The Makings of Dinner for One
At Les Halles, the indoor and outdoor market in Tours, I asked this friendly produce vendor why her strawberries were so much redder and juicier than the ones across the aisle, which barely looked red, let alone ripe. “It’s because they are, vendres, and we are the growers,” she explained. […]
In 2008 France, The Flat Rules
I’ve discovered that French shoe fashion doesn’t follow what most women in America prefer. I first noticed this when I saw a women wearing ballet slippers. These women at my cooking school all agreed–the flat rules. No chunky heels here, no big high clogs or high heeled sneakers. I had […]
Ahh, the Delicate and Fussy Macaron
I’d never given much thought to how one of France’s most famous cookies was made. Macarons, they’re called. Today I got an up-close look at how these delicious little sandwich cookies are made, when I joined ten French women for a baking class at tours a Table, owned by a […]
A Young Turk Succeeds with Organic Wine
Vincent Careme is one of many young winemakers who are creating great white wines in the area around Vouvray, near Tours, France. Compared to the storied wine regions of Burgundy and Bordeaux, land costs in this part of the country are cheap, allowing twenty-something winemakers like Careme to begin early. […]
Lighting up Ancient Buildings Brings Out Crowds
All over France, a new tradition is bringing citizens and visitors into the streets at night. It’s called Les Nuits Lumiere, or Illuminated Nights, and combines classical music and large images projected on buildings, bridges and other surfaces. Using the lines of the ancient buildings in the city, like the […]
Listening to Frogs in Marais, Bourges France
This morning we walked around an area called the Marais, the marshes in Bourges, France, where 1500 local people tend gardens among watery trails and wildlife. In this video you can hear the frogs making their mating noises in the marsh. It’s a lovely spot, surrounded by water and some […]
A Proud Father and Luthier Carves Cellos in Bourges
We walked through the city of Bourges, in the center of the region of Cher, not expecting such a lovely and compact old city. I just never knew how nice this town was, and it surprised me. But it’s been a center of history and the cathedral is as dramatic […]
Time to Taste, er, Guzzle, More Crisp White Wines
White, white, white, this afternoon was a blizzard of white. White wine that is, from the Sancerre region of the Loire Valley. Hit me with half full glasses of refreshing sauvignon blancs from domains like Quincy, and Sancerre, and after a few I am….well, sleepy. Then we pile into the […]