Mastering the Art of French Cooking

Well!! I finally got to a French cooking class!! Saturday morning bright and early, we set off to learn how to make a dish from Provence, including pattisserie.... not an area am quite familiar with, so was very hot under the collar, saying "desole" quite a few times ("sorry!) because I kept treating the pastry wrong!

All very exciting and confusing, as it was all in French of course, and my fellow class mates all french, no tourists allowed!! No one knew where New Zealand was, it was hilarious!! Told them I had watched 8 movies on the way over (sad, but true) so they got the gist of how far away New Zealand was from that!!

It was lovely actually, aubergines, onions, courgettes and potatoes and tomatoes stuffed with veal and fresh herbs and pinenuts... all washed down with a fresh light, rose wine from Bordeux...

It has been amazing, the most weird feeling in fact, because I feel as if I am in South America. Buenos Aires in Argentina, is called by locals the "little Paris" and now I know exactly why! It is very similar. Also, the people, and their eating habits, the street life, the animation, is all like Argentina or Santiago, so even though I cant for the life of me understand what is being said, I sort of 'get it'.

We went to see Helenes parents today, "meet the parents" except they were in the middle of a family crisis, with the grandfather aged 90, who recently in March this year lost his wife, deciding he needed to sell this amazing apartment on the 28th floor overlooking the river Seine, because he was leading a double life, and had another whanau tucked away nicely, thank you very much!! All very dramatic!!

It was awesome!!

So all these relatives were trying to sort out what to do about this wayward 90 year old.

In Chile the red tape involved with things like this (sorting out wills, selling property) is called "tramites" which means a lot of hair pulling, cueing, argueing, stamping of documents, more cueing, waiting, more signatures etc etc. In one neat little word that is what it means. Here it is called démarches..... and it is just as painful, but a reality of getting things done in a drama fueled city. They have a long wait.... So!

Did not get to have too much quality time with the "in laws" who do not speak English anyway, so did get the photo!!!

Sunday everything is shut. Its like a public holiday in New Zealand. So many French go and visit families and do lunches, or go to the beach or parks, and smooch. Lots of PDA's and my son has got right into it!! I feel like a third wheel half the time (actually, ALL the time!!) Ahh, well, young love, they may as well enjoy it!

Talk soon!!!