therese

Heh heh. Until very recently you'd have been lucky to get even that in my house (U.S., hot and humid Atlanta), as we didn't have an ice maker and rarely made or used ice apart from the occasional aperitif. We now have a fridge that makes ice and also delivers filtered cold water, neither of which I use very often. Every few weeks I clean out the stale ice from the storage bin so that the machine will make fresh ice that for guests as necessary.

Yes, that was what Monique and Gilberte said. There were still some shops in that small town (Villers-sur-mer) with older, persnickety owners who took a dim view of browsing activities that went farther than the vitrine. A certain jewelry store was pointed out as having that sort of owner. The "entree libre" signs did little to assuage my anxiety, as they still made me consider the possibility that there was still some obligation on my part.

Your grandmother was perfectly right. One is not supposed to drink water while eating couscous, though a sip of thé à la menthe or some wine is perfectly acceptable. Just look at what happens to couscous after a few minutes when you've poured the broth onto it and the vision speaks for itself. ← But that's going to happen in my gut no matter what, as there's a great deal of water already there. Or there should be---perhaps a chronically low water diet changes one's physiology in this respect. I've been merrily breaking this rule now for years with no ill effects whatsoever. Marie (not technically my grandmother, but the grandmother of my French high school exchange partner) has passed away recently, so I now feel free to admit this transgression. Interesting discussion re the cultural differences when it comes to entering commercial establishments and who greets whom, etc. I always smile and/or nod and/or say "Hello/Bonjour" and do it again if I'm making a specific request. I do this in the U.S. and pretty much without exception everywhere else I travel. I don't know the extent to which having spent time in France when I was young has influenced my behavior. I do know that pretty much everybody likes cordial customers, and I get great service everywhere. I do still have a bit of residual anxiety about entering small French shops that's the result of my French mother, Gilberte, and her sister-in-law, Monique, discussing (in my presence---the conversation was nothing to do with me) how much easier it had gotten to go shopping. In years past (when they were young women, so 1960s) entering a shop meant that you absolutely intended to buy something, likely an item you'd already identified in the shop window. Failure to buy something, anything at all, was considered very rude---you'd put the shopkeeper to a great deal of trouble and all for nothing. Each of them described instances in which they bought something small in order to escape without incurring a shopkeeper's ire.

I remember being specifically cautioned by my French grandmother against drinking water while eating couscous, as the consequences were reportedly dire. I don't specifically remember hearing about ice cold water in France, but was informed by the Italian family for whom I worked au pair one summer that the reason we all had the runs was that we'd been keeping our water in the fridge (we were on holiday at the shore and it was brutally hot). My suggestion that swimming in the (obviously) dirty sea and brushing our tea with the local nonpotable water might be somehow connected was considered entirely improbable.

Nothing, because we specifically had the cabinet over the fridge built flush with the front of the fridge to avoid that dead space (as well as the really dead space behind, the cabinet that you can't open without moving all that other stuff out of the way). The cabinet had vertical dividers for storage of cookie sheets, cutting boards, etc.

Absolutely, though we didn't necessarily have them in chicken and dumplings, but rather as a separate treat, usually for the cooks (who in my grandmother's case was also the butcher) and any favored children who happened to be helping out in the kitchen. They were, frankly, too good to share with the men. The liver was similarly divvied up. Seems like maybe my mom had a special name for them, but I can't recall it at the moment. We were likely too busy eating to talk.

A bit like lambs' quarters, though more regular and deeper serration to the leaves than I recall.

Pralines. We make them at home every year, and they are lovely.

I love OpenTable.com, and use it routinely here at home (in Atlanta) and when I travel wherever it's available. Incredibly convenient, and you can even make special requests (mine have always been honored).

Lots of places in Atlanta offer tasting menus. The ones with which I've got personal and recent experience are The Dining Room (except that I've not been since the new chef started---I'll be correcting the situation in a week or so), Seeger's (also haven't been since he redecorated and reportedly improved the previously awkward service), and Bacchanalia. I'm pretty sure that all three of these offer vegetarian options. I think I heard that Soto had changed back to an a la carte format, and in any case it was never a fancy restaurant. Nikolai's Roof is a bit old school, very much an expense account place for out of town business folk with deep pockets. Park 75 is very nice, but I've not been recently enough to comment. Fantastic desserts. Restaurant Eugene is lovely, lots of locally sourced things, cooking style influenced by chef's southern upbringing. I've never had a real tasting menu at Joel---it's mostly a la carte, three courses, though there is a prix fixe option on weeknights. Neither Kyma, Food Studio, nor Canoe is sufficiently upmarket to qualify as a "great, fancy restaurant." I've had really not great meals lately at both Kyma and Food Studio, and Canoe is just really pretty casual. If you want to forego fancy but still get a great tasting menu, go to One Midtown Kitchen on either a Monday or Tuesday and have Richard Blais feed you at the kitchen bar. Edit to add Quinones Room, a relatively new restaurant that's actually part of restaurant I've already mentioned, Bacchanalia: fancier room, more courses. I've not yet tried it.

Neither Ches les Anges nor Au Bon Accueil will work for Saturday lunch, as they're both closed. Looks like Sancerre suits, as it's open Saturday for lunch, and we'll likely want something not too elaborate for that first jet lag meal in any case.

Planning coming along nicely. Turns out my exchange partner from high school still lives in Deauville (she'd moved to Nimes for a while, but looks like she's returned to Deauville for good at this point) and so we'll get together. I'm hoping she'll come into Paris for a night along with her youngest daughter (hmm, maybe 13?), and then we can drive up to Normandy for a night to see her farm as well as old friends and family, returning the next day on the train. So at least one evening we'll be five for dinner. Or perhaps we'll leave the children behind in the apartment and just have a grown up dinner. Okay, on to concrete plans... Our flight gets in early Saturday AM, so we won't be able to do much more than drop off our bags at the apartment. So by way of first day activities we'll need to do some marketing and something very very touristy. I'm thinking the Tour Eiffel, and so we'll need someplace to eat lunch nearby. There's a restaurant there, apparently, but unless somebody tells me it's absolutely great I'm not going to bother with it.

Okay, altogether convinced: I've booked the apartment in the 1st. My initial apartment search was based on some reviews at slowtrav.com, and once I'd found a few places that looked nice I didn't look too much farther. There's a theory that one of the keys to happiness is fewer rather than more choices and in my case that's certainly the case. I hate having buyer's remorse, so once I've got a nice place I just don't spend much time worrying about what might have been. Okay, I've got the lodging and continue to scope out restaurants that suit our party. Cozy bistros mostly what I've got in mind for meals with kids. I'm trying to set up a visit of some sort with my exhange buddy from high school, either in Paris or Deauville (where I think she still lives---it's been a year or so since we last corresponded) and am also up for some grown up dinners with any eGulleteers who happen to be in town during that period. PM me if you think you might be interested and we can set something up as the date grows closer.

I used my slow cooker (Crock Pot) on low overnight. Nice rich clear stock (well, more like consomme after it had cooled), made great soup today.

Well, I don't know about the Big Guns, but I've eaten a lot of Thanksgiving gravy in various parts of the southeast, and the only place I've gotten it with added hard boiled eggs is in Texas, prepared by my sister-in-law according to family tradition. I find it icky, as the whites are very rubbery and the yolks do not make up for what is otherwise a very unpleasant concoction. My sister-in-law is not a great cook, so it's entirely possible that this version of gravy might be wonderful in the right hands.

My husband's family does this, and perhaps they're not doing it quite right, as the finished product is neither tasty nor visually appealing. They are from Texas, all descended from German immigrants in the area around Austin and San Antonio. My mother's family doesn't do this and I don't nobody anybody (used to live in Kentucky, now in Georgia) who does. Her family's pretty much all English background, from rural Virginia (Appalachia).

So this morning I'm standing in our pantry, looking for something, and I notice two cans of sweetened condensed milk. And for a moment there I'm confused, wondering why on earth I've got two cans of sweetened condensed milk that I don't recall purchasing (because I almost never do). And then I remembered that my husband had gone to the grocery store to buy ingredients for pumpkin pie, and he'd also apparently been confronted with this dilemma. So he got both: two cans of evaporated milk, and two cans of sweetened condensed milk. Guess I'll be making key lime pie sometime soon.

And it actually looks like there's a fair amount of nightlife on this street as well. Not that the idea of looking down onto tourist hell from the comfort of our 4th floor, nicely-appointed dining room isn't appealing... Will the market at Maubert smack of tourist hell as well?

Okay, so Plan B: I've found a really nice place in the 5th, on rue de la Huchette. Smaller and so a bit more reasonable (all the more money to spend on food) but still nicely suited to our party, and with a full kitchen. Looks like lots and lots of restaurants in the neighborhood. Best market option? According to this site the markets in the 5th are Monge, Maubert, and Port Royal, with Maubert being closet to my location. The covered market at St Germain looks like like it's also a possibility. It may well be that Paris just offers too many options. Opinions welcome.

Thanks for all the great suggestions. Sounds like rue Montorgueil is well within reach, particularly with my little sherpas along. Additional suggestion welcome. Once I've got an idea of specific sights I'll likely ask for info in those areas as well.

Whew, huge relief. I may yet change my mind, as it's bigger than we need and consequently a bit pricier. The "no food nearby" possibility was enough to throw me into a panic.

Hmm, sounds a bit grim. I've not yet completed booking (no money's exchanged hands) so I could change my mind. So, here's a much more open-ended query: Where would you choose if you were renting an apartment for a week in Paris, the idea being to have a wide selection of great, not way upmarket restaurants and a market nearby? I was, by the way, considering another property in Batignolles, Rue Mariotte (near the Rome metro).

Visiting Paris with my two kids, 12 and 15, February 18 through 24. Their first visit and in many ways mine as well: I've been to France several times since my first trip as a high school exchange student (to Normandy), but have spent close to zero time as a tourist in Paris. I'm booking an apartment in the 1st, in the Palais Royal (Montpensier). It's got a full kitchen, so we'll certainly be doing breakfast in, and random other meals as well but we'll likely also eat out a lot. Both children are adventurous diners and good company, so I'm not limited in that respect, but I'm not interested in going very high end either. Speaking French no problem whatsoever. So, my specific queries: 1. Are there any open air markets in walking distance to the apartment? If so, when and where? And if not, what's the best option via the metro? I'll have two willing pack mules (with day packs) along to help. 2. Restaurants in the immediate area? Lunches will probably be near whatever sites we're visiting that day, but we'll likely stick closer to home for dinners unless we're going to a concert or other performance elsewhere.

While it's true that there's historically been a lack of research in areas that relate specifically to women's health, that's not really the issue in this instance. Even if an investigator wanted to compare the effects of a "high sage" diet with a "no sage" diet, very few pregnant women would be willing to participate. You could, of course, do an epidemiologic study of patients who already happened to be following either of those diets, but the difference would have to be pretty marked to show up against the background of other variations in diet, underlying medical problems, etc. When I was pregnant I avoided alcohol (with a few exceptions late in pregnancy), excessive caffeine (maybe one iced tea per day), rare meat, and sashimi.

Great story. So great that I'm going to have a second piece of pumpkin pie for breakfast, in its honor.