Best chocolate taste test?

this was an interesting article. Can't say that I've tried the winner but I have tried the trader Joe's (which is fair) and many of the other brands in there. Can't believe that Valrhona is not in the mix as that is my favorite. Lindt is good but not great. Chocolove,Perugina,Devine, Whole Foods/365, Godiva, Green & Black's, Scharffen Berger are all good but not as good as Valrhona, not just due to taste but also texture.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/11/29/the-best-dark-chocolate_n_958823.html#s358082&title=1_Michel_Cluizel

Bon Appetit.

Paris ranked 30 in the world for quality of life by Mercer

Interesting survey, ranking Paris 30 and Vienna number one for 2011. Mercer considers safety, infrastructure, health and other factors:

http://www.mercer.com/press-releases/quality-of-living-report-2011

But nothing like Paris for joie de vivre, fashion, food, art and just walking the city and taking it all in.

Best food in the world?

Here's in interesting article. Can't say that D. and I agree with it for NYC as we have our own favorite spots but we do agree with one recommendation for Paris:

http://shine.yahoo.com/shine-food/ultimate-food-lovers-bucket-list-154200960.html

Laduree in Paris is a must for a nice afternoon treat at the Salon de the'. Not the one on the Champs Elysee which is newer and more commercial, but the original shop on Rue Royale in the VIII's arrondissement. that shop originates from 1862 and is oh so charming and cozy on a chilly Paris day. Worth the wait to indulge in tarte tatin (an amazing up-side down apple pie with caramelized apples), the classic macaroons, and the millefeuille (a pastry with thin crispy layers of pastry and light creme in between the layers).

You'll need to walk it off but those are some worthwhile calories.

J'Adore France is World-wide with readership

I wanted to share with those who are reading this blog (averaging more than 500 per month and growing) that we truly have a world-wide audience. In the last six months in addition to our European and North-American audience, we have added readers from South America, Asia, Australia, and now Africa. Thus, other than Antarctica, we have readers on every continent. Please contact me if there is specific information you are interested in that we haven't posted, research and article ideas and comments.

Thanks to everyone for making this blog a success. Don't forget to click on those adds and sign-up to follow the blog as we travel.

Marks and Spencer reopening in Paris

On the Champs Elysee:

http://www.france24.com/en/20111125-parisians-celebrate-return-marks-spencer-paris-british-store-champs-elysees

LV Bags Stolen in Paris

Sounds like an inside job to me:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/11/25/louis-vuitton-bags-stolen_n_1113044.html

items to be resold and also copied in China???

International Living ranks France for quality of Life

Interesting article placing New Zealand first, but France is in top 10, especially for raising a family:

http://internationalliving.com/2010/12/quality-of-life-2011/

Buying a used car in France

D. and I have been researching this issue since car rentals are becoming increasingly expensive especially for month-long stays. We are making arrangements with a friend to store the car when we are not at our rental property, and eventually the car will be stored at our own home when we find the right house for purchase. Neither of us believe in buying new cars due to the vast depreciation as soon as you drive off the lot. Even in the US we buy gently used cars. But considering buying in France is a little daunting, so we emailed with friends who have purchased there and got a referral to someone local who can assist us. We'll report back and let you know about the experience, but generally we are looking for a small wagon, probably Mercedes C-class, diesel, with a stick. One thing we already notice in looking at ebay cars is that there are quite a few of these, but almost none have leather seats. Not sure yet what that is about other than cost.

Here is a good article about purchasing a used car in France and all of the paperwork needed to register the vehicle and ensure that you are getting clear title:

http://www.parisfranceguide.com:81/index.php?module=pagemaster&PAGE_user_op=view_page&PAGE_id=45

French Dressing - Definitely not French

As I often write about French food, and we were eating a turkey filet mignon marinated in "french dressing" a salad dressing which I do enjoy on occasion, it got us discussing once again the word French and how it gets applied to things that are decidedly not French such as "French Fries" which are really from Beglium; French Toast (or Pan Perdue - lost bread but whose origins made with eggs dates to 1807 in the US), French Dip (invented in Los Angeles), etc. often to give the food a little extra cache'.

So, a little research this evening produced the following link to the origins of French Dressing which clearly have nothing to do with France or French food but someone named Louis French who lived in Ohio and whose wife invented the dressing to get him to eat vegetables. Fascinating.

http://maximumalexbain.com/post/31559471/the-origin-of-french-dressing

Remembering a concert from the summer in Eygalieres

Have been meaning to post this for some time since our summer trip. We had the wonderful opportunity one evening to attend a concert at a lovely small church Eglise Saint Laurent in Eygalieres given by an American who lives locally during the summer, Julie Scolnick, . Julie is a very skilled flutist with an wonderful pianist, Aurelian Pontier, to accompany her. The repertoire was a mixture including Bach and Rachmaninov. It was a lovely experience in a centuries old location, listening classical music in setting that was magical with the tone of the music. The audience was mostly French, very well organized and presented.

Can't say enough about the evening and we hope to see Julie next summer and hear her again.

New Work Rules in France for non-French graduates

Protectionism in France for their work-force:


http://www.france24.com/en/20111115-france-foreign-graduates-french-degrees-economy-employment-visas-jobs-education

In these difficult times, certainly understandable.