I was up with the birds on Monday morning for a special breakfast collaboration between the Picasso Museum and Dover Street Market to preview the Jackson Pollock. Les premières années (1934-1947) exhibition. Having attended a zoom funeral at 1am (up there on the list of most depressing events) I armed myself with strong coffee then used my favourite technique to not speak to anybody which is stare intently at the art and then quickly introduce anyone that approaches to someone else and back away slowly. Works like a charm.
An unfortunate incident with a door on Tuesday night meant I had to head to the emergency department where I learnt they can now use super glue instead of stitches, so although it wasn’t pleasant having my nose glued back together at least I’ve got a new fact under my belt. The hospital gods were smiling on me as the whole thing took under an hour (including getting there and back) and I loudly praised the French healthcare system when I was sent home without paying a penny.
Keeping my nose dry as directed was another story as it rained on and off for the rest of the week with some flash flooding on Thursday that was perfectly timed with our walk to the children’s extracurriculars. I entered two umbrellas into the circular economy and ordered countless hot chocolates to shelter from the rain whenever it started, pretending to “work” from my phone while really just waiting out the clock staring out the window.
The kids were allowed to dress up for Halloween at school on Friday and I spent 10 minutes trying to figure out what I could send as my little witch’s “broom”, her tears slowly welling as everything I presented was wrong, before I realised we were having a language issue not a logistical one and she actually wanted a wand. I usually know what they mean in both languages but the irony that I was humbled with their English isn’t lost on me.
Despite all appearances to the contrary I worked in the fashion industry for years (I once gave Beyoncé hair advice that she TOOK) so it was only a matter of time before someone asked my opinion on Parisian style, and boy did my husband laugh when that question was about the validity of wearing leggings. But I’ve now been quoted in the Australian Financial Review (fyi paywall article) so he now has to take me very seriously forever.
I wandered the flea market in the rain on Saturday morning, searching aimlessly for nothing in particular and the only thing I would have loved was clearly not fur sale, but there were some good French celeb sightings and lots of things to admire. At home we spent the remainder of the day kicking up mud and collecting conkers in the park before a picnic dinner on the living room floor for a bit of variety.
St Germain was showing off on Sunday with storefronts starting to prepare for the holidays (I know, already) and I popped into Le Bon Marché to farewell what was probably my favourite store display ever, the floating clouds and Eiffel Towers. After a few blah years I’m excited to see what they come up with for the festive season and hope it’s as great as the floating Christmas trees that I still dream about.
Have a great week,
- Emily
Cheese we’re eating this week:
Mini-clac - a firm little cheese made from raw goat’s milk.
Tomme à la Truffe - a Swiss cheese made with raw cow's milk that is soft and creamy with a ribbon of black truffles running through the centre giving it a warm aroma.
Langres - a cow’s milk cheese with a soft centre and a washed rind with a beautiful orange colour. It has quite a strong aroma but a fairly mild taste (the cheesemonger told me it’s a cousin of Epoisse.
All three cheeses were bought from Fromagerie Sanders at Marché Saint-Germain.
Pumpkin Soup
You already know how to make pumpkin soup I’m sure (chop it, put it in water, season, boil, blitz) but I wanted to share that as I made a soup with all the sad veggies in the fridge (pumpkin, cauliflower and cabbage) I added a good chunk of Thai curry paste and some leftover coconut cream and voila - a tasty treat I wanted to eat rather than something I had to get through.
Bon appétit!
Real Life Paris Photo
Me too buddy, me too.
Be kind to yourself, Emily. You’re mourning and jet lagged and have a lot going on. Sending hugs and hot chocolate from across the pond.
So sorry about your nose misadventure! (And more especially, of course, for the loss of your aunt, which I'd meant to say weeks ago.) Thanks for the columns--they're just about my favorite things to discover in my in-box. I love the photos and your witty recounting of each week's doings, which almost convince me that I'm in Paris too, coincidentally visiting the same places. Wishing you a lovely week!