Mangia!!

By far, one of the best parts of getting to know another culture is getting to know its food - what people eat both day to day and for celebrations, how they prepare their special dishes and how they share meals together, are all such vital (and wonderful!) elements of a place.


The past couple of weeks have been a whirlwind tour of these experiences.

The highlight for me has been sharing all of these meals with Javier, who arrived on Sunday the 16th! For our first meal together, we picked up my favorite boulangerie's specialty bread, "Pain Paillasse" on our way back from the airport, and enjoyed it with French crepes that we made at home. :-) Dabbling in French cuisine was a theme for the rest of the week, with potato-leek soup, wine and cheese tastings and omlettes with salad all on the menu.

We took a break from the French theme on Wednesday, however, to participate in our school's International Food Night. While Philippe, Javier and I picked up some "American" fixin's (brownies, chips, coca cola, etc), Andy was responsible for the star dish - true Southern bbq pork sandwiches. We served these goodies to crowds of students who also sampled treats from Mexico, Morocco, Scotland, Brasil, Germany, and a whole host of other countries.

This past weekend, though, was back to Italy for the best eating there is! Javier's aunt, uncle, and godson live in Milan, and we were lucky enough to spend Easter with them.


Strolling around Milan, visiting the Leaning Tower of Pisa and attending Easter Mass, where Javier's godson was the altar boy were all great moments during our trip.







The main events, however, were definitely the meals. Massive, wood-oven pizzas the first night, followed by dark choclate gelato that was like a truffle that litterally melts in your mouth. Then a Tuscan feast for lunch in Pisa, followed by charcuterie, cheeses and a smorgasboard of five different pastas with meat, pancetta, cream, pesto and spicy tomato sauces all homemade by Javier's aunt that night. And then, Easter, which included a five-course feast prepared by Javier's uncle's Italian mother and a final tasting of risotto and sausages that night. Amazing.

This week, we're re-discovering, with more pleasure than ever, what treat it can be to eat light for a change! Soups and salads are definitely in order to recover from the decadance of Milan!

Rainbow Season

Living in France for me has been a dream on many levels. On other levels it's just part of... living. This week has been mostly normal, everyday stuff - no crazy adventures to post. However, whether in France or anywhere else, it's amazing how many little pleasures can light up a "normal" week. In between going to class, grocery shopping, counting down to Javier's arrival on Sunday, and cooking dinner, little "gifts from the universe" always appear!



This week, gifts included time to go to the cheese place with my friend, Andy, and sample a plate of the owner's favorites; a free lunch as part of the student elections on Wednesday; a clear bill of health from the medical system that had to check all of us out as part of the paperwork formalities that go with our visas and... rainbows!


I thought Chicago weather was crazy, but we've been everywhere from 32 to 72 degrees this week, and several days in a row, we had rain come from practically clear skies. But check out the results!!



Oh, and in an effort to spread good things, two women from my life in Chicago have asked to have their latest works introduced around! If you get the chance to check out Tracy Coenen's book or Rebecca Parrish's short film, please do!

"ESSENTIALS OF CORPORATE FRAUD" by Tracy Coenen

The book guides executives, managers, attorneys, and auditors through the basics of corporate fraud. In order to effectively fight fraud, it is important to understand who commits fraud, why they do it, how they do it, and how it affects the company as a whole.
Essentials of Corporate Fraud is more than a primer on fraud detection and prevention. It is a real-world look at how fraud occurs from an expert who has investigated hundreds of internal frauds, including embezzlement, financial statement fraud, investment fraud, bribery, and corruption. Tracy's broad experience ranging from law enforcement to traditional auditing and finally to forensic accounting and fraud investigations brings a unique perspective to this publication.

Essentials of Corporate Fraud offers readers the opportunity to:
* Understand the root causes of corporate fraud and how to manage it * Identify red flags of corporate fraud * Become familiar with common fraud schemes and their warning signs * Learn basic fraud prevention procedures

www.fraudessentials.com

CROSSIN ALL THE BOUNDARIES
A short documentary by Rebecca Parrish and Brooke Bassin exploring race, class, gender, and power in a small Mississippi Delta town through the lens of the 2008 presidential primaries.
Crossin' All The Boundaries is a journey through Clarksdale, a small town on the Mississippi Delta. Three weeks before the 2008 Mississippi Presidential Primaries, the filmmakers, Rebecca Parrish and Brooke Bassin, travel across boundaries of race and class in this small Southern town to find out how people relate to the candidates and to national politics as a whole.
In this intimate portrait of a political process that can often seem distant and abstract, the filmmakers meet people where they're at: on the street, at work, in their living rooms, at church, and even golfing at the country club. The film ultimately goes beyond the elections to provide a window into the operations of race, class, gender, and power.

http://current.com/items/88865059_crossin_all_the_boundaries.

Pain Paillasse

It's tough work, but somebody has got to do it... With the end of our official language training just three weeks away, I have been spending a good deal of time at one of Clermont-Ferrand's best "boulangeries," taking pictures and learning all about the story of M. Riviere in order to prepare my final project en francais.

I took about a hundred pictures on two separate pre-dawn visits. (A few of them are attached, the rest you can see in my "web albums") Any American who believes what they've heard about the French being lazy simply doesn't realize the enormous amount of work, focus, dedication and love that is actually behind the French products we all appreciate the most- in this case, amazingly fresh and delicious bread and pasteries!

M. Riviere has owned this boulangerie for over thirty years. He and his wife started the business when they were 22-year-old newly-weds, and they're finally in semi-retirement, with new owners taking over.

After that much time, it's hard to just walk away, however. M. Riviere seems to have been born for this work. During their early years in the business, he and his wife worked alone, baking breads with the finest flours and the expert's touch, all night long, and then charming customers with a showman's talent all day. Their two children spent most of their "familiy time" in the boulangerie.

With the introduction of the new, patented, and exclusive "Paillasse" bread in the 1980's, the little boulangerie became a booming business. The team grew as teenagers would come as apprentices to learn under the master. Because M. Riviere insited on keeping the team very small and efficient, these apprentices became like family, literally growing up in the prestigious boulangerie.

Today, M. Riviere is still there most mornings, overseeing the final moments when the bread from the night's baking fills up the shop, and greeting the regular customers who come even from the suburbs on the weekends.

While I've had a chance to sample a good portion of M. Riviere's creations, a complete exploration is part of the plan while Javier is here! I'm counting down the days - his six week visit begins when the flight lands from China next Sunday!