The Countdown Begins/ List #1

Two months from today we will arrive in France! The serious preparations need now begin. Where shall I start? And will you help me???

Let's start off with what I have done already:

1. Bought airline tickets


2. Reserved and paid for gite


3. Told all family and friends of our arrival/departure dates


4. Freaked out about the flight (hate flying...well I love flying, hate idea of crashing)


5. Freaked out about the rising Euro and falling Dollar


6. Repeated 4 and 5 about 200 times.


7. Plan to repeat 4 and 5 about 200 more times.


8. Reserved a minivan (9 passenger) for an astronomical amount of moolah.


9. Cried about number 8


10. Bought Red Coat

What I need to do:

1. Keep trying to find cheaper transportation (must have van to accommodate all travelers in party)


2. Buy more clothes (a great pair of jeans and more nice tops, more shoes. Jean shopping was affreux today. Wahh wahh.)


3. Buy some shades since my Gucci's purchased in France last trip were stepped on and crushed (par moi), and besides, I think Gucci shades are passé now, non? ;)


4. Find a way to make the dollar get stronger


5. Get a great hair cut at the exact right time before trip (nothing new, just a great trim)


6. J'ai besoin de pratiquer le francais..... :(


7. More French lessons for Hubby as well


8. Make a packing list


9. Make more lists of things that need to get done

This is the first of many lists to be, as I realize how many things I just left out. I am such a procrastinator about packing, I prefer to have a thorough list made out, and start packing the night before we leave.

Advanced French Lesson Numero Une...or is it Un?

So, did anyone catch my mistake yesterday? I believe I should have said "un" when I said "une".

This leads up to my next topic: Mistakes in French. Fellow Francofiles, we all have them, right? Please tell me I'm not the only one who has told the entire table during a dinner party that I was drunk, when I in fact meant "I'm full"!
I've also repeatedly said I was "aroused" when I meant excited,as in, "I'm excited to go shopping today! Are you excited for your wedding next month?" Another faux pas was several times of the usage of a word I thought to mean "breast" when I was discussing breastfeeding. What I said was actually a vulgar word that a woman would never use when discussing her own.

Nothing compares to the mistakes that Hubby made, though. My dear, sweet husband said such a vulgar word in church that no one would translate. When he was trying to say dog in French, it came out all wrong. (Can anyone guess what word came out?) Or howabout the time he used "con" instead of "quand"...wait, did I say time? I meant timesssss (plural). He still struggles with this one.
It's not hard to say conard instead of canard, and who can tell if baisser has one "s" or two? No American I know!

I remember my uncle's stories about his first months in France. He was terrified to leave the apartment. But one day when he thought he finally had enough French down to venture out onto the streets of Toulouse and try some out, he got cocky. He thought he was past the old fashioned "bonjour"...he wanted to be cool and say "Salut!" (pronounced sal-ew) So as he walked down the rue he greeted all the shopkeepers with a super cool "Salop!" instead (sal-oh). This means bastard.

As I prepare for our upcoming trip, I might want to rethink my procrastination in brushing up on my French. I'm sure that I will have some real doozies to post about on Cassoulet Cafe. Let me serve as a warning to others.

Une Autre Point de Vue

Another point of view.

I just received an email from a dear friend of mine. She's French and grew up in the South of France, near Toulouse, but now lives in Paris.

She's lived there for nearly four years now, after marrying a native Parisien.

I think my friend fits in very well in Paris. She dresses like a true Parisienne, she lives like one, she appreciates the culture and everything Paris offers. She loved the idea of Paris....before she moved there. But an image in our mind is often much different than the one that comes to fruition later. As is the case with my dear friend.

No, she is not in a bad marriage. It's just that after a few months, the honeymoon phase of living in Paris wore off, and real life settled in quickly. Living in a minuscule apartment with sky-high rents in the suburbs of Paris was a start. Then the daily commute on public (often striking) transportation to an office job working too many hours under a chauvinist pig boss, making far too little money to indulge in a daily macaron and chocolat chaud at Laduree. Then the reality of having to make all new friends in a place where a "southern accent" is ridiculed, even though that seems to be where the sun hides itself from Paris. Enduring it all without family near by.

The Daily Grind can happen anywhere. Any place can become humdrum. This makes me think of the saying we all grew up with; the grass is always greener on the other side. Or the version I recently heard: the grass is always greener over the septic tank.

I'm not saying Paris should be compared with waste water treatment, but sometimes life gets in a rut as we go through the routine of work/sleep/play no matter where we live. Moving may help put some excitement into our lives and give us some much needed change, but at the end of the day, we still have to get the mundane things done and this is when the fantasy starts to fade.


*This was not intended to rain on any one's party, so to speak. I don't want to discourage any Paris dreams, I'm just reflecting on my friend's situation and trying to put myself in her shoes. It's also a moment for me to do a reality check and remember that picking up and moving my family far away didn't (and won't) make my life transform into a perfect fairy tale.

Quick In-N-Out Burger

On our vacation last week, we had to hit the In-N-Out Burger as many times as possible to get our fix. It's been 9 months since I had one. For the non-Californians out there, this is only the best burger joint....um...ever! Never frozen meat, no gristle, fresh ingredients and only burgers, shakes and fries on the menu. There is even a secret menu that is no longer a secret, since it's now posted on their website. But if you don't know the not-so-secret lingo, you'll never be able to order a burger Animal Style, or a 4x4 burger or a have a Neopolitan. No matter, any burger you order will be delish and you'll be addicted like me and wonder why this wonderful chain hasn't spread into my neck of the woods yet.

Because I couldn't eat at In-N-Out for every meal, I made it my mission to view the drive-up line at every In-N-Out Burger we passed on our trip. Because I have never seen one that didn't have a line of cars out into the street. It's that good.

On the other side of the world, to where I will be going in a couple months, there is a place that looks similar to an In-N-Out, but is the worst burger joint...um...ever! Quick. Or "qweek" as the Frenchies say. My experience at Quick has never been good, and the photos of the burgers on their website is proof that I speak truth.

What is up with their burger names? Xtralong Giant? I don't want to eat a burger that is described as Extra Long, because long should not EVEN be a consideration when ordering a burger. There is also a Long Fish, Long Bacon and Long Chicken. I prefer In-N-Out's description, burgers that are "stacked high on a freshly baked bun". Doesn't that sound nicer and more appetizing?

Though, as much as I love In-N-Out, I won't be trying the 100x100 burger. And you definitely won't be getting any blog posts from Quick on our upcoming trip to France. Unless I decide to do a shock and awe post. Nahhhh....

"Rice-A-Roni....

....the San Francisco Treat!" Funny, I've passed through it tons of times, going over the Golden Gate and Bay bridges, had layovers there more times than I want to count, but I had never actually spent any time down in the touristy Pier 39/Fisherman's Wharf. We had a great day with beautiful weather (as you can see) and had a nice little visit.
Boudin looked like it had great bread, but the name really put me off, since in France, boudin is blood sausage. Blech!
I didn't buy any crepes because they were spendy! And I have a great recipe from my French aunt and I have Nutella at home. But I loved the little creperie and had fun watching them make them.
The next time I'm in SF will be during a layover on our way to France!

"Where Am I?"

Away from Home

Any guesses as to where I went to take this photo last Thursday? :)