Sunday, October 05, 2003

Market Day Market day at the Bastille (5/Oct./03) Well it's Sunday, market day at the Bastille. I/we have never seen anything like this. It makes the Union Square market look like a bodega. There are hundreds of stalls selling every possible kind of food - straight from the farm or artisinal producer. You not only need to know you want a chicken but what kind - Breton, Fermier, nature, etc. You can buy them plucked or unplucked, head and feet on or off. You can also get whole rabbits (see the lower right hand corner of the picture next to the little girl). There are more kinds of fish, shell fish, game, cheese, bread, vegetables than you have ever dreamed of. A man at the end of a long row of produce was sellings sea salt for bathing. To advertise its curative properties he sits all day with his bare feet in a bowl of salt water--the water being kept warm with a heating element submerged between his two feet. Anyone can examine his feet to see how soft they are! And, let's not forget the flowers!  They too can be selected or purchased by the piece, or in ready made beautiful bouquets--and the colours!  Right now the flowers seem to be at their brightest.  You don't see any carnations here because for some reason, the french think the are unlucky--je ne ca quoi! By the way, we learned an important lesson in French market shopping. Everything looks so beautiful (every little store displays its goods like Balducci's). But, in the shops - DON'T TOUCH. In the open air markets you can touch and pick out what you want. Dinner tonight:   pork terrine, olives and bread, fresh salmon fillets, fingerling potatoes, green salad and white wine. Pas de dessert!      5:53:11 PM    comment []

Our little corner of the Marais Our Corner of the Marais         It?s been a week and we are loving it here in Paris - our part of Paris anyway because we can't seem to tear ourselves away from the neighbourhood for too long.   Already we are discovering the characters that make this spot so unique.  Each morning we meet the same group of regulars at Les Philosophes for our morning 'cafe creme' and 'une tartine'.  There is the young man with the yellow lab who brings his own pastry each day and when the waiter sees him, already has the dog bowl with water and coffee waiting at the usual table.  These two have their own routine of fetch and when his owner tires of kicking the ball, there is no shortage of passersby who will oblige her! She drops the ball in front of you and then starts backing up to catch or block the shot. One difference from home ? the ball must be kicked, not thrown. There are many regular dog walkers (in Paris, people love their dogs) but we especially like the man who heads off pulling his reluctant basset hound out for their morning constitutional.  Man and dog head off with the same ?hang dog? expression returning in less then 15 min.   Here in Paris there are very few people who 'stoop and scoop', but magically, overnight, most dog droppings and trash are flushed away by morning.   Our street has a resident long-haired white cat with her own private entrance to the apartment. The owners of the trendy shops have hours that while posted seem to conform to a time frame based on their individuals whims.   We are enjoying visits to the local ?charcuterie? and no day is complete without a stop at the ?patisserie!  This is a city that invites you to spend time lingering over coffee outdoors no matter what the temperatures?there are heaters to accommodate.  The pace here is slower and the concept of a ?quick bite? has still not caught on everywhere.   We are looking forward to a visit from friends Sheila and Joe who will join us for a tour of the Bordeaux wineries.    A bient?   Christina 4/Oct./03 3:11:11 AM    comment []

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