Moving Forward, Time to Reengage
As we enter into a brand new year of linguistic and cultural sharing, there is no better time to get ourselves reinvested in the things that we enjoy…or thought we enjoyed. It is only too easy to let the goals we make - to enjoy ourselves more or engage in fun, cultural, interesting activities - become a...
French Quiche, A Lesson in Tradition
As a student at Bates College, I had the good fortune of studying in Paris for 6 months. My host parents, best described as traditional, took great pride in their nightly meals. Every night, like clockwork, my host father would drink martini roso, eat olives and watch the evening news while my host mother prepared...
La madeleine de Proust, le foie gras d’un gascon
Pas une année ne se passe sans que nos papilles aient à savourer une succulente tranche de foie gras. Noël approchant à grands pas, la saison du canard arrive quant à elle à grandes palmées. Et question dégustation, tout le monde s’y retrouve – ou presque. Il y a ceux qui apprécient, ceux qui testent,...
Toasting to the dwindling days of summer
With this year’s fall just around the corner, the last summer days in the District are calling for one last pool session or simply an afternoon relaxing at an open-air restaurant. And what better accompaniment to those times of leisure than a drink à la française ? Here are simple recipes to three...
Nostalgia and Nourriture; A Recipe from La Réunion
Earlier this week, the Island of la Réunion celebrated its first anniversary as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, a well-deserved honor for this beautiful tropical island in the Indian Ocean. The streets may be lined with coconut and palm trees and it may be surrounded by crystal blue waters, but la Réunion is anything but...
Too Little, Too Late
Too Little, Too Late Why knowing just a little bit of French can spell big trouble Had I seen this picture back in 1987, I would not have learned the hard way that knowing a little bit of a language can be a dangerous thing. It was that summer when my husband (still just...
Tastes of Belgium in Washington, DC
Having lived in Belgium for 2 years, I had the luck of becoming not only a Francophile but, because Belgium is trilingual, a Germanophile and Dutchophile. No matter the language, the food was delicious and addictive. So when I moved to DC recently, I sought out all the places I could find to fulfill my...
Ode to a Vegetable
I never cared for carrots, Nor did I rout for sprouts. Asparagus was rare, Nearly never was it there. My plate was void of any green, Spinach-less, not one Lima bean. No parsley or parsnips mixed in with my peas I dodged away from pepper jack cheese...
