Sometimes, people happen to be interested in really useful things, like my ex, the Parisian, who was really, genuinely interested in fixing computers. So much so that it didn’t even bother him…
Author: emiglia
Coq au vin and coming home
My first morning in Paris (OK, my most recent “first morning in Paris”) was tinged with excitement and nerves: I took the RER C from Breuillet into the city–a trip that used…
Apartment Hunting and Brussels Sprouts
Apartment hunting is definitely not my favorite kind of shopping. I mean, sure, it’s fun if you have all the time in the world or all the money in the world, but…
Homesick
It’s four o’clock in the morning, and I’ve slept two hours. I don’t have my contact lenses in, but I can’t be bothered to find any. Instead, I just pad down the…
Paella
It’s strange how quickly you start to intuit cooking for a large group of people, once you’ve got your groove. Our trips to the supermarket were epic: five whole chickens, packs of…
A Tale of Two Desserts
When it comes to dessert, I’m in the minority: I’ve found that most people, the kids in Paziols included, are in the chocolate camp. I, meanwhile, could just as easily forgo chocolate…
A Tale of Two Gratins
We have made a habit, in Paziols, of eating off-season food. I’m not talking about ingredients–you’ve never seen so many tomatoes and zucchini in your life until you look in my Paziols…
Medieval Dinner
Working in Paziols is unlike working anywhere else: at most jobs, you arrive and you know approximately what your day is going to look like–make some calls, finish a project or two,…
Apéro, cargolade and bolas de picoulat
After more than three years of living in this country, I like to think that I’ve assimilated enough of the French culture to no longer feel like “one of them,” even if…
It’s all in the family…
I never wanted to go into the family business–then again, when your math skills are sub-par and the “family business” is an economic career you barely understand, it’s not a difficult decision…