A former bakery, now a bistro
I am in Paris visiting my Mom. It’s freezing out but dry. My mother, who is 95 and frail and -save for dessert- eats less than a sparrow, wants me to take her to a crêperie tomorrow for lunch.
I suspect she wants to go because in the little restaurant next to her retirement home, she’d feel bad having “mousse au chocolat” as an entree and “tarte aux pommes” for dessert (she has taken to eating only the apples, not the crust). In a crêperie, no one cares what you order.
The nearest one is a long walk away (she’ll be in her wheelchair and all bundled up, so she’ll be fine) and I enjoy pushing her around. She is interested in everything she sees and keeps asking whether I am still okay or not. Sometimes I say “I am getting tired, let’s switch”. She laughs.
The Paris sidewalks actually give you a good workout , especially when illegally parked cars block the wheelchair/stroller ramp at pedestrian crossings. One of the great mysteries in life is how come traffic cops are never around when you need them but appear magically when you fervently wish them to be somewhere else…
I suspect she wants to go because in the little restaurant next to her retirement home, she’d feel bad having “mousse au chocolat” as an entree and “tarte aux pommes” for dessert (she has taken to eating only the apples, not the crust). In a crêperie, no one cares what you order.
The nearest one is a long walk away (she’ll be in her wheelchair and all bundled up, so she’ll be fine) and I enjoy pushing her around. She is interested in everything she sees and keeps asking whether I am still okay or not. Sometimes I say “I am getting tired, let’s switch”. She laughs.
The Paris sidewalks actually give you a good workout , especially when illegally parked cars block the wheelchair/stroller ramp at pedestrian crossings. One of the great mysteries in life is how come traffic cops are never around when you need them but appear magically when you fervently wish them to be somewhere else…
Have a wonderful visit with your Mom! I so enjoyed your description.
Esther in Ottawa
Le Flick, probably having a donut somwhere?
Have a great time in a great city!
Jeremy
@Jeremy, a donut! In Paris! Sacrilege!
@Esther, thank you! I thought of you the other day when I discovered the lowfat brioche recipe (actually more a "pain brioché" than a true brioche)in that French book. Sorry. I'd like to paste the link here but Vista won't let me do it. If you scroll down a bit looking for "reasonably healthful" in the post title, you'll find it though. Let me know what you think if you try it…
Ok an eclair or millefeuille at laduree maybe??
Hello,Marie-Claude,
Have lots of fun in Paris! I miss Europe so much…and the cold…just kidding:))
Email me when you're back…meanwhile, enjoy the beautiful city!
Heureusement que je suis passée par là le 15 comme celà j'ai eu des nouvelles fraiches de marraine , j'ai bien rit de ses commentaires ceci grace a la traduction .
Bises a vous deux , j'ai vu un peu de neige ce matin sur Paris , nous il fait froid !!!
@Jeremy, from the bus, I saw a long line out the door at Ladurée the other day. There must be a pre-Xmas rush on "macarons". Unless they were all tourists?
@Anonymous, thank you! I'd be glad to email you when I get back but first, I need to know who you are… 😉
@Françoise, bises itou!
ops! my bad…is lumi…beautiful pictures, by the way :)))
I was wondering if you have ever made bread for your mom…especially bread with sourdough since you have taken so many baking classes recently?
Hi, Carl, no, I haven't. But I have been making breads with natural starters since the mid-nineties, so she has had ample opportunities in the past. Now that she is quite elderly, she doesn't crave bread anymore. She prefers desserts. She enjoys seeing the pictures though…