Southern Fried French

So Hip, So Urban, So ANTWERPEN

The Stadsfeestzaal Shopping Center in Antwerp, formerly a city banquet hall

 

We had been to Antwerp before, briefly, (the Belgians call it Antwerpen, the French call it Anvers), and  I didn't remember much about it. So when we decided to go there to meet up for a day with some old friends, and then added a few more days onto our trip, I wasn't all that excited to spend time in the city. After all, the French, as you may know, have a sort of ongoing distain for the Belgians, who are the brunt of many a joke. The stereotype is that they are a bit simple and all they eat are french fries.

 

Example:

Q: Comment fait-on pour rentrer douze Belges dans un coffre de voiture ?
A: On jette une frite à l’intérieur.

( Q: How do you get twelve Belgians in the trunk of a car?
  A: You throw a french fry inside.)

 

The Belgians, by the way, can give it right back to them, usually based on the stereotype that the French think they are superior to all.

Example:

Pour devenir riche, achetez un français au prix qu'il vaut, et revendez-le au prix auquel il s'estime.

(To get rich, buy a Frenchman at the price that he's worth, and resell him at the price that he thinks he's worth).

 

But I digress. What I want to tell you is that, in spite of myself, I was totally charmed by this Belgian city, both edgy and elegant. The architecture is fabulous. It seems there are more pedestrian streets than auto ones, all connecting charming little squares.

 

A tantalizing glimpse of a bistro off a narrow alley

 

 

This gorgeous building was on our favorite small square, Hendrik Conscienceplein

 

As far as I can tell, the main occupation of the citizens is DRINKING. Day drinking, night drinking, anytime drinking. The city is brimming with bars and their outdoor terraces,  and they are packed with locals all day. Do these folks ever WORK?

 

 

Primed with alcohol, everyone is quite friendly. This is the Dutch-speaking part of Belgium.  The Dutch are a fun-loving group, and some of their esprit seems to have spilled over the border, which is close by. Including the tradition of going everywhere by bike, with the whole family aboard. Amazingly I don't think we met a single person who didn't speak fluent English.

 

It helped that we had a hotel that we loved, the Hotel Franq. The lobby used to be a grand bank, and the vault now holds their wine collection. There was a surprise inside the internal courtyard: a historic Belgian bungalow.

 

The lobby at the Hotel Franq

The walled courtyard, with its little maison

 

 

We dined on the river, climbed to the top of the iconic city museum, visited gardens, and peeked into the luxury hotels that were out of our budget.  Come along for the tour, and you may be inspired to put Antwerp on your travel list too!

 

(There is one other special place we visited on our trip. But that is a post for another day).

 

We started each day at this tucked-away breakfast place. If you go, you must try this Antwerp specialty: a "pecan plait"--basically a croissant with a pecan pie filling.

We had a pecan plait every morning

 

 

First stop, Antwerp's famous MAS museum, with its theme of global connectedness. One can ride a series of escalators to the top, and the views just keep getting better. One thing I liked: pix of Antwerp residents of all ages lining the escalator walls, showing off the things they loved.

 

 

 

A little detour to the Cat Café. Gotta love a city that has a busy cat café on one of its main streets. Take that, JD Vance!

 

 

 

Cat: I'm in your lap, you ARE taking me home, aren't you? Me: How I wish!

 

Next, off to the Botanical Garden. Here are some pix of the statuary, and the tearoom:

 

Man emerging--or descending?

 

Next to the gardens was the Botanic Sanctuary, a new 5-star super luxury hotel in a renovated abbey complete with chapel, which we could only dream over:

 

the Foyer

 

The restaurant

 

The Lobby

 

Street Scenes:

 

The Antwerp cathedral, with a belfry an impressive 400 ft. high

 

Madonnas on buildings were a reoccuring theme; they protect the city

 

 

We passed this restauraneur at the Caramba several mornings, and he kindly became our de facto tour guide

 

 

Pick out your tattoo, from this storefront window

 

Whimsy was everywhere:

In a square, a famous statue of a boy and his dog, from a beloved children's book

 

 

 

Statues climb a building

 

 

 

Bye-Bye! We left from the "World's Most Beautiful Train Station".

I took this photo of the train station from the Grand Duca restaurant

 

Favorite READS: Natalia likes a new book by Jodi Picoult, By Any Other Name. Did Shakespeare write all of his own work, or was a woman behind it? She explores the question in this novel.  A book that's on my list that seems to be closely related is Shakespeare's Sisters, by Ramie Targoff, which follows the lives of four women writers in the English Renaissance--a time when women were not supposed to be writers. By the way, this author will speak at the Charleston Literary Festival in November. Book lovers, you will want to check out this festival! Or if you don't want to leave your armchair, peruse their schedule to discover the hot books du jour. 

 

 

The French Olympic 'Muffin' that Captivated the World

Lynn is baking again! That's always trouble. But here is the deal: if you live and breathe, you have heard about the viral  Olympic Chocolate Muffins. When the Norwegian swimmer Henrik Christiansen posted about them from Paris, the world went nuts. Muffins, which the French don't do at all, are a complete misnomer here. They are actually deeply chocolate baby-cakes. However, with the muffin moniker, you can then justify eating chocolate cake for breakfast. 

 

This swimmer will forever be known as "the Muffin Man" (photo from Honey)

 

It seems every cooking blogger is trying to hack the recipe. Someone in New York actually managed to overnight a batch of 300 of the originals from Paris, and the line at the pop-up to buy them snaked around the block. 

 

In the originals, the French baker bored into the middle of the cooked muffins and spooned chocolate ganache inside. Most copycat recipes skip that step, and we will too, because we are dieting, sort of. Well, except for the breakfast 'muffins'. 

 

So you don't have to, we searched the Internet for the very best copycat recipe. What's interesting is that the ingredients are all over the map. Things like instant pudding, molasses, and powdered milk all make appearances. 

 

The recipe we tried came from an article by a professional baker in which the author dived deep into a dozen recettres before choosing her gold star muffin. We chose this one partly because I related to the name of her site (I Bake Mistakes) and because it has normal pantry ingredients, plus a lot of sour cream, and how can that be bad? Except for the aforementioned diet, but hey. I felt it was important to get you francophiles up to speed on this. Ganache optional.

 

Not having tulip muffin liners, I watched a youtube video by a woman who made own, instead of buying them. She whipped them out beautifully on fast forward. I tried this and do not recommend it, unless you are crafty and have a free afternoon. Here is my pathetic effort (brown parchment paper would be more authentic.). But I have to say, they worked just fine. But our baker has given us alternate baking instructions if you want to make smaller muffins with just baking cups.

My unlovely origami tulip liners

 

Recipe: The Viral Olympic Chocolate Muffins, or nearly

 

The ingredient list is long, but they are actually quick to put together, unless you go the ganache route.

 

This recipe is by Kassie Mendieta, with a few minor simplifications by me. This makes 9 jumbo muffins with the tulip liner, or 12 with regular ones. You'll need to adjust baking time if you make 12.

 

It's optional, but she says they are better if you freeze them overnight before serving. A note on serving: before we ate them, I ran them briefly through the microwave, a few seconds or maybe 20 if you use the defrost setting. This made a HUGE difference--they were more tender and the chocolate chunks became soft.

 

Like any good baker, Kassie weighs all her ingredients on a digital scale. If you don't do this, I highly recommend trying it. It's so much faster, not to mention more accurate.

 

• 200 grams all-purpose flour
• 70 grams Dutch-processed cocoa powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon instant espresso or (or instant coffee powder)
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 275 grams light brown sugar 
• 100 grams whole milk
• 150 grams  (5 oz) vegetable oil
• 2 large eggs 
• 225 grams sour cream
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 113 grams semisweet or dark chocolate chunks (plus EXTRA for the tops)
• 113 grams ( milk chocolate chips or chunks (plus EXTRA for the tops)
• (MY NOTE: I used one 205 gram dark semi-sweet chocolate bar instead, which I cut into chunks).

Preparation

For the muffins:

1. In a large bowl, add dry ingredients; whisk to combine.
2. In a separate bowl, add wet ingredients; whisk to combine.
3. Add the wet ingredients into the center of the dry ingredients; stir with a wooden spoon until no dry pockets remain — you do not want to overmix the batter.
4. Gently fold in the chocolate chunks with a rubber spatula.
5. Set the batter aside for 30 minutes to an hour to rest before baking, and go do your morning triathlon.
6. Or while the batter rests,  prep the (optional) filling.
7. Preheat the oven to 420 F 

To bake the muffins:

1. 1. Once the batter is done resting, place the muffin liners in every other cavity of the muffin pan. 
   2. Scoop the batter in to the liners. For jumbo muffins, each cup should be filled a little over 3/4 of the way full.
   3. Bake for six minutes. When the timer beeps, do not open the oven! Drop the temp to 350 F and bake for an additional 15 to 18 minutes. Muffins are done baking when the center is set and a tooth pick inserted into the center comes out with a few crumbs stuck to it, or when the internal temp is 200-205 F.
   4. Remove from baking pan and allow to cool completely. Add the ganache if desired. To serve: They are so much better if you run them through the microwave briefly, not to make them hot but to soften the chocolate chunks.
   5. NOTE:To make regular sized muffins you’ll need to adjust your bake times. For regular muffins 420F for 6 minutes 355F for 13-15 minutes. Fully set in the center is what you’re going for, and an overall the internal temp of a muffin should be 200-205F when checked with a thermometer.

* * * * *

If you want to make the optional ganache for the center:

• 130 grams water
• 95 grams granulated sugar
• 35 grams Dutch-processed cocoa powder
• 20 grams corn syrup
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 80 grams heavy cream
• 140 grams dark chocolate chips

1. In a saucepot, combine the water, granulated sugar, cocoa powder, salt and corn syrup.
2. Bring this mixture to a boil over medium-heat, stirring often to avoid burning the cocoa powder.
3. Once the mixture reaches a boil, drop the heat to medium-low, cook it while stirring frequently until it reduces by approximately 1/3 of its original volume, 5 to 8 minutes.
4. Add the heavy cream and allow to boil for another 2 minutes.
5. Pour the mixture over the dark chocolate chips. Allow the mixture to sit for a few moments to heat up the chips before whisking to combine. Optionally you can use an immersion blender to really get things nice and smooth.
6. Set aside to cool until it’s time to fill the muffins.

 

Favorite READS: My library finally sent me The Paris Novel, a fun bit of fluff if you are a Paris lover or a foodie. Next up in the Paris category (that name in the title must really sell  books) is The Paris Understudy, a story of two opera singers under the Nazi occupation. Natalia's choice this week is Guillaume Musso's Quelqu'un d'Autre. Natalia, as you suggest--a friend gave me one of his books to read, they are a good choice if you want something very readable in French. And, Natalia has another great tip: go to French Books Online if you're looking for a good place to purchase your French books.

 

The Winner of the 2024 Olympics? Paris

The Paris Olympics poster

Have you ever gotten a really exciting, engaging Christmas letter, that you couldn't wait to read? Me neither. Except for one: Terry, husband of my college roommate at Furman (also named Lynn), often writes one that we happily anticipate. So when Terry and Lynn said they were off to the Olympics, their son and friends in tow, I immediately signed them up for a guest post. Since everyone else I know (including us) planned to avoid Paris like the plague this summer and watch the Olympics in safe and air conditioned comfort, I was thrilled to have these courageous adventure travelers to help us out. Turns out they made a brilliant decision.

Here is the report from our team:

"Ignoring the pleas on Instagram from Parisians begging us to stay away, and surviving United’s cuisine and sardine passenger packing, we arrived to join another 12 million visitors, for the Paris Olympics. The city, bathed in warm summer sunshine, was as lovely as ever.  

"We shared space with our group in three airbnbs scattered around Parmentier in the 11th. Like most Parisians living with too many people in too-small apartments, we depended on Paris’ welcoming neighborhood parks and corner cafes for our living rooms and backyards. Each morning early risers could spill out of the apartments to the cafe below to plot our day over café au lait and pain au chocolat. Quelle routine! As others got up, they could lean out the window to see what progress was being made on the planning. The picture below was taken looking up from our café at a few of the jet-lagged late risers.

"Parts of the city and most access to the Seine were fenced off to ensure security for the opening ceremony, but there was much to see anyway. If we couldn’t get into Notre-Dame, we could hear the evening organ recital at the second largest church in Paris, St. Eustache; we could walk the Champs-Elysées without any traffic, tour the three museums in les Invalides almost without other visitors, and admire the left bank undisturbed.  

Security barriers were a necessity

"The Hôtel de Ville was decked out, including areas for games, cooling tourists down, offering information and restrooms, eager volunteers, and family entertainment.  Outside of Paris Centre, neighborhoods were quiet, Paris seemed remarkably normal—with many Parisians off for les vacances; the Assemblée Nationale abandoned except for the coca cola delivery truck, and the corner of St. Germain and St. Michel was empty of students.  

l'Assemblée Nationale

Spritzing the tourists

The Hôtel de Ville offered multiple activities

The Hôtel de Ville (photo, Ville de Paris)

"This was a remarkably digitalized Olympics, with apps for transportation, events information, transportation directions, the buying and selling of tickets. There was no room for scalpers, no paper tickets, everything was on-line and worked remarkably well. We still needed maps ourselves, being of a certain age, but were impressed by just how well everything worked. Until it didn’t. We made it to the Stade de France for the Rugby 7s only to find after the matches ended, one of two major metro stations, the one closest to the Stade had been closed just as the crowds left the stadium. The reason—too many people—and we were directed to the next closest, a terrifically modern and efficient new station, but an unshaded, 90 degree walk at least a mile away.

Their friends Dick and Carolyn plot the day's course

The crowds at rugby

"And there were lots of free spectator opportunities. We’d never seen Canal St. Martin or, Père LaChaise Cemetery, the resting place for Edith Piaf, Jim Morrison and Oscar Wilde. Time trial cycling whirled around La Bastille for most of a day despite a drizzle, and the flame was anchored in the Tuileries.  We missed the triathlon swimming in the Seine—the e-coli count was too high, but it did go off the next day.

Cyling in the rain

The Olympic Flame

Pollution was touch and go on the waterways. This is Canal St. Martin

"Crowds were impressive and complicated by security and matches running overtime. But the Parisian reputation for surliness towards foreigners no longer is deserved—waves of volunteers and staff tried valiantly to be helpful.

The crowd scene

"If you couldn’t get into events, there was much to see outside. Who knew that right next to tennis was one of Paris' horticulture gardens? Le Sacré Coeur is still lovely at sunset, and the Parc des Nations at Parc de la Villette, with houses from India and Taiwan to Slovakia and the Netherlands, offered lessons in archery at the Mongolia House (evidently Mongolians are great archers and are particularly good shooting while riding at full speed on wild ponies). At the Parc there were also sobering reminders of war in Ukraine.

 

Lynn and Terry at the Mongolia House

Lessons in archery at the Mongolia House

Persevering in the face of war; note the tire "dumbells"

"At Club France, you could try out various olympic sports yourself: field hockey, cross country, cycling, and what it would be like to be a Paralympian. Thousands watched France win a fencing match, and Tuga, the mime, was there as well, only to show up the next night at beach volleyball under the Eiffel Tower.  

At Club France, you could get into the olympic act!

 

A watch party for the fencing match

 

Tuga the mime

Beach volleyball

"Food at Club France was excellent, as to be expected, but at many of the individual event venues, there was not much to get excited about. We took a picture of the menus as proof.  

Pop-up food venues

 

Not so exciting. Except for those double chocolate muffins which have acheived international fame! We will have to make them.

"There was merch to be had, and now we can sit at home, contemplating our visit, over coffee in our souvenir mug. The Olympics are a remarkable celebration of human aspirations. As we watched skateboarding on television a few nights ago, with the Concord’s obelisk and the Eiffel tower in the background, we were struck by the vision and ambition of those who decided to turn Paris, with its beauty, history, art and culture, into a stage for the games and impressed at the extent to which they succeeded."

 

 

 I award our reporting team a gold medal for their guest post. Mille mercis!

Did anyone else attend the olympics? We were glued to the TV, it was so fun and inspiring!

 

Favorite READS and VIEWS: Cinda, by email, has a book recommendation for us: In France Profound : The Long History of a House, a Mountain Town, and a People, by T.D. Allman. This one is set in southwest France. Natalia has a feel-good book for us this week: Seven Perfect Things by Catherine Ryan Hyde, a novel about finding joy. And if you're looking for an interesting read this week, try Karen McCann's blog, always entertaining. She pays a visit to Immigration Station on Angel Island, and learns all about our sorry history of taking in immigrants there. Sadly we still demonize the immigrants that are essential to supporting our country. She quotes FDR: “Remember, remember always, that all of us, and you and I especially, are descended from immigrants and revolutionists.”

On TV, two European favorites are back: Emily in Paris (Netflix), and Signora Volpe (Acorn), set in Umbria.

 

Three Cooks and a Cherry Tree

Black Forest Cake from Sally's Baking Addiction

 No self-respecting French person living in the countryside would be without un verger--an orchard--no matter how small. When our châtelains Nicole and Pierre downsized from the château, they bought a village house with no verger but with one grand, magnificent cerisier that shades the large patio (where the parties continue, château or no). In a good year, when the fruit is abundant, after our French conversation group ("Ecole Nicole") is over, everyone grabs bowls and ladders. We go home with baskets brimming with fresh cherries.

I'm not sure how I got on this bee in le bonnet, since I'm not a baker, but this year I decided it was essential for Nicole and I to make a big fat Black Forest Cake together, with her beautiful cherries. 

Our big summer party, with all of our expat and French friends, was held this week. Everyone brought a favorite dish. And ours was to be this grand cake.

I chose the recipe pictured above. Here are a couple more renditions to drool over:

Of course I got to wondering how this internationally popular cake came to be. Turns out it was created in 1915 by German chef Josef Keller, as a treat for his tea room. The Black Forest is a dense pine  and fir forest and the area's main crop is of course cherries, plus they make good chocolate. At fêtes in the area, traditional dress is worn, with the colors of the costumes echoing the colors of the cake: black for dark chocolate,  white for the cream. The rather fantastical hats, with huge cherry poufs on top, are called Bollenhuts (red cherries for single ladies, dark cherries for married ones. Though if these hats are designed  to help catch a mate, they may want to try a different tactic).

I made a 3 layer chocolate cake--following the recipe exactly, which is normally against my principles-- and then took it over to Nicole's early that day, so we could layer it with cherries, smother it in whipped cream frosting, and make a chocolate ganache to drizzle over the whole she-bang. Our friend Dee, visiting from the Alps, got right into the choco-cherry spirit. The more bakers, the better. I used the recipe from Sally's Baking Addiction.

And did our cake look like Sally's photo at the top? Um, pas exactement. Cake by Committee may not be the best idea, for the decorating phase. Let's just say it was a Cake of Character.

Our  slightly lopsided and gloppy cake may not have looked like the photo, but there was not a crumb left. 

 

RECIPE: Not Quite Sally's Black Forest Cake

I've included directions here to help you avoid the gloppy look!

• Author (with minimal changes): Sally
• Yield: 12 servings (mine easily served 15)

Ingredients

Chocolate Cake

• 1 and 3/4 cups (219g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
• 3/4 cup (65g) unsweetened natural cocoa powder
• 1 and 3/4 cups (350g) granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons espresso powder (optional)
• 1/2 cup (120ml) canola or vegetable oil
• 2 large eggs, at room temperature
• 3/4 cup (180g) full fat sour cream, at room temperature (I used crème fraîche entière)
• 1/2 cup (120ml) buttermilk, at room temperature (I added 1 teaspoon of lemon juice to whole milk and let it sit 10 minutes).
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup (120ml) hot coffee
• 2 (15 ounce) cans dark sweet cherries in heavy syrup (or make your own, SEE  MY NOTE)
• 2 Tablespoons cherry liquor (sold as kirsch or kirschwasser. Or use what you have: brandy or amaretto or creme de cacao, or skip it).

Chocolate Ganache

• 1 cup (240ml) heavy cream 
• two 4-ounce semi-sweet chocolate bars (226g), chopped

Whipped Cream

• 2 cups (480ml) cold heavy cream or heavy whipping cream
• 1/4 cup (30g) confectioners’ sugar
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• Whip cream fixative, SEE MY NOTE

NOTE : We used fresh cherries, not canned.  I cooked them down to make cherries in syrup using this recipe at Magnolia Days.

Also, our cake didn't hold together so well when we cut it. Next time I would add either a whipped cream fixative powder, or a couple of teaspoons of instant vanilla pudding, to stabilize and thicken it.

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Grease three 9" cake pans lined with parchment paper rounds, then grease the parchment paper.  (if like me you have just 2 pans, cook the first two, cover and refrigerate remaining batter, then cook third one).
2. Make the chocolate cake: Whisk the flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and espresso powder (if using) together in a large bowl. Set aside. Using mixer fitted with a flat beater, beat the oil, eggs, sour cream, buttermilk, and vanilla together until combined. Pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, add the coffee, and beat until completely combined.
3. Divide batter evenly between 3 pans. Bake for 21-25 minutes. Baking times vary, so keep an eye on yours. The cakes are done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Set on a wire rack. Cool 30 minutes in the pans, then remove  from pans and set on a cooling rack. 
4. After the cakes have cooled, use a large serrated knife to slice a thin layer off the tops of the cakes to create a flat surface. (mine were flat, so no need!).
5. Prepare the syrup: Drain the cherries, reserving 3/4 cup (180ml) of the heavy syrup (if it's not thick, reduce it down, on a simmer. You will only need about 1/4 cup).
6.  Brush reduced syrup all over the cakes.
7. Slice the cherries in half, leaving a few whole cherries for garnish. Set aside.
8. Make the ganache: Place chopped chocolate  in a medium bowl. Heat the cream in a small saucepan until it begins to gently simmer. (Do not let it come to a rapid boil). Pour over chocolate and let it sit for 2-3 minutes to gently soften the chocolate. Slowly stir until completely combined and chocolate has melted. Set aside to cool for 10 minutes as you prepare the whipped cream (mine needed longer; I put it in the fridge for a bit).
9. Make the whipped cream: Whip the heavy cream, sugar, and vanilla extract on medium-high speed with a mixer until soft peaks form, about 3 minutes (add a fixative if you like).
10. Assemble: Place 1 cake layer on your serving plate. Spread 1 heaping cup of whipped cream evenly on top. Dot with half of the halved cherries and drizzle with a spoonful of reduced syrup. Top with 2nd cake layer and evenly cover the top with 1 heaping cup whipped cream, the remaining halved cherries, and another drizzle of reduced syrup. Top with the 3rd cake layer. Spread the remaining whipped cream on top and all around the sides in a thin layer using an icing spatula. Use a bench scraper to smooth out the whipped cream on the sides of the cake.
11. Pour chocolate ganache on top of the cake, in small amounts at a time to see how it's going to drip. Thick enough to barely drip unless you help it a little, is the best. Spread to the edges of cake. Take a flat, narrow spreader or table knife and pull some to the edges gradually until they drip over. Top with whole cherries. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving.
12. Cover and store leftover cake at room temperature for 1 day or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

 

PS. My apologies if you are a subscriber and received two emails instead of one this time. My email server decided to do this with no input from me! I hope I have fixed the problem. 

In the COMMENTS: Gwyneth, what a beautiful name, English I’m assuming. Thanks for joining in. And yes, I think those straw finials are a kind of signature as well. Creative, n’est pas? Libby, the driving is absolutely terrifying. And Cambridge is now on my travel list. Merci for all the nice comments.

Favorite READS: Natalia has something different to  recommend to us this week: a coffee table book called Empress of the Garden. Full of gorgeous rose pictures. I share your love of roses, Natalia and your maman's—especially the antique ones. 

For art lovers: Our good friend Julie Messerschmidt is a painter extraordinaire. She shows at the Stevenson & Co Gallery in Charleston, and sells on-line as well. She has a new exhibit of paintings inspired by seasonal fruits and vegetables. She used Amalfi lemons for the winter-inspired one, below, in progress. I love this photo from her atelier in Mersault, which shows how she sets up a real still-life vignette to paint from. You can see more of her work here or at the gallery site, above.

And the finished work: Wonderful!

A Very Mysterious University

For years, our favorite mystery series on TV has been a British show called Inspecteur Lewis. Erudite and cerebral as mysteries go, it's set in the English town of Oxford. Although there is always a body, there is also usually poetry, a literary reference, or some intellectual trope that sets it a cut above your typical crime drama. But certainly Oxford seems a dangerous place to be, as the series has had 33 episodes. For a small town, that's a whole lot of bodies.

So we were very excited to visit the scene of the crimes. The actual reason for the trip was to visit our dear friends John and Joan, who happened to live in Oxfordshire (which is close to the Cotswolds, recently covered in this post.).  John is a Senior Research Fellow at Oxford and has managed to survive, without encountering a single diabolical villain.

An Oxford selfie with John & Joan

There is a reason the series is set in Oxford: it's a town of great architectural beauty and rich  history. Oxford is the oldest English speaking university; one could have studied at Oxford in 1096. It is also much loved and visited, so they've closed the city center to traffic. Our friends gave us an insider tour, including entries to several of the many colleges of Oxford, and the best historic pubs, of course.

It was fascinating to discover that Oxford is set up quite different from American universities. There are a series of "colleges", 30 in all, and you apply to the one that suits you.These are not based principally on subject matter; they each have their own personality, and you find one that fits yours. It makes the university experience more intimate, and less over-whelming perhaps. Some colleges are made up of beautiful old buildings, arranged around a classic quadrangle. Others are in new, modern buildings.

A student studies in the gardens of a college

 

More photos:

On the green of John's college, a cut-throat game of croquet . See the guy in PJ's-- Joan says it's a campus trend to wear them out and about.

 

Our friend John's office has a beautiful view, inside and out.

 

In the very heart of Oxford is the baroque Radcliffe Camera, circa the 1700's, an iconic building built as a library that still serves as a reading room for one of the colleges.

 

Of course there are cozy historic pubs.

 

John told us that many students come back to Oxford to get married on campus, like this bride and groom we encountered.

Remains of the Day: sweeping up the rose petals.

 

The day we visited there was some sort of graduation ceremony going on, and it was fun to see the happy faces.

This grad's son proudly accects Dad's diploma

 

A bit of window shopping: I coveted this English fascinator

 

Now on to Oxfordshire. Our friends' village in Oxfordshire is as postcard-pretty as the Cotswolds. We were charmed by the village church. Can't you just see Elizabeth Bennet chatting with the vicar?

 

Houses in this area tend to have names, not numbers. The postal workers have to memorize where each is located.

What a pleasure to stroll to this fanciful mail box to post your letters

 

Many houses in their village have beautiful tucked-away gardens.

Our friends' charming garden includes a wishing well.

 

The many thatched roofs are a marvel. Traditionally when finished, they place a small animal statue at the top. These are called straw finials, and they ward off evil spirits.

 

Merci John and Joan, for a super visit!

 

Recipe: Joan's Mini Pavlovas

Photo credit here.

Pavlovas are the ultimate light summer dessert, and Joan made these lucious individual ones for us. Joan makes merigues like this: use 2 oz of sugar for every egg white. Beat the egg whites until stiff, then whisk in the sugar. Pipe or form into nests and bake at 275 (140C) for one hour. Turn off the oven and leave them there for several hours or overnight. (But sometimes Joan just buys them--making it the world's easiest dessert if you can find them! She gave me some as a gift, after I bugged her for the recipe, and complained that I'm terrible at making meringues:

Fill the meringues, homemade or not, with whipped cream, and top with berries (Joan sometimes uses Greek yogurt). Drizzle with fruit coulis if you have some, or you can just sweeten the berries with a bit of sugar ahead of time, then chill them, so they give off some juices. Or, just melt some berry jam, strain it and chill.

 

PS: The olympics start today! We aren't going, but we're sending a crack team to report on the story and do a guest blog for us.

We did watch the olympic flame pass through Beaune last week, though. It was fun to see. There were 5 runners in Beaune (though they mostly stroll). Here's a photo of the hand-off.

 

In the COMMENTS: Paul, the crazy logistics are part of the fun, aren’t they? It’s quite a production. Ian, I agree—worth watching just for the visual tour de France. Chris, Yikes! Please stay cool in Sacramento. That is scorching hot even for Charleston. 

Favorite Reads: Natalia likes the French edition of Danielle Steel’s book, Second Vie. I do what Natalia does sometimes, read a book in one language and re-read it in the other. When I am disciplined enough to read in French, which is not often enough! Chris liked The Paris Apartment, a light read we’ve talked about before—good to pick up for your summer vacation.

 

From our Friends at EuropeanMarket: If you're looking for a gift for a francophile (or yourself!), check out the collections of curated gifts from EuropeanMarket.

Un torchon from EuropeanMarket, for the kitchen

 

 

Your Virtual Day at the Tour de France

Is watching the Tour de France in person on your bucket list? If not, maybe it should be. All the details you need are here. This week was our fourth time to see it (see previous post), and it's always great fun. Even watching it on TV is amusant, because you get a free aerial view of the French countryside, and it's gorgeous. The route changes yearly and the Côte d'or was on the route this year. You could see aerial views like Semur-en-Auxois (the start of the July 6th stage), Château de la Rochepot, and Château Sainte Sabine.

But don't think you're going to just stroll out and watch the bikes go by and go home--even though the pack, or pelaton as it's called, take about 20 seconds to zip by you. It's always a big event, an all day affair. Well, any excuse for a French party.  Our stage also happened to be the 4th of July, so we had lots to celebrate.

If you're not familiar with the tour, there are 176 male riders and 22 teams. The race goes on for 21 days (a day's race is called a stage), along a punishing course, about 2200 miles total. It ends July 21 this year, so you can still check in. Though individuals win various stages and categories, plus the grand prize, it's mostly a team effort.

This year, our friends Julie and Paul hosted our watch party of 20. The day before, they scouted a good spot to pitch a party tent, deep in the vineyards near Mersault. Even the day before, one could see lots of camper vans parked along the route, getting set up to watch it. (Note: don't pick a spot at the bottom of a hill, where they will go by in a blur). This particular day the stage went from Macon to Dijon, and it wound around the narrow vineyard roads  through several pretty wine villages near us.

We arrived at 1pm, with coolers of wine and snacks, to see the "caravan". This is a sort of pre-game show, a parade of fast cars. There are various gendarmes in cars or on motorcycles, lights flashing, and lots of press vehicles. Then come the sponsors. They ride on fancy decorated trucks, music blaring and shouting to the crowd. They throw swag at the crowd as they zip by.

Everyone dives for the goodies. We collected T-shirts, hats, detergent, samples, candy, packages of cracker or olive oil, all sorts of treasures. A friend was standing next to a a three-year-old boy, so adorable that the sponsors aimed a lot of swag right at him. He collected quite a cache. She shamelessly negotiated with him, and was able to get a nice zebra print sleep mask in exchange for a pack of candy.

Our friends Heather and Kent, who traveled to see the race. Both scored some swag: 2 great hats.

Our crowd waits for the tour

By 3 o'clock the caravan was over and we started to see more press cars coming by. Everyone was eagerly awaiting the riders, who were to arrive around 3:30. There is a helicopter that follows and videos the tour the whole way, so this harks their  arrival, and everyone was straining to see and hear the distant chopper. Other helicopters zipped by, taking those aerial views of the beautiful countryside.

Winners from the stage the day before wear a particular color jersey. Here is what to watch for: the leader of the race so far wears a bright yellow jersey, called the Maillot Jaune. The white one is worn by the fastest rider under age 26. A green jersey is worn by the winner of the the complicated daily points system, which means in fact he is a strong sprinter. The garish, red and white polka-dot jersey is worn by the "king of the mountain",  the best climber.

Photo of jerseys from the site, The Tour de France, Explained.

The excitement grows with the buzz of the approaching helicopter, and the revelers abandon their lawn chairs to position themselves along the route. Finally, we spot the peloton about a half a mile away. Allez allez! A couple of quick snaps with our phones, and they leave us in the dust. The crowd where we were watching was uncharacteristically polite, no idiots jumping out in front of the riders or trying to touch them.

Ils arrivent! The guy on the back of the motorcycle is filming the leaders.

 

By some miracle I managed to get a shot of the yellow jersey, Tadeg Pogacar of Slovenia

 

The helicopter hovers right above us as the race passes by

The riders are followed by a series of cars carrying the back-up bikes on their roof. Literally Hundreds of bikes go by!

a parade of back-up bikes

And at the very end is the balay van, or the broom truck, whose mission it is to sweep up any riders that give up, dropout, fall, or experience some other catastrophe.

The white balay truck signals the end of the parade.

 Then it was time to pack up and go back to Mersault to Julie's and Paul's house, for an afternoon barbecue that went well into the evening. Phew! It's pretty exhausting, this Tour de France!

Ron in party mode, wearing his yellow jersey (Ron's famous 20-year-old  yellow jersey is explained in this post.)

 

In the COMMENTS: Karim  has some new wine terminology for us. Colleen, ignore those folks! I didn't drink wine for a year after Covid, so I know what you mean. Natalia, thanks for your nice comments. I neatened up for the shots! Dottie, I did not remember that Alex is a sommelier, he must come to Beaune sometime. 

Katherine, the cork kindling idea is brilliant, that's news to me. Vicky and Rollin's suggest a wreath, and Rollin has included a link for that. and Melinda suggest trivets. Ellen, I have no doubt your creative husband will come up with some fabulous idea, if you don't come up with one first.

Favorite READS and VIEWS: If you want to watch the race without spending hours every day, try the one-hour highlight show every evening on Peacock.

Natalia has a good book for us, comme d'habitude: The Lost Bookshop, by Evie wood. Merci Natalia!




www.southernfriedfrench.com

The Curious Accoutrements of Wine

No, these are not instruments of torture, they are tools to harvest grapes.

Our elegant town of Beaune happens to be the wine capital of La Bourgogne. Some would call it the wine capital of France, or even the world. So it’s no surprise that everything here—the shops, the domaines, the dinner table discussion— seems to be about wine.

I say it “happens” to be the wine capital, because it’s not the reason we came here. We love the beauty, the history, the ambiance of Beaune. We are not “amateurs du vin”, as the French would say (beware this faux ami! Un amateur in French is not a beginner—that’s un débutant—but an impassioned hobbyist, usually highly knowledgeable about their subject). But we do love wine, and learning all about it has been fascinating.

But no screw-on caps for me—I love the rituals, the mystique, and the artistry that goes into every glowing glass. Let’s take a look at some vintage accoutrements, from the brocante markets here in Burgundy. 

Corkscrews! Baskets of them!

 

There are plenty of specialty ones, for lovers, for boaters...

 

The French are not afraid of a little political incorrectness. At least they don't discriminate by gender.

 

 

 

It's common to see corkscrews like these, made from the wood of old grapevines.

 

Then there are the wine stoppers. Here they range from the vitner's wife (or maybe she's the winemaker?), de Gaulle, and un moine, a monk from Beaune.

 

Now on to the tastevins. These wine-tasting cups actually originated in Burgundy and were used widely in the 19th and 20th century. Both the material (silver, or silver plate) and the design are made to reflect the color of the wine, so the taster can evaluate it. They were and are often worn on a ribbon around the neck; no sommelier worth his grapes would be without this emblematic necklace.

 

You will see lots of them in Burgundy markets, which can be bought for a song.

 

The older, finer tastevins will be pricier.

 

You have probably come across these large beautiful glass bottles, called bonbonnes in Burgundy. They are not for wine but are used in the distillation of eau de vie, which is a light fruit brandy (usually homemade).

 

I decided to walk around my house, to share some "accoutrments du vin" I've picked up over the years. I was surprised at how many I found!

First and foremost, a very special antique wine bottle opener, given to us by our châtelins, Nicole and Pierre.

This is a wine bottle dryer. You stand the bottles on end on these hooks, if you want to refill  them. I use mine for glasses.

 

My favorite platter, grape-themed

 

Does anyone have ideas for what to do with a zillion old corks? (ok we polish off a lot of bottles). I throw mine in my old confit jars, and periodically empty them out to put in the bottom of large flower pots, as fillers and to absorb the water.

 

I love pretty vintage corkscrews

 

A bonbonne on our dining room table

 

And then--in the end, it's all about the drinking! My sister gave Ron this custom "bobblehead"  doll for his birthday--wine glass in hand!

 

RECIPE: A Quick Summer Lunch, to go with your Wine

Wine for lunch is practically a summer necessity.  Here is a light salad to go with it. I mixed white tuna (packed in olive oil) with a can of drained white beans. Season it with lemon juice, red onions or scallions, and a handful of fresh herbs. You can mix in some raw veggies you have on hand--celery, peppers, cucumber, cherry tomatoes--then drizzle it all with French Dressing #1, or just with olive oil and lemon juice. I served mine on a bed of arugula. Pour a crisp, cold glass of Chardonnay, from Burgundy or wherever, and you are good to go!

 

In the COMMENTS: a word about leaving comments. Often folks tell me they couldn't leave a comment so they did it again. Then I get BOTH of them. I don't know why the software program isn't clear when one goes through. But the general rule is, even though you think it didn't go, it probably did. Sorry about that.

Debbie has some new TV shows for us. Anne, I have a husband who not so secretly plots against traveling (he says he's given it up), but loves it when we do. Husbands! Julie, I feel your pain, so many places I want to visit. And one wonderful one is Dijon, where I was last week. We must get a coffee sometime, when we are both there! Vicky, if you like to hike, this would be THE place to go. Chris, have fun in England! Monty, great travelers think alike, évidemment. Anthea, I didn't realize this was in your coin. Monsieur Oldman, it sounds like we will have to go back. And if you go to the Cotswolds, Libby has a recommendation for a great tour guide.

And a big shout-out to my new friend Laurie, who has been a loyal reader of the blog for years. She decided too spend some time in Beaune as a result. Laurie, it was great to get to know you, we hope to see more of you!

Favorite READS: We may have recommended this one before, but my friend Nancy gave us a book called Mastering the Art of French Eating: Lessons in Food and Love from a Year in Provence, by Ann Mah. Required reading for francophiles. Natalia, I checked out The Paris Novel, on your suggestion, but Ron got to it first. He read so many passages out loud to me, I may not need to read it!

 

 

The Cozy, Quirky, Cotswolds

Imagine strolling down a country path beside a sparkling stream, in the dappled light of a gentle sun, a path lined with cow parsley and corncockle and bluebells. The only sound is happy birdsong above you in the rustling silver birches. Welcome to the Cotswalds! If this is your idea of heaven, come along for a tour of this most charming region of the English countryside.

Friends nearby in Oxfordshire (another great destination, for a future post) pointed us toward the best sites, so we had expert advice.

An overview: there are many fabled villages full of charm in this pastoral paradis, which were at the top of my list. There are several medium-sized towns, with their historic architecture, good for shopping. Then there are a variety of gardens to visit and a castle or two to tour.  Walking is great here because there are many marked paths and low rolling hills.

Mid-May was a good time, with the roses just coming out but tourism not yet in full bloom. This was the shoulder season. I wouldn't advise a trip in full summer, unless you are fond of mingling with the masses.

Even the place names in the Cotswalds are charming and enigmatic: Nether Worton, Hook Norton, Oddington, Waterly Bottom.

We started in Great Tew and Little Tew. Great Tew is a small village of great perfection, and so a favorite for celebrity second homes: Kate Moss and the like, and a princess or two. We loved the  historic Falkland Arms there, which our friends wisely told us we mustn’t miss. There was a classic pub, the ceiling lined with the clients’ own mugs and tankards hung on hooks. And also a thoroughly modern organic bakery and lunch spot (it’s also a hotel).

The Falkland Arms

 

A perfect cottage in Great Tew

 Then on to the Slaughters, Upper and Lower. Named not for that brutal word but for the Old English word slothre, which means: muddy (it's not). We made Lower Slaughter our home base and stayed at The Slaughters Country Inn. If you really want to up your game, stay at the Slaughters Manor House next door, but only if your budget is bottomless. But our hotel couldn’t have been more perfect, and Lower Slaughter turned out to be my favorite village. A pretty brook runs through it (see photo at top), and there was a beautiful walk through sheep fields, full of sleepy lambs, to nearby Upper Slaughter. There;s another grand hotel there, called Lords of the Manor Hotel. A different 30 minute trail walk took us to Bourton on the Water, a larger, lovely town, sadly much taken over by tourists and souvenir shops.

Our hotel, Slaughters Country Inn

The Slaughters Manor House Hotel

 

Lambs along our trail

We passed the Lords of the Manor hotel on our walk to Upper Slaughter

 

In Bourton on the Water

In general we preferred the villages over the towns: Chipping Norton was just OK, but with great views around it. Stow on the Wold had some good shopping and we loved eating at The Old Butchers.

Bibury is a village famous for having the most photographed street in England--the homes are the oldest inhabited houses in the country. It was tiny and pretty, and we had a traditional English afternoon tea at The Swan. Of course there were tourists in town, shooting that famous lane, but not enough of us to be obnoxious. 

Ron on Arlington Row in Bibury, which got itself shot once again

 

 

The grounds of the Swan Hotel in Bibury

 

The most brilliant thing we did was to visit two gardens (conveniently within a mile of each other). Hidcote is a magnificent garden composed of a series of outdoor “rooms” divided by hedges. Kiftsgate Court Garden is a “woman’s garden”, designed and maintained by three generations of women. Do visit both, it would be impossible to choose between the two. And both offer a “cream tea”: tea and scones with clotted cream and strawberry jam, which of course you must do. 

A garden room at Hidcote

 

A Cream Tea at the gardens: tea, scones with clotted cream and strawberry jam

 

An imbedded statue at Kiftsgate

 

A pond at Kiftsgate, and its manor house, below

 

 

If you’re looking for nightlife in this rural area, don’t forget the pubs. You’ll find trivia nights, games, music, tastings… they are always up to something!

 

Here and below, the storybook cottages of the Cotswald are a great part of the charm

Every village seemed to have a historic church and cemetary that was prettier than the last one

 

Spotted on a cottage door. Must be a story there...

 

 

If you go: We took (multiple) trains from Burgundy to get there, then rented a car to get around. We thought our 3 day tour of the Cotswalds was just about right, though to do it all you would need two or three more days. Note that Bath, Stratford on Avon, and Oxford are all close by, so add some time for those if you like. 

 

Favorite READS: If you are looking for a new mystery series and you like reading about Paris, our loyal reader Natalia has a good one for you. She likes Cara Black's series with the investigator Amy Le Duc, and she's just read and liked "Murder at La Villete". This is #21 in the series, so if you like this author, you are set for a while!

 

 

 

The 2024 Burgundy (and Beyond) Flower Show

Come on in! We're flower-gazing and touring gardens, like this beautiful courtyard of a very old house on our street in Beaune

Most years I share my collected garden photos with you, and this year I have some lovely gardening quotes to add, thanks to a book that my dear friend Sandi gave me (she has her own beautiful garden in Charleston).

We had a big garden in Cluny, but now I have to be content with my balcon in Beaune. Where I manage to cram in so many pots of flowers that it's a bit difficult to get to the chairs. 

So come along, s'il vous plaît, on my annual garden tour. But first, one quirky cultural note: Americans say gardeners have "green thumbs", the Brits say "green fingers", the French say "green hands", les mains verts.

 

I had fun matching the garden quotes to the photos. On y va:

 

"Acts of creation are ordinarily reserved for gods and poets, but humbler folk may circumvent this restriction  if they know how. To plant a pine, for example, one need be neither god nor poet; one need only own a shovel."--Aldo Leopold

Speaking of which, these roses are pure poetry.

 

 

"If you look the right way you can see the whole world is a garden."--Frances Hodgson Burnett

Below, my great friends Pete and Dee's Burgundy garden, and the beautiful view beyond.

"In the spring, at the end of the day, you should smell like dirt."  Margaret Atwood

Dee spent long hours in her southern Burgundy garden.

 

 

"Earth laughs in flowers."--Ralph Waldo Emerson

...and here are a couple of very happy window boxes 

 

"The great thing is not to be timid in your gardening, whether it's colors, shapes, juxtapositions..splash around and enjoy yourself." Christopher Lloyd

Walking down a street in Beaune that is lined with a little creek, I shot these two photos with cheerful pops of color, au bord de l'eau.

"Blue, blue, blue, melting, cerulean, altogether exquisite and desirable".  Reginald Farrar

 

 

"If you would be happy all your life, plant a garden."  Nan Fairbrother

These shots are from my small balcony in Beaune. I carpeted it in "grass" to make it feel more like a garden.

 

 

 

"Gardening is the slowest of the performing arts." Mac Griswold

"All gardening is landscape painting". William Kent

The photos below are of my dear friend Ellen's fabulous garden in southern Burgundy. Can you tell she's a designer by trade? And a painter, too.

 

"Garden as though you will live forever."  William Kent

"I want death to find me planting my cabbages." Michel de Montaigne

"Gardener's have to believe that the dead will reincarnate." Mirabel Osler

Valerian, which reseeds wildly, in a cemetery in Provence.

 

 

"A garden is a grand teacher. It teaches patience and careful watchfulness; it teaches industry and thrift; and above all, it teaches entire trust. "Gertrude Jekyll

Here is a pretty impressive parterre garden at a Burgundy château we visited.

 

 

"Learn gardening from the wilderness outside the garden gate."  Wendy Johnson

An exuberant clematis, chez Nicole, our châtelaine.

 

 

"A garden with vegetables, fruits, and flowers feeds body and soul. Grow all of them." Andrew Weil

Herbs, fleurs, and veggies cohabit in the gardens at the Château de Cormatin.

 

 

"Green fingers are the extensions of a verdant heart. A good garden cannot be made by somebody who has not developed the capacity to know and to love growing things."--Russell Page

My great friend Alix has a garden in Provence that is époustouflant (remember that word from the last post?).  She is also a designer, and these vases brimming with flowers are art from her garden. A shot of one of her garden rooms is below. 

 

 

"Flowers always make people better, happier, and more helpful; they are sunshine, food and medicine for the soul."  Luther Burbank.

A  flowery little watercolor I spotted, at and of the Nice flower market, which I wish I'd bought but didn't.

 

 

"Let plants choose their destinies."  Nancy Lawson

Wisteria, la glycine in French, tumbles over a wall from a hidden garden, on our street in Beaune.

 

May our heart's garden of awakening bloom with hundreds of flowers."  Thich Nbat Hanh

 

 

In the COMMENTS: Chic alors! So many readers sent in favorite French expressions! Too many to list here, but do read the commments from the last post. So many of the expressions are funny and there are severeal that are new to me. Merci, les amis!

There was one favorite French expression lurking in the back of my head that I couldn’t quite pull out of my old brain, but voila, Kathie did it for me. Bon chic bon genre refers to chi-chi Parisian types, and is often abbreviated to BCBG (say "bay-say-bay-jay" and you will be close). This was taught to me by a very hip 15 year old French neighbor of mine, many moons ago.

Favorite READS: The quotes here are from The Gardener Says, Quotes, Quips, and Words of Wisdom, complied by Nina Pick. 

And several from our readers: Natalia likes People Who Love to Eat Are Always the Best People, the collected wisdom of Julia Childs. Susan recommends the book of French expressions, Sky my Husband! literally Ciel mon mari. (let's hope you don't need this expression: Ciel mon mari! translates loosely to "Heavens, it's my husband!", and is typically an exclamation by a woman who is caught in a secret tryst). Dani suggests art lovers will like Gabrielle, by Anne and Claire Berest. In French only, I believe. Martin recommends a darling book called The Complete Merde: The French You Never Learned in School.

Merci à tous!

Favorite VIEWS: If you'd like a nice little armchair tour of La Bourgogne, Rick Steves is your man, on youtube. He bases his trip in Beaune and he goes to our former town of Cluny, too. He gives you a taste of a canal tour and explains the gîtes ruraux system too. It's a great start for a trip to Burgundy.

And, one of our readers is a nature photographer in Wyoming, who has beautiful framed photos and nature note cards on offer. Check it all out at Ruttlewild.

 

Here Are My Favorite French Expressions--What Are Yours?

We have some French expressions that might surprise you..like this French road sign

Do you have a favorite French expression, in that language full of colorful expressions?

Ron and I don’t speak French to each other, but there are a few common French expressions that now pepper our English because they're' better than the English version, or don’t have an English equivalent. The ones that come immediately to mind are voila, oh la la, bon courage, en principe, faire dodo (to take a little nap), c’est normal (that’s no surprise), and santé (to your health), for a toast.

The ones I really love though, are the quirky ones. There are a gazillion idioms related to food, of course, in French. But I can’t begin to cover them all here. Example: tomber dans les pommes (literally, to fall in the apples, but it means to faint).

Not sure why fainting involves apples...

So here are a few unique expressions that I love. I hope you have some to share too!

 

metro boulot dodo: this is their rhyming way of saying “the rat race”, or “working to live”. You take the metro to work (boulot) then you sleep (dodo is a little baby nap), then you do it all again.

 

chic-ouf! I love this one, which my French friend Betty taught me recently. Its purpose it to express the feeling when long-staying out of town guests arrive and depart: Yay, our company has arrived! Yay, they've finally departed! In this case chic means great, or super (though it can also mean stylish), and ouf is how the French say, phew!

 

Belle mère, beau frère, etc.  Put beau or belle in front of a relative, and it makes them a step-relative, or an in-law.  How nice, instead of being the wicked step-mother, to be the beautfiful-mother!

 

èpoustouflant! The first time our châtelin Pierre wowed me with this long, amazing word, I started laughing. Whatever could it mean? Well, it means sort of what it sounds like: flabberghasting, breath-taking.

This real-live tree, in Chagny near Beaune, is pretty époustouflant

 

Cinq à sept: the hours 5 to 7, the "cinq à sept" in Canadian French are what they seem: happy hour. But In France  it’s a different kind of happy hour: cinq à sept means the time right after work that you have a romantic tryst with your lover.

This photo I took at a French flea market sort of captures the spirit of the cinq à sept

 

bisous: this cute little word means a kiss. It was useful during Covid, when you couldn’t do the cheek smooches as a greeting, so one just sort of leaned in and said, bisous!  The word is cute enough that we have friends who named their little dog Bisous.

A French greeting card, sealed with a kiss

 Now how about you? Do you have a favorite French expression to share?

 

In the COMMENTS: Anne-Marie, glad to hear you've stayed at St. Sabine, we've only just visited. Page, there is nothing more fun than happening across one of the great French village fêtes. I love to see them cook the old way, in those bread ovens that some villages still have. Bonnie and Suzanne, you've been to some of the modern guingettes--we have been to only one, that was on a barge on the banks of the Rhône in Lyon. Great fun.

 

Favorite READS & VIEWS: Natalia, who always has something wonderfully French for us, suggests  a beautiful book worthy of display on your table basse, called Extraordinary Collections: French Interiors Flea Markets, and Ateliers. I can't wait to get my hands on a copy of this one. Madeline suggests watching Astrid on PBS Passport. In French with subtitles, it looks like a unique sort of crime drama, and I look forward to checking this one out. Speaking of crime, I'm reading The Last Devil to Die, another one of the Thursday Murder Club series. Hard to belive a mystery can be so funny!