Good to be home

There's nothing quite like leaving a place to make you appreciate (or hate!) where you are. I actually got that feeling twice this past week--first when I met up with my family in Boston for my brother's graduation (congrats!!), and again when I got back to France, which is feeling more and more like home.

There are definitely things I miss about the States. My family. My Boston terriers. My friends. My car. Starbucks. Bookstores with English books. Newspapers I can read. TV I can watch. Heck, TV period. The U.S. dollar. Stuff for cheap. My phone. Work and a steady paycheck. A comfort zone.

But there are things I missed about France after having left. My husband. Our chihuahua-Jack Russells. Buying meat from the butcher, bread from the breadmaker, etc. Cheap, delicious wine and fresh cheese. Walking places. New friends. Adventure. Speaking a foreign language. Being out of my comfort zone.

There are many more things, clearly, that I miss about both places. Let's consider this a list in progress.

Oh, the possibilities

When we first arrived in Yssingeaux, we were taken by our new town's beauty. Josh liked it so much, in fact, that he hoped to complete his two-month internship here after school. We still really like it here--the people are friendly, it's easy to get around and the medieval architecture and lush volcanic landscape make for a beautiful day every day. As time goes on, however, we're quickly realizing that after five months we will probably have run through the list of things to do here a few times over. So, we set our sights on the nearby town of Le Puy en Velay (which I wrote about previously), because it's bigger but not too big. But still, that wouldn't offer much variation in our French experience.

On Monday Josh brought home a list of chefs recommended by the school as good places for internships--they're chefs who have a relationship with the school in some way--and while there is one located in Yssingeaux, none are in Le Puy. So we started Googling and discovered practically endless opportunities that fit Josh's criteria: 1) not in a big city like Paris or Lyon, 2) not in a hotel or restaurant, but rather a standalone pastry shop, and 3) offer an opportunity to work under a MOF. He and his classmates were tasked with researching the list and coming back with two top choices, at which time their chef--whom they simply call "Chef"--will sit down with them and discuss which might be the best fit. After all that, the school will help them set up interviews with the chefs, who might choose to hire or not.

I don't want to jinx anything by writing about Josh's top choices just yet, so for now you'll have to imagine the possibilities: the Mediterranean coast, the French Alps, Basque country ...

Politics and patriotism

This past weekend was a big one in France. For us and many others it was four days long, culminating in VE Day (Victory in Europe Day), celebrating the end of Europe's involvement in World War II. But two days before that was election day and we got to witness first-hand the differing emotions afterward.

Because it was a four-day weekend, all of Josh's classmates--except himself and Clovis--decided to skip town, some heading to Paris and others to Torino, in northwestern Italy. It was fine with us because we had the building to ourselves. We took advantage of the available washing machine and dryer (there's one of each for everyone to share), the guys studied, and we ventured out to find Yssingeaux's only thrift store (called a "friperie"), where we bought some inexpensive decorations for our apartment. On Sunday, there was a flea market and, though we missed most of it because we didn't know about it in advance, we snagged a pretty awesome shelf unit for 10 euros. It completes our living room nicely!

Sunday was also election day--they hold elections on Sundays here--and by 8 p.m. or so a winner had been declared. Francois Hollande, a socialist, had defeated incumbent right-winger Nicolas Sarkozy. I admit, a bit shamefully, that I hadn't followed the French election all that closely. We don't have a television and I don't understand enough French to pick up the newspaper here. Since then I've made an effort to learn a little more, but I assure you it's not enough to truly explain what it all means. This much I do know: Hollande is the first socialist to win a French election since the 1980s. Because France, along with the rest of the EU, is in a recession, that was a big deal for voters, who apparently decided they wanted change. Hollande has said he will challenge Germany's prevailing attitude of "austerity"--a huge buzzword around here.

Sitting in our apartment, we heard fireworks outside and decided to go check the pulse of Yssingeaux. In the town square we found a folk-music group playing, well, folk music. A large group of revelers danced and drank, obviously celebrating Hollande's victory. We stood around absorbing the good vibes for a minute, then walked to a nearby bar, where we ordered a drink and sat outside. We could hear the music and see a bit of the dancing. The vibe at the bar--called Bar a Boss and owned by a guy named Boss--was much different. When we asked if they were happy with the election results, many of the patrons shook their heads in clear disappointment. A group of seven or eight people, including a few children, came in around 10, chanting "Sar-kozy! Sar-kozy!" The whole thing was offered a very interesting contrast.

Monday came and went, and as we woke up Tuesday morning we heard the unmistakable sounds of a marching band nearby. I quickly got up, got dressed, grabbed my camera and puppies, who hadn't yet gotten their morning walk, and headed out to track down the music's source. I didn't have to walk far, as our apartment is very centrally located and Yssingeaux just isn't that big. The music was fun and the mood lively, despite the light drizzle. That drizzle did dash my hopes of getting any good photos, though, because everyone had their umbrellas open. Oh well. I got this one, toward the end of the celebration, outside city hall.

You can sort of see the military band in the back, and there was also a local band wearing yellow jackets. They played the French national anthem and then, because puppies were wet and cold, I took them back home.

Fin.

Pastries!

I think it's about time I share a little about all the delicious cakes and tarts and other sweet delicacies Josh has been making and bringing home for me to taste-test. Mmm.

Among the class's first creations were eclairs, including these, called creme mousseline au caramel sale. They're filled with a buttery pastry cream (called mousseline) and the tops are shiny because he dipped them in hot caramel, which hardened. And they're topped with an almond slice. De-lish.

Then came the Paris Brest and religieuse. Both are also filled with yumminess. The Paris Brest looks like a doughnut, but it's filled with cream and covered in almond slices. The religieuse actually looks like a snowman (but this photo was taken from above!) and includes two balls, pastry cream and chocolate. Yummy.

Ah, the millefeuille. Josh says this is his favorite thing so far to make--and it's definitely my favorite one to eat. Josh took this photo in the lab--I should have gotten a shot from the side when he brought these home, but they're a bit difficult to maneuver once they're packed up. Millefeuille, which literally translates to "a thousand sheets," is so named because of its many layers. The top is fondant, beautifully decorated by my hubby. Below that are alternating layers of crunchy pastry, pastry cream and chantilly. I loved this mostly because of the contrasting fluffiness of the creams and crunchiness of the pastry dough. Wonderful!

Every week, after the class has perfected their pastries for that unit, they have a buffet, where they show off their best creations. Here's Josh with a buffet of tarts. 

He was nice enough to bring these three home--the top left is pineapple, below that passion fruit-orange, and to the right is (you guessed it) chocolate. My favorite was the pineapple, but all three were ridiculously delicious. I also had a chance to try a lemon one during tea at Lizzie and Jeneva's apartment. Bravo, everyone! They all agreed the chocolate one was the most difficult--they had to temper the chocolate to make the shavings by hand. Delicate work and it sure looks great!

This past week was macaroons and macarons ... and lemon cake. I haven't tried the lemon cake yet, so I can't speak to its taste or texture. But the macaroons--long among my favorite cookies--are delicious! They're kind of a funny shape, like fingers or finger puppets, but the coconut dipped in dark chocolate .... mmm. The macarons are equally delicious, but very different in texture and taste. You can't really tell from this picture Josh took during class, but some of them are filled with a raspberry jam--handmade by Josh--and others are filled with chocolate. I asked if they used a mold to get the circles so perfectly shaped and he said no, they had to know exactly how big to make each one. Impressive! The colors are from food coloring, and the discs contain meringue, so they have that almost-melt-in-your-mouth consistency. 

This is just a sampling of the wonderful goodies they've already made in class. I can't wait to see what they do this month! And, by the way, he does NOT bring everything he makes home to me. After about two weeks he started taking some of the finished product to local shop owners, like the butcher and the pizzeria owner, to share in the yumminess (and make sure we don't gain a gazillion pounds while we're here!).

(Note: Josh, when you read this, please feel free to correct me if I got any of this wrong. And keep up the good work!)

A Belgian-bound weekend

Greetings from Belgium. It's been quite a weekend! And we're not even done yet. Currently Josh and I--and the puppies--are in Brussels. Actually, we're staying a bit outside of town, by the airport, for two reasons: 1. the hotel is cheap and accepts pets, and 2. I really, really don't want to drive into the city. We got here by way of a little red Citroen, which is manual, driven by me. I've been mostly OK. Just don't put me on a hill, and for the love of God don't make me stop! Ha. No, seriously, highway driving has been A-OK. It's city driving that sucks. All the shifting gears and having to start from first and then quickly shift into second ... uggh. It's enough to give me flashbacks of driver's-ed. Seriously.

So, we started off the weekend on Friday because Josh didn't have class. We picked up the car and, since our friend Yulia was headed to Lyon and we had to pass through there anyway, we offered her a ride. That was my first test in city driving and it was scary! Stop-and-go traffic, hills ... we found a low-traffic street where a car was illegally parked with its hazards on, stopped behind it and dropped of Yulia. Then it was back on the highway, which went through gorgeous countryside. We first saw signs approaching Dijon and then we saw the mustard fields. They give the lush, green landscape these beautiful splashes of bright yellow. Wish I liked mustard ...

On Friday our destination was a town called Nancy. That's where we not only planned to stay for the night but also were supposed to meet up with a Chico friend of ours, Hailey. We got there a little later than we planned, and because of construction in the area, the GPS we rented with the car--a wonderful investment, to be sure--did not quite get us to our destination. We quickly tired of the "recalculating," parked and found our hotel. I attempted an uphill reverse, first failed and then succeeded (thankfully, because if I hadn't I either would have hit a car or put on the parking break and asked a random stranger to help me). I eventually parked in a more strategic place and then we caught a tram to meet up with Hailey. It was nice to see not only a familiar face but also someone who speaks our language. By that I mean more than English ... American English, California English, Chico English. Pop culture seems second-nature to us, but when you encounter people who are not from America, you quickly realize they do not get all your references.

It's now dinner time, so I'm going to eat. I'll fill everyone in about today's trip to Ghent and tomorrow's trip to Luxembourg later, complete with pictures.

A weekend of adventures

This past weekend was a blast! As a group, we decided the eight of us would rent two cars--the school has a relationship with a local Citroen dealership/rental place that is actually quite economical!--and explore some of the areas outside Yssingeaux. The only hitch: all their cars have manual, not automatic, transmissions. So ... yours truly did not drive. But I did take driving lessons! More on that in a bit.

Our first adventure was to Le Puy en Velay, this wonderful town just about 20 minutes southwest of us that is quite a bit bigger than Yssingeaux and too much history to absorb in just one day. Our mission was to go to the farmers' market--partly because Josh and his classmates are at school during the one in Yssingeaux, and partly because we heard it was fantastic. It did not disappoint.

The fruits and veggies were all artfully displayed.

The breads were fresh.

And we had a nice time along with all the other shoppers.

As we were finishing our shopping and heading back to the car, Josh, Clovis, Yulia and I came across this artisan patisserie. We had to try some of the goodies, mostly chocolate, that filled its cases. Words cannot describe the deliciousness.

These are just some of the ornate chocolates on offer in this shop. We tried several and each one was better than the last.

Despite the wonderful chocolate and the loot I walked away from the market with--some local raspberry jam and fresh-made apple juice--I was honestly more interested in seeing the Rocher St. Michel while we were in Le Puy. Perched high above the city, this chapel was built in 961 (no, I'm not missing a number) after the town's bishop made a pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela in Spain. Because of this, the chapel is one of the starting points of the famous Santiago de Compostela pilgrimage. If we hadn't been in a bit of a hurry, we would have climbed the steps up to it. But, we decided to leave a little something to do on our next trip there.

On our way back to Yssingeaux, we stopped at one of our area's biggest kitchen stores so Josh, Clovis and Yulia could pick up a few tools they needed for class. After we got home, Clovis agreed to teach me and Cindy how to drive in a nearby parking lot. Hilarity ensued. But he was a good teacher and when it came time to return the car this morning, I offered and I not only made it to the rental place unscathed, I also stopped at two filling stations (the first wouldn't take my card--credit cards in France are different from the U.S. and don't have the stripe!). I only killed the engine twice, while trying to park and apparently not putting enough pressure on the clutch. Craziness! But Josh and I hope to rent a car next weekend and at least one of us needs to know how to drive stick. I now totally understand why the French love their roundabouts so much--because all their cars are manual and a pain in the butt to come to a full stop in.

On Sunday we decided to do a bit more sightseeing--because we could. Our first stop was to a small town just south of Le Puy, where there is a beautiful waterfall called Cascade de la Beaume.

You can see the waterfall behind us. 

For our second sight-seeing activity of the day, we wanted to check out Forteresse de Polignac, north of Le Puy. Unfortunately, although the guide I picked up in Le Puy said it would be open in April, we found out when we got there that the fortress itself won't be open till May 1. We'll just have to go back there, too!

The fortress includes a medieval castle and, understandably boasts breathtaking views of the city and houses below. 

Last night Josh, Clovis and Yulia worked on their French homework together. It is not easy! I helped because the teacher clearly did not start them off in "beginner" French. They're expected to know how to conjugate irregular verbs (like etre and s'appeler) and whether certain words are masculine or feminine. And although there was an entire exercise about tu vs. vous, the teacher hadn't explained the difference--"tu" is informal "you" and "vous" is formal or plural "you"--so I had to explain that. Clovis has a pretty good grasp on it, as he explained Portuguese and French have many similarities--and Yulia speaks some Italian, which is helpful. Luckily, we have Rosetta Stone and Josh started using it after his first French class last week. I hope the teacher slows down enough to make the class worthwhile for everyone. Josh has that today. Along with food tech, I think--they do classroom stuff on Mondays, which is kind of a drag, and then they get back into the lab Tuesday through Friday, which seems to lift everyone's spirits. 

That's all for now. Until next time, au revoir.

Dinner at the chateau

I'd hoped to have blogged about this yesterday, but the Internet was down, so ... a day late isn't too bad. On Tuesday we had a wonderful dinner prepared at the school for all of Josh's class and others involved in his program. Dane, the guy who oversees a lot of the program's details, was nice enough to invite me to join them. A good time was had by all.

We got a group shot (or 20) on the school's front porch. L-R: Yulia, Josh, Clovis, Lizzie, Cindy, Annie, Jeneva--that's Josh's class--and then myself and Lionel and Karen, who work at the school. Karen, incidentally, has family in Red Bluff, just a 45-minute drive from Chico. Her husband also works at the school.

After the pictures, we went to the school's restaurant, where we were served drinks and some delicious food--wonderful deviled eggs and veggies to start off, then a white fish of some kind (we couldn't put our finger on it and the server only knew the French name for it--nobody wrote it down) accompanied by ratatouille. Yum! And conversation was easy. Dane started off with an introduction in which he said "this group is special."

During dinner he gave us some more insight into how the program works, particularly the internships. Apparently the students start looking for internships at the three-month mark. The school has a relationship with chefs all over the country and they try to pair students up with chefs they think they'll work well with. Then the students have to set up their own interviews, etc. If their first match doesn't work out, there's time for a second pairing. Dane also indicated that, while the students may not get "graded" they are assessed, weekly, and at the end of the program there will be a star. That star might be offered a special internship. The star from the last program split his two-month internship between two MOFs (pronounced moff, it stands for Meilleur Ouvrier de France and those who earn the title get to wear the colors of the French flag on their collars).

Speaking of MOFs, dessert Tuesday night was a special treat. It turned out there was a MOF in our midst. He'd been visiting the school and put together the impressive dessert spread. I'm sad to report I didn't take pictures. You'll just have to take my word for the beauty and deliciousness. There were three tortes on offer. The first two included raspberry and lemon and were amazing. The other was chocolate and had a wonderfully creamy mousse in the middle. Surprisingly, despite my penchant for chocolate-flavored anything, my favorite was one of the tartier concoctions. Who would've guessed ...

OK, that's all I have for now. I'm getting ready to head to the market and this evening I'm going to make lamb stew for Josh and his classmates. It's been a cold week and it's nice to give people a reason to socialize! I hope to have more pictures to share tomorrow.