From the joy of t-shirts back to winter coats, rainbows to thunderstorms, please raise your hand if you felt personally victimised by the weather in Paris this week. I basked in the sunshine then got drenched in the torrential rain, too optimistic to carry an umbrella, my paper grocery bag disintegrating as I walked leaving me with the logistical issue of too many items and not enough hands.
Thursday was the Spring Equinox and therefore also Nowruz, (Persian New Year) so we set up our Haft-sin which is a display of seven symbolic items whose names start with the letter س in Farsi. We laid out apples, garlic, vinegar, gold coins, hyacinths, sumac and most importantly our sabzeh, which is a little plate of grass grown from lentils, as well as some painted eggs which are extra luck. In case you’re curious about my connection to Persian New Year, my husband was widowed and his first wife was Iranian so we continue to celebrate these traditions in our blended family.
The art world can be intimidating. When recounting at a fancy lunch recently that I’d never heard of Giacometti before arriving in France an art dealer from a top gallery responded (with both humour and derision) “it takes a lot of bravery to share that story” to which I shrugged my shoulders and explained that in Australia we’re more likely taught how to perform search and rescue in a muddy river than learn about 20th century Swiss sculptors.
But life is about continued education so after wavering on it for weeks (the Fondation Louis Vuitton is a commitment to get to) and with the kind encouragement of a friend I made it to the Rothko retrospective before the daily crowds where I was astounded to discover he hadn’t just painted colourful rectangles, but instead the depths of his emotions from a complicated life, and was pleased with my newfound ability to spot the Giacomettis dotted about.
When a friend asked me to babysit her 3 month old while she ran some errands I got serious in my preparation, refreshing my newborn first aid rules, so deeply focused on my upcoming responsibility I never imagined it was all a ruse to take me for a surprise birthday lunch. As we walked into Le Voltaire (the ideal place for any celebration) I was surprised yet again to see some of my best friends in Paris there waiting for us. It was the perfect afternoon and I even got to hold the baby so technically fulfilled my babysitting promise for a few minutes at least. Let 2024 be the year of the long lunch and the real catch-up.
After missing out on tickets for the Easter egg hunt at the Rodin museum (harder to score than tickets to Beyonce, don’t underestimate the mums of the 7th arrondissement) I put together a little DIY easter egg hunt in the Jardin du Luxembourg which was delightful. While the kids were distracted the other parents and I tossed a few chocolates in the hedges (dogs are banned in this area of the park so no chance of forgotten chocolate causing drama) before setting the littles off to find them, and even the strict guardiens of the park gave us unprecedented little leeway to touch the precious grass.
On Sunday morning we went to witness perhaps the most Parisian event ever, la Course des cafés, where 200 waiters briskly walked (running prohibited) though the heart of Paris carrying a regulation round tray with croissant, glass of water and a coffee not to be spilled, dressed in black and white uniform and matching aprons. Ostensibly to promote the excellence of French service in the run-up to the Olympic and Paralympic Games I realised it was actually to demonstrate why you’ll never get a full glass of water in France. Ever.
I dragged my family across the bridge to the Jardin des Plantes to show them the cherry blossoms, everyone thoroughly unimpressed by my floral obsession, but made it up to them with a spin on the Dodo Manège (Dodo merry-go-round) composed of a curious mix of creatures including a triceratops, aepyornis, glyptodon, dodo and other marvellous beasts. The white blossoms are out in force and the pink ones will be perfect in a few days so if you’re in town for Easter weekend it’s worth your time.
Sunday afternoon we rugged up for an outdoor birthday party, children running around like pinballs in the weak sunshine, fuelled on candy and chaos. I was slightly mortified when the birthday boy opened all his gifts in a group setting, knowing his brand new copy of The Parisian ABCs wouldn’t hold much interest next to the bright lights and loud noises of the other offerings but honestly if someone hasn’t nonchalantly tossed your book aside are you even an author? If there’s a more fitting visual representation for the Sunday Scaries I’d like to hear it.
Have a great week,
- Emily
Cheese we’re eating this week:
Croix de Savoie - a whipped young cheese made from raw goat’s milk. Saw this at the suggestion of cheese expert Jennifer Greco and had to try it.
Brin d’Amour - also called petit Corse, this soft raw sheep’s milk cheese from Corsica has a natural rind covered with maquis herbs (rosemary, savory, fennel, peppers and juniper berries).
Camembert Pomcalva - camembert with a ribbon of apples soaked in calvados running through the centre. Incredible.
All 3 cheeses were from Laurent Dubois. If you’re interested to learn more about cheese Jennifer’s instagram account is great and she also does some of the best cheese and wine classes in Paris. Book early as they sell out fast.
Parmesan Chicken
A freezer defrost meant I needed a quick recipe for the mystery package from the butcher lucking in the back.
Chicken breast, thinly sliced (or pounded) into escalopes (can use turkey or veal also)
2 eggs
Parmesan
Bread crumbs (I used gluten free ones)
Salt & pepper
Whisk together the eggs in a bowl.
Grate some parmesan and mix on a flat plate with the breadcrumbs. Season with salt & pepper.
Heat up a frying pan with a little oil.
Dip each chicken breast into the egg mix then the parmesan/crumb mix and toss directly into the pan. Cook until golden brown on the outside and cooked through inside.
Serve with a lemon wedge and a nice green side salad.
Bon appétit!
Real Life Paris Photo
Just a man holding his breakfast beers.
Your posts are always so full of real life--I love them. Here in Brooklyn, our company, SIMON LIU, INC., has been designing and manufacturing artists' painting supports for 40 years. Many Rothko's are on our supports, plus hundreds of other artists' works. Loved the photo of your younger daughter and the vision of youngsters scurrying for chocolates in my favorite Parisian garden put a smile on my face. Merci!
You are hilarious Emily. I love your newsletters. But I need to say that I can sort of understand if someone had not heard of Giacometti (maybe not the most widely known sculptor in the world) but you need to know that a considerable percentage of the Australian population have heard of him and would recognise his distinctive work. Some of us even studied art and art history at school!!! Or even at university! And frequent galleries here and overseas. Or even work in them.😊 Sorry - could not resist. Thank you in particular for the regular cheese information. When we are in the Lot we shop at Xavier Fromagerie in Toulouse - a wonderful experience and good to go with some ideas about what to look for.