The Tomato Knife

Like I said in the 1st post in this series (on Berlin), 2011 was filled with lots of foodie adventures. I made some fun discoveries traveling, yet many of my favorite finds were right here in Paris. From restaurants and wine bars to markets and vegetables, here are my top picks for the year. Favorite [...]

First of all, it feels like summer here in Paris. I’m seriously getting more sun, and sweating more profusely, than I did in all of July and August! It feels great and reminds me why I love Paris in September so much. Despite the weather, we’re definitely not on vacation and I’m getting back into [...]

It’s “la rentrée,” or French New Year, as I like to call it. The American term “back to school” is the closest translation I can find for the phenomenon that has been sweeping Paris for the past week. It’s a poor translation because “la rentrée” isn’t just for kids and college students; it’s for… well… [...]

According to an article I just read on Audrey Garric’s ecology blog for Le Monde, “Les OGM reculent-ils vraiment en Europe?”, GMO use is on the decline in Europe – thanks primarily to the public. In fact, in 2010 only 0,06% of all European agricultural spaces were subject to GMO use (a 23% decrease since [...]

How can you not laugh when you see a row of over-sized underwear hanging in a wine shop’s window? Twice a year French boutiques and department stores transform themselves into one of three kinds of art. Either they become life-sized Warhols and Pollocks, bursting with bright gaudy ribbons and attention-grabbing window signs.  With yellow, blue, [...]

We haven’t broken into the “gâteau des rois” yet, but I’m feeling lucky today and think I just might be the one to get the piece with the “fève” hidden in it. It’s a French tradition to celebrate Epiphany (today) with a special cake that has a surprise tucked inside (usually a miniature porcelain figurine). [...]