Foodies Paradise

Cheese Bread and Wine

Everything that we do in Paris evolves around food. Paris is definitely a foodies paradise but did you know that Pittsburgh is as well? Often when we’re having one meal we’re talking about or at least speaking about the next one. This suits me just fine. That was also my life growing up. My grandmother was a fabulous cook. I loved watching her in the kitchen. When i was 7 I begged her to teach me how to cook. I saved up to buy a Girl Scout cookbook and picked out a few things that i wanted to prepare for our family. We prepared a delicious dinner that day. My grandma went on to teach me some wonderful dishes that I often still prepare. She never used a recipe or measuring instruments. She cooked by feel. I do that now. My grandfather was a private chef on dad’s side. He taught my father how to cook. He prepared more extravagant dishes. He taught me to cook too. I have spent hours watching cooking shows on tv and reading cookbooks and recipes. My point is that I’m what most call a foodie and a pretty decent cook. Paris is a perfect place for us.

There are different kinds of French cuisine. I prefer the simple dishes mostly. When there just a few deliciously fresh ingredients prepared well, I think it’s so much more flavorful. I have a surprising gift of tasting something and being able to figure out the flavor profiles. I can tell the spices and ingredients. I also like taking a recipe and making it my own. Cooking is relaxing and fun for me. I do try complex dishes from time to time but simplicity is still my favorite.

My husband loves cheese. I think he would eat cheese before anything else. Cheese in France is amazing… I will admit that. Cheese is an art in France. When we have dinner with our French family the cheese course is probably my husband’s favorite. Even if we are all satiated, we still have cheese. The cheese course comes after the main course but before the dessert. Sometimes it takes the place of the dessert. Often times, if we’re not too hungry ,we will just have cheese and salad for dinner. Of course we must have fresh baked bread and wine to wash it all down. We aren’t cheese snobs though. We will eat cheeses from anywhere in the world, not just from France. Sometimes when our friends visit they will bring us a nice cheddar from the US or England.

We have a lot of friends that come to Paris either for work or vacation. We often will get a text or email asking if we’re free to meet for drinks or dinner, coffee or wine. A lot of times we are free. A few days ago we took some friends to one of our favorite places for dinner and we do have many! While we were there we met a couple from New Jersey. They were delightful. We had a wonderful conversation with them and a fabulous meal of soufflé. Paris is like that and Pittsburgh can be like that too. Both are a foodies paradise.

We had a similar experience at our local favorite there while having dinner with my girls. Will we keep in touch with our new found friends? Most likely not but it enriched us in a way that only good food and lively conversation can.

I know that I am wealthy. My diamonds are food and my rubies are my people. These are the best riches in the world!