Business matters again took up most of the morning, delaying our plans to go to Chantilly. This is the second time we have put it off, but tomorrow is the last opportunity and come hell or high water, we are going!
After taking care of the business matters, we went to Leons of Brussells for lunch again and while Virginia had fish, I had mussels or moules. They are served in a cast iron pot with a lid and are steamed in a broth of wine and herbs. I have noticed that there are three ways to eat them. One gentleman took the moules out of their shells, dropping them into the broth and when he had done the entire 800 gms of them ate them with a spoon so he could enjoy the broth. A lady near us ate each one out of the shell, prying them out with a fork, and when she had finished she drank the broth. The third technique involves picking them up, popping off the top shell and sucking the combination of meat and broth in all at once. I opted for the first method! Delicious!!
The third method was one adopted by a young boy of six years of age. We were amused because he was there for lunch during school holidays with his Grandmere, two sisters and a brother. Since the children were all under ten, the waiter brought them the children's menu, but When Grandmere asked the four children what they wanted, this little tacker asked what they were allowed to have. Grandmere said they could have anything they wanted and while the other three opted for things which would seem to appeal to children and appeared on the children's menu, the six year old boy had no intention of having boring chicken or steak and announced that he wanted moules frites or mussels and french fries which, it might be noted, did not appear on the children's menu.
We couldn't help wondering if he really knew what he was getting, but when they arrived and the waiter took the top off the pot there was no doubt. His eyes widened, he clapped his hands and "Ooh La La" he was into them in a flash. Dining out (and I don't mean Big Macs) is a common experience for children in France.
Later in the afternoon we went down to the Madelaine and wandered arund the square. Well, "wandered" may not be the correct word as getting Virginia away from the display of chocolates, cakes and other wonderful foodstuffs at Fauchon took considerable effort. Mind you, she had to spend a fair bit of time slapping my hand as I reached for the wonderful goodies. By the way, just as a point of interest, smoked salmon is now 125 euros per kilo which is around $200 or six to seven times what we pay in Hobart. 
Parking, of course, is always a problem in Paris and those who have smaller cars often park in the most unusual ways. You can get some idea of this from the picture on the right.After admiring the Madelaine we wandered down the Rue St Honore to the Place Vendome. Those of you who know Paris will appreciate that this is serious shopping territory with three branches of Cartier in a one block area and Tiffany across the street. If you intend to do some shopping in this area you can always stay at the Ritz in the Place Vendome where you can get a room for as little as 1,000 euros per night. For better accommodation, of course, it costs more. It has been owned by Mohammed al Fayed since 1979. You may remember him, he also owns Harrods!
The Cakes of Paris
No comments:
Post a Comment