Paris Where You Are

Paris Je T'aime--The Wonder of Traveling Alone to Paris

If you have not seen the lovely little film, Paris Je T'aime, I highly recommend it.  Actually, it is a series of shorts about various Paris arrondissements filmed by some of the world's most talented directors. My favorite segment is the one directed by Alexander Payne (Sideways, About Schmidt).  

Narrated in rough yet charming French (with subtitles), an American letter carrier from Denver who has traveled to Paris alone for an adventure, reads aloud from an essay she has written about her trip.  As she reads in a rather deadpan voice, the camera follows her around Paris.  The final scene in a small park is absolutely exquisite.  Like the segment's main character, I traveled alone to Paris for adventure and inspiration, and I had a nearly identical feeling.  

Stop what you are doing--RIGHT NOW!  Watch the segment on YouTube.  You will not be disappointed.  

Julie and Julia--The Movie and Wine Tasting Event

By now you have seen the movie trailer for Julie and Julia  which opens with Meryl Streep channeling the spirit of Julia Child.  How else do you explain the near perfect imitation of that unmistakeable voice cackling, "I'm Julia Child.  Bon appetit?"  It is remarkable.  I can't wait to see the entire film . . . 

But for the sake of a truly Paris Where You Are experience--wait is exactly what I'm going to do.  The film opens on August 7 but I won't be seeing it until August 14; and I hope you too will wait and join me and fav foodie Nicole Bullock for a fabulous evening of French cooking (via the film) followed by witty conversation over a glass of wine at the Calais Winery in Deep Ellum. (More details at the bottom of this blog post.)

The film's screenplay by Nora Ephron (whose absolutely hilarious book I Feel Bad About My Neck figures prominently in my first trip to Paris) is based on two books--My Life in France, Julia Child's memoir about her earliest days in France, including her education at Le Cordon Bleu and the publication of Mastering the Art of French Cooking, and Julie Powell's Julie and Julia, a record of the author's project to cook all 524 MtAoFC recipes in 365 days.

When I returned from my first trip to Paris, I did two things to extend the experience.  First, I rented The Da Vinci Code and savored every Paris street scene.  "I was there!" I thought thrillingly as I watched Tom Hanks in speeding cars round narrow Paris street corners.  Next, I purchased Julia Child's My Life in France. Now that I think about it, those two actions might very possibly be considered my first attempt to create a Paris Where You Are experience.  An historic moment duly noted!

Julia Child's memoir is set in post-war Paris, 1948-54.  Paris in nearly any era is remarkable, but post-war Paris is the birthplace of the term film noir.  We don't often think of Paris as a dangerous place, but French film noir sets the record straight.  Wikipedia says the most famous French film noir is Rififi about a burglary at a jewelry shop in the Rue de Rivoli. "The climax of the film is an intricate half hour heist scene depicting the crime in detail, shot in near silence, without dialogue or music.  The fictional burglary has been mimicked by criminals in actual crimes around the world."  I checked, Rififi is available on Netflix.  I'm definitely putting this classic on my "to rent" list. 

Julia's memoir is worth the purchase price for the photos, if for nothing else.  One of my favorite shots is a solitary Julia hunched over to light a cigarette against a blank alley wall (p. 171 in the paperback edition).  Publication of MtAoFC was nothing short of miraculous.  I'm in awe of Julia's ability to collaborate cross-culturally with two chefs on the project--and not just your run-of-the-mill tempermental chef, mind you--these were two French chefs.  In the abstract, who would ever think such a thing could work?

My alter ego, Fowl with Pearls, has turned in the following comments about Julie Powell's Julie and Julia.

Since Julie Powell is a Texan (from my beloved Austin, as a matter of fact), I'd love to give her a pass; but I must tell you, I cannot, in good conscious, ring the bell on her behalf. Powell is an energetic writer, but when she begins to run out of steam she is very likely to throw in the f word to keep things moving.  My husband and I once went to a comedy club on Sixth Street in Austin with my sister and niece.  The weekday comics we endured that evening were memorably lame.  As my husband put it, "Mostly sex and snot jokes." That's rather how I feel about Powell--perhaps not that strong.  She's funny but borders on being crude.  A good example is her Salon.com  posting on the death of Julia Child.  Is it really necessary to write f---ing in such a tribute?  Nevertheless, I think you will find it amusing.

Since I am over 50, I feel compelled to say that I am not universally opposed to the use of crude phrases. Properly selected and timed, they can give readers a needed jolt, but only the stupidest of readers require regular use of the cattle prod.

Thank you, Madame, for your comments.

EVENT DETAILS:  I've called the Angelika--we won't be able to know the exact time of the film until Wednesday, August 12.  If you are interested in joining us, check the blog for the details as they develop. More to follow.  Would you prefer to do wine first and then film or film and then wine?  Let me know. We can always amend our plans.  

   

Learn to Love Food Like the French

The French love their food and so do the folks at Food Roots.  Founders Mark Haley and Mary Kimbrough promote Texas wine and food experiences.  My very favorite foodie, Nicole Bullock, invited me to join her on a Saturday Food Roots bus tour of area organic farms where the temperature was Texas hot but the experience was way cool.

Our first stop was the JuHa Ranch in Barry, Texas.  Harry Butaud was an oil field worker in a former life.  Nine years ago he left the Louisiana oil fields and bought a ranch in Texas.  Harry indicated that he’d had some agricultural experience in his early life, but I got the impression his ranching expertise was almost entirely self-taught.  I bought some butterfly pork chops from one of Harry’s Berkshire hogs.  He claims the Berkshires produce a much better taste than the usual supermarket variety of pork.  You can find JuHa Ranch at the Dallas Farmers Market on Saturdays.  And BTW, despite the remarkable similarity in appearance, Harry is not related to Willie Nelson.

We had lunch at the Brown Street Café in Ennis, Texas.  The same people who do Kolache Depot on I-45 have taken their talent to downtown Ennis and opened a charming eatery.  I had the veggie sandwich on nutty brown bread with Muenster cheese, sprouts, mushrooms and creamy avocado.  Yum!  Ennis is a Czech community and the little downtown is alive and vibrant.  It is definitely worth a weekend outing.

After lunch, we headed for nearby Oak Grove Farm.  Tommy and Kristi Copeland have day jobs, but their passion is organic farming.  I bought plump Roma tomatoes and juicy blackberries.  They used to sell at the Dallas Farmers Market (and hope to again in the future) but for now, most of their produce is going to Dallas chefs.

Joining us the Copelands’ farm was Benjamin Calais who is—of all things--from Calais, the French city that is closest (geographically) to England.  On a clear day in Calais, you can see the white cliffs of Dover.  Benjamin worked in the IT industry and was transferred to Plano from France.  He married a Texas girl and left IT to become a wine producer and importer.  He uses authentic French techniques to produce his wines.  Benjamin’s Calais Winery is in Deep Ellum where you are welcome to BYOF (bring your own food).

Our final stop was a farm near Orvilla, Texas, where I bought a mason jar of honey for $8.50.  Cost is the ugly side of organic farming.  For 99% of the world’s population, organically produced food is just not an option.  I'm going to drop this topic like a hot potato because I can feel my frivolity fading.  World hunger is an important topic; in fact, one I’m easily drawn into—but it is not for this space.

For an evening of fun--and frivolity, of course—Nicole and I plan to attend the nationwide opening of Julie and Julia (Meryl Streep plays Julia Child) at the Angelika Theater on Friday, August 7, followed by wine at the Calais Winery.  Come on!  It’ll be fun! 

I’ll do another blog posting with more details about the movie and the exact time of the showing we are planning to attend.