Francophile
Part of: Food , Slice of Life , Travel[Breakfast: organic vanilla yogurt. green and white tea.]
Whenever I get back from France I scan the “living in France blogs” and figure out which books on Paris I should read, and decide to learn more French. I’ve only taken one basic French class where I felt like I was in a high school language class (it was taught at a high school) and promptly forgot everything that I learned. I need a good French tutor. I’ve asked quite a few people that one would think would know this sort of thing, but they all knew a teacher that doesn’t teach anymore or has moved. I was at a tasty Italian restaurant in Cannes (Al Gambero) with a couple of multilingual people. No, I did not need help translating the menu because the most French I’ve memorized is food related. My favorite vegetables: epinard (spinach) asprege (asparagus) oignon (onions) and least favorite vegetables: aubergine (eggplant) and champignon (mushroom). I like my meat cooked medium-rare = rosé. I’ve also memorized fruit that comes in the pastries that I like: framboise (raspberry) fraise (strawberry), and I love the cherries in France (cerise). There are times, like when I ate at places such as Lenôtre with DK for lunch in Cannes, where neither of us could understand much. Luckily, we ran into an acquaintance who could translate. I did end up ordering what I was going to in the first place: asparagus three ways (DK got the tomato tart), but wouldn’t have known about the other options. And, yes, that is a savory macaron. Oh, there are also times where you can’t get a menu in English or with translations even in touristy areas. But that is how you learn French, no? BTW, The millefeuille at Lenôtre is to..die.. for…