We bought something recently that had all of the following and many more warnings: Don’t use this if you have a pacemaker, wear hearing aids, have reduced physical, sensory, or mental capabilities, lack experience and knowledge, are under age 8, live in a farmhouse, on and on. With all of this cautionary advice I’m surprised that we were even allowed to make a purchase. Welcome to induction cooking. Continue reading “Induction into induction”
One of the many reasons that Bill and I moved to southwest France was the cost of living. For the quality of life we were seeking we were unable to find it affordably in the US, if it even exists there. Walking to the open air market two or three times a week to pick up fresh produce from near by farms is something we really appreciate. Next to the this square is Les Halles, the huge covered market built in 1768, where some of those same farmers also sell their meat and fishermen display their catch from the Mediterranean Sea that’s about 30 minutes away. That’s probably where we’ll be buying everything that we eat from now on, and here’s why…. Continue reading “Accidental vegetarians”
Today we took a city bus for the first time in years. Living in Chicago and LA, that’s how we got to work or anyplace else we couldn’t walk to since we didn’t have a car. Now that we’re back to foot transportation we opted for a bus since it would have otherwise taken an hour to get to the store, it was cool and rainy, and we anticipated carrying back a 40-pound (18 kg.) box. It was worth a euro each way. Continue reading “When east is west”
Bill just said to me “We haven’t had a cocktail since we arrived in France”. As hard to believe as that is, he’s right: not a whisky, gin, rum, or vodka has passed our lips in weeks. What’s wrong with this picture? Oh yeah, we live in the middle of France’s (if not the world’s) largest wine growing region with over 700,000 acres (283,000 hectares) devoted to growing the fruit of the vine and as we all know, wine is not a cocktail. Continue reading “Where’s your spirit(s)?”
Can you imagine the reaction that either Bill or I would get if we went into a store in the US and said, “Could I get a tampon, please?” After the puzzled look disappeared off of the clerk’s face, she or he would figure that our wives had sent us out in search of a vital product and we didn’t have a clue where to find it or what we were looking for. Guess what happened yesterday when we went to the post office in Carcassonne with the exact same question. Continue reading “A tampon, please”
It was with trepidation that we went to the post office in Carcassonne for the first time. We had to go there because we needed to mail an initial contact letter into the immigration office in Montpelier so that they could schedule us for a physical exam and an interview. I know, sounds like fun in France, doesn’t it? There seems to be a universal dislike of post office practices worldwide and when you couple that with the insurmountable bureaucracy we’d read existed here, you can understand our dread. But then as we approached the building with the familiar blue and yellow La Poste logo, right in front we saw something else: a garden, a flower garden with benches and a water feature all newly installed. In fact, this haven of greenery replaced a parking lot. What post office does that? Continue reading “Parking lot to paradise”
Carcassonne has no lack of farms surrounding the city nor markets to showcase their produce. Three days a week there’s an open air market on the main town square with Saturday attracting at least 50 vendors and thousands of customers who, like us, come on foot while lots of others drive in from the suburbs. Just in the last week or so you might have read the posts about rubbing elbows with the Mayor at an evening local producers market or last Saturday’s wine fair at the local agricultural high school. This week we were up deep inside the castle’s double walls for yet another festival highlighting locally made food and drink. Continue reading “Local for the locals”
Let's Live In France 