The Tomato Knife

After avoiding the subject for way too long, I’ve signed up for French driving lessons. Unless your American license was issued in one of the 13 states (see below) that have a reciprocity agreement with France, you have to take both the written and driving tests once you live here permanently. That means drivers’ ed [...]

I didn’t eat cucumber much before coming to France. Now it’s become a staple- and I usually have part of one hanging around somewhere in the fridge. After farmers’ market on Sunday, I came home with an especially nice-looking, organic one that I mixed into a refreshing salad. Since cucumber doesn’t have a very strong [...]

I’m sipping a steaming cup of Jade Chai Green Tea- one of my special finds in San Francisco’s China Town. Thanks to a friend, I spent the better part of an hour sticking my nose into tin after tin of rich, fragrant tea leaves- from Silver Peony (a white tea) to Organic Golden Monkey (a [...]

It’s Mardi Gras! While Halloween may be underplayed in France, Mardi Gras certainly isn’t. A tradition stemming largely from the Middle Ages, children and teenagers (and even some adults) giddily dress up in all kinds of colorful costumes for a day of festive revelry.  No trick-or-treating or candies for this celebration; instead, French tradition calls [...]