Sunday, May 9th, 2010
Hôtel Drouot is pure theatre
The auction rooms at the Hôtel Drouot in Paris date to 1852. They’ve been modernized since then, but the general atmosphere probably hasn’t changed much. On any day of the week, a throng of characters straight out of a Maupassant novel can be found bidding for dusty treasures straight out of the proverbial Old Curiosity [...]
1 Comment » - Posted in Culture,Museums and Monuments,Shopping,Understand France and the French by Jasmine
Sunday, May 9th, 2010
The very force of globalism has kept French local
Do It Yourself Culture… by Michael Kimmelman
No Comments » - Posted in Culture,Understand France and the French by Jasmine
Friday, April 2nd, 2010
Poisson d’Avril
April Fool’s day is said to have French origins. In 1564, France reformed the calendar, changing the beginning of the year from the end of March to January 1st. For those who resisted the new calendar and adhered to the old traditions, paper fish were playfully attached to their backs and they were fondly dubbed [...]
No Comments » - Posted in Culture,Funny,Understand France and the French by Jasmine
Wednesday, March 31st, 2010
Paris, via a 19th Century Guide
From the New York Times…
No Comments » - Posted in Books,Books on France,Culture,Food,Restaurants,Understand France and the French by Jasmine
Friday, September 4th, 2009
France Miniature
Our friend Patrick Mikla always surprises us with ‘inside’ discoveries of Paris and France. From the time we met him some 15 year ago, I can remember each and every one of our adventures. The latest is France Miniature. He took the day off and took us Élancourt, a town about an hour drive outside [...]
No Comments » - Posted in Culture,For tourists only,Museums and Monuments,Travel,Travel with Kids,Understand France and the French by Jasmine
Friday, September 4th, 2009
Marie Antoinette et Hameau de Reine
Finally visited the Hameau de Reine. Expected a small garden and of course, it’s fit for a Queen. It even has a little farm and a zoo. Lovely for kids to visit and the houses on the property are actually for normal people.
No Comments » - Posted in Culture,General,Museums and Monuments,Travel with Kids by Jasmine
Tuesday, September 1st, 2009
First foray into cooking was through Silver Palate Cookbook
I read today that Sheila Lufkin, the author of “Silver Palate Cookbook 25th Anniversary Edition” (Julee Rosso, Sheila Lukins) had passed away. I was struck that her cookbook got me started cooking when i was just out of college, some 25 years ago. During my weekends to NYC from Boston where I attended college, many [...]
No Comments » - Posted in Books,Food,Restaurants by Jasmine
Monday, August 31st, 2009
Advantage France
My husband and I were just talking about ‘terroir,’ and why is it that we feel healthier, and more connected to the earth, when we’re in France, even though it seems we eat more cream, cheese, and desserts when we are here. Roger Cohen encapsulated my thoughts more perfectly, ‘TIme bows at the altar of [...]
1 Comment » - Posted in Culture,Food,Understand France and the French by Jasmine
Tuesday, July 14th, 2009
Mona Lisa in Camelot
Two ladies in Camelot.…. Who knew… Just read in the Vanity Fair article of how the 1963 American exhibition of the Mona Lisa in New York City and Washington, D.C., was America’s first blockbuster art show. The writer Davids recounts in numbing detail the negotiations, preparations, flummoxes and successes of the exhibit. The exhibition was [...]
No Comments » - Posted in Books,Books on France,Culture,Museums and Monuments,Travel,Understand France and the French by Jasmine
Wednesday, February 4th, 2009
Somewhere Else » Blog Archive » Standard line
Not too far from our apartment hangs an educational Paris landmark. 
It’s right across the street from the Sénat, in the arcade. This is another Parisian line, in front of number 36 rue de Vaugirard and not far from the church of Saint Sulpice. … Today only two of these marble standards are still in existence, and this is the only one in its original location.
