This evening I am listening to my latest favorite cd, Vampire Weekend. I spent the day at a dress rehearsal playing Beethoven, Mozart, and pieces from Westside Story, in an old church that has been renovated to be a concert hall. Tomorrow is the real show, so I’ll bring my camera and try to get a document. These are photos from last week when my parents came to visit. It was great to see them. Living abroad is a good thing, and like all good things, with its negative sides. I love being here, and I love seeing my family too. When I see them, I remember how much I love them and miss them. I can’t describe the strange juxaposition of having two cultures, but I feel rich to share myself with these different ways of life. I look forward to the next visit with my family, as I look forward to my plans here in France…
Bastien displays our mushrooms
terrine of zucchini and goat’s cheese
sliced terrine served with beet and turnip salad
White mushrooms grow in a little box on our mezzanine… fresh mushrooms are heavy and full of flavor. A few hours after being picked they resemble store-bought mushrooms which have dried out a bit, but we usually don’t wait to eat them!
congolais coconut meringue cookies
A zucchini and goat cheese terrine with raw beat and turnip salad in a lemon vinagrette. This was a great early spring lunch.. the end of winter’s beats and turnips, and the beginning of summer’s zucchini and goat cheese…
scallops
I almost always have a little chocolate or cookies with my coffee after lunch.. these congolais were last week’s goodies. Coconut cookies… super for using extra egg-whites…
The fishmonger pried open these scallops with a speed I could only dream of while teasing my parents and me for speaking English and taking photos. They were delicious quickly sautéed in just the thinnest line of butter. I served with steamed endives…
tomates farcies
This simple recipe is so good when tomatoes are in season. Just cook some diced onion in some oil on medium low heat.. add some ground beef or porc, season with whatever is in your cupboard, stuff into some fresh tomatoes and bake for about 20 minutes. Rice or quinoa is a nice side dish.
drink machine in brussels
As my dad said, a pissing boy on a coke machine is something you see only in Europe… this little pissing boy is a famous statue in Brussels. Go to Brussels and he’s everywhere, from screw pulls, to tee-shirts, to the real thing surrounded by people taking pictures. He is even dressed on certain occasions 
Le mannequin pis!
Hey– I think I recognize that table at the top of the page! I’m terribly jealous of your culinary prowess, it’s no wonder the Germans say “happy like God in France…”
Lia