Archive for the ‘photoblog’ Category
When I first came to Paris, I imagined myself dining out in bistros and cafes, eating classic French dishes like beef bourguignon, or ratatouille or creme brulee, all while wearing a black béret, striped shirt, and a gorgeous French man on my arm.
Okay, a girl can dream.
What I didn’t imagine, is how madly in love I’d fall with the variety of ethnic foods there are in Paris. Ethiopian, Lebanese, Asian…you name it. You can taste all the flavors of the world without ever leaving the city.
Like today, for example. After a meeting at another PR firm in Paris, my friend Jane and I went to Passage Brady in the Indian quartier. It’s a tiny little street with several Indian restaurants, all of which are delicious and very inexpensive.
We walked down the street, browsing the offerings while being solicited to dine in several of the restaurants by the very eager hosts, and eventually chose Pooja.
The decor was dramatic, and lavish and I, of course, loved every detail. It was like we had traveled out of Paris for a little while -
In true French fashion, however, meal’s were offered in menus or formule with several courses. For a set price you pick an entree and a plat, or sometimes an appetizer, main dish and dessert. Or sometimes just a main dish and a dessert. You get the picture.
I went with the 12 euro formule – an appetizer and a main dish that comes with cheese naan and saffron rice. Jane went with the palak paneer, a spinach dish with fresh cheese. Mmmm.
But first, we shared a mango lassi,
and played around with the water glasses like the mature adults we are.
Tee hee.
First up, raiti, a yogurt dish with cucumber and spices that is usually eaten with spicy foods to cool the palette and balance out the burn.
They brought out three spices before the meal came – two of which were very spicy, and the third which was sweet. My favorite was the green one – and yes, these are the technical terms 
I wish I knew what they were all called, but alas, I do not.
Anyway. Along with the raita, they brought out the basmati rice with saffron,
and cheese naan which words can’t describe.
Although not authentically Indian, cheese naan is one adaptation to French culture I appreciate 100%. I promise you, it’s worth the trip to Paris for this alone 
And well worth the gluten coma I’m currently experiencing.
Our main dishes were palak paneer,
and a chicken curry dish that was so tender and flavorful.
We shared everything on the table family style, and sat at the table for over an hour – another aspect of French life I’m really appreciative of.
We left Pooja with very full bellies,
and lingered through the area for a bit stopping in the specialty store,
and got beautified with a little eyebrow threading before heading back to our side of town.
It’s amazing how quickly neighborhoods change in Paris. One minute it looks like this –
and the next it’s that stereotypical Paris street scene…
I made my way back home, taking pictures as I walked through the quartier latin. I have a strange love for the doors here. I have tons and tons of pictures of doors. Just doors. Blue ones, black ones, red ones, strange ones, open ones, closed ones, broken ones. You get the idea.
Strange, I know. But there is just something about them that catches my eye.
I’m currently home, sweet, home, snuggled in some comfy clothes and catching up on a bit of school work. All in a day’s work.
What’s your favorite kind of food? Asian, Indian, American? What is some of the strangest ethnic food you have tried?
I loved today’s Indian food experience, but Ethiopian food is climbing the charts for me too. I also love all the flavors in Mediterranean food. Next up on the list – an African restaurant. It’s amazing how much you can learn about other cultures from food. Yes, some of the decorations in these restaurants are exaggerated to create an experience or feeling, and often times the food is adapted to the local culture (Life, for instance, food is usually less spicy in France than it would typically be in original recipes because that’s what the local culture prefers), but I still think you can really get a taste of certain parts of the world by trying different flavors – and I’m not just talking about the food!
Until next time!
I’m a day person. Mornings are my thing. Yep, I’m one of those obnoxious morning people that wakes up chipper and ready to go, bouncing off the walls and singing whatever song I wake up with in my head.
Nights? Not so much. I always joke that I turn into a pumpkin around midnight. I’ve always been this way, and despite the odd looks and interesting comments from many of my peers over the years, I’ve learned to accept that nights just aren’t my thing.
But day time. Oh yah. It’s on.
Like today for example.I woke up bright and early and moseyed around the house for a bit, slowly eating breakfast, getting dressed and eventually hitting the streets of Paris around 10:30am.
I had a whole day planned. That’s another thing I’m known for. Planning. Yah, I’m one of those people too…type-A, schedule oriented, always on time kinda gal. Obnoxious, I know. But I digress.
So I had my whole day planned out. First stop, Mosquée de Paris. I took the metro to Place Monge, and found my way there, only to find out that there are no visitors allowed on Friday. Of course.
No worries. Rue Mouffetard is right in this area and I’ve heard it’s a cute street to walk down. So I did. And it was.
I had planned to go to a nearby African restaurant for lunch after my Mosquée de Paris trip, but it was 11:30 when I finished with my stroll down Rue Mouffetard, and I just wasn’t hungry yet. No worries. Plan B. (duh, of course there’s a Plan B…)
I hopped on the metro to go to a different restaurant I had heard about called Bob’s Kitchen – apparently they serve up really healthy fare like fresh juice, smoothies and nori wraps with avocado and fresh veggies. Sounds great, right? That’s what I thought too! Until I got there and, of course, they are only open on Friday nights. Zut!
Ok. No worries. Plan…C? I had a few museums on my potential “plan,” but at this point it was about 12:15 and I had worked up quite the appetite. I made my way to the Marais on foot scoping out the restaurants, and of course, being stubborn and indecisive.
Oh yah. That’s another thing. I’m really stubborn. And indecisive is an understatement (But really, I am quite delightful ).
Yet again, I digress.
After wandering and wandering and wandering some more, debating in my mind which place would be the best, I finally stopped into a little place called Chez Marianne on Rue des Rosiers.
Extreme hunger puts all indecisiveness to rest… I decided quickly on a little tasting plate with 5 things; Tabouleh, Hummus, Eggplant and Tomatoes, Tzaziki, and Falafel.
Oh, and of course a little glass of vin rouge When in Paris…right? I loved this little plate of goodness. It was perfect fuel for the next leg of my adventure.
It was about 2:00pm when I finished with lunch, and I was getting a bit tired. I finally surrendered and scratched the rest of my plan, none of which had been realized for the day. Must have been a sign! No worries.
I spent the next three hours wandering around the city,
and eventually stopping in H&M (you know, just to look).
Oops!
After seven hours of wandering through Paris, I’m spent. And actually feeling rather happy that my plan was fruitless. My day was lovely and I enjoyed every second of wandering the city without any real direction in mind. The first signs of Spring are finally here and you could see the excitement and lightness that everyone was feeling today.
I’ve made dinner, showered, and put on my jim jams (as my roommate likes to call them) since I’ve been home and think I’ll be calling it a night early. After all, I do turn into a pumpkin very shortly…
Oh, and I’m still reading through the questions you guys asked the other day. I figured it would be best to answer them by topic. Like so:
- Hypothyroidism – What’s the dealio? How ya doin?
- Yoga – Who, What, Where, When, and Why. Or somethin’ like that.
- Let’s get personal. Who is this chick anyway? Pet peeves, favorite foods, and other random things.
- Life in Paris – language, food, etc.
- What the heck are you going to do with your life? Damn good question. I’ll give you the details on school and my career plan…or lack there of.
I know you’re on the edge of your seat
It’s late here in Paris, and I’m quite exhausted. Tomorrow is going to be a long day (I’m volunteering at a slow food cafe and cooking for 60 people with a few other people…post to follow!) so I figured I’d let the pictures do the talking. Hope you enjoy!
