Paris Journal 2008

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On Saturday night, after a nice long walk we decided to dine at La Cour Saint-Charles at 99 rue St. Charles (telephone 01-45-78-21-41) again, as we did on the 22^nd. Monsieur recognized us immediately and greeted us warmly. He showed us to the same nice booth that we had on the 22^nd. He promptly served us an amuse bouche, a brandade de morue (salt cod and garlic purée that is made by simmering with olive oil and cream) and good, fresh bread. He also gave us each, on the house, a kir au vin blanc as an aperitif. He really likes us! The fixed price menu at €24 for three courses is a good deal, but we cannot eat that much. So Tom ordered the fixed price menu and I just ordered the main course and wine. Monsieur was pleased with that. He even brought extra flatware, knowing we would probably be sharing the starter course and the dessert. People must do this all the time. We began with a terrine foie gras. For those who have not become accustomed to foie gras, I recommend that they always go with the terrine or paté. Foie gras entier, or the whole goose or duck liver, is pretty intense. A friend of mine once mistook the special at a restaurant as a paté foie gras, when it was really a foie gras entier. She was not happy at all. Whole goose or duck liver is an acquired taste. I like it all: terrine, paté, entier. I wish I could eat foie gras more often, but because of all the fat, I only indulge in this once in a while. Anyway, the terrine foie gras at La Cour Saint-Charles was good, and we were glad that we were sharing it because otherwise, it would have been too much rich food. For the main course, Tom had pasta with ham, which he liked very much. I finally had my lamb (last time I tried to have lamb I had to have Andouillette AAAAA instead) and it was divine. It fell off the bone yet was moist, and it came with a good, dark reduction sauce, all served on a bed of puréed potatos. We shared a moelleux au chocolat for dessert. It was dark, rich chocolate, served warm with a crème Anglaise. Heavenly. Since it was Saturday evening, Monsieur did not have the time to talk to us at length about politics. He had other customers. But we shared a warm farewell and I know we will go back there soon. Last night, we met our young friend Karima down by the church and went with her to eat at Della Piazza (see restaurant recommendations). I know that dear reader Alan M. doesn’t like this place, but we still do. In fact, the veal I had there last night is the best that I’ve had since . . . . well, since I last went to Della Piazza. All veal in between times has not quite measured up to this standard. I especially like the escalope du chef, but all of their veal dishes are good. It was great to catch up on the news from Karima. She’s been travelling a lot, and is about to go to Algeria for a couple weeks with her parents. She has not been there for 13 years, and she is looking forward to it very much. Then she plans a three-month trip to Australia. Later, she hopes to go to Australia again to stay for a year, working at an accounting job. Our server was unusual – I could just tell she was not normally a server. She seemed somehow way overqualified for the job. I’d say she was in her late 50s, with dark blond hair arranged neatly. She spoke English, in spite of our speaking French, and she was quite good at it. She had a deep, throaty voice that contrasted greatly with Karima’s young voice. Turns out our server is not a server. She is someone who lives nearby, who is “just helping out right now because they don’t have a waitress.” She says serving is “not my profession.” Her father lives in Fort Pierce, Florida, so she spoke knowledgeably about what the weather is like there now. I explained that we are just on the other side of Florida, on Sanibel Island, and that our Parisian friend here, Karima, has visited Sanibel. Until then, I think our server, whom I’ll call Madame, thought Karima was American like us. I wanted to correct that impression. I think Madame then asked Karima where in Paris she lives. Karima answered. They spoke rapid French and I didn’t fully understand it. I complimented Madame on her English. She said it really isn’t so good because it is an odd mixture of American English and other things. I contradicted her, saying that no, her American English is very good. She said “you know, your French is good, too.” I said “no, no, no, not really.” Madame then said, “you know, it is good that you speak some French. It is really huge. It makes a big difference when people at least say hello, thank you, and good bye in French. It makes it so much easier. It is really huge.” Well, we go way beyond speaking just a few words in French. Even when some English is spoken back to us, we continue on in French as much as we can. It always seems to be appreciated, even when the French person is willing to speak English. Karima gave us wonderful chocolates from her family’s Jeff de Bruges boutique. We each had two when we got home. Yummm. Sooo good. Today I had to visit the Orange phone boutique to recharge the cell phone. I had tried to do this via the internet and the telephone, but it just would not work. Of course, I spoke French in the boutique, but I wore the Obama shirt so it was clear that I was American, and not some other kind of Anglophone. The nice young woman at the boutique explained to me that I cannot recharge this Mobicarte on the internet or by phone; that I must buy a card there which she could then use to recharge my phone for me. I said great, thank you, let’s do it. Once that was done, I explained that I want to keep the same phone number for next summer, and that I know I’ll have to recharge the phone again in February to do so. How can I do that from Florida, I asked? She said it is not possible. It can be done only from France. But, she said, I could leave my SIM card with a friend, and my friend could re-charge it for me from within France. I said, “Very clever,” which she and a nearby customer found amusing and complimentary. So that is what I’ll do. I don’t blame Orange/France Telecom for this inconvenience. I think this nonsense is probably caused by international telecommunications rules.

Monday August 4, 2008 A charcutier sign in the lower 15^th arrondissement, with the Eiffel Tower in the background. Fountain in the Square Saint Lambert, one of the many Paris parks with free wifi. Lovely flowers at the Square Saint Lambert. Wedding photos being taken in the Square Saint Lambert. The wedding was probably at the nearby town hall for the 15^th arrondissement. Civil ceremonies are required in France; church ceremonies are optional. Sign my guestbook. View my guestbook.

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