Unlike the sentiments in the jazz standard by Vernon Duke and E. Y. Harburg, April in Paris is pretty miserable weather-wise. The air is damp and chilly, and we still wrap scarves around our necks against the cool gusts of… Continue Reading
I’ve returned from a trip to Romania where I spoke to the kids at the American International School in Bucharest. It was a great trip. However, it was also cold and wet and muddy, so I probably didn’t see it in… Continue Reading
It snowed in Paris yesterday. I’ve only seen it once or twice in my seven years here but it’s magical. And of course, like everyone else here when they see snow falling here in the City of Lights, my… Continue Reading
Florence is so deeply rooted in the history of art and politics that it leaves little room for much else. Even the food is steeped in politics. A tax levied on salt in 1540 by Pope Paolo III caused the… Continue Reading
Ribollita, which translates literally to “reboiled,” is a satisfying soup — a stew, really — with lots of vegetables, beans and bread cooked and then recooked to deepen the flavor. On a cold winter’s day, I challenge anyone to find… Continue Reading
I was dead, to begin with. Dead tired after the train ride from Paris to London. The ride through the Chunnel was longer than usual due to tunnel repairs after an accident in September. My cab ride through the busy… Continue Reading
The problem I have with eating in autumn is two-fold. First, when the weather is gray and damp as it has been here Paris the last few days, I want something warm and comforting like gratin Dauphinois (grah-tan doh-fee-nwahz), that… Continue Reading
When I moved to Paris I assumed I’d encounter all kinds of foreign items in the grocery stores; different brands of toothpaste, soap, soft drinks, plastic wrap, garbage bags, razor blades and junk food. But I figured the vegetables would… Continue Reading
Here in Paris the autumn harvest of beans is in the markets now. Well, maybe they’ve been around for a while, but at any rate, I’ve just noticed them. I’ve been hungry for something comforting, but also… Continue Reading
It’s been seven years this month since I moved here (the number “seven” seems to be a magic number in life; Seven Days of Creation, Seven Seals of Revelation, Seven Days of the Week, Seven Deadly Sins, The Seven Samurai, The Seven… Continue Reading
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