My word for Parisians

17 January 2008- My kitchen gets finished off tomorrow. Took 'em long enough. Oh well, that is the French way. Lots of administration but then and only then is there action. So my kitchen will be done and then i get to get spend a week away from it. A coworker and friend of Chad's visited last week and calls it my lab. Very appropriate.
I have been experimenting quite abit with my reportoire in my "lab." Another wedding present was Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French cooking. It has been a great resource and it is written with the translation of the dish in French. Very important when reading restaurant menus and making my own for home.
And the french have made it very easy. I make quiche weekly with pre made puff pastry crust. Dan, it isn't just for camping anymore! I made a spinach quiche last Sunday with frozen spinach. I opened the carton expecting to hack away at the frozen mass of spinach. Oh non non. The French have individually wrapped little compressed bricks of spinach and you thaw only what you need. I even made hummus in my transformed Magic Bullet blender. Three varieties, original, olive and sun dried tomato. I couldn't find it at the supermarche so the old recipebook and some extras and VOILA. come on you had to be expecting that one.
Speaking of the supermarche, this has been a long time coming observation. The checkers in the stores perform their jobs while sitting down. Okay, you get 6 weeks off, socialized health care, 1.5 hours for lunch and a seat? Life must be pretty rough. The guys at the street marches don't sit. They are out actively selling their wares.
The latest observation is new and related to the smoking ban. People know that if you want a bus to come, you simply take the lid off your coffee or light up a cigarette. Guaranteed, like getting up to go to the bathroom and returning to your food at the table. Well, the cigarettes that get stubbed out and not taken are quickly adopted by the next stranger. I know yewh! This has also happened at the Supermarche by my house at least twice. Strangers scooping up other peoples partially used cigs. Disgusting!
So when my French Teacher asked for a word to describe Parisians, I said Bizarre! I also said helpful and impatient. I impressed her with my knowledge of the numbers and some of the nouns and that I already shop at the boulangerie. Of course my next lessson won't be for another week but I do have workbooks, audiobooks on my ipod and Rosetta Stone.
Chad has been under the weather so lots of tea, Campbell's chicken noodle soup (somethings just can't be substituted) and Puffs Plus have been consumed. Good thing we are going back for a restock.