Why Travel to France?

What's in a Name?

2007-09-13T21:14:00.000+02:00

Bought Potassium from a Parisian pharmacy...

I've MOVED!

2005-07-09T21:44:00.000+02:00

Topinambour It's a Gas Gas Gas

2005-07-05T14:27:00.000+02:00

Last night for dinner, I was served some very yummy scallops in béchamel sauce and a quiche of some kind of vegetable that I couldn't exactly pin point. That bugged me enormously because I can usually figure out what's in food. It was so tip-of-the-tongue vaguely familiar with a texture of perfectly cooked cabbage and potato, and tasted sweet with a very light nutty flavor, yet it was strangely mysterious to me. This veggie in question, however, was tasty, in any case. I asked what we were eating and the response was this: “tarte au topinambour.” Quoi? What's THAT?

Much to my unmastered French chagrin, I had to look it up in the dictionary. The translation of topinambour in my beat-up from overuse French-English dictionary was, 'Jerusalem Artichokes.' (Also known as Sunchokes) Quoi!? I’d NEVER heard of those! And I thought I’d heard of most vegetables if not all of them, or, or, or, at least had seen them in the market or something! But, no. I now understand the feeling behind the blank look of people when I talk about daikon.

Back to the Jerusalem Artichokes, AKA Sunchokes. Ok, so I'd never heard of them before. My stupid ego had a sort of mini-shock. (Yup, I thought I knew EVERYTHING!!) :-) No matter. That's perfectly all right because despite how exquisite the taste or how delectable was the tarte aux Jerusalem thingies, I simply don't think I’d engage in any more ingesting of the Jerusalem kind. Why? I’ll tell you - and you won’t regret it.

These undisclosed (until recently) tubers (yes, they are, in fact, tubers like potatoes despite their misnomer) will never (no, never) again touch my face, let alone go into my mouth as long as I have control of my own will.

In exactly two words, I’ll reveal why I really have no desire to seek out these little known (for a good reason!) veggies from the infernal land of...who knows where, ever again: MEGA GAS. No, I can describe it better in 15 words: HELLACIOUS NEVERENDING FARTS THAT COULD KILL A MAN OR WOMAN AND ALL LIFE AROUND THEM.

I’m not talking about the usual peeps of wind here and there or even a round of some innocent flatulence after a Mexican meal involving refried pinto beans. No. You see, some occasional farting is perfectly natural. So those of you who've ever said, "I like green peppers (or whatever your wind-making vegetable is) but green peppers don't like me," just cut it out. Cut it out, right now. That statement has always gotten on my nerves and now more than ever. People simply do not know because until they've met Monsieur Topinambour, they have no idea behind the TRUE meaning of gastric problems that drive you insane from the inside out.

I’m here to warn you to STEP OFF AND WALK from the Jerusalem Artichokes - or better yet, run like a crazy madman or delirious madwoman AWAY (far, far, FAR away) from the sunchokes. I mean, come on, the word, 'sunchoke' has red flags written all over its mal-formed body. When you hear the words, “eat” and “sunchoke,“ admit it, those two words should never EVER go together. I mean it. Don't take these words lightly.

You may be thinking, "I’ve never seen those things, anyway, and I may never even come into contact with them." Tant mieux! I say all the better for you and your calm, happy digestive system. However, I have some bad news for you.

While these things are relatively unknown now, I have a feeling they will slowly but surely (and sadly) creep into the mainstream, suddenly appearing in prodigious heaps next to your staple potatoes or cauliflower or other opposing, non-caustic veggie because upon a bit of investigation, I’ve learned recently that 1) they taste good - dire consequences notwithstanding; 2) they are prolific crops and are very easy to grow. Do I hear a big KA-CHING ringing in the ears of farmers worldwide? 3) they are highly nutritious with lots of anti-oxidants; and 4) they are unknown, hence, may be marketed as "exotic." Do I smell the sweet yet gaseous smell of a "trend" wafting this way? (OMG, PLEASE, NO.)

Of course, you are free to do anything you want with these things. It's just that I, as a person with a pulse and conscience, am merely sharing with you (what I believe deep in my heart) some essential knowledge that could possibly be quite beneficial to you in the future. I’ve read the articles and reviews of the Jerusalem Artichoke and they are all positive editorials, so being the conspiracy theorist that I am, this fartful cheerleading thing regarding the vegetable offender is, well, a CONSPIRACY (at least some important info was suspiciously missing). Don't fall for it, I’m warning you!

Later on, if you happen to be invited to dinner by anyone, just make sure you have all the facts before you agree to go.

I know, I know, you're still somewhat skeptical about my underwhelming appraisal of sunchokes and couldn't possibly refuse a highly healthful, deliciously subtle nutty meal. Its novelty, uniqueness and even nutritional value are not worth it, you've GOT to believe me. Yeah, you'll be oooh-ing and ahhhhh-ing but shortly after you and the people within close proximity to you will be singing another (GAStronomic) song.

non dietetic post

2005-07-04T18:50:00.000+02:00

something light and festive today, though heavy on the calories. you have to appreciate this in all of its greatness by getting up close and personal - click here to see her imposing beauty.

happy independence day, america!

peekaboob

2005-07-03T19:49:00.000+02:00

appropriately fun title, i thought. it's no secret that there are a lot of bare boobed statues in france and it's all fine.

can you imagine how u.s. attorney general john asscroft - heeheeoops i mean ashcroft, would react in france? i'd HOPE this would happen: he'd arrive in france and within 5 minutes or so he'd be exposed to at least 5 different bare breasted statues or monuments. (that actually sounds possible) the flood of UNDRAPED images would get him so perturbed, sweaty, shaky and disturbed, he'd have some sort of moral dilema explosion in his head, causing such a nervous breakdown, he'd just talk in tongues and drool uncontrollably. no one around will want to deal with such a babbling, slimey guy, so everyone runs away from him. at the peak of his maniacal frenzy and shattering of his own bizarre ideology, he has a moment of clarity. he thinks, 'this is ok,' then, accepts and embraces nudity in all its grandeur and glory.

then he becomes a hippy and joins a nudist colony.

technorati tags: france travel architecture ashcroft cultural differences boobs

give it away give it away give it away now

2005-07-02T17:42:00.000+02:00

needless to say, i'm an animal lover particularly dogs (and horses) so oftentimes you'll see posts about my lulu, dogs, dog poo or anything else dog related. like i've mentioned before, there's a dog poo problem in france (that's a polite way of saying french people don't pick up their *(&^%^& poo!) and some places are slowly trying to make progress. notice how i said they were 'trying.'

i saw this toutounet thing in biot and thought HOW NICE: a dispenser with poop bags and INSTRUCTIONS on how to pick up poo. believe it or not, PEOPLE DO NEED LESSONS! that said, however, this dispenser was empty as are all i've seen so far - wait! except the one i saw in semur en auxois! yay cote d'or (burgundy) i heard later that the cities/towns trying out these dispensers found that the bags were disappearing faster than the poop on the sidewalk. further investigations' findings revealed that people were stealing the bags and using them as freezer bags for food. ICK AND A HALF. these bags are not meant for food!! they're meant for poo! if you know anyone that is using these bags for poo, please tell them they're most likely lined with insecticide as are garbage bags. thank you.

technorati tags: france travel dogs this is broken gross silly poop

Cultural Differences as Wide as the Parting of the Red Sea

2005-07-01T12:36:00.000+02:00

This is a “Gasp! WTF (pardon the pun) and other expletives expletives!” versus a “AHHHH… eezeent zat kyooot!?” culturally contrasting paradigm between the U.S. and France. Imagine a U.S. McDonald’s marketing campaign with this exact billboard in English (btw the caption translation: “I’ll explain (that) to you at McDonald’s”). Can’t envision an American equivalent? Me neither. BUT! Lemme try.

First, let me preface this by saying (with confidence) that this idea would never even remotely brush against the brain matter of any American marketing executive ever in his or her wildest dreams, let alone one at McDonald’s, but hypothetically, if it was a campaign launched into the wind of quirky America, this might be the ensuing hilarity: reactions by which many people suffer heart attacks, which lead to hospitalization, which leads to either death or massive amounts of litigious behavior involving millions of dollars or both; Christian fundamentalists and other extremely sexually uptight groups will be screaming (as smoke spews out of their ears), “Scandal! Scandal! Don’t look at this filthy act! And McDonalds will burn, BUUUUUURRRRNNNNN in hell!” They’ll demand that the billboard be removed, which leads to protests, which leads to destruction of the billboard, which leads to even more vandalism at McDonalds nation-wide, which leads to people getting injured, which leads to hospitalizations, mental institutionalizations and exorcisms, which of course leads to litigious behavior.

NOW. This is what happened in France after the ad launched: Nothing.

NOTE: This blog is moving to why travel to france

technorati tags: france travel marketing advertising mcdonalds cultural differences scandal

DAM! It's all about the NAME

2005-06-30T11:48:00.000+02:00

If you think Fréjus' moniker, "The Pompeii of Provence" sounds inauspicious, you could surmise over the fate of nearby Barrage (Dam) de Malpasset. In French, "Malpasset" means, "(something) bad happened." Or (it) "didn't go well." The Dam measured 60 meters high and arched 400 meters across the valley (which is HUMUNGOUS). Sadly it succumbed and crumbled on an ill-fated night in December of 1959, ravaging everything in its path and killing nearly all of the inhabitants.

Remnants of the Dam are scattered along this valley and you better see an eye doctor if you miss the massive blocks and solid chunks that stumbled down the valley from their original location.

Today, the devastation is merely a remembrance of things past that evolved, happily, into a much more encouraging thought, that of fascinating travel and adventure: a hiking expedition for the whole family including dogs! Yay for Lulu!

Final note: NEVER name a place, person or thing something bad. For example, if you name your new too cute and cuddly puppy something like, "cancer" or if you christen your new boat, "lady sink and die!" or if you call your new cafe, "poison beans" - you're simply asking for trouble.

wooferang

2005-06-29T12:58:00.000+02:00

this french company 'atypyk' SAYS in quirky english that this boomerang works but i am really not so sure. lately, i've been lied to from french merchants (and i'm not saying that is the norm but some days that IS the norm :-) for me). i don't have much confidence in this product, cuteness notwithstanding. i hope i'm wrong. is this something i should be running away in terror from? i'm hearing echoes of shattering glass in my imagination as well as crowds stomping en masse AWAY from the screaming, bloody headed cracked skulls dripping bright red onto the sidewalks of trochadero plaza, turning what was once 'the city of light' into the 'city of fright.' i think i stayed up too late last night.

american dog in france

2005-06-28T14:02:00.000+02:00

here's my cutie pie boston terrier, lulu, at an excellent crepes place in vence, where we used to live. i'm glad dogs in public is a subject for americans and non-frenchies in general. (does anyone get offended when i say 'frenchies'? 'cuz i do say that with an endearment level infused with many hugs :-))

it's not gross when dogs are in restaurants; doesn't bother me one bit especially when i see my dog in the restaurant. it is only gross when NASTY smelly rotten dogs are in restaurants (which is what i'm guessing people against this issue imagine) and i've never seen a stinky, misbehaving dog in public places here.

i always ask if it's ok to bring lulu inside and i usually get the weirdest look because no one asks, apparently. dogs are simply given more respect and leeway in france. tant mieux! the only places i remember being able to take lulu to (inside somewhere) in the u.s. was...the oh-so-exciting home depot! and of course the pet shops. here, lulu can go shopping in the malls! and like michael said (hi michael!), the french dogs are much more well-behaved. that couldn't be more true and not only that, they are much cleaner than their american counterparts. i can even (rudely) venture to say that these french dogs emit less odor than their french owners. hahahaha.

THAT might be another subject for another post...

minty fresh - hey wait a minute!

2005-06-27T15:15:00.000+02:00

though i'm usually not much of a soda drinker, my newest thing is ricqles (pronounced REEK LESS). though i like to pronounce it like RICKLES. it makes my french friends laugh. right now, it's hot and this minty freshness nicely hits the spot. it sort of reminds me of a combination of 7up and mint mouthwash - but is better than that!

now to the picture. yes. one has less rickle goodness than the other and no, i didn't open either one before they were ready for their closeup. i bought a 6-pack of these and there was one that clearly did not contain the 25 cl it claimed to have! i don't think i would have even noticed but these are my rickles!!!

carry le rouet and flexible housing laws

2005-06-26T13:06:00.000+02:00

carry le rouet is one of my favorite resort town getaways and relatively unknown to non-frenchies (i think). it's a photo op par excellence with its pictoresque port, to-die-for ocean (and les calanques) views, and relatively clean air, considering it's a mere 20 minute drive from marseille. one of the most groovalicious things about being a resident of france is: i now can hear about places to visit other than the places the american tourists invade - then go visit them! i'm not saying the other places aren't worth visiting; i just love the 'off the beaten path' options.

looking at the picture, you'll see a house (center picture) slightly masked by trees. that house is owned by jean-pierre foucault, beloved host of many shows including the french version of 'who wants to be millionaire?' i'm told that the stated law mandated that no housing be built on the land because it's protected, and would spoil the view of many, many homes in the neighborhood. apparently, jp has managed to pull the right governmental strings (which i'm thinkin is not that hard to do given full pockets), and at the same time make a few hundred ~~more~~ enemies.

open air urinals!

2005-06-25T13:07:00.000+02:00

need i say more to this open air urinal with NO WALLS??????? you heard me. no walls, no room, no ceiling, no door. nothing! as if they were open air phone booths. apparently, yes, i need to elaborate because it gets even better! i was taking pretty pictures a few days ago, then i saw these. if anyone took a picture of my expression, it would be a crystal clearly focused photo with me looking grossed out but not surprised. then, i smiled because it's so magnificently silly. france can shine with silly magnificence that way. noteworthy here: there's a small playground for kids just NEXT to the urinals. the pic was taken from a small public alleyway that leads to a river (l'alene) and just next to the urinals is a house (they're *lucky* enough to have a view of the backs of dudes peeing.) no wonder everyone makes fun of france!

just can't be helped.

by the way, wouldn't this be a perfect entry for the blog, this is broken?

technorati tags: france urinal toilet this is broken gross silly scandal

soda can material - cancer causing aluminum - no longer in france, how about in the u.s.?

2005-06-23T16:41:00.000+02:00

i thought ALL soda cans were made out of aluminum (aluminium to our uk friends). yesterday i noticed this on a soda can: made with recyclable steel. it made me wonder if there's something we've been missing all the years they were made out of aluminum. they might even still be made with aluminum in the u.s., who knows? so as far as i know, they're made with steel in france. i did a little looksee about the issue and this is what i found out [source: cancer tutor]:

While aluminum is technically not a heavy metal, it is so toxic it is frequently listed as a heavy metal. Aluminum is known to pass through the placenta to the fetus. It is also known to be a major cause of Alzheimer's.

* "In animal studies, aluminum blocks the action potential or electrical discharge of nerve cells, reducing nervous system activity. Aluminum also inhibits important enzymes in the brain (Na-K-ATPase and hexokinase). Aluminum may also inhibit uptake of important chemicals by nerve cells (dopamine, norepinephrine, and 5-hydroxytryptamine)."
http://www.naturallybalancedhealth.com/healthalert.ivnu

While it is true that fluroide and aluminum are independently bad for the brain of a developing fetus, it should also be known that the combination of aluminum and fluoride makes the damage of both items much, much greater!

* "Evidently Alzheimer's Disease came along after people started using aluminum cookware. Isabel Jansen, R.N., wrote of a simple experiment regarding the use of aluminum pots, where it's easily proven that the aluminum and the fluoride content in water, both increase dramatically.

"In January 1987, experiments performed at the Medical Research Endocrinology Dept., Newcastle upon Tyne, England, and the Physics Dept of the Univ. of Ruhana, Sri Lanka, showed that fluoridated water at 1 ppm, when used in cooking in aluminum cookware, concentrated the aluminum up to 600 ppm, whereas water without fluoride did not. (Science news 131:73)

They suggested that because of the known fact that aluminum is neuro-toxic and is in abnormally high concentrations in the brain of Alzheimers and other neurological disease victims, including AIDS, that these findings raise questions about adding fluoride to the water supply of communities to reduce tooth decay....

Because of these findings, a test was made of Antigo, Wisconsin water which has been fluoridated for 33 years. The water was examined by a certified Wisconsin laboratory, and showed that when it was used in cooking in aluminum cookware, it concentrated the aluminum by 833 times and increased the fluoride content by 100%.

The maximum allowed aluminum content of water is set by the World Health Organization at 200 micrograms per liter. This makes Antigo water, when cooked in aluminum, 75 times over the maximum. No test was made of distilled water, as the Antigo Water Dept. does not dispense distilled water." http://www.whale.to/a/alz.html

There are also several other links at the bottom about fluoride and Down Syndrome. Fluoride can be found in many places other than your water.

In short, throw away all of your aluminum pots and pans, do not drink out of aluminum soda pop cans, etc. etc. Do not cook with aluminum foil. Also, do not drink tap water or cook with tap water. Use natural water, such as spring water or artesian well water. Just to show you how impossible it is to avoid aluminum, consider:

* "KNOWN SOURCES OF ALUMINUM TOXICITY:
beverages from aluminum cans (soda pop and beer)
food cooked in aluminum cookware
use of aluminum-containing antacids
use of anti-perspirants (read the label)
drinking water (aluminum is frequently added to municipal water)
baking powders
drying agents in salt and other products
processed cheese
bleached flour
fluoridated water increases leaching of aluminum from aluminum pots and pans.
Born with elevated aluminum passed from mother to fetus through the placenta."
http://karan.heskco.com/pages/aluminum.htm

Vaccines also contain aluminum and other toxic chemicals (other than mercury, mentioned above).

technorati tags: france soda shopping aluminum cancer dangers scandal

Marketing "Genius"

2005-06-21T14:13:00.000+02:00

someone thought it was good to name a grocery store, ATTAC.

technorati tags: france travel shopping marketing

weird dog law unenforced

2005-06-19T13:36:00.000+02:00

i took this picture in mandelieu, in the south of france and wondered why it was even there. i've seen hundreds of pitbulls and rottweilers EVERYWHERE in france. this is one of those invisible laws. it being ignored has probably something to do with the dog loving country that is france. i personally don't think there's a need for a law to ban a specific dog; however, there should be a ban on people who do not take care of their dogs and who train them (or not train them so they do whatever) to hurt others. sidebar: there should also be a ban on people who don't use deodorant...

technorati tags: france travel dogs

unusually positive post!

2005-06-18T10:06:00.000+02:00

i SWEAR, i didn't want to do a grumpy, negative, ranting blog like so many out there, but when you live in france, irritability is just inevitable. it's also simply part of the culture. heeheehee. did you ever notice that a LOT (and i mean ia lot) of french movies end with someone jumping out the window, shooting themselves or performing a less creative form of suicide? maybe i should call this blog, "why LIVE in france."

back to this post. here's something i like about france: they are dog friendly which might be related to the dog poo problem. i've been taking photos of dogs everywhere. unlike the u.s. you can take your dog to a lot of places, even in the bus in some cases (i'll post a pic of that later). for now, here's cuteness in the form of a white lab, store dog. (more to follow at random intervals)

technorati tags: france travel dogs

nuts

2005-06-10T11:58:00.000+02:00

should the cashews be called "womengirls"?

oblivious to the obvious

2005-06-09T12:01:00.000+02:00

does anyone else find this OFFENSIVE? this old plaque is on the wall of one of the most famous cafes in paris called 'le comptoir du relais' in the st. germain des pres area (6th arrondissement at l'odean) you find stuff like this all over france and not just on walls. you'll see cartoons of black people with bones through their noses on packaging like on...boxes of children's cookies and candy. the sad thing is whenever i point this out to anyone, they just brush it off like it's harmless, and I'M the offensive one. GEEZ.

Squish!

2005-06-08T10:35:00.000+02:00

Click here to understand the true extreme nastiness of the problem
france has not completely dealt with the problem of poo especially in the south of france (cannes, nice, antibes etc) where most people say it's SO PRETTY THERE! there's nothing grosser than stepping and sliding on a steaming mushy turd with high heels then slipping (a la monty python style) up into the air and landing in the offensive pile, brown splotching your freshly pressed WHITE silk skirt - on your way to a job interview - and you're late.

or just stepping in it with your sneeks and getting dogjunk embedded and cemented into the treads, taking crap (and the smell of crap) with you where ever you go (like on a date. most likely your LAST date unless he/she is into nauseating odeurs or in the CAR or cafe or meeting your (possible) future in-laws...) - until you can find something to clean it off with.

we shouldn't be having this conversation. i know.

paris is really trying to get people to clean up their dogcrap act and for the most part, A FEW people do. (but this law has been clearly ignored in the south). these few people, too, are expatriots living in france who are used to being civilized.

if you talk about this to some french ppl, this is what i hear in general, 'stepping in zee pooh is verry verry gud luck.'

anyway.

all over france

2005-06-07T12:20:00.000+02:00

nuclear power plant or cloud making factory?

france
travel

2012 paris olympics?

2005-06-06T19:51:00.000+02:00

france is really pushing hard to bring the 2012 olympics to paris. it doesn't make sense to me. didn't the french just vote NO to the EU referendum? they don't even want to be considered part of europe, let alone the world.

france duz not need zee wurld. if they don't want to be part of europe, do you think they should participate in the WORLD olympics?

i'm all for a french olympics in paris but the world olympics? pfffff.

bourgogne

2005-06-06T16:30:00.001+02:00

blog bourgogne in english

nievre - dechets ultimes NON!

2005-06-06T16:06:00.000+02:00

Protest by the people of a community in Nievre - against the installment of a toxic landfill much too close to residents. Find out more