TDG: Food. France. Now.

[Fat Guy]

Introducing Louisa Chu (loufood) and her Paris reports.

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[fresh_a]

Great news! Welcome ! Look forward to reading your articles !

[hollywood]

Not having seen you on Chowhound in some time I was wondering what became of you. Obviously, something good. Looking forward to living vicariously thru your writings.

[Bux]

It's my pleasure to get to know you better. It's no secret that I've greatly appreciated your posts on the France board as well as elsewhere on the site and I eagerly look forward to hearing more from you from Paris.

[maggiethecat]

Obviously, something good.  Looking forward to living vicariously thru your writings.

Louisa: Hollywood says it all here. Welcome!

[Fat Guy]

Louisa, I know your reports will be forward-looking, but I'd love to hear more -- perhaps on this thread -- about growing up in the family restaurant business(es). Tell us more stories!

Also, I hope you will share some photos with us down the road.

[Pan]

Some random reactions:

(1) Great article. The journalistic background is obvious.

(2) Sorry about the breakup, glad you had consolers with you.

(3) I'm curious about your sister. She's a designer. Is she working in Paris or, like you, doing some kind of apprenticeship?

(4) I know where you're living quite well. If you walk down the Rue du Gros Caillou (really a little alleyway), you will see the Hotel de la Paix, where I stayed during visits in 1992 and 1993. There's one private dwelling on the Avenue de la Bourdonnais, not far from you, which I love. It was built in something like 1721 (the date is on the front), and has fanciful glass on its from in deliberately distorted facial shapes and such-like. Yet another thing in Paris that one will never find in New York, and it's no museum, but a private dwelling that people live in today. On another note, I had an excellent meal on my last day in Paris in 1993 at an outdoor cafe by a little fountain on the Rue St. Dominique one block east of Avenue Bosquet. There were two eateries on either side of the fountain; this one was just to its west. I wonder whether it's still good, but I was unwilling to take a chance on my trip to Paris last summer.

[Louisa Chu]

Fat Guy, merci beaucoup for the intro. And fresh_a, hollywood, Bux and maggie for the bienvenues.

Pan,

(1) That my journalistic background is obvious to you relieves me to an immeasurable degree. I've written for radio so long that writing for reading still grips me with some fear.

(2) Thanks for your condolences. The breakup's turned out to be the proverbial blessing in disguise. Though it did land me in the emergency room the day after - distracted moment, cut, stitches, insights into the French healthcare system - and leave me somewhat financially stranded. But thanks to my sister, our dog , family and friends I'm truly happier.

(3) My sister, Annie Chu, works from Paris. She designs and produces stationery products for retail, private and corporate clients. My little sister's work can be found in fine stationery boutiques around the world.

(4) Hotel de la Paix was just renovated last fall by the new architect owners across the Rue - the facade and lobby are now quite modern but I have not seen the rooms. I love Rue du Gros Caillou but it's the local poo rue - Parisians do pick up more now but don't feel compelled there. I'm not sure which building you're talking about on Bourdonnais, though I do have a similar sounding favourite on Rapp - it has one of those Phillipe Starck designed shield-shaped historical markers out front - I'll take a look for yours the next time I'm going up Bourdonnais. You ate at La Croque au Sel which is across from La Fontaine de Mars. Our dog park/Champ de Mars friend Lorna - dog, a Golden, named Hunter - lives in the clocktower building right above and out of the three in the courtyard - there's also Paris-Brest - she's partial to La Fontaine. And then there's L'Auvergne Gourmande on one side and Violon d'Ingres on the other. We just had rustic puff pastry apple tartelettes from Violon's boutique on Saturday which were as good if not better than Poilane's.

Edited April 23, 2003 by loufood (log)

[Louisa Chu]

Louisa, I know your reports will be forward-looking, but I'd love to hear more -- perhaps on this thread -- about growing up in the family restaurant business(es). Tell us more stories!

Also, I hope you will share some photos with us down the road.

Steven, I promise I will to both.

But it's late now here in Paris. And the lobsters never came today - Rungis was closed for the long Easter holiday weekend and the French always seem to need a day or three to recover from vacations - so I've got a double practical tomorrow. Dipping chocolates then lobster. C'est belle, la vie.

[Pan]

Thanks for your response, Louise. It sounds like the elderly proprietress of Hotel de la Paix died and the family sold the hotel.

I actually think the date on that building might have been 1701, and while I think it's on the Avenue de la Bourdonnais, perhaps it is the one you're thinking of on Avenue Rapp; I'm not absolutely positive. The glass shapes are large and take up much of the front of the building near the entryway to a height upwards of 2 meters (maybe about 8 feet).

Enjoy your chocolate-dipping and lobster!

[herbacidal]

yes,

definitely bravo to you.

wish u nothing but the best.

the journalistic chops are obvious, i agree.

glad you have such a supportive+flexible sister,

able to move to Paris and help you on your journey,

and maybe start one of her own.

totally understand about the Chinese family restaurant bit.

same deal here.

look forward to reading every bit of your stuff.

again best of luck to you, but it looks like you're creating your own,

which is always the best way.

[NeroW]

Louisa:

Excellent introduction.

I look forward to reading more!

Long live Le Cordon Bleu.

[Fat Guy]

Louisa is looking for a stage.

+++

Be sure to check The Daily Gullet home page daily for new articles (most every weekday), hot topics, site announcements, and more.

[fresh_a]

Lou-Drop me a line if I can help with anything...

[hollywood]

Nice report. How common a name is Didier? I once met a Parisian named Gilles Didier who sells lithographs--Lautrec, Mucha, Cassandre, Cappiello, etc. Real nice guy. Doesn't sound like your mentor.

[JAZ]

Thanks for the opportunity to experience Paris and the Cordon Bleu vicariously. I look forward to future glimpses into the stage life.

PS The description of your tuna dish is making me salivate.

[pixelchef]

Wow, that introductory article has me completely curious about your life. You're a great writer -- you hooked me with >1000 words!

[Bux]

I have heard stories of life in classic French kitchens that lead me to believe your instructors are politically correct pussy cats, in comparison to others. I have also learned the hard way to be careful about ordering tuna in France. I enjoyed this well done account of your experiences and continue to look forward to more. I trust we will get an inside glimpse behind the scenes at one of France's top kitchens. It will obviously be their loss if we don't.

Edited April 24, 2003 by Bux (log)

[Louisa Chu]

Fat Guy, I meet with Chef Didier tomorrow/Friday morning at 8:45.

fresh_a, thank you and big kisses to you.

hollywood, my chef's first name not last is Didier, Didier Chantefort, and would hate being described as nice or a mentor. And now that I think about it I don't know that many other Didiers, first or last name. What's surprised me is quite a few Frenchmen with the first name Patrick.

JAZ, you're so welcome. Regarding the stage life, me too. And salivation is a cook's greatest compliment, thanks.

Bux, merci beaucoup. And yes, it will be interesting comparing professional French chefs with our LCBP chefs and Chinese chefs who are not reknown for their political correctness either.

[JFLinLA]

Louisa -- Great article. Is that you I also enjoy hearing on KCRW's Good Food with Evan Kleiman? Let us know when you'll be on there again so that e-gulleteers can either tune in live or get the replay online at their site.

Jody

[Moondog]

Great stuff, look forward to upcoming adventures. But, please, could you tell us more about the "old-school peanut butter and chicken skin egg rolls?" Sounds like Elvis food. I KNOW my son would love them -- peanut butter and chicken skin are two of his favorite food groups.

[Louisa Chu]

Pan, thanks! Had to kill the lobster and tempering the chocolate was torture but it was all indulgently worth it. I'll send you a pic of the building as soon as I get a replacement cable for my digital camera. The one I'm thinking of is really spooky wild.

herbacidal, thank you so much - from one Chinese restaurant family survivor to another! Yes, my sister is the best - and spiritedly fending off flirtatious Frenchmen.

NeroW, when do you start your Cordon Bleu saga?!

pixelchef, you are too kind - and you look just like one of my favourite cousins!

JFLinLA, that's me with Evan. And definitely I'll post when I'm on next. You can also hear archived shows online KCRW - Good Food - just scroll down and look for Cordon Bleu.

Moondog, do the authorities know about this? Your son's diet of peanut butter and chicken skin? Me too. I remember my grandfather yelling at me when I was about four because all I was eating for dinner was white rice, steamed chicken skin and the jus - or "jup" as we called it in Cantonese. Old school egg rolls, basically you can take any egg roll recipe and replace some of the meat with chicken skin and use peanut butter - smooth - as a binder. We loved it heavily black peppered too. We also used heavier, floury egg roll pastry-like wrappers rather than the papery thin spring roll wrappers - and never the rice paper wrappers of course. Speaking of Elvis food, I was trying to explain fried peanut butter and banana sandwiches to my chefs but they just didn't get it so I'm going to make it for them before I leave.

[Pan]

Say, how do you kill a lobster?

Pan, thanks! Had to kill the lobster and tempering the chocolate was torture but it was all indulgently worth it. I'll send you a pic of the building as soon as I get a replacement cable for my digital camera. The one I'm thinking of is really spooky wild.

I'll look forward to that, Louisa.

Yes, my sister is the best - and spiritedly fending off flirtatious Frenchmen.

She's single, isn't she.

So maybe one of the flirtatious Frenchmen will be to her liking, after all?

[Louisa Chu]

Say, how do you kill a lobster?

Good that you should ask. Having seen it done various ways all my life - head chopped off, plunged into boiling water, sometimes not at all and just chopped up - I decided to research the most humane way to kill a lobster. In some countries - New Zealand for example - there are laws to prevent cruelty. Then there's research by marine biologists. Here's what I decided.

How to Kill a Lobster

Chill in the lowest part of the fridge or upper rack of a freezer for about 20 minutes - 30 minutes max. Face the lobster towards you. In one quick motion plunge the tip of a chef's knife into the cross marking behind the head - between the head and the body - then split the head in half.

Chilling the lobster will help anesthetize it. Splitting the head quickly severs its primary nerves. This method also helps keep the meat supple. Stressing it will seize the meat and likely result in a tough, stringy product. This was interestingly evident amongst my classmates who were not kind to their lobsters.

[Louisa Chu]

She's single, isn't she. 

So maybe one of the flirtatious Frenchmen will be to her liking, after all?

Yes, she is. And maybe so.