I recently was in France – unfortunately, not for vacay, I did have to work. Fortunately, I was able to make it to Paris twice – my extended family lives just outside Paris (about 20m on the RER) – so going into Paris isn’t a big hassle. It was a short visit, but it was a nice reminder why I love this city. So, naturally, I’ve put together a list of my 10 favorite things about Paris, France.
- Le Metro – Probably because I don’t take public transportation on a daily basis, but I LOVE the metro system in Paris (you probably think I’m crazy now, if you didn’t before). There is a metro stop nearly everywhere you go – unlike London – and you can get pretty much anywhere. Where else on a metro will you have crazy musicians or gypsies with portly babies begging for change?
- Le Tour Eiffel lit up at night – so beautiful, so romantic
- Crepes in the 5th – nothing, nothing beats a nutella crepe from one of the many crepe stands in the Latin Quarter
- Lu – not really Parisien, more like a French thing. Lu is probably the French equivalent of Hostess, but they put out much better snacks. A recent find of mine were the Pockitos – a shortbread type cookie bar filled with chocolate. Another good one is the Chocolate Oursons – yellow cake shaped teddy bears filled with, yes, you guessed it, chocolate.
- Walking – the only way to really see a city is to walk its streets. No matter how tired I am, I find walking Paris is…energizing. Especially at night. We took a lovely post-dinner walk from the 7th, along the Champs Elysses, through Place de la Concorde, Place Vendome to Opera.
- Fresh baguettes – you haven’t tasted anything until you’ve had a FRESH baguette from the boulangerie
- History – the city is just teeming with history
- Croissants/Pain au Chocolat – sorry, I just can’t seem to get away from the food!
- Picpus – I just think it’s fun to say.
- Steak Frites
I know that this doesn’t even come close for some people. What are your favorite things about Paris?
taken from pont de l'alma
To satisfy my need to make lists (with pictures!), I’ve put together a list of my favorite 10 choses (things) in my kitchen.
- Round Dutch Oven – The work horse of my kitchen. From soups to roasts to easy, peasy Chile Verde, I think this is must have in all kitchens. I love it so much, I invested in the 9-quart oven as well!
- Stand Mixer – Making cookies, cakes, whipped cream and even pizza dough has never been so easy.
- Slow Cooker – Manna from heaven for working moms. With some quick prep the night before or the morning of, a wonderful & healthy family dinner is yours.
- Prep bowls – for your mise en place, it makes cooking and baking move a lot quicker
- Rasp grater – for perfectly grated citrus zest, freshly grated nutmeg. It grates even onions, ginger and…yum, chocolate.
- Santoku knife – i heart my santoku knife
- Mandoline – not made for slicing soft items (like eggplant; ask about the stitches), but made for perfectly sliced potatoes for a gratin or dauphinois.
- Ceramic baker – I use this baker for everything: lasagna, brownies, casseroles. Probably the 2nd hardest working horse in my kitchen.
- Rice cooker – I am no longer an Asian without a fancy pants rice cooker. It takes a bit longer than cooking rice on the stove top, but so far every batch of brown rice I’ve cooked in it has come out nice and fluffy!
- Peeler – for easy peasy peeling, this Swiss peeler rocks!