favourite things: the pickle picker upper

This is one of those things that is so handy, it makes you wonder why everybody isn't doing it. Instead of fishing around for pickles with a fork, knife or fingers, the French have a handy pickle picker upper that comes with each jar of pickles. Pick and lift and voila - those pickles that were at the bottom of the jar are now within easy reach. Now, I know there may be concerns about the extra packaging (and recycling), but I have to say that it's a little thing that works well. That, and the unrippable butter wrappers they have here!

favourite things: 35-cent coffee

You'll have to use your imagination here because I don't have a camera, other than the built-in one in my computer. Cafés in France are quite different from ones in North America; coffee is served in real cups, there are usually no goodies to accompany the coffee, and people tend to sit down to enjoy their cuppa (if they're in a hurry, they stand at the bar and drink up fast). Although Starbucks has made it into Paris, and perhaps other large cities, it - and anything like it - has not entered my part of Province (anywhere outside of Paris). No large to-go cups anywhere to be seen! French people say it's something they see in movies and on tv, but you'd never see someone sipping a coffee while walking down the street. In most institutions and places of work, however, there are coffee machines that serve up espresso, café crème and cappuccino for quite cheap. At the schools where I work, the price is set at 35 cents and the coffee is even fair trade! The cups are small - maybe 2-3 tiny espresso cups large (a dixie cup size?) - and you can choose how much sugar, if any, you want. It's somewhat refreshing to be presented with reasonably-sized amounts of coffee, especially after being immersed in Starbucks culture where a tall (the smallest cup on the menu, even though they do offer a smaller short) means 1.5 cups of liquid and a grande is a full two cups. All for the low price of $3-5! It's amazing what we come to accept as normal with portion sizes. I'm happy to have access to my little 35-cent lattés at work. I just wish they would make it possible to use a real cup instead of a plastic one that is automatically dispensed.

favourite things: no ads at night

This is just a little hats-off to the French public television stations (France 2, 3, 5 and Arte) that don't show advertisements after 8:30pm. It's so much more enjoyable to watch movies and documentaries without the annoying breaks!

favourite things: milk

When I came to France in 1990 to work as an au pair, I remember going to the grocery store to look for some milk and I couldn't find any! The reason being, as I later discovered, that the French don't buy fresh milk from the cooler, but rather tetra pack-type bottles from the regular shelves. Since most of rural France doesn't really have convenience stores and the regular grocery stores close early, it's good to be stocked up. The milk doesn't quite taste the same, but it is handy to be able to pick up a six-pack and have it at the ready for those times when you inevitably run out of milk! (By the way, bio means organic.)

underground recycling

A favourite thing that isn't edible? I wasn't sure it was possible, but I ended up finding one. I have seen these recycling containers in many cities and villages around France and I think they're a great idea and a perfect solution to city recycling, where the apartment buildings don't necessarily have the room to house their own recycling containers. Essentially, these are underground bins with an above ground chute that can hold a lot of recyclables. When it comes time to empty them, trucks lift the whole bin out of the ground, unload them and then put them back. I think it's great because it doesn't take up a lot of room, they're not too ugly to look at, and they're handy enough to encourage people to actually use them.

favourite things: salted butter

You may think that I have a thing for salt (and you may be right!). This butter has actual chunks of sea salt in it, which doesn't make it that great to cook or bake with but does make a delicious option for buttering bread. Somehow the occasional bit of salt mixed in with honey or jam makes my morning tea and toast extra special. This is not the kind of salt that is iodized and hurts your tongue; it's a flavour enhancer that brings out the best in everything. Tasty!

favourite things: fleur de sel

There is salt and then there is salt. One of my first discoveries with salt happened back in 2001 when Caitlin and I headed to our newly purchased farmhouse for the first summer. We bought some salt to put in a salt shaker and when we got it home, we realized that the grains were far too big to use in the shaker. We used this salt from its container and immediately realized how wonderful it made everything taste. It was Fleur de Sel de Guérande: an amazing tasting salt that makes anything you put it on sing with joy! Since that time, it has become a staple in my kitchen. I use fine sea salt in my cooking, but when it comes to putting salt on my food, I always reach for the fleur de sel. In the regions where this salt is produced (Guérande in the west and Camargue in the south) you can find stalls at the market that sell fleur de sel mixed with all sorts of herbs, spices and even flowers.

favourite things: antésite

I have decided to document all my favourite things in France and here is my first installment. Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you antésite (on-tay-zeet).

This is for licorice lovers only! It's concentrated licorice that makes a refreshing drink when you add just a few drops to water. The resulting drink is almost like a Pastis, minus the alcohol, and it contains no sugar. Being a Dutch girl with deep licorice roots, I am a big fan of this invention! It gives tap water a little extra somethin' somethin'.