Monday, November 30, 2009

The End of Overeating

Did you overeat during Thanksgiving? Who didn't? Do we stuff the turkey as a dress rehearsal for what's going to occur 'a table ? I was planning to post this tomorrow, but when I saw French Word of the Day trop = too much Nous allons beaucoup trop manger pendant les fetes. We are going to eat way too much during the holidays. I thought this is a sign... Last summer I lost 15 pounds because of this book. No special diets, no daily scale inspections, no deprivation - it was effortless. Just changing the way I think about food and changing some acquired habits. That's it. Dr. David Kessler, when he was head of the FDA vanquished the tobacco industry. Now he'd like to set the food industry straight. Certainly he wants to us know how we're being manipulated to experience food as entertainment. This is a good time for me to brush up the subject before I fall off the holiday wagon and to share it with you. I get emails from you all the time: 
"You must weigh 500 pounds" 
"I always wonder how you stay slender with your sweet tooth!" wrote Julie. 
"Looking at PB makes me fat!" etc. etc. 
First it's impossible to hold a camera still and carry around a bunch of pastry bags. And I'm too busy running down streets after Parisien pups... Or stalking Parisien shoppers to eat everything I see or shoot. Dr. Kessler does address the so-called "French Paradox" (page 175), He says in fact, it's a result of smaller portions and traditional social structures (no snacking between meals, structured meals), not because of infusions of red wine and dark chocolate. Sorry folks 😳
Look what the French provide for us? HMPH
While they eat beautifully designed salades like these...hmm
This was often my lunch in Paris, from Chez Jean, 9, rue La Fayette (5 euros)
Kessler says it's the constant stimulus around us, the cues - sight, smell, location, time of day, that capture us. We need to cool those cues. To develope rules for ourselves that work. To make a "critical perceptual shift" so this picture doesn't leave us salivating...
And we can make do with this.
Please watch this video and tell me what you think. BONJOUR HOLIDAYS!

Thursday, November 26, 2009

Plat du Jour

The plat du jour is-
THANKS!
Thank you PB readers for making 2009 an amazing year!
Have a lovely Thanksgiving
Carolg

Wednesday, November 25, 2009

A French Thanksgiving

 An organically-grown, free-range, antibiotic-free, grass-eating turkey(dinde) in case you were wondering. He will be a guest, not dinner on the table. They'll eat Tofurkey with Sweets and cranberries from VTThis is a French bio-dinner.These folks live at Musée Des Arts Décoratifs, so they can do what they want.BONJOUR THANKSGIVING!

Tuesday, November 24, 2009

Automne à Paris

Cranberries - bet you thought we owned them.
Nope these were shot in Paris. Imported from Vermont?
Leeks /poireaux are definitely a Frenchie veggie - they own this one.
And marrons/chestnuts. Oui, they own it.

And Soupe de marrons...oui aussi.

Recette de soupe de Potiron/pumpkin- regarde!

Photo from l'Internaut

So here's the Paris Fall story/histoire d'automne.

I was in a Paris mall with French Girl and asked, "what are all those polka-dotted mushroom-like things in the shop windows?"
"It's Fall. Mushrooms are the symbol of Automne - it's when we go picking wild mushrooms in the forest."
Uh huh...Oui.
So do all Parisien shop owners meet at the Mairie/town hall? And do they hand out polka-dotted mushrooms and dryed leaves? I think they do. Every window/vitrine has the same stuff.

Here Jeff de Bruges offers a special automne collection of chocolats
Why don't I see this in New York? 'Cause it's New York. Only in Paris are there seasonal couture-style collections of chocolates and macarons...

Champange is good anytime...non? it's even better with champignon d'Automne/mushrooms.

Fauchon decked their halls with stags and bunnies.

And Fall leaves bien sur.

More gold feuille/leaves.
Macarons in Fall colors-well they look Fallish to me.
Yesterday I passed a restaurant window in my neighborhood decorated with falling leaves. I thought, Eeeep. Fall is almost over. I haven't shown you Paris Fall! Et voila. Well I must go get me some choux de Bruxelles PDQ and make my Thanksgiving dish.
What are YOU making?
BONJOUR AUTOMNE!
 

Monday, November 23, 2009

Rene Gruau Rouge

In Paris I spotted a new book on Italian-born "French" fashion illustrator René Gruau (1909-2004).
Did you watch the 2009 American Music Awards Last night. No color to speak of. Even crazy Lady didn't put her red on...
In the '50s and 60's Rene Gruau waved his red wand and did wonders for Dior, Balmain, Lanvin, the Lido, Moulin Rouge, Vogue, Harper's Bazaar..
Fabulous line drawing with touches of red were his signature...
The touch of red/rouge is Paris' signature too in my opinion...
It's omnipresent...
What other town features red the way Paris does?
Set me right puleeze.
Not New York, that's for sure...
Even if purple is the color of the month...
Red is never out in Paris...
Is it just me seeing all this red..?
Red bustier - who does lingerie better than the French?
Or red desserts?
BONJOUR PARIS ROUGE!

Friday, November 20, 2009

Marché Raspail

I finally made it to the Marché Bio Raspail with M.

Held only on Sundays from 7am - 3am
Metro - RennesEverything is organic or bio pronounced B-O or biologique.

They have great hunks of my favorite soap, Savon de Marseilles, made of pure 100% olive oil. This soap goes everywhere-bath and kitchen. This soap refuses to die. After a year, you look at the block in disgust and toss it. Enough! Then you immediately replace it with a new block. It's unscented - hard to find these days and way cheaper here than in New York. More great hunks, this time cheese bigger than your head.
Hunky bread. There's a rustic quality to this marche that's very appealing.
You can pretend you're in the country.
 Potted herbs to put on your apartment windowsill or balcon?
Did they go into this delicious salade? We bought some for lunch.
What about the guy in the background with the red beret and red neckerchief? I'd love to know his story.
More lunchtime goodies - freshly made soupe.
No way could I pass up the hot chocolat l'ancienne. You have to add your own sugar. It's organic!
Markets Of Paris Alison gave me this book to read on the bus up to the Boston - they had exact descriptions of the Marché Raspail venders.
"At the end of the market, a young man is frying potato pancakes with onion and cheese."
We ate those right on the spot. OMG Sinfully good even if organic.
 A chic back view of a marche vender. Note - purple scarf.
M.'s bread from the market to go with our market soupe de lentilles à l'indienne.
I picked up macarons on the way home from Sadaharu Aoki on 35 rue de Vaugirard. They're open on Sundays. Isn't it wonderful!
A very fun and unique experience.
GET OUT OF BED and GO!
BONJOUR Marché Raspail!