La Petite Veste Noire
A table !
Let’s talk about food today.
We found with my best friend, we talk about food all the time. Before eating, during and after even if we are not hungry.
Every kind of food : pastries, vegetables, yogurt, bread, chocolate, cheese…
We talk about what we ate recently, what we would love, what we cooked. That’s really weird, we are not frustrated, just obsessed! We tried to change our conversation but no way, it returns to food a few minutes after.
I think it is because we just love to eat, take time to cook, it is a hobby. We take time to « déguster », to savor, to compare but we prefer the quality than the quantity, évidemment !
Once, someone ask me : Do you live to eat or you eat to live?
I let you think…
Le Jardin Secret de Dior
« A quoi ça sert d’imaginer des vêtements si on peut rien faire dedans ? »
Everyone in France wore « les sous-vêtements Petit Bateau », underwear Petit Bateau and « pyjamas en bouclette velours », velvet pyjamas during his/her childhood. Every woman had THE « petite culotte Petit Bateau 100% coton », panties, when they were growing up.
These are very thick cotton underwear that cover from the but up to the belly button. While they may not be very sexy, they are so comfortable! I still have a pair in grey and fuscia that I wear on cold winter nights. They also come in pink and white with flowers for girls (so cute!)
Now, Petit Bateau is very well-known all over the world for timeless basics as « la marinière », raincoats, the bodysuits, T-shirts, pants, pyjamas, tank top… They accompany us in all moments of life from childhood to adulthood.
L’Odyssée de Cartier
Les Frites Françaises!
Today I decided to do a little research about things with “French” in the title. I wanted to find out if they were really of French origin.
French Fries may be called “French” but they come from Belgium. During World War I, American soldiers tasted Belgian fries and called them “French Fries” because the official language of a part of Belgium is French.
French toast did not come from France either! The name “Pain Perdu” meaning lost bread (which is a really weird name when I think of it….) comes from stale bread, because we use bread that is too hard to eat.
French Kiss or ”tongue kissing”. Ahlala this famous French Kiss ! This practice is not very French, as everyone one does it. However, the name “French Kiss” sounds a lot sweeter than it’s real meaning…”open- mouth kiss where tongues touch.”
Nicolas Sarkozy has announced his candidacy for re-election yesterday night.
Here we go, French presidential election 2012 starts right now!
It’s gonna be until May. A mix of “combat de coqs” (cockfight), Pinocchios and nobody who can really help France…
Mariage Frères
In France, the last few days have been so cold. I’m frozen, it was -6° outside two days ago and no snow… To survive, I bought two different teas : Jasmin Mandarin (sweet jasmine blossoms green tea) and Casablanca (mint & bergamot tea).
I know, tea is chinese but not this one! It’s French and it’s my favorite!
Tea, like wine, is a product of ancient, noble civilizations, requiring patient cultivation, transformation and perfection through careful handling. After 130 years of existence, Mariage Frères sell more than 500 high quality teas, imagine how it was hard to choose one or two teas in the boutique. So many choices, I was lost.
Lecture
Today, I want to talk about two books. Their authors are French. One is an ex-runway model, former face of Chanel, Legion of Honor winner, designer, businesswoman and daughter of a marquis. The other is an ex- spokesperson for Champagne Veuve Clicquot, former President and CEO of Clicquot, Inc. (LVMH) and now an internationally best-selling author.
+ La Parisienne. Ines de la Fressange
She has such a beautiful French name and she is one of this women who is so enthusiastic, frivolous and sparkling! She was born in St Tropez (on the French riviera, playground to jet-setters, fashion models, and millionnaires). She wrote a book about « La Parisienne » to explain that the Parisienne does not come necessarily from Paris, she may have dreamed of Paris, she can be foreign, 80 years old and very pretty, coquette! She shows how to have the Parisian style, simple but beautiful.
+ French women don’t get fat. Mireille Guiliano
Apparently, France has the highest proportion of underweight women in Europe. But they still think they are bigger than they actually are. France is a country of gastronomy, we eat bread, sauces, pastries and yet, it doesn’t seem to affect women’s weight. ‘French women don’t get fat’ is a charming book about this French paradox, the ultimate non-diet book. How to enjoy food and stay slim and healthy. I love this book because I’ve never think about our different way to eat, the French way, bien sûr.
This is not a book on how to become thinner or skinny but rather how to survive gourmet meals, breakfasts, crêpes…
