

Sorry but you must describe those dishes! Particularly the last one, the green island with the brown covering . . .

Editing to add: so I'm assuming that brown thing atop the guacamole is some type of tortilla?

lpink, I would guess it is something crunchy and just decorative?

Can"t work out what the thing on top of the guac is. The beef looks like a Wellington.

Islay is right, the beef looks like Wellington, complete with duxelles.

The wispy thing looks most like a dosa but of course it is not --- not even a galette or crepe (too thin, like a dosa)

I think that's filo atop the guacamole salad. Notice the edges of it are translucent - traditionally the filo pastry was properly thin when one could read through it!

DD threw a fried chicken dinner party for some French and Italian friends in her little Marseille apartment. I received only one photo - boo.

What is it?

Fried chicken, jalapeno muffins, homemade coleslaw, some kind of beans, and garlic mashed potatoes. She wanted to serve them a very American meal. Apparently they had never had coleslaw other than what one gets at KFC. There is takeout fried chicken in Marseille other than KFC, but none of it (that we tried) is good.

Seven young people squeezed into her little apartment - three on the couch.

For local fare, here is what she had with Martine and Martine’s boyfriend recently.

They’ve asked her to paint a fun design on the exterior of their bicycle shop, which is the building here. She’s excited by the chance to learn about painting outside walls.

Marseille has a lot of colorful storefronts - and a lot of colorful graffiti and street art too. I think the bike shop will benefit from the same. They have a logo (cat on bicycle) that she will work in.

Oh, I like the paintings on the buildings and I'm glad DD has such a large "blank canvas" to work on. And just on time for the New Year's resolution too, so thanks to the universe for that!

The food looks really good, but I'm having some trouble wrapping my head around lemon cake with guacamole. I'm such a Michigan girl, I just think of guacamole as savory, LOL. I also promptly noticed the beans with the chicken, and thought "oh, good, baked beans". Here it's a staple with fried chicken and cole slaw, we grow a lot of beans in Michigan!

Annie

I would probably eat the guacamole for sure but then I like fruits and savory mixed together. Always have!

I'm looking forward to the wall painting! I love how colorful it is there. It's wonderful that your DD gets to add to it!

Thanks for posting about your DD's adventures! I really am enjoying the journey!

I think there must have been something lost in translation. We don't eat "cake" and avocados LOL The French would run for the hills if you suggested anything like that. We do make savoury "cakes", however that are very good; I've posted recipes on here before, but I'm sure there were't any takers. It's something lovely for a buffet or apéritif. It's cake based on flour, eggs, cheese then you add what you like. Roasted veg, tuna, herbs, lemon!

Not many cooking reports from our foreign correspondent lately.

DD has been busy making lots of new friends and feeling increasingly at home in Marseille. She is allegedly planning a Chinese dinner but I’ll believe it when I see it.

She has been continuing to furnish her apartment in castoff chic and the latest find is this heavy tile-topped coffee table that she carried a considerable distance home, to have a sturdy place for feet, books and I think that is a stuffed animal too.

She had two experiences that, I am told, show that she is becoming a Marseille person. First, she had her wallet stolen - and then returned to her minus the bank cards and cash, but (uncommonly) with all her IDs and similar intact. Second, she went to Aix-en-Provence and found it creepily clean and overly picturesque, as real Marseille people do.

She wants a bicycle but has no room to store one in her apartment, and bike theft is of course rampant so she can’t lock it up outside. I’ve been looking for a Brompton, which is a super-compact folding bicycle of English make. You ride then fold and put it under your restaurant table or in your closet at home. Bromptons have become terribly popular and used ones go for as much as $3,000 in Portland. I finally found a nice used one for a small fraction of that price, so if we return to Marseille in April, we’ll be carrying a folded-up present.

We had Chinese New Year dinner last week. Due to Covid it wasn’t the usual raucous party-feast. We had just two close friends over and ate take-out. But SWMBO did insist on cleaning the house and setting the table.

Here is DD’s new bicycle, in the half folded state. These Bromptons are like Transformers, they can be a bicycle, a shopping cart, carry-on luggage ...

I had been concerned that DD was starving herself, hence the lack of food photos, but apparently not.

Here is her lunch today.

”A sort of tarte thingy made with special cheese from the region- Fromage Maroilles”

“And thon à peche!!!

Tuna with mayo on peache halves!!

With olive or tomato on top“

Her friend’s mom has given DD a book. This is supposed to teach her ch’timi, the patois of the country rubes who live in the far north of France. Or something like that. Apparently the accent and idioms there are either funny, or incomprehensible, or both, to sophisticated metropolitan people - or else there is another reason for various comedy routines on the topic. Maybe this is like Southern accents in the US.

https://youtu.be/eyx2fQxAMaU

Like this standup routine - I’m not clear if he’s pretending to be from the nord of France or to be someone vacationing there, but anyway the audience gets the references.

DD is staying with her friend’s family in Lille by the way - in the far nord - and perhaps she was given this book so that she can understand the locals. It is all quite confusing to me.

He comes from there and is very funny about locals. He's also talking about driving in Paris...... brilliant. There was a wonderful film that she might want to see called Bienvenue chez les Chtis https://www.breakflip-awe.com/netflix/actualites/bienvenue-ches-les-chtis-sur-netflix-en-france-4537.

Her tuna with peach is very American LOL The cheese tarte looks wonderful.

I gather “bienvenue chez les chtis” was filmed in Lille? DD was excited to visit the places it was filmed.

She also claims “I found out today the peche a thon is a plat belgique!” It’s not an American dish - I’ve never heard of it, fish + fruit isn’t a thing here :-(

She also reports that they are very into this odd little wafer

Funny about the fish and fruit thing. It isn't French so I assumed..... LOL

Those little wafers looks delicious. I don't know them but I'd like to! https://www.avisdegourmets.com/lille/gaufre It sounds like your DD is getting total immersion LOL

I'm trying to imagine peach and tuna salad(?) and it only conjures up an image of a smashed school lunch (it will all end up in the same place), but I'm certain it tastes better than that. Maybe. I'll take the tarte, sort of like a tarte flambee (which I love).

That film was the highest grossing film ever in France at the time. The accents in the film is exaggerated but not too far from the truth, and quite enjoyable. It is set in a smaller town, Bergues, south of Dunkirk and close to the Belgian border.

popular youtuber Norman is from the north and goes through the Ch'tis in this video (turn on subtitles), including how some words completely get turned around, like cat. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZO_M5bBQedI

Yum, I'd take that waffle AND the wafer, whatever it is. Tuna and peaches kind of lost me, though Grandma used to make a "diet plate" with tuna salad, lettuce leaves, sliced peaches and cottage cheese. Now I think back, it probably had more calories than a regular meal, LOL.

That is one cool little bike too, so handy!

Annie

My husband is lusting after one of those bikes!

“Langue de boeuf avec bouillon de légumes et os a moelle”

Beef tongue, pressure cooked to super soft, with stewed veg

Marrow bone, scooped and spread on bread with a pinch of salt

DD is not starving, I am relieved to see, and is getting lots of home cooking in Lille

I don‘t know if this is typically nord-ish fare?

Well, I'm certainly happy that DD is not starving. That tongue does look familiar, I guess there's nothing to be done to make it not look like tongue, LOL.

I remember Grandma would boil the tongues for hours, and then skin it and slice it for sandwiches. Some of my more "citified" friends in High School were much taken aback when they opened the door of the refrigerator and saw a whole cow's tongue sitting on a plate!

Annie

What did they think about Grandma’s goat’s head soup …

Langue de boeuf is old fashioned French food; Not typically northern. it's usually served with sauce gribiche. L'os à moelle is traditional too. So much better than that hideous Belgian tinned fruit and fish!

Bulletin: DD was apparently so boulversée (sp) by her experience in the nord that she returned to Marseille and cut off her hair.

Perhaps it was the relentless overfeeding by her hosts. I mean, how much home cooked Shepherds’ Pie can one take?

Meanwhile, her little bike is being put through its paces here in Portland, currently in grocery shopping mode. In this configuration it does tend to tip over when unevenly loaded, so I need to look into solutions.

We bought a folding bike when we lived in the Netherlands many years ago. Initially, it was for a 2 week canal boat trip we took one summer, following our landlords through locks and across lakes - needing a means of transportation to get provisions at ports. Back in the States, DH still uses it - he parks in the National Seashore parking lot in our town and rides the bike across the trail to dig clams in the salt marsh and rides back with his bucket of them to the car. He also takes it when he goes to his Porsche track events at the bigger venues instead of having to walk distances in the heat to get to his truck/trailer after he unloads his car in the paddock - other drivers borrow it for the same reasons. Ours looks a bit different than yours, but what a great gift for your daughter!

DD has started a health diet after returning from Lille.

Celery root puree, braised carrot+shallot, salad with avocado

This looks like a sauce on cucumber subbing for pasta

She has also been “shopping” at the local dumpster. Two of these white leather cube seat/stool things showed up. She now has enough seating for a little party.

As part of the health kick, apparently she has joined the local piscine (swimming pool).

Oh, I like celery root. I keep trying to grow it, without success. The second picture might be "zoodles" made with zucchini, it's pretty popular here for the low-carb eaters, although the lure escapes me.

I like the haircut too, she's lovely!

No goat head soup in my family. We had a goat, but it was a pet. Grandma did make head cheese when we slaughtered pigs, but the "odd" food items were usually cooked by my Aunt Yoshiko. She'd often make "fish head soup", although now I realize she was really just making fish stock, LOL

Annie

Houzz has such bizarre quirks, as a forum.

If you look around, you’ll see this thread and another thread with the same title. This one is the replacement thread that I started after the first one vanished, shortly after I’d made the initial posts. This thread got to 163 posts or so. Then the original , truncated thread reappeared, a few days ago, with only 8 posts.

I was very confused until I hunted around and realized WHAT had happened. WHY it happened, I just can’t figure out.

Anyway, rather than get confused about which thread is which, I think I’ll start a new thread, titled ”DD Is (Still) In Marseille”. Look for it in a week or so [I’m writing this on March 28, 2022].

Why a week? Why, because I’ll be back in Marseille and will be seeing what DD is cooking and eating . . . first-hand!

Teaser - we won’t be just in Marseille, or even just in France :-)

John HU123456789 Liu

Oh, boy, vicarious travel, I always love it. I'll be watching...

Annie

Looking forward to being here soon

This is a block from DD’s apartment, she gets off the Metro and sees this everyday. There’s a cool second hand store and a bar/cafe to the left, and the street car goes by to take you to the waterfront.