* Tongue in Cheek *

Outside my Bedroom Window

First rose!

Brocante Lust

Wednesday Word: Do You Speak French?

Do you speak French?

If so you know the three words written below:

Chapon Rouge,

Moulin Rouge

Haricot Rouge.

When I met Yann he did not speak English, and I did not speak French. 

Yes, it was tad hard to communicate. You might say it was the language of love. Which it was with a lot of sign language.

After one year of living in the States, Yann was speaking English.

We moved to France.

I thought that when we arrived in France, Yann would speak to me in French.

But no.

We kept on speaking English.

 

 

I gathered French words here and there.

At the grocery store, at the post office, at a dinner party...

The first words I learned were basic:

Merci = Thank you.

Bonjour = Hello.

Combien = How much?

Oui = Yes.

Sortie = Exit.

Rue = Street.

Enchanté... Which I heard people say to me when they first met me. "Nice to meet you." 

Learning French was not easy. It was frustrating. I was frustrated. Twenty five years ago when I would ask a French storekeeper, or someone on the street, "Parlez-vous Anglais?" They gave me a frustrating, "Non." Smiling was not in their vocabulary.

Yann kept speaking English to me. His English improved and my French, well, did not.

 

 

A few years later we had some babies. 

I wanted them to speak English, to be bi lingual.

If you have ever lived in a bi lingual household you know the gift and the grit of daily conversation. Yann spoke French to the children, as did the rest of the land. I spoke English to them. I soon learned that if my children were to be completely bi lingual I was going to have to talk, and talk alot. Otherwise their vocabulary was going to be limited to: Get yours shoes. Come and eat. Button your coat. Sit still. Go to sleep.

I read books. Many of them. Suitcases full of books. 

Chelsea and Sacha are utterly bi lingual. Flawlessly. No accents. It is my pride and joy accomplishment. During that time my French took a back seat.

 

 

I could go on and on, story after story, day after day, gift and grit of learning French while, teaching English to two little people.

But I will save that for another day.

Nearly two weeks ago I decided, against Yann's wishes, to speak only French to him. 

I speak French. With the heaviest of accents, but understandable nevertheless. Though the real challenge isn't the speaking part, it is the feeling that I am not me. I feel like I am a different person... really weird.

Wednesday Word... is created... the story of speaking in French.

 

When Visiting Provence... and the winners of Yesterday's Guessing Game

Provence rocky soil, blue sky, Mediterranean coastline, tiled roof tops, wild country side...

Each region of France has its key elements, its personality, its style.

Provence can be described in color: Yellow, blue, burnt orange...

Described by taste: Garlic, olive, tomato, basil, melon, almond...

Provence can be described by flowers: Lavender, poppies, sunflowers...

 

 

Antique Provencal confit pots from Apt

Yellow confit pots are were very common in Provence. The held table scraps, mostly the fat off the lamb as to say. The larger ones were used to hold larger pieces "lard" after buthering, the smaller ones were used on the kitchen table.

As the soil in Provence is dry, mostly rocky, grapes, olives and goats do well here. Confit pots were a welcome item to collect and safe keep the fat of the barren land.

 

 

 

Costal towns, small ports, colorful facades.

 

 

 

Fountains in the center of town, with cool spring water, to help one cool off.

 

Sanary on a sunny Saturday afternoon.

A list of some of the most beautiful towns in Provence:

Aix-en-Provence

 
Arles

 
Avignon

 
Bandol

 
Bormes-les-Mimosas

 
Digne

 
Forcalquier

 
Fréjus

 
Gap

 
Gordes

 
Marseille

 
Orange

 
Saint-Raphaël

 
Saint-Rémy-de-Provence

 
Saint-Tropez

 
Sainte-Maxime

 
Saintes-Maries de la Mer

 
Toulon

 
Valensole

 

With that said, my favorites are Cassis, Cotignac, Sanary, mainly little towns that only have a a cafe, bakery, church and of course a brocante on Sunday.

 

 

Two antique olive jars that I recently bought at the Barjac antique fair.

As Provence covers a large space, you will need a car. Most of the towns are an hour or two apart. 

Either stay somewhere in the middle of Provence, such as Aix en Provence (click on links to see small charming hotels), or Gemenos. Or stay on the far end of Provence and work your way to the opposite side.

 

 

 

Stone walls in Gordes

Stone walls that go on for miles and miles.

Rows of plantain trees,

Fields of olive trees and farm houses called Mas.

"A mas was a largely self-sufficient economic unit, which could produce its own fruit, vegetables, grain, milk, meat and even silkworms. It was constructed of local stone, with the kitchen and room for animals on the ground floor, and bedrooms, storage places for food and often a room for raising silkworms on the upper floor. Not every farmhouse in Provence is a mas. A mas was distinct from the other traditional kind of house in Provence, the bastide, which was the home of a wealthy family.

The mas of Provence and Catalonia always faces to the south to offer protection against the mistral wind coming from the north. And because of the mistral, there are no windows facing north, while on all the other sides, windows are narrow to protect against the heat of summer and the cold of winter. A mas is almost always rectangular, with two sloping roofs. The mas found in the mountains and in the Camargue sometimes has a more complex shape." via Wiki.

 

 

 

A

Antique Provencal confit bowl.

Provence: Regional Specialties to lick your lips from here to eternity:

 

Confit fruit (candied fruit from Apt).

 

Pastis at the bar "Pastis" in Cassis.

 

Nougat-Blanc from Forcalquier

Sea Salt from La Camargue et Le Marseillais

L'anchoiade (anchovy paste.. I cannot believe I am mentioning it... but Provence without anchovies is like baseball without hotdogs.) from La Camargue, La Crau etL'Esterel

To follow the listed links above and to find out more please check:

http://www.keldelice.com/guide/provence-alpes-cote-dazur/specialites

 

Photo Source via Miramar

 

When in Provence you must taste Bouillabaisse, fish stew. Miramar restaurant in Marseille is the place to go:

"Every 3rd Thursday of the month, join Christian Buffa and his team to discover the preparation of this marseillaise recipe: Bouillabaisse. The cooking class is open to all, whether cook, gourmet or one simply keen on learning this recipe which is much appreciated by Marseillaise and anyone having had the opportunity to taste it. 
Classes begin at 9.30 am and finish at 2.00 pm with the tasting of the Bouillabaisse prepared during the session."

 

 

The best time to visit Provence is: May through September.

Though with that said, August can be very warm, and swarming with tourists.

May and June are flawless.

 

 

If you don't like garlic...

Oh so sad for you.

Provence and garlic go mouth to mouth, I mean hand to hand.

 

 

Goat cheese ratatouille terrine from Le Galusha, a wonderful restaurant in Carpentras:

(30 Place de l'Horloge, Carpentras).

 

My friend Mo's kitchen cupboard, made from two old windows.

 

Blogs you might enjoy about Provence:

 

http://www.provencefoodandwine.com/

 

http://theprovencepost.blogspot.fr/

 

Winners of the Guessing Game Yesterday:

The creative winner is: 

Merisi in Vienna said...

"That is easy: May flowers ready to be sent down to earth by the gods!"

The random winner is:

Mahala

The first person to respond with the correct answer was:

Gina Lanman said...

"A cartoon. Which is a mock up illustration for a rug or tapestry."

Thank you for your comments and playing along! Please will the three winners send me an email with your address, so I can send you a prize!

Merci!

 

Spring in France...Guessing Game

French brocante guessing game.

What is this?

Tell me about it.

The first to answer it correctly will win something sweet from France.

Also I will randomly pick another commentor and send something sweet to them as well.

Happy adding your spring color to the guessing game! 

When a Friend Throws Away an Antique

 

A friend who lives up the hill called. He reminded me that he was make a haul to the dump. I threw the phone down and raced up the hill. He lives in an old big house. His style is art deco. Anything not deco was going to the dump. Including three door panels with ribbons, bows and flowers. A bit girly even for me. But the dump is no home for an antique girly or not!

 

 

Carrying them home I went through the apartment in Paris in my mind, wondering how or if I could use them:

Bedroom... nowhere. 

Kitchen... nope.

Living room... no.

Entrance... Doors are needed for the closets, but these are too small.

Bathroom... Bingo, light bulb moment. I could have the builder transform them into a wall cabinet for toiletries.

Happy happy!

 

 

When I got home I  opened a can of paint, took out some wax... Here is a sneak peek,  I am not sure of the final color. But wood, not a nice looking wood at that, is not what I am after.

Hopefully I will work something out. If the panels don't work for the apartment, I will have to find a home for them. 

 

Saturday Art Saves: A Plate a Day

Artist: Hironobu Ishikawa / Source: A Plate a Day

 

 

Each Saturday I focus on a different artist that I admire. From potters to painters, chefs to collectors, seamstress to songwriters, lifestyle to lovers... anyone who set the paintbrush, pastry brush, hands and heart on fire to create.

Those who inspire art to flow where it may.

Potters, their studios and their wares.

Old, new from around the world.

Do you lick your plate clean?

 

Artist: Hironobu Ishikawa / 

 Source: A Plate a Day

When is the last 

time you ate off a paper plate?

When is the last time you ate off a hand made plate?

When is the last time you ate off an Antique plate?

Artist: Claire Baker /  Source: A Plate a Day

Were you given dishes when you moved away from home?

Did you receive dishes when you were married?

Studio: Akiko's Pottery /

 Source: A Plate a Day

 

 

What do you prefer: White or colorful?

 

 

Studio: Delft / 

 Source: A Plate a Day

 

99 percent of the plates I have are over 80 years old.

 

Source: Ott and Brewer (1871–1893), The Metropolitan Museum of Art

 Source: A Plate a Day

Do you remember the plates of your childhood?

Source: Roman, mid-2nd century A.D., The Metropolitan Museum of Art

 Source: A Plate a Day

 

Artist: Lisa Stevens / 

Source: A Plate a Day

Plates to admire and not have dinner on.

 

Source: I Am Of Ireland / 

 Source: A Plate a Day

 

Polka dots! 

 

Studio: Atelier Senrowaki / 

Source: A Plate a Day

New made to look old.

 

Robert Dawson : 

Source: A Plate a Day

 

Faded.. or I should say the taste lingered on.

Follow the links to find the potters, and their wares.

Or check out A Plate a Day Blog listed under each photo.

French Linen, Country Style

"Naughty" Pillow Talk

 

"Love this knotty pillow," was my first thought, then I added, "But I don't think it (they) will be very practical for the apartment rental." Yann rubbed his ears, then fainted from shock... Before he hit the ground he asked, "When are you ever practical?

 

 

Later in another shop I saw polka dotted roman blinds, I "Oohed," and went into full description mode of how they could work and look good in the apartment.

"The kitchen has the same palette, it would marry well with these blinds," I was on a roll, "A contemporary baroque feel, is what I am after. Do you think we could make these work: Wooden floors, black stone tiles, chandeliers..."

What do you think?

Lacey, girly is not me... old, muted, peeling is ... with a touch of black.

 

 

 

The comments you all left me when I first started this project keep ringing in my ears, "User friendly." Rings the loudest.

The knotty pillow is not user friendly, naughty pillow.

But then again neither are the 18th century silk patchwork pillows.

Gulp.

How do I stay true to my brocante style and yet stay in tune with user friendly?

Gee, am I going to be practical after all? 

 

Pasta with Asparagus

 

At the market fresh asparagus wrapped in a moist towel were resting a wooden crate. I asked the vendor why he had wrapped the asparagus in a moist towel? "Freshly cut so tender you need not cook them." he added, "Did you know that asparagus is in the oldest surviving book of recipes, the Apicius from the third century?" De re coquinaria, Book III.

"Of course I knew that. Who doesn't?" I laughed.

I love hearing sales-people talk their jive. 

I bought a kilo of the points d'amour ("love tips").

The town market is two minutes from my front door. The "freshly cut" aparagus went from the moist towel, into my shopping cart, then home, rinsed and sauteed.

I cut the asparagus in to bite size pieces, lightly sauteed them in olive oil and garlic. Then I add cream and fresh squeezed lemon juice until the sauce thicken. I mixed the sauce with the pasta and sprinkled it with Parmesan.

The mason "builder", the person who will reinvent our apartment in Paris, is coming for dinner this Friday to go over final details. Point d'Amour will be one of the dishes served.

Do you have a favorite pasta recipe?