Le Marche Dimanche

Every Sunday, I've been going to an outdoors organic market that is only a few blocks away from my dorm. Why? Almost nothing is open on Sundays in Paris... whether it's department stores, bakeries, pharmacies, restaurants, etc. I find it really funny that the places that are open are the Jewish ones (they rest on Saturdays instead) or the Asian ones (too cheap to close shop). However, I found out that stores that remain open on Sundays usually have to pay a fine...strange.

Anyhow, I thought the novelty of an outdoor Parisian market would wear off because the stands are the same every week, but it hasn't... at all. Every week, I am absolutely enraptured by the color of the fruits, vegetables, and food at the market. Maybe because my dormitory serves ratty, holey, bruised fruits for breakfast, or because it's impossible to spot vegetables in the normal Parisian meal. The market also gives off this energetic, fresh, healthy vibe because the sellers are really passionate about their homemade or home-grown products. Usually, I've felt that many Parisians don't really like the job they're doing, perhaps because a quarter of them are civil servants (hahaha). At least at this market, the producers are very friendly, well-knowledgeable about their products, and seem to be more passionate about their work even though it's neither high-paying nor easy. Very refreshing! Also, if I could communicate smell through the Internet, I totally would, because the market experience is not complete without all the delicious smells wafting around.

The Three Animals of L'Opera Garnier

First off, the answer to the puzzle that I sent in the email is....

the Titanic!!!

People in higher economic classes survived more than those beneath them because poorer people were in lower cabins on the Titanic. And more males died than females or children because of the idea that "women and children on the boats first". Interesting, right?!

Last Friday, I went on a guided tour of L'Opera Garnier, the famous, very decadent Opera house in Paris, with the rest of my program. I'm determined to watch a ballet there! Apparently, you can buy 100 Euro seats for 20 Euros if you wait in line the day of the show at the box office...but the catch is: people start gathering for this line at 4...in the morning. Sigh...I might actually have to do that because the Opera was not built for all of the audience to even see the stage. Seriously, some tickets are labeled "non-visibility" because you can't even see the stage from your seat. Isn't that sad? 

During our tour, the guide taught us that there are three animals that live within the Opera...crazy, right? 

1. Les Carpes (Carps, as in fish)

When the architect Charles Garnier started to build the Opera house, he found that there was a huge pond in that plot of land. This is where the legend of the Phantom of the Opera originated! Remember that scary, foggy river the Phantom rows through under the Opera house? That's the same body of water as this... but sadly, it's just a legend. The water isn't actually there anymore because it was impossible for Garnier to build an Opera house on top of a body of water. BUT, he collected all the water (along with the fish) and made a reservoir within the Opera. So under the Opera, there is this reservoir (full of carps) that no one is allowed to see except for the technicians...There used to be trout and other small fish that originally lived in the pond, but the technicians would secretly fish for them... So, the Opera decided to put carps inside the reservoir because it's apparently really hard to eat carps. hahhaha

2. Les Abeilles (Bees) 

These same technicians got bored and started to cultivate beehives on the roof of the Opera. What's amazing is that the bees feed off the flowers from all the nearby famous public gardens in Paris: Luxembourg Gardens, Tuileries Gardens, etc. These huge public gardens don't use ANY pesticides, so the honey that these bees produce is supposed to taste amazing...They only produce 60 kg of honey a year at L'Opera and it's supposedly very exclusive and very expensive. I wonder what kind of power/money you need to get a taste of that honey...

3. Les Petits Rats (Direct translation: the small rats) 

There aren't really small rats inside the Opera. "Les Petits Rats" is an idiomatic phrase for children who practice ballet inside the Opera. So not a real animal, but close enough! 

The Opera house was really ornate and there were so many details in the walls, ceilings, etc... 

Can you spot the two dates (in years) in the ceiling? They're the years of construction...see what I mean by detail?

The Foyer....(real) gold everywhere

The amphitheater was built really simply with a burgundy and gold color combination but in real life, its grandeur is soooo breathtaking. It was hard to capture on film...

The ceiling inside the Amphitheater. To give you a sense of scale, the small inner circle (where the chandelier is) takes up as much space as a small Parisian studio...

The original ceiling was actually replaced by this modern art ceiling created by a Russian artist. The juxtaposition of this modern art versus the Parisian architecture of the amphitheater was really interesting. It has the famous Parisian landmarks on the ceiling...I zoomed in! 

 L'Arc de Triomphe

Le Sacre Coeur

Me at the Opera..hahaha

After the tour, I went and got Korean food. I know...But even though I'm in Paris where the food is amazing, etc, I really crave certain foods that they don't really have here: Korean food, Mexican food (I would die for a Chipotle burrito), steak fries, Governor's chicken from Joy Yees (is it sad that I miss Joy Yees the most?), and a grilled Tostada Chicken Salad from Cheesecake Factory. 

The bibimbap I found at this place called Ace Bento (it's on this heavenly street full of Japanese and Korean restaurants, supermarkets, bakeries) was fairly cheap and satisfying :) My first week in Paris, I craved Korean food so much I impulsively went to the closest Korean restaurant and bought this tiny bowl of soondubuchigae for 15 Euros...biggest and best mistake of my life here. 

Ble Sucre

A taste of upcoming food posts…

Today, I trekked across Paris to this patisserie named Ble Sucre (means “Sweet Wheat”) famous for its reasonably-priced, absolutely delicious pastries. This is by far my favorite patisserie in Paris!

Its Madeleines, the iconic French cookie, is especially famous and tastes one hundred times better than those madeleines I used to gulp down from Costco .

cute storefront

From recommendations, I bought a pain aux raisins and Madeleines (they’re supposed to be the best in Paris). The pain aux raisins cost 1,20 Euros (they use commas instead of periods!) and a bag of 4 madeleines were 3,40… (very reasonable, I think!).

I actually don’t even like raisins but I really enjoyed the pain aux raisins. Maybe because, it was the perfect combination of chewy, flaky, sticky and sweet…

Le Pain aux Raisins

The madeleines tasted so light and fluffy and they had an outer shell of light citron frosting that was so flaky and not too sweet. They literally melted in my mouth, probably because there is a gigantic amount of butter in and on them. (Lexi, I expect you to remake these when I get back) I'm not sure why I took so many pictures of these madeleines....they were just so goood. 

It kind of looks like it has a tumor...

In the middle of eating...

Can you see the flaky frosting!?

I decided I’m going to try one of every pastry in this store by the time I leave even if I have to skip lunch (and maybe dinner) to balance out my daily calorie intake…sigh…(truly a Paris problem)

In conclusion, Bennison’s Bakery in Evanston…outdone x infinite.

On a side note, I really like when guys in Paris walk around with their motorcycle helmet still on.

(Sorry, old man for creeping on you while you were innocently buying pastries.) 

Rainy Day in Paris

Random thought of the day:
I was walking down Rue Saint-Germain and I felt a small raindrop on my shoulder. I seriously looked up and it just started to pour. I definitely was not prepared for this random downpour (which is apparently common in Paris) and neither were all the other Parisians on the street. We all dashed under the closest roof-like thing that covers doorways (what do you call them?). Although I squeezed into a tiny entryway with eight strangers, it was strangely comforting to huddle with them, make small talk, and peer out at the pouring rain together. I like Paris.

I was planning to go to the famous Berthillon Glacier which is supposed to have the best ice cream in France (do I daresay the world?). But, unfortunately after being drenched by the rain, I just returned to my room...and had a really good cup of tea! (Isn't this mug cute, hahaha my cousin lent it to me!)

Yesterday, I went to buy postcards from this small newsstand and the guy who worked there was soo nice. The postcards were a strange shape so I asked him if I could send them to the United States like a regular postcard but he told me I needed envelopes. Then, we proceeded to have a conversation about why I was sending them to the US, what I was doing here, etc. When I finally bought the postcards, he also put a bunch of envelopes in the bag and he said "C'est un cadeau pour toi" which means (It's a gift for you!). SO NICE RIGHT? However, the point of the story isn't that the guy was really friendly, but that this entire conversation took place in FRENCH. I've come to realize that the best feeling in the world is when I speak French to a Parisian and they respond in French. Likewise, the worst feeling in the world is when I speak French...and they automatically respond in English...

I also met up with my cousin and her boyfriend, William, today at their workplace area. They live in the financial district of Paris which basically looks like Chicago. It's very modern and has a lot of skyscrapers, etc. I promise pictures of the buildings next time, it's beautiful at night. Anyways, they are really the cutest couple in the world. (I know, I'm still third wheeling even in Paris. hahaha) We ate at McDonalds for dinner...which is surprisingly really good here. Everything truly tastes better in Paris!

At la Defense with William.

First (extremely long) Note from Paris

Bonjour!

So I named my blog "faire du leche-vitrine" which means "window-shopping" in French. Maybe it's because I am actually window shopping everywhere I walk in Paris because all the streets are lined with amazing stores (there is definitely a Dior right next to my school building). But, no, that's not the real reason, there is actually a deeper meaning to my blog's name! (kind of).

So, a "vitrine" in English is a "window display" and "lecher" means "to lick". So window-shopping (faire du leche-vitrine) in French directly translates into "licking the display" (which I actually find very appropriate). However, to me, the entirety of Paris is a darn huge window display and it's so easy for me to become completely engrossed in my surroundings. Metaphorically speaking, I am licking the huge window display that is Paris. Even if I'm walking down a random street here, I feel as though there is so much to see and so much opportunity for me to grow culturally, simply by looking. I would say it's comparable to when Harry Potter first visited Diagon Alley: 

"Harry wished he had eight more eyes. He turned his head in every direction as they walked up the street, trying to look at everything at once: the shops, the things outside them, the people doing their shopping." 

I also wish I had eight more eyes and that I could remember everything I see. I'm hoping that this blog will motivate me to explore Paris more and try to capture it as much as possible. 

Anyways, let me lead you on a tour of my life for the past few weeks starting from Day One: 

The super heavy green door that opens into.... 

...a shady alley way that is actually my dorm!! 

our dinky shared Parisian room...

Haha. I thought it was hilarious that our dorm's refrigerator has a "No Cheese" sign. It reminded me of the "No Durians" sign they have in Singapore... But yes, French people really do love their cheese! 

I think the stereotype that Paris is full of French windows, iron-wrought balconies, and beautiful trees lining the streets is actually very true. Sometimes, I feel like I'm on a film set. 

At the end of our first week, our entire program went on a field trip to Normandy, in which we visited the German and American cemeteries from WWI, the beach where the Americans landed (aka the iconic scene from Saving Private Ryan), as well as some very quaint towns. (I'm going to be stealing some pictures from Jerry because my camera died there haha) 

The American cemetery was hauntingly beautiful.  

On a lighter note, we got to visit the small, country side towns within Normandy such as Honfleur and Caen. We were lucky because they were having a huge outdoor farmers market in Honfleur. Also, Honfleur's cobble stone roads, old houses, harbors, and outdoors eating truly epitomized a quaint French countryside town (although Honfleur is pretty big). 

 The iconic Honlfeur harbor with the famous timbered houses (above). 

(Right) I forgot that there was also live music...from a man in a Scottish kilt at the head of a boat...playing the Star Wars theme song! hahaha

All of us lined up at the harbor! 

One of the first places we "visited" in Paris was Le Jardin du Luxembourg, which is only a ten minute walk from our dorm. I'm so amazed that Parisians have the opportunity to just leisurely read, sunbathe, walk their dogs, take a nap, or jog in such a beautiful, historic, (spiderless) PUBLIC PARK. Why don't our public parks look like this!!! There are these (really heavy) green chairs everywhere around the park and people can move them around and arrange them to talk to friends, find the perfect tanning spot, or to gather for a game of chess. I love running here in the mornings because all the chairs are empty and I like to imagine why the chairs were arranged that way and what the people sitting there were doing the day before... Does that make sense? It does in my mind... anyways... 

For example, I would see a lone chair the next morning......but I would probably never guess there was a woman sitting there with a stroller propped next to her....

Sigh. I thought I could actually cover my last month in one post... Sadly, the impossible doesn't actually become possible just because I'm in Paris. So...TO BE CONTINUED...