family | From your Parisian

sunshine_blogger_award

I admit that I am not super comfortable sharing too much personal information on my blog (I’m working on this), but when Paulie from Paulie Loves Food (you can read Paulie’s nomination post here) was sweet enough to nominate me for a Sunshine Blogger Award, I was more than happy to answer her list of questions! With the clouds back in Paris, the thought of spreading a little sunshine to others definitely appealed to me!

Thanks again to Paulie for the nomination and here are my answers to her questions:

1. What do you like most about blogging?

I think it has to be the act of writing freely! My full time job at the moment is a medical writer and I do freelance writing projects too, but that type of writing is rather controlled and I usually have to follow certain guidelines or write about a certain topic. My blog gives me an outlet to write what I feel like writing about, and although I don’t blog that regularly at the moment and it’s more of a hobby, I really hope to have more time to develop my blog in the near future. I also love sharing my experiences and discoveries of the city I love with anyone that is interested!

2. One song you’ll never stop listing to?

Oh wow, there are way too many! But if I had to pick one I think it would be Lauryn Hill: Doo Wop (That Thing), from the album The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill (IMO, one of the best albums of all time). It was the first CD I ever bought and I’ve been listening to it ever since (and know the lyrics by heart)!

3. What things are you most grateful for in your life?

The people I love and my health. I’m really lucky to have some amazing people in my life that make me smile when I’m sad and are silly like me. Never take your loved ones or your health for granted! Oh and MUSIC – that feeling of pure joy when you are dancing and singing to a song that touches your soul! And of course, I’m super grateful for each day that I get to spend in Paris!

4. What’s the story behind your blog’s name?

I like to think that anyone who lives and feels alive in Paris can be considered a Parisian (even if they weren’t born here). I wanted my blog to share the cool and relatively unknown places of Paris from a local’s perspective. Almost as if I was writing home to my readers as their own personal “Parisian” of sorts and signing off as “From Your Parisian”. I guess it just sounded right to me.

5. What’s the weirdest thing you’ve eaten?

Hmmm…this really depends on your definition of weird. I’ve eaten chicken feet and jelly fish but they’re pretty normal menu items if you’re a fan of dim sum. My first time eating snails and frog legs here in France was weird to me, but they were surprisingly good. Some British food could be considered pretty weird too, like bread sauce (a must at our family Christmas dinners), spotted dick (is there any way to make a dessert sound less appetizing?) or toad in the hole!

6. Worst travel experience ever?

It would probably involve some form of motion sickness. I haven’t had any really bad travel experiences but I’ve felt pretty sick during certain long car rides or on a bumpy high-speed ferry between two Greek islands where I thought I was going to die! Luckily, arriving at the destination always makes up for any nausea encountered along the way.

7. Where are you from, and what is the most common stereotype or misconception about your home town/state/country?

I’m from Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada! ❤ Lots of people assume that the entire country of Canada is a land of snow and igloos, so when I complain about the cold they reply with a “YOU’RE cold? But you’re Canadian! You should be used to it!” Umm….NOPE! Vancouver is a city located on the Pacific West coast close to the U.S. border and while we get A LOT of rain, we rarely get any snow or temperatures much below zero degrees (Okay, I know what you’re thinking Vancouverites, but this year was an exception)! We have beaches, mountains and amazing Asian cuisine! It really is different from any other city in Canada. OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

8. What is one important lesson you’ve learned in your travels?

To get off the beaten path! Don’t follow everything mentioned in the guide books or visit only the touristy spots, try to meet a local and listen to their recommendations (or better yet, have a local as your own personal tour guide). In the Greek islands for example, you can often find your own private beach by avoiding the well known beaches with lots of facilities and snack bars. This also applies to restaurants: don’t worry if you don’t speak the language, if you see locals eating there, it’s probably a good sign!

9. Most unique travel destination you’ve visited?

To be honest I haven’t been to many exotic destinations due to lack of finances (blame it on the rent in Paris combined with my addiction to trying new bars/restaurants)! I have, however, been lucky enough to visit Greece several times and check out some wonderful, relatively unknown islands. I think the most unique island that I’ve been to was Ikaria (named after Icarus, for you Greek mythology buffs)! It is a beautiful, wild, mountainous and serene island that makes you feel like you have been transported to another time. The old people are in incredibly good shape and have a notoriously long life expectancy. They take naps in the afternoon and are awake and eating at around 2 a.m. at night! People here are super friendly, although there aren’t many who speak English. The island’s tourists are mainly Greek, the villages are pretty, there are goats roaming free, and the food is amazing! OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

10. What is/are your travel goal(s) for 2017?

So far I have a visit planned to Canada in April for a friend’s wedding, then a weekend in Scotland to visit family. My goals for 2017 would be a trip to Portugal or another Greek island this summer, if I can afford it! My larger travel goals, although I don’t think they’ll be in 2017 would be to travel to new places outside of Europe: Hong Kong, Japan and Thailand are definitely travel goals of mine, as is Mauritius (as I have some potential local tour guides there ;))!

11. How do you like your coffee?

I’ll be honest: I’m more of a tea drinker, but when I do drink coffee I love a good flat white or an espresso!

Info about the Sunshine Blogger Award

This nomination is from bloggers to bloggers. The award is given to those who inspire and bring sunshine into the lives of their readers and fellow bloggers.

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Rules

Thank the person that nominated you and post a link to their blog on your blog
Answer the 11 questions from the person that nominated you
Nominate some other bloggers for this award and give them 11 questions to answer
Notify the bloggers you have nominated.
List the rules and display the Sunshine Blogger Award logo

I nominate the following bloggers for this award:

Mandy from How to Do Some Good

Linda from Living the Spanish Life

Mindi from Mmmindilicious

If you ladies are up for continuing the spread of sunshine, then here are my list of 11 questions:

How would you describe your blog to someone who doesn’t know it?
If you were offered an all expenses paid vacation to one destination in the world, where would it be and what would you do there?
Do you have a song that instantly makes you happy?
How has blogging changed your life?
Is there a place where you would love to live for a year?
How do you overcome your fears?
What is your favorite travel-related memory?
What food could you not live without?
What is your top foodie experience of all time?
What things are you most grateful for in your life?
What is your personal motto?

Have a great day everyone, it looks like the sun is trying to break through those clouds! 🙂

The wet and cloudy weather is back in Paris, making me long for some tasty and warm home cooking. As I unfortunately do not have a nice French family to cook for me, I have had to look for other alternatives and La Cave de L’Os à Moelle is definitely a winner. Located in the middle of nowhere (or to be more exact, in the South of Paris by Métro station Balard!) and therefore undiscovered by most Parisians and tourists, this cozy wine bar/restaurant gives you a taste of simple French country cooking in a welcoming hideaway. The dining experience offered here is very unique, and when I was first introduced to the place with friends over four years ago I was pretty blown away. It consists of an all you can eat buffet of entrées, main courses and desserts for only 25 euros! Have I got your attention yet?The brick walled room is small with only a few large wooden tables at the back and walls of crockery and bottles of wine proudly displayed for all to admire. The table is set when you arrive and already covered with various bowls of salads and terrines (or patés) along with crusty loaves of bread. These large dishes can be passed around your table and are often traded between tables, which makes it all the more fun. As soon as I sat down I immediately started loading my plate with a grated carrot and beetroot salad seasoned with a light mustard dressing. I’m not a big fan of patés but I tried a little of the terrine de campagne (country paté made from pork with onions and various herbs) before my other friends grabbed it away from me.Next we moved on to the old fashioned stove top at the very back of the room where casseroles and cast iron pots filled with tasty dishes are kept warm. The menu changes every night but this time included a shepherd’s pie made with tender pork, a vegetable pot-au-feu (stew), roasted baby potatoes, pork cheeks and tripe! As you can see, they are rather rustic traditional recipes that you don’t often encounter in other Parisian restaurants and, apart from the tripe which I didn’t try (sorry, it’s just not my thing), everything was very nice.My favorite part of dinner, however, involves the long dessert bar that literally stretches the entire length of the room. This dessert buffet features many comforting favorites such as creamy rice pudding (took a big scoop of that), homemade apple sauce (yes please), warm apple crumble (love it), various cakes (added a thick slice of chocolate cake to my plate) and île flottante (or floating island, which is basically meringue floating on a sea of custard). There is also what looks like a little chicken cage filled with various French cheeses that you can also add to your plate. At this point, although you start to feel full, the urge to return and get seconds is just too strong. Your mind says no but your tummy says yes…or atleast that’s how it went for me!So if you want to gather around a rustic table with family and friends and enjoy some simple French cooking then this is your place! It’s definitely not classy fine dining, but the atmosphere is warm and welcoming and they have an amazing (i.e. huge) selection of wine…something you probably wouldn’t find at your Auntie Hugette’s place! I should mention that just across the street there is L’Os à Moelle, their more elegant restaurant serving fancier dishes (I’ve never been, but I’m sure it is good). For La Cave à l’Os à Moelle, I suggest making a reservation, especially for large groups, as once you are settled you can spend the entire evening there with whoever you may call family.