Friday, October 22, 2010

Crunch Crunch

If you thought those were words referring to me doing sit ups, you were sorely mistaken :-) It is actually the sound my clothes make in the last few months since we have gotten our own washing machine. One thing that I'm not sure that I took for granted, but that I never gave much thought to (which I guess could be the definition of taking something for granted) was a dryer after to make your clothes 1. dry and 2. soft. Sure it just takes a little breaking of the fibers to loosen the clothes up and make the socks not harsh on my feet, but I'm reminscing about the days when my towels were put in the dryer directly before they were wrapped around me after a shower. Ah...those were the days. (yes, you're right, I wasn't an under-privileged child) Interestingly, this thought not only came from our lack of a dryer, but also because we have a heater in the shower and our towels hang directly above it, so when I do wrap myself in a towel after a shower it is somewhat heated. Livin the life huh?

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Wake UP Sun!

As winter approaches here in Clermont-Ferrand, the days are getting much shorter. In fact, this morning I woke up at 7:25 and the sun had about 40 more minutes to sleep. I really have issues with this. Not that it makes me angry or anything, but why does the sun get to sleep til 8:10 and I don’t? I’m really no good at getting up in the morning anyway, and before the sun is just cruel. Plus, I’m not sure if it is a life-long necessity of having to get up at 7 something or what, but I am really much better at getting up when the time starts with either a 6 or an 8. Well then, you are saying, why don’t you get up at 6:55? I’ll tell you, because what in the world would I do at that hour? I have no TV, everyone else I know is sleeping or going to be shortly and I’d be giving up 30 minutes of sleep. Instead I’ll just wait as patiently as possible for 2 more weeks and daylight savings time to kick in here in France. We’re a week behind the states on this, so I’ll only have to calculate 6-hour differences for a week. Whoa people, prepare to be confused.

Sunday, October 17, 2010

Wine Festival

A few days ago while randomly flipping through a magazine at happy hour, I saw and ad for a festival of wine. Yesterday we scored some free tickets and headed off to the convention center to partake in one of France's greatest attributes. Now obviously everyone knows this is a bad idea. I mean how can anything good come of tasting wines from about 80 different wine makers. It can't, and as anticipated, the wine worked its magic. We were a little overwhelmed at first because there are just so many stands that it is hard to know which ones to visit. Plus there is the added pressure of actually looking like you might buy some of the wine you are tasting so as not to be a complete free-loader. You know where I'd want to be at this wine convention if I were trying to sell some wine? In the third row. I wonder if this is tactic or if there is any kind of strategy when setting up a booth at one of these things. Here's the thing about row 3 of 4. In the first row everyone is kind of warming up to figuring out how to ask for wine and being polite and well, to be frank, is still sober. Row 2 things start to loosen up a bit, as the wine is flowing a little better and there are fewer qualms about asking to try wines. Row 3 is where the winds catch the sails though. At that point, we'd tried about 10 wines (don't freak out, it is literally just a taste test), but we were indeed feeling a little less inhibited. We had only bought one bottle of wine before row 3 and came out of row 3 with 4 more. Now sure, that could be because the wines were better, but I doubt it. Poor row 4 we didn't even get to attempt. We were a little wined up and some friends who weren't big wine fans were tired of waiting for us while we tried to figure out if the flavors were dirt or trees or cherries. As to be expected, the night didn't stop there and somehow I woke up this morning with a bruise I don't remember being inflicted with. Right. Well done wine exhibition, you took my money (hopefully for good wines), got me toasted and somehow phantomly wounded. Wine Festival 3, Kate -3.

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

12 Hours in Clermont

When a friend of mine came to visit a few weeks ago, she brought with her a blog that was written by a native Parisian that chronicled what she would do in Paris if she had just 12 hours. We followed some of the advice and it was a great way to have a different kind of experience in Paris. When she got back to the states, my friend then wrote her own chronicle of what to do with 12 hours in her home city of NYC.
I am going to go out on a limb and assume that this has never been done for Clermont-Ferrand. I could Google it, but that wouldn’t be any fun, plus it wouldn’t be my version. So, after living here for almost 10 months, I present to you, my version of “What to do with 12 hours in Clermont-Ferrand, France.”
Firstly, I’m going to assume you are American, or English speaking at least, so not native French. I’m also going to assume that it is Saturday, because that is when normal people have time for 12 hours of fun. I’m also going to paint you a perfect mid 70s day with lots of sun, exactly like the weather here was last Saturday. Start your journey at the Cathedral; it is the easiest place to find. Ready. Set. Enjoy!

10am – Make your way to Marche St. Pierre. You’ll walk down the lively Rue des Gras and you can see what will become an awfully bustling little street as the day progresses. At the market, wander around and marvel at all the colorful fruits and vegetables and, if you aren’t used to such things, gawk at the meat counters displaying fowl with their heads still on and rabbits skinned, but otherwise completely in tact for your discerning eye. Since you ate such a small breakfast (I know this because you are in France), you’re going to stock up for a lunch-picnic in the park. Wander over to the fromagerie and pick out some cheese to enjoy. Stop by the produce stands and pick out some interesting fruits that you’ve never had before. Try figues, quetsch, and a host of other interesting fruits. Then make your way outside to the square and find the chacuterie shop. Get some variety of sausages to enjoy. Hold off on purchasing bread though, there’s a better place for that!
11am – Now that you are loaded with some delightful lunch fixings, there are a few more items to pick up before you make your way to the lunch location. From Marche St. Pierre, walk back up Rue des Gras, and marvel at how many more people have emerged in the short amount of time that you were perusing the market. Make sure to train your eye above eye level at some point to take in the marvelous view of the Cathedral. When you get to the Cathedral, follow it around to the left and to the other side and take Rue de Port down to Place de Lille. In Place de Lille, stop in the artisan boulangerie and purchase some macaroons. They are big, and you will want to share, so don’t go too crazy.
11:30 – Your next stop is for wine. Make your way to Au Petit Bercy at 31, rue Ballainvilliers. If you speak English or French, good! If not, well French wine is never bad, right? Choose a bottle of wine and head off to Jardin LeCoq, but first a quick trip to the boulangerie for your bread.
12 - Descend Boulevard Lafayette one block to Au St. Laurent de la Patisserie. Don’t know what all the choices are? Grab a baguette viennoise and a baguette ordinaire and you’ll be set. Now make your way to the park.
12:30-2:30 – At this little oasis of delightfully landscaped gardens, you are going to enjoy a leisurely lunch in the park. Don’t think for a second that this is a stuff-your-face-and-run kind of outing. When in France, if you aren’t eating between 12-2, you aren’t going to be doing anything else, because, well, everyone else is eating too. Relax and enjoy. Maybe sneak in a little nap.
2:30 – After enjoying your time in the park, you’re going to head back up to the Cathedral, but this time you are going all the way to the top of the towers to enjoy a great view of Clermont, Montferrand and the line of volcanoes in the distance. When you get to the Cathedral, first take a look around at the black rock, pulled from the base of the volcanoes, and take in the sheer magnitude of the monstrous building. When you’re ready, head to the west side of the building. Next to the exit door you’ll see a wooden door that gives you passage to the tower. Pay your fee and head up the steps to the top. Take your time and soak in the majesty of the view.
4 – Your next destination is thankfully right at your exit from the Cathedral. There is a rugby game at 4:30 (if there isn’t, it probably is at 2:30, in which you switch the Cathedral viewing until after the game). Have a seat outside in the square at Café Pascal, order yourself a demi-peche: a half-pint of beer mixed with peach sirop. You won’t find anything like it in the US, so savor the taste and if you must, swear you’ll never do that again. But at least you now know how a large percentage of French men drink their beers! Voraciously try and understand the convoluted rules of rugby, or just enjoy the locals yelling at their favorite athletes, but mostly just people watch and assess the fashion sense (or seemingly lack of it) that you’ll see around you.
6:30 – Ecstatic about the ASM (that’s the rugby team’s name if you happened to miss it) win and feeling pretty good about life in general, it is time for you to begin preparing for dinner. I’m going to give you the option here of heading back to your hotel to “clean up” for dinner, but if you don’t need that, then head over to Café de la Mairie and ask for a bottle of the Gamay wine. It is a regional red and smooth, yet tasty. The café is small and intimate, yet a great place for seasoned locals and if you are lucky there will be live music.
8 – At this point you are ready for dinner, or if you aren’t, I am, so that’s your next stop. You’re in route to Pescajoux on Rue du Port. You’ll be greeted by Vincente and Bruno is in the back whipping up your meal. The place has atmosphere and usually interesting local art on the walls. My favorite galette is the Popeye, but only have it if you adore spinach! Make sure you drink some cidre with your galettes like the “real” French do, and never pass up dessert crepes. My favorite is the After 8 because I get ice cream and Chantilly with chocolate. Life could be worse. Please do finish your meal though, there is ear twisting involved if you don’t. There is virtually no way that the meal will take less than 2 hours and if it does, relax and have a coffee to top off your night.

Congratulations, you’ve spent 12 hours in Clermont. Sure, there might not be anything flashy to do, but you’ve had a pretty genuine day-in-the-life Saturday experience. Bien joué!

Sunday, October 10, 2010

Culinary Adventures

With the 9 to 5 comes less traveling, so I have been having adventures in the kitchen. I have tried to make some things that are from home that I just never make, and some things are inspired by purchases at the market. My first adventure recently was Roast Beef and potatoes and carrots. It was delightful.
The next thing I tried was making Veal. The French eat quite a bit of veal and it is sold in the grocery stores, so I looked up a recipe online and came across Osso Bucco. It had too much parsley (probably should have added less because it was fresh. Oh well. Also decided veal isn't my favorite cut of meat. Next up was the making of white fish. I picked a random filet at the market and got some Romanesco, which is a mix between cauliflower and broccoli. It came out great.
Beef was the next meat of choice and the veggie was orange cauliflower. It didn't taste a whole lot different than normal cauliflower, just more fun to look at. The beef was great too. As we have gotten closer to fall, the new veggies have started coming out. I tried Leek and Potato soup and was pretty bored with the flavors. I attempted Pumpkin soup and had a knife skills lapse and almost cut my finger off while peeling the pumpkin. No worries, it is healing ok. The soup was interesting, but just ok. Last weekend I tried a different random white fish from the market, and it was also quite perfect with spinach and a hefty baguette. I think I have conquered my fear of cooking fish. Score! Finally tonight I made pulled pork for dinner. I wasn't sure how it was going to come out because I didn't find pork shoulder here. I asked two butchers and neither had it, so I used a different cut. It worked magnificently. Aside from the sauce being a bit "vinegary" (it was North Carolina style sauce) the meat was yummy and I will definitely try this one again!

Friday, October 8, 2010

Do I hear music??

As I was walking home for lunch today I was behind a kid who looked at his phone, turned some music on and kept walking while the phone is blaring the music. This happens all the time. I'll be somewhere, on the train, walking down the street, sitting outside drinking a beer at a cafe and there will be someone who feels the need to share their own music with everyone around them. I have many times wondered why they feel this need, because unlike about 80% of the population, I am completely content with hearing nothing, or my own thoughts only during my walks, train rides, or moments taking in the world around me while sipping a beer. I decided today that the reason that young people love to share their music here is the lack of Apple products for everyone to have to play the music only in their own ears. In other words, I'm pretty sure not every European has 3 different ipods for their music needs. The main reason, from what I hear, is that Apple products are ridiculously expensive here. One kid I talked to that has an iphone actually bought it in NYC while he was there because it is so much cheaper. Ah one of the joys of being an American. Cheaper Apple products. (side note, I don't own any Apple products)

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

Bump on a Log

I'm going to admit it, I live in France and sometimes I don't take advantage of it. You know when one of those times was? Last weekend. It was beautiful outside and I did absolutely nothing but hang out. I did make it to the market one day, but that doesn't really counta as doing anything because a girl's gotta eat. Other than that I didn't leave the apartment (ok, well except to go to the museum on Sunday) buttt...other than that I enjoyed staying in and chilling out. It was awesome. Sometimes I just need to relax and chill.
Some people think it is weird that I am perfectly content with being by myself all weekend and not really doing anything or going out or even talking to people. I think I learned how to do it when I lived in Cincinnati. There were times there when I'd talk to no one all weekend! Sure, I can't do it every weekend, or even most, but boy oh boy do I love sometimes just chillin. It helps of course that I don't know many people here and that there wasn't anything really to do anyway, but I took advantage and  geared up for the remaining time here when I'll try to enjoy a little more, the fact that I won't live in France forever.

Monday, October 4, 2010

Museum!

Sunday afternoon I decided to be a bit of a tourist in my own city. I live approximately 436 steps from two different museums. (No, I didn't count, I'm just approximating) One of the museums I see all the time when I'm coming home from being out and about in the city. There have been people hanging out there for the past 8 months and it looks like a pretty small place, so I did some investigation and decided to head out and see their stuff this past Sunday. Well I checked online and found out that they opened at 2pm on Sunday. After walking up there I realized that the whole time I had been looking up a different museum. Oops. So I walked on by the place and saw a sign for the Musee Le Coq, which was the one I'd be looking at on the internet. Thankfully it was just about 78 more steps from the first one and back in the direction of my place, so it would have been only 358 steps if I would have come the right way the first time. Anyhow, entry to the museum was free and upon entry I found out that it is a Natural History museum. Don't remember what that means from your 3rd grade field trips? Let me help. This place had stuffed animals all over the place followed by rooms full of rocks and minerals. As I live in a particularly interesting part of France, being that I live on volcanic soil, there are lots of neato formations that were found right under my feet! Well, not literally, but you get the point. There was also a room devoted to how man used plants throughout the years. You know, important things like farming, painting, chocolate, etc... One small note I did realize while in this museum was that while all the descriptions sure were in French, I'm not sure it matters in a museum of this sort because everything is pretty much in another language anyway what with all the scientific names and descriptions and such. I spent about an hour at the museum. It isn't very big, but a nice little educational outing and at least I can say I've been to a museum in Clermont. 
Sadly, I came home and looked up the other museum (uh hmm, the one I thought was the museum I was going to originally) and found out that the other one is now closed til November of next year for renovations. Huh, looks like I missed my opportunity.  

Saturday, October 2, 2010

Sensitivities

One well-known difference between the US and the European countries is the way the countries deal with sexual references and the exposure of bodies. Sure everyone knows stories about nude beaches in some European countries and the rampant public displays of affection among couples of all types. Another place these differences appear very starkly is in advertisements. I came across an interesting example the other day. This ad was being run on bus stop marquees and on public information kiosks here in Clermont for the past month. I walked by the ad every single day, two different times on my way to work. The first time I saw it I was a bit shocked, but only because I'm American and an ad like this would never appear in public. Think I'm wrong? Last weekend, a friend from America who was visiting left me some of the magazines she had brought to read on the flight over. As I was leafing through the magazine, the exact same ad appeared. The exact same, plus an essential difference enabling it to be run in American magazines.
Interesting is it not? I have no idea if they just photoshopped Keira's shirt on and off or how they did it, but they did. I assume they had to. It makes me wonder though if it is because of actual laws in the US or if it is because of consumer perceptions and inhitibitions. Such quandries living in another culture brings.

Walk this way...

I woke up this morning with one objective in mind. Go to the market and get some delightful nourishment for this weekend's meals. Before heading out, I made myself some pancakes and gnerally just took my time leaving the apartment. Finally I was ready, so I headed out onto the streets to make the cross-town walk to the market. Now sure, Saturdays are pretty busy days around town because no one has to work and today the weather is beautiful, but as I was walking, I noticed there seemed to be an awful lot of people walking with me, and in the same direction. About 3 blocks in I decided that something must be going on today in the main square. When I reached one of the big squares in town I did indeed run into a large mass of people. It didn't take me long to figure out what this rally/march/social gathering/leisurely walk in the middle of the streets was about.
For quite a while now there have been many strikes and marches going on about the proposed action of the French government to raise the retirement age from 60 to 62. Now, the whole point behind the age increase is to help the government be able to continue paying into the pension system. With the growing life expectancy, some people end up living off the government pension system for 15 to 20 years! Essentially that means if you start working when you are 20, work til 60, live til 80, you'll live off the government half of the time you actually worked. Sounds like a sweet deal to me, no wonder everyone is so upset by the fact they'd have to work another 2 years to help the pension system keep running so the country doesn't run out of money and then people would have to go back to work when they are 70.
An interesting point was raised by John Stewart this week on the Daily Show. In Europe people are striking because the government wants to cut funding to public programs and in the US people are all in a tizzy because the government wants to increase funding to public programs. The pure fact that I told you I watch John Stewart, and live in France so have a slightly more "European" mindset probably indicates to you which way I think might work best. I ask myself often what makes the mindset of Europeans and Americans so different. This is just one more subject in which the differences can be pondered.