A tablecloth for every season

Over the years I have collected a few oilcloth tablecloths for our kitchen table here in the US, one for each season. Oilcloth is definitely the preferred medium as it wipes up easily and only requires a gentle (with Woolite on cold) machine wash once or twice a year, hang dry with no ironing. Right now, Avril is enjoying sleeping on the fall/winter cloth, one with ocres, greens and yellow, that reminds me of fall colors. When the leaves begin to change color, this cloth joins the tableau in our kitchen, on the table next to the window, so we can view the trees outside as they fall into winter, losing their leaves, heading into rest. I always wish I could join them and the bears and hibernate until spring, stay snuggled in flannel sheets and down comforters until Spring. By then, we can change over to a more cheerful welcoming table, bright with lemons and blues to match the hues of the sky as we head toward summer. By then we can go full Provence, with the white tablecloth, full of Provencal lavender and roses, softly directing us to return to France, saying welcome back.

The incubator

Driving through Provence, we often see signs for pepiniere and never understood the meaning. Recently, I finally researched it and learned it means incubator, and can be used in different ways. It may mean for plants as in a nursery, or can be pepiniere business or a business incubator, meaning to nurture new and creative business concepts. As always the French language has fascinating nuances, particularly when applying beautiful old words to modern applications.

Amsterdam - a different dream

Since I was about 2 years old, I have been on figure skates of all sizes, skated ponds and outdoor rinks, especially one that existed then in Branch Brook Park in Newark designed by Olmstead who designed NYC's Central Park. I grew up further as a regular rink rat at South Mountain Arena, spending hours there on and off the ice, as a second home. Since having children whenever I skate I make sure to help children on the ice with my kids, their friends, foster kids and anyone else who wanted help as skating is a simple form of fun. A top ten item on my bucket list has always been to skate the canals in Amsterdam one winter when it is cold enough, perhaps next year when S. is in college and our time is more free. We've enjoyed Amsterdam in prior trips. The last time was several years ago for a family bat mitzvah at a synagogue that exists for about 200 years in the Hague. We then spent several days in Amsterdam at the Hotel Pulitzer which is a series of old homes where walls have been joined into a lovely maze of rooms, surprisingly good food, and right on the major canals. Although we did not always find the best food outside the hotel (ethnic foods were the better bet), we could walk outside and get on a canal boat to the Anne Frank House in one direction or the Ryjks Museum in the other. Each time I have visited the Anne Frank House it is an experience that gives me the chills, imagining the family living in that tiny space, and dreaming of freedom to do the things we all take for granted. Another must visit is always the Van Gogh Museum containing one fascinating and colorful painting after another, a truly misunderstood artist of his era. When S. was with us on one trip as we toured the Van Gogh museum he was clearly looking for one painting in particular. At the end of the tour he sadly advised me that it was not there. Which one, I asked? Starry night, he replied, a painting he had studies several years earlier in Kindergarten. I was surprised he even remembered it. But I assured him that the painting was in New York at the Modern Museum and we could go see it. A few weeks later we did just that, making time to see other exhibits on display including a Matisse/Cezanne which was touring through major museums. Another favorite of his was the painting with the yellow room and a narrow bed which reminded us of his room at home. The poster we purchased of that painting was framed and still hangs in his room, now over his much larger bed, so at night he can always dream of Van Gogh and Amsterdam, and be assured that Starry Night will be close by in New York. He still has very fond memories of that Museum and Amsterdam. At that time we had just begun to explore spending more time and Provence. Perhaps the connection with Van Gogh lead us to the beauty he so appreciated even when he was ill and suffering, he could still see Provence well enough to capture its flavor in his works.

The decaffeine fiend in France

Whether to feed the fiend or not, that is the question. For me, decaf is the way I travel and in France over the years it has been hard to find, and when I have seen it on the menus I was not always confidence that it would be caffeine-free. Rather like a non-smoking section on a plane back in the day (what day?) or a non-smoking section of a restaurant in France only a few years ago. So, when traveling I would go weeks without a decaf coffee and it would be the first thing I would drink when coming off the plane - right to Starbucks - in the USA. I have noticed a sea change in France regarding caffeine more recently, finding it more often on menus, particularly coffee shops, and even in the supermarket. Now, our house is properly stocked with decaf espresso ready for the melango espresso pod machine. A little milk and we're good to go, without the fiend of caffeine.

French manners - bathroom included

As we know, the French find good manners to be very important. Bon jour, bon soir, merci, all critical statements to make in France in any shop or restaurant. But when attending an event at someone's home, manners rise to another level. As we learned at FIAF, bringing desserts to a dinner party is important, flowers or other appropriate gift to a birthday and so on. But, we had an entire dialogue at a party in December about bathroom use. D. had read that when invited to someone's home in France it is impolite to use the toilet. As D. is a completely uninhibited person, he raised the topic among friends at this holiday party to test the waters. The attendees were a mixture of French, Americans, Canadians, Brits and other nationalities, so it was a "relief" to learn (pun intended), after drinking water and soda that it was not unacceptable to use the bathroom and we could partake before getting in the car for an hour drive home. So, bring on the water, coffee, and cake.

Matisse at the Met

Since becoming ill, we have not made it to our favorite recreation spot in NYC, the Metropolitan Museum. As this was the infamous first date for us, it is where we always go back, experiencing multiple countries and travel dreams in mere hours. This rainy afternoon we arrived at the Museum, used the parking lot at the Museum to limit my walking, managed to find handicapped parking right near the entrance, and wound our way through ancient Rome and Greece, through Africa and Australia (Oceana) to France and Matisse. It was an exceptional exhibit, viewing paintings that demonstrated his progression as an artist, often painting different interpretations of the same scene or still-life, rather like Picasso's work. More subtle and less dramatic than Picasso. We then strolled through renaissance France, and Baroque artwork, and other impressionists in the Lehman gallery to view the small exhibition of 18th century French landscape or "plen air" paintings. It was interesting that although the artists were largely French, many of the landscapes were Italian, some villas and views appearing as they still may look today. Then back through the American wing and Baroque to find the Met store for a few gifts. The new impressionists exhibit will not open until later in the week so we will return again soon, even before we return to France. Until then, we had a day close to our dreams.

The new Michelin Guide - with a new 3-star award

The only new 3 star restaurant, La Vague d'or, is located at Residence de la Pinede in St. Tropez, which we ate at about 10 years ago, but believe it was under different ownership and chef at the time. Although we don't follow the star system much, as we have found that the food is often over-priced and not worth the money and we are more bistro-type low key foodies, we may have to venture there soon with an excursion over the winding hills from St. Remy to St. Tropez. http://www.france24.com/en/20130218-arnaud-donckele-la-vague-dor-restaurant-three-stars-michelin-guide-france-gastronomy

Summer sales for 2013 in Paris

As always, travel in France requires advance planning, especially for the sales, so here are the beginning dates for Paris: June 26 through July 30. Provence dates usually start closer to July 4 and run into the first week of August. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem as though there are any sales on airfare. We miss the days of $600 or less round trip to Paris, in January. Those fares seem long gone, leaving less money for sale shopping. Oh well.

Have bagels become a universal food?

Growing up here in the New York-metropolitan area, good bagels were always to be found in the right deli or shop. Bagels could be found in certain areas of Boston or Philadelphia, but not everywhere. When I was a child, my parents had a vacation home on Cape Cod. Any guest who was invited had to meet the house requirement, bringing bagels and deli (mainly Hebrew National cold cuts and smoked fish). Most of what was brought would end up in the freezer and parceled out for Sunday breakfast or for company. A bagel could not be found on Cape Cod anywhere, much less a good bagel. Having attended Brandeis University, it was a school tradition to have bagels every Sunday morning for brunch. Now outside the Northeast who even knew what a brunch was? Now it is a universal term, at least in America. Any good bread is dependent not only on the baker's skills, the recipe, and the equipment, but also the water and humidity. So now, no matter where we go, we see some form of bagel. Is what Dunkin Donuts sells really a bagel? No. But most people would not know that without the crispy exterior and chewy interior of a good bagel, that what they are usually eating is not a bagel, but an adaptation of something trying to be a bagel, with butter rather than the good whipped creme cheese like Temptee (which is the best). Now the other day we took a drive up Route 15 and happened on a bagel spot which we've driven by quite a few times and always appears busy. We were pleasantly surprised to find a real New York style bagel with the correct consistency and taste. In the refrigerator was fresh creme cheese along with chive cheese and lox or white fish spread. Very nice for a bagel and a schmeer. Even this weekend, while on a college tour in New England, attending a reception for admitted students at one school, we were surprised to find bagels and creme cheese next to the fruit and coffee cake. There it dawned on me that bagels have become so endemic to American society, we can find them almost anywhere in one form or another, an increasingly universal food. We've even seen a bagel shop in Aix. But, don't worry, bagels won't be replacing a baguette anytime soon.

Food around the world

In the last week, we've been eating out a lot, and it feels as though we are traveling the world with food. Can we really do this only in America? Maybe Jules Verne did around the world in 80 days, we do it in a week of restaurants without traveling far from home. Saturday was Barbuto in NYC which is northern Italian style (and highly unique in everything), Sunday night was Chinese New Year at Chengdu 1 in Cedar Grove (always authentic Sezchuan food, full of Chinese eating holiday special foods including dumplings), Tuesday was Mardi Gras Fat Tuesday at Hat City Kitchen in Orange for Cajun food and zydeco music, and tonight was Eagan's for Buffalo Wings. I'm exhausted just thinking about traveling to those places for real. This weekend will be New England sea food for a change of pace. But in New England for real. Looking forward to a change of scenery as we tour colleges and scout restaurants to visit should S. attend a school nearby.

Mccheeseburger?

Starting Feb. 12 for six weeks in France, six special French cheeses on McDonald's burgers - and sandwiches. Interesting statistic that France is McDonald's second-biggest market after the US. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/02/11/mcdonalds-france-mccamembert_n_2664076.html?ncid=txtlnkushpmg00000029&ir=Business

Barbuto - always a 15

When D. and I go to dinner, we usually rank the meal 1 to 10, with 10 being the highest number on the scale. This evening for the first time in eight months, since I was ill, we made it to Barbuto, always our favorite in NYC. As always, the food was a 15, no matter what we were eating, from the zuppa that D. ordered as an appetizer, to the hanger steak as his main course on a bed of salad with chickpeas that was fabulous, and the salad and chicken I ordered were amazing, not to mention the italian chocolate pudding dessert. And don't forget to order the potatoes and a vegetable side dish, for a complete meal. We always love sitting near the kitchen and watching all the action as the well-trained staff works its magic on each dish. On this Saturday night, it was full even after last night's snow storm. We were thrilled to see the chef and owner, Jonathan Waxman working the tables and he stopped by to visit with us for a few minutes. I was so happy to be at the restaurant and most importantly to share with the chef the enormous difference he unknowingly made for me while I was ill with his recipe for butternut squash soup with apples and apple cider, which I made for the first time in the fall, and kept making throughout my illness. Making it in large pots every few weeks, it was something I could eat on days when nothing else was palatable. It was comforting and nutritious, combining vegetable and spices, sweetness and calmness all at the same time. Like so much of Waxman's food, it has layers and levels to the flavor in expected ways and combinations. It is so important for us to remember sometimes that food is not always about food, it can be about comfort, and beauty, kindness and caring. The recipe represented all of that for me, keeping me focused on surviving long enough to return to our favorite places, including Barbuto. Always wanting to pay it forward.

Funerals in France

As folks who have illnesses, D. and I have been discussing all the awful things in life, funerals and wills. We were also discussing funerals in France, realizing that in all the driving we do through the country, we don't see funeral homes in the way we see them here, but they must exist. So a little research was necessary, to discover costs involved, about 3000 euro, or less if it involves cremation, about 1700 euro, and that costs have declined due to the economy. Apparently, France changed the laws in the last few years to force competition in the hope of driving prices down, which did not succeed until the economy crashed: http://worldcrunch.com/world-affairs/dying-in-times-of-crisis-the-rise-of-budget-burials/burial-mortician-cremation-deal-business/c1s10044/#.URXC0hzRyU4

Eygalieres in Winter

When we are in Provence in summer, the markets are so crowded with people and tents, the trees are full of leaves and lushness, that it is hard to view the cities and villages, so in the winter, it was a pleasant experience to see more of the buildings and views, to see our regular vendors, visit shops and hear nothing but French spoken, and feel more a part of the French life and lifestyle. We will see in a few weeks the differences in the Spring, more rain we can expect, and more green, and the markets and fields coming back to life after the quiet and peace of winter.

A year of Cheese?

In visiting my favorite cheese shop in St. Remy, it is hard to contemplate how many cheese exist in France. Although they have so much in the shop, I know there are still some varieties they do not stock (like St. Andre) as they stock the cheese endemic to the region. Just with the cheeses they do stock, I can imagine taking an entire year to sample and truly savor and understand each cheese, and maybe still not having enough time.

Holidays at Javaud

As always when we were in France, we did get to Javaud for bread and goodies, the Cap Sud location. It was dressed for the holidays with charming decorations, and full of special foods, including bouche noel. It was so crowded, like they were giving the food away, even when it is not inexpensive, but worthwhile. If I am bringing a gift of sweets to someone's home (as is the French custom), it comes from there. Besides the holiday goodies, don't forget the basic baguette, and most importantly the "crumble" which is a cross between an American muffin top and coffee cake crumble with fruit. An amazing special breakfast with your espresso.