The French and The Pizza!

So there I was, 2011, a new chapter of my life (one I had dreamed of since childhood) – I moved to Paris. Paris of the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame, Belle Epoque, Hemmingway, Balzac, Van Gogh, Dali, Proust… Yes, I moved to Paris, bag and baggage with my cheese allergies and red wine allergies and a general dislike for all things sweet. And the past two years have been an interesting culinary adventure since the usual French delicacies are pretty much out of the question. I discovered Turkish kebabs, mussels & fries, violette ice cream, …rediscovered lemon tarts (the only exception to my me-no-like-sweets rule), black black coffee, rare steaks…and, to my surprise, the immense love the French have for Pizzas. They can be found everywhere…in all shapes and sizes…with all kinds of flavors and sauces. Yes, unfortunately they really can be found with all kinds of flavors and sauces. ‘Unfortunately’ because I am an Indian – we do have pizza hut, dominos and Papa John’s but we are very very far away from the classic pizza – Italian or American! We love spice, keema, tomato sauce (ketchup), paneer and lots of onions on our ‘very thick pan’ pizza. We like our pizza very very cooked and God Forbid you do not offer a good vegetarian version or if you do not give us FREE oregano and chilli flakes. All of the above are also reasons why I never liked pizza (especially the tomato sauce). 

Crash and Burn Pizza!

Now, here I am in France surrounded by Pizza at every corner and when I happen to be in the south of France literally every restaurant has pizza on the menu. And what pizzas – with tomato sauce (read Italian but still processed sauce) or cream if u please…a half fried egg (why not)…all kinds of cheeses…mussels too if you like…and they do have a vegetarian one too – margarita! After managing to make me dislike pizza even more than before Paris decided to smile down at me and lo and behold! There was suddenly a Dominos next to my house! I was delighted! Mostly because I was bored of eating McDs or kebab every time I was lazy and did not want to cook, but also because my darling boyfriend loves pizza and I thought well here is a compromise – I can get the safe and time tested pepperoni and cheese pizza :D There was me prancing and dancing my way to Dominos for (finally) a good pizza until the menu hit me like a ton of bricks – there was no pepperoni and cheese! No, there was Indian pizza with curry sauce and some strange Turkish version with chorizos and all kinds of French ones and even a couple vegetarian ones… but no pepperoni and cheese! Sigh! Well here I am again in this mean old town with no sign of relief from the French Pizza!

Grasse - A Personal Discovery ;)

On a bright sunny day we took a long drive up the hills of Cote D’Azur, dog and all, and made our way to Grasse – the little town made famous by it’s historical perfume industry.  Now, I have been to Grasse before and done the whole explore-the-town, perfume museum tours and shopping for perfumes dance. This time round though we went in with a very single minded focus – a sort of self-discovery – we went to Grasse to create our very own custom perfume!

Yep, you heard it right – I now have my very own signature fragrance :D and so does Alex haha. Anyhow, it all started with me doing some random research on what ‘else’ could I do in Grasse other than buy perfume (read: me wanting to invent my own walk around the city :P ). I found a few companies which host perfume making workshops with many many MANY different permutations and combinations of price points and offerings and recalled (rather randomly) that Alex always wanted a unique perfume that no one else had. It being man’s birthday and all during our vacation week I decided that a workshop like this makes for the perfect gift. We picked Galimard, which is the oldest Perfume house in Grasse (started in 1747), offers a complete 2-hour workshop and the noses that work there can speak many languages. At the start of our workshop they gave a set of 9 bottles with no names on them and asked us to choose 2 smell that we liked the most. These two smells served as the base families of our perfumes. From there we went on to pick out heart notes and then finally head notes; with a break in between so as not to get too muddled with all the smells around us. They had around a 100 scents to choose from for both men and women and each of our individual perfumes is made up of 4 base, 6 heart and 5 head notes. So, not just do you get to make your own signature perfume but they also keep the recipe on record so that you can order the perfume again once its over and also order stuff like Eau de Toilette, Soap, Body wash and Body lotion.

Turns out that Alex and I both like very strong, woodsy smells :P Also, I loved the hospitality because not only were they kind enough to accommodate the doggie poo but he actually went into the workshop area and slept blissfully in the cool AC room :) Overall I would say that if you do take the time out to go down to Grasse at any point do make an appointment with Galimard for this workshop (and you can of course buy some of their signature perfumes :P).

The Effect of All the Scents on my poor Nose :P

OOOhhhhhh Perfume Maker Thingies 

Our Perfumes :D

Galimard Website: http://www.galimard.com/

The Most Ridonculous of All Moments!

My DOG!!!!!!! Yes I love him and yes he is the cutest and smartest thing in this world....perhaps too smart. He drives me up the wall and marvels me with his intelligence. But, today all he did was give me a mini heart attack for a few minutes and then had me feeling very amused and scared at the same time. 

So M. Hendrix has discovered how to open my hand bag!!!! He has been stealing things like lighters and and an occasional hair band from it for the past 2-3 days and so I did not pay that much attention except for scolding him. Today I came out of the shower and found him, very proudly, munching away on my Birth Control Pills! Yep, you heard it right - my dog ate my birth control pills. Needless to say I panicked like a fool...called the boyfriend, the vet and searched the internet- all in 10 mins flat. Turns out a small quantity like 3-5 pills is ok and nothing will happen to him. So, with the scary part of it over - well....I started laughing because it is damn funny :P And now I have learnt my lesson and will keep all such things at a very safe distance since today it was something that will have no real side effects on him but tomorrow it might be something lethal! 

Like I said OH MY DOG!

Why are they always naked?

“But why are they always naked?” WOW! This was a question asked a few days back by Alex when I sent him a link about how Christians were apologizing to gay people about the way the church treated them during a gay pride parade. And boy did this very innocent question get me thinking – Why ARE they always naked? No, not gays nor Christians – just protestors.

The past few years we have seen a growing trend where anyone who wants to protest something strips naked. Be it women fighting for their rights or the LGBT community or environmentalists; they are all shedding their clothes and I do not understand it. I am not against any kind of freedom of expression and I do support people’s rights as well as those of animals or the environment for that matter but I cannot help but wonder what these people are thinking. Does being naked express anything beyond the fact that you are naked?! Feeling free aside does the cause not deserve to be front and center instead of someone’s boobs or tightie-whities? This is not a rant…it is not hate…it is not a strike against anyone…this little post is more of an open question and a little bit of what I believe in. I believe that people should have equal rights no matter who they are, I believe that the Earth is more important than anything else for the future of our race and I believe that animals deserve an even louder voice not just because they do not have one of their own but also because they are definitely a small bit more humane than all the human race put together. But I also believe that taking your clothes off is not a fair way to represent these concerns and all the parties concerned. I am a woman and I believe that I am equal if not better than any man out there and I will stand for any woman or girl repressed anywhere in the world but I WILL NOT take off my shirt to flash the world because just like wearing skimpy clothes does not mean I want to be raped, taking my clothes off does not add value or any kind of seriousness to my cause!

But then, this is just what I believe in...not what I preach unto others.

Paris Rediscovered

One week ago trouble landed in Paris in the form of AJ (My very Bengali non-Bengali frand)!!!! Not only was it great to hang out with someone from back home after ages but it was an experience extraordinaire to see Paris once again through the eyes of a tourist. This week I realized (once again) how much I love this city!

So, how does one enjoy Paris in the summer if all they have is 2 days and 3 nights? (PS that is if you want to do something other than going to the Eiffel Tower or the Louvre).

Absinthe Fountain

Friday Evening: Start the evening at 19:00 at La Fee Verte famous for their Absinthe! When you come to the city which set the pace of the Belle Époque you cannot leave without having your share of Absinthe and La Fee Verte near Bastille has one of the largest collections all with a fountain and everything. From there take a walk from Place de la Bastille down Rue de Rivoli to Hotel de Ville where in July they have the jardins éphémères and onwards to the Notre Dame and Île Saint-Louis. Grab an Ice cream from Berthillon (if it is open) or from Amorino and walk along the Seine in any direction!!

AJ, Me & Alex

The Seine by night

The Catacombs

Saturday:  Start early and hit Place Denfert-Rochereau at 8:30 am to get in line for the catacombs. I have to say that after the Notre Dame de Paris the Catacombs de Paris is my favorite part of Parisian history – beautiful, morbid and very fascinating. It’s 2 Kms of underground tunnels lined with bones and epitaphs. Tip: read up on the catacombs before hand and you don’t need to pay for the guided tour nor the audio guide. The entry is 8 Euros.  After the catacombs walk down to Saint-Germain-des-Prés and take a stroll down Rue de Rennes – shopping paradise with all the major high street brands (all of which are on sale if you happen to come in July or January). Next grab a quick lunch at one of the cafes at Saint-Germain-des-Prés and later walk down Boulevard Saint Germain to the Notre Dame. On the way make a pit stop at the Shakespeare & Co.  – an independent bookstore with a reading room (they host events quite often as well). Post the Notre Dame take the metro and make your way over to butte Montmartre…take in the once famous art district of Paris by just walking around and peeking into little boutiques and cafes. You can also find some very interesting bars and restaurants here. Or you can make like us….buy some cold beers, fresh baguettes and an assortment of cheeses and make your way to the Sacré-Cœur. Have yourself a little picnic till the last metro with your friends on the steps of the Sacré-Cœur, taking in the breath taking view and sharing your summer night with thousands of others and make your way home a little tipsy…a little nostalgic for the pre-war Paris.

Notre-Dame

Sacré-Cœur

View from the Sacré-Cœur

Tuileries

Centre Pompidou

 Sunday: Well rise and shine beautiful people and hit Place de la Concorde by 8:30 am. Take a stroll down the Tuileries and walk all the way across Chatelet up to Centre Pompidou. Settle down in a small bistrot or Starbucks (which ever suits your fancy) and get yourself a Petit Déjeuner (breakfast) cos you will need it. Walk into Centre Pompidou once you are done and enjoy some beautiful works by Andy Warhol, Gauguin and others along with a spectacular view of Paris. After that take the Metro down to Place Gambetta and take respite from a warm afternoon with a beer and some lunch. Post lunch walk down to the Cimetière du Père Lachaise and pay homage to some of the greatest men and women that ever lived – Jim Morrison, Balzac, Eugene Delacroix, Oscar Wilde, Chopin and Marcel Proust to name a few. It doesn’t hurt that the cemetery is so very beautiful either (though I am sad to report that the authorities have cleaned up all the graves and fenced them in, so all the years of dedications by ‘fans’ are a thing of the past). After this you can either settle down in one of the many parks of Paris or make your way to Belleville (the modern Parisian HQ of Art and cheap bars) and settle down at O’Paris – a hipster bar near Parc de Belleville with one of the best terrasses in Paris. Post drinking walk down Rue de Belleville on your way to the metro and stop to admire the graffiti all along the streets (free art!!!!). 

The Grave of Oscar Wilde (2011)

The Grave of Oscar Wilde (Today)

At O'Paris

Belleville

View from the O'Paris terrasse

Et Voila!!!!! Your 2 days and 3 nights are over as is the weekend. Until next time mes poulets!

And I leave you with a picture taken by AJ :)

Picture Courtesies: AJ