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.

coincidence

Last Monday I went to Paris for an interview. Of course, this being France, there was a strike on the suburban train line that I needed to use to get to my interview, so I ended up taking a few metros and a cab. On one metro trip, I noticed two people sitting across from me: directly across was a older man who was wearing a ball cap and two seats over was a young woman wearing jeans and some Bensimon shoes. I noticed the man because he seemed to be staring at me, but I later figured that he was just staring in my general direction, and I noticed the woman because the space between her nose and her upper lip was much larger than normal.

I continued on towards my interview, took a cab from La Défense and arrived with two minutes to spare. The interview itself wasn't too interesting; the office was in a hovel of a building and they were clearly looking for someone who had a good knowledge of the classical music touring network in France (which I don't!). They also were suggesting that they wouldn't have any time to train a new person and that there were many urgent things that needed doing. In short, I was not the girl for the job and that's ok.

I left the interview and figured out how to take the bus to La Défense. Once there, I hopped on the metro and a few stations later, I saw the young woman who I had seen earlier that day get on the metro. She got on my car through the door nearest me. I thought that was interesting. I then transferred to another metro and then a couple of stations later, the man with the ball cap got on my car through the door nearest me. It got me thinking about coincidences that seem too impossible. Of all the millions of people living in Paris who take the metro, I bumped into the same two people twice in the same day on two different trains. Both times they entered the car I was in through the door closest to me. What are the odds?

I had a few hours to kill before heading home, so I went to the Galéries Lafayette (a large department store) and saw their immense Christmas tree in the centre of the store.  Wow!
(photo from this website. )

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'.

interview time

After being here for six weeks, I am finally heading into a couple of interviews. Getting an interview seems like a success in itself and I am encouraged by it, especially after receiving so many rejection letters. This is all part of the process and somehow I am managing to not get too emotionally attached to any one possibility. Perhaps this is because of the disappointments I had earlier this year, when I was offered jobs, got all excited, and then was let down when the work permit didn't come through. Allowing myself to get excited and to dream about the reality of the job made the disappointment that much greater. Keeping a calm head about the implications of each job is another thing; sometimes it takes constant reminding to not worry about the future and just concentrate on the present moment and the current task at hand.

the job search

Something I have been doing ever since I arrived here is looking for work. It's an interesting position to be in. It's as if the world has opened itself wide open to me and I get to choose which direction to follow, with very few constraints. Of course there is the reality of needing to work as soon as possible but there is also the question of finding work that is satisfying and conducive to a good quality of life. In my search I have been balancing the location of the job (do we really want to move there? can Jean-Marc find work there?) with the relevance of the work to my training and experience. At first I felt as if I had no attachment to one region and I was ready to go anywhere, but the longer I stay here, the more choosy I become about where I would accept work.

I have to remain open-minded about my options, so that means that I might be working as an interior designer, a library assistant, a production assistant for a musical group, a singer, an English teacher for adults, a music librarian for an opera company or a stage manager for an orchestra.  If I were to stick to just one thing, I would be seriously limiting my options and I think that I would be waiting a long time to get a job. My goal is to be working by February, if not sooner, and I hope to find something that is everything I'm looking for. Here is to hoping!

christmas decorations

Today Jean-Marc and I headed out to the local forest to see what kind of greenery we could scavenge for decoration. We spotted some honeysuckle vines in the forest and Jean-Marc immediately saw the potential. We made two spheres, as well as a wreath, and when we got them home we put lights inside. One sphere is sitting on top of our armoire in the bedroom and the other is in the living room. I like the effect of the natural branches and the lights, and it's a nice alternative to a Christmas tree (which we didn't really have the room for).