FRENCH WORD-A-DAY

Thanksgiving Vocabulary + Périple: Jean-Marc's Journey from France to New Zealand & Bike Tour

Thursday, November 23, 2023

Jean-Marc and Ricci at Port des Capucins. "I'm going to take her with me to New Zealand!" he teases. Read about my husband's 2024 périple in today's update.

Joyeuse Action de Grâce!
I can't guarantee that's how you say "Happy Thanksgiving" in French. But I hope you have so much to be thankful for and that your lives are brimming with blessings in any language. In addition to the blessings of my Franco-American family, friends, health, and our new dog, I'm grateful to have overcome my fear of making pumpkin pie...

La Tarte à la Citrouille
For a scrumptious tarte à la citrouille I roasted and puréed some farm-fresh potimarron, for 500 grams of pumpkin, mixed it in the blender with du lait concentré sucré (1 cup), 3/4 cup of sour cream, 2 eggs, 1 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 muscade, a pinch of salt and baked it for 40 minutes at 200C (392F was a bit hot!) in a ready-made pastry--une pâte brisée. It turned out delicious! A refaire! Don't miss the photos at the end of this edition but, first, enjoy Jean-Marc's nouvelles, just below.

TODAY'S WORD: le périple

: trek, expedition, journey, long haul

NEW ZEALAND PERIPLE VIA BICYCLE by Jean-Marc Espinasse

Dear Kristi's Readers,

As my New Zealand trip is getting, day after day, more realistic, I would like to thank all of you who have already offered to help me during my 3 months stay in this fabulous country.

Three months... Actually, in 3 months, I will be right in the middle of the bike ride I have just put together. With my long-time friend from Marseille, Bernard, we will start in Greymouth on the West Coast to end in Christchurch. After much hesitation over whether to bring our own bikes from France, we decided to buy some electric hybrid bikes in Christchurch with an extra battery and plan to ride from 40 to 80 miles per day. We will follow the West Coast South bordered by the Alps and in Haast, we will get inland, pass by Wanaka Lake where one of the best NZ wines is, so I will definitely stop there to behold the spectacular vineyard slopes and enjoy the delicious biodynamic wines of Rippon.

The first leg of our trip will eventually end up in Queenstown where we will stay for 3 days to rest after 350 miles in 6 days and to explore the beauty of this city on the Waikapu lake surrounded by magnificent mountains.

The second leg of our bike tour will start by riding through the beautiful vineyards of Gibbston Valley before heading North, inland, to reach, 3 days later, the beauties of Pukaki Lake and Mount Cook

It will then be time to head back northeast to reach the Banks Peninsula where we hope to see dolphins and other beautiful landscapes before returning to Christchurch at the end of February to complete this 900-mile trip.

After a needed rest, I will say au revoir to Bernard and travel North and join the Blenheim area where my job at Whitehaven Cellars starts March 4th. I found a very nice cottage located 7 miles away from my work so I will continue to enjoy my bike for commuting back and forth for another 7 weeks.

When I am done with this exciting period, I plan to explore the North Island. I am not sure if I will use my bike or rent a camper (or both) for that, those plans are still up in the air.

What is certain is that I am going to have a wonderful time in this country that has always fascinated me.

Any suggestions, help, or contacts during my different "périples" will always be welcome at [email protected]

Happy Thanksgiving.

Love and Peace,
Jean-Marc

FRENCH VOCABULARY

Click to listen to the French and English terms
le périple = trek, journey
Joyeuse Action de Grâce = Happy Thanksgiving
la tarte à la citrouille = pumpkin pie
le potimarron = red kuri squash
le lait concentré sucré = condensed milk with sugar
la noix de muscade = nutmeg
à refaire = to do again
une cuisse de dinde = turkey leg

We celebrated Thanksgiving a day early to accommodate friends leaving town. Thanks, Sandra Zirah, for this photo of Jean-Marc and me cooking green beans and une cuisse de dinde over my mother-in-law's chestnut and girolle stuffing. Present at table were Sandra and Patrick, our son Max and Ana, and (vicariously) Mom (she enjoyed her plate of turkey back in her studio. She has a little cold and did not wish to share it with our travelers.).

REMERCIEMENTS
Sincere thanks to readers sending in a blog donation for the first time and to my returning patrons listed below. Your support keeps me going, and I am truly grateful!

Debbie L.
Richard L.

Love reading each week. Look forward to our next trip to France. —Richard

So excited to have finally made pumpkin pie. In case it didn't turn out (and it did!) I also made chocolate chip cookies.

Joyeuse Action de Grâce! photo of me and Ricci by Sandra Zirah

COMMENTS
To comment on today's post, click here. Your edits are always appreciated, too! Merci beaucoup!

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For more online reading: The Lost Gardens: A Story of Two Vineyards and a Sobriety

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Punaise! Our Hotel in Paris had a little bug (and not the kind you’re thinking)….

Thursday, November 16, 2023

Punaise! When I heard about the bed bug epidemic in Paris, I almost canceled plans to see my best friend. I’m so glad I didn’t let those punaise reports destroy this joyful reunion.

TODAY'S WORD: Punaise!

: Darn! Oh no! Oh dear!

Punaise also means bug or “bed bug”. The exclamation may have been born of the horror of seeing the crawly creatures, i.e. Punaises! Bed bugs! It is a very popular way to express surprise in French, in any let-down situation. Come to think of it, “Bed bugs!” makes for a colorful expression in English, too, don't you think?

A DAY IN A FRENCH LIFE by Kristi Espinasse

Rouge-Bleu in Paris

Over leftovers of sea bass and exotic vegetables, a scrumptious meal I’d carted back on the train, I was remembering my visit with my best friend Susan, a.k.a. Rouge-Bleu,* in Paris. Oh to go back! Suddenly I felt a strong desire to relive our farewell dinner at Cafe de L’Alma. Even if the music was loud (our waitress kindly turned it down) I wanted to be transported back into that seat, energized by lively conversation, with Paris as a backdrop! Moreover, I wanted to relive all of the experiences my dear friend and I had this past weekend! While I can’t do that, I can write about it now and so relive a few of the memorable moments….

Saturday night, after 6 years apart, my best friend from high school and I caught up with each other in The City of Light. There in a pitch dark room, we were each tucked into a twin bed overlooking a grand suite decked in flowers, chocolates, and an unopened bottle of Ruinart champagne. Beyond the suite's balcony, at the edge of this golden triangle in which our girlhood aspirations had projected us, the Eiffel Tower sparkled.

Our pillows, packed exclusively with lavender flowers, were delivered earlier during le service du soir and filled our deluxe accommodations with the scent of good dreams to come. Meantime, un grand rêve unfolded all around us.

“Rouge-Bleu," I whispered to my longtime friend, "can you believe we are in Paris, in this room?” Susan and I met our sophomore year as new students at a high school in Scottsdale, Arizona. We were two fish out of water who quickly found each other in English class. Susan was from the small town Douglas, near the Mexican border, and I was from the west side of Phoenix, where I grew up in a trailer park. We were galaxies away from our European futures, but the seed of adventure was planted when we made a vow (before we could even drive) to travel to Beverly Hills.

California, it turns out, was not in the cards. And if we were here, now, in this 5-star Parisian hotel, enjoying free accommodations for two nights, it was thanks to Susan who, following university, began a career in travel and went on to found Critics Choice Vacations. Susan was currently in Paris attending DUCO France "an annual boutique travel summit held in Paris, France. A niche and destination-oriented event, highlighting the excellence of French hospitality to the world’s most important buyers."

In the past 22 years, Susan and her team have created thousands of 1st class travel experiences for clients. It was fascinating to hear about all the details Susan takes care of for her travelers—from a helicopter transfer to/from the Nice airport to a personalized shopping trip in Monte Carlo to wheelchair access during a cruise down the Rhone to medical assistance while on a safari in Africa (wait, I should add no lions were involved!). I loved quizzing Rouge-Bleu about her 24/7 job and all the adventures her clients experience all over the world.

Together now in Paris, we were not without our own adventures, right here in our luxury suite... Arriving back from dinner near the Arc de Triomphe, having finally gotten our keycard to open the door of our room, we were startled to find two strangers in our suite after 10 at night...While I stood shuddering discreetly in the foyer, Susan calmly addressed the unexpected guests, asking about the nature of their visit.

As far as I could see, the men were not wearing hotel uniforms but were dressed in khaki pants and shirts--a kind of camouflage? I wondered. "We are working on a mechanical issue," one of the men explained.

Well, that sort of made sense, except for the hour. As I said, it was past 10 at night! It was true our deluxe suite had been experiencing technical difficulties. Everything within the room was operated via an electronic tablet (similar to an IPad). Even the toilet was a high-tech wonder--with its own multi-function control panel. Rouge-Bleu told me it was one of those Japanese toilets, aka a Toto. Its seatwarming function, the water jets, and the dryer (no need for TP) were all operated electronically.

Similar to an electric car, if one thing goes wrong you're up the creek. And now the hotel's engineers were here for a lighting problem Susan had reported earlier. Relieved to know these weren't robbers, I quietly chuckled to think that our 5-star room was as technically challenged as Susan and I had been, as we tried to use the high-end amenities!

After the engineers left, the hotel manager came to apologize: regrettably, the technical issue could not be solved that night. We now had three options: 1) We could move to another suite 2) or stay here and sleep with all the lights on or 3) have the engineers shut off the electricity for one part of our suite so we could at least sleep in the dark.

Considering Susan had her office set up in one area, and our suitcases were opened and unpacked, neither of us wanted to pack up and move in the middle of the night. Given it was bedtime, it might be okay to shut off the main switch as we were only going to sleep now anyway…but then what about the electronic toilet? Would Toto flush?

The technicians were back once again to figure that out and, in the end, the high-tech wonder passed the test!

Well then, as long as Toto would flush we'd stay! After the mechanics and manager left, we tucked ourselves into the lavender-scented beds to laugh about the irony of having to use our own equipment (our own phone, as the hotel phone no longer functioned via the "smart" tablet, and our own flashlights on our phones) to navigate to the bathroom of our "luxury accommodations".

The good news was after all the talk of bed bugs in Paris, we didn't have any of those. But, punaise! We can't say the same for technological bugs, of which our suite had a few.

I would like to end with giant thanks to my bestie, ma meilleure amie, Rouge-Bleu. It was wonderful to spend time with you in Paris and to see you at work in the city. We never did make it to Rodeo Drive. Sometimes our dreams take us beyond our very own imaginations!

* * *

COMMENTS
Thank you in advance for your comments and corrections. I appreciate every word! Click here to leave a message.

Rouge-Bleu and I recreating a picture we took over 15 years ago during a trip to Monaco. You may be wondering about the nickname Susan and I share, and wasn't that the same name of your former vineyard? Yes, it was! The vineyard name was chosen back in 2006, after Jean-Marc asked me if I had any suggestions as to what to name our winery. On a whim, I blurted out "Rouge-Bleu!" He immediately liked it and went on to incorporate it for his business. We've since sold the vineyard but the name lives on with the new owners (and will always live on with the best friends pictured).

Thanks, Rouge-Bleu, for finding this old photo.

Susan and her team create personalized travel experiences to Europe and beyond. If you are ready to follow your dream to Paris (or anywhere in the world) contact Susan at Critics Choice Vacations.

FRENCH VOCABULARY

Listen to the French terms listed below click here.

Rouge-Bleu = red-blue
Ruinart = the oldest champagne house in France
service du soir = turndown service
un grand rêve = a big dream
punaise! = oh no! darn!
la punaise = bed bug
la meilleure amie = best friend

REMERCIEMENTS
Thanks in advance to readers sending in a blog donation for the first time, and to my returning patrons listed below. Your support keeps the wheels of this weekly journal turning, and I am truly grateful!

Lucie A.
Merle J.
Pattie M.
Mollie B.
Janice H.
The Gaucher Family

Thank you, Kristi, for your blog which I've been reading and enjoying for 20+ years! Mollie B.

Photo by Rouge-Bleu, courtesy of Critics Choice Vacations

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La Fringale: At what hour do the French get the munchies?

Thursday, November 09, 2023

The word in the window spells "Eat" which is what my stomach cried on the train back from Paris. Don't miss today's story with some fun new words.

News: Carolyne Kauser-Abbot has written an excellent article about Jean-Marc’s wine tours. Check it out at Carolyne’s site Perfectly Provence

TODAY’S WORD: "LA FRINGALE"

: munchies
: craving, hunger

avoir la fringale = to have the munchies, to feel peckish

A DAY IN A FRENCH LIFE by Kristi Espinasse

On the train back from Paris I had the urge to tchatche with the stranger sitting next to me. Graced with corkscrew curls and a spray of freckles across her nose, she had smiled pleasantly when she took her seat beside the window. Now, quietly settled in for our 3.5-hour voyage to Marseilles, I wanted to exclaim, "Quel soulagement d'être monté dans le train ! What a relief to be on the train!” which is what I felt after lugging my piggybacked parcels and suitcase through the metro, up into the Gare de Lyon, only to struggle through the crowd in Hall 1. But I kept quiet when a little voice said, your own reality isn’t necessarily hers.

It’s a pity when your inner dictator keeps you from connecting with others, via its own self-righteous reasoning, and so I reconsidered striking up a conversation. But as the minutes passed my opening line became passé as the train was well on its way.

AVOIR LA FRINGALE
By now my stomach was rumbling alongside my thoughts. I kept thinking about the doggy bag in the large paper sack at my feet. Inside were gourmet leftovers from last night’s farewell dinner with a dear friend at Café de L'Alma. “Take it home, Rouge-Bleu," Susan had encouraged. You’ll enjoy it later! And so I piggybacked that doggy bag, along with several treats from our hotel, on top of my suitcase, which also held my heavy carry-on. All that juggling during the walk from the hotel to the metro to the train had created quite an appetite--especially after missing lunch.

I was suddenly craving that homemade gnocchi with pears and grapes, in cream sauce. I even had a plastic spoon in which to eat it and my seat included a handy fold-out tray. There was just one problem….Culture: the French don’t seem to eat at odd hours, and 3 pm is an odd hour to dine.

According to whom? Who says 3 pm is an odd hour to eat last night’s plat principal? I recognized the still small voice, that championing ally that always comes through if I listen to it, and not the inner critic. But soon a little battle ensued.... as my thoughts contradicted each other, tour à tour:

Why not wait until 4 pm? 4 pm is l’heure de goûter in France—a perfectly respectable time to munch in public.

But the French eat sugary snacks for goûter hour, that other voice pointed out.

Just then I heard the crinkling of a wrapper and turned to see the elegant woman across the aisle enjoying a candy bar. Next, Mademoiselle Freckles broke out a muffin, confirming my suspicions that the 4 pm snack hour is for sweets only.

Go ahead. Dig in! My inner ally cheered. Go against the status quo! Be wild! Be free! Be unique! Just when I had the courage to break all the imagined rules, I noticed the passenger seated 5 rows up, in the forward-facing seat. His T-shirt read, "BE NORMAL."

Be normal? But I was just about to let loose and BE WILD!

Harrumph! Now I had to build back le cran all over again, and it would've been all uphill except for one final thought: If I don't eat now I'm going to return home in a very cranky mood. And I didn't want to be irritable around my family. I knew Mom was waiting excitedly to see me, along with Jean-Marc and our newest family member, Ricci. And so, with the noblest of intentions, I broke out my spoon and dug in! No matter how many times my eyes darted around the train car, between furtive bites, I never saw one shocked expression. No one paid the slightest bit of attention. To my relief, there was not so much as a “bon appétit” something strangers are quick to tell anyone who is eating anything ever. (Maybe the French only say that during normal dining hours? There must be a separate set of rules for off hours?)

"Is it true the French tend to eat only sweet things at l'heure de gouter?" I asked my husband, on the ride home, after sharing my doggy bag dilemma.

"Yes, of course! Otherwise you'll be thrown in prison," my husband chuckled. "But Ricci and I would visit and even bring you oranges!"

Haha! It is helpful to laugh at our own quirks, and heartening when family and friends understand them so well. I hope, by sharing a few more of mine with you today you've learned some interesting French words. See you next week with another story from my short périple in Paris!

COMMENTS
Thanks in advance for taking the time to respond to my stories. Any edits are greatly appreciated. Click here to leave a message.

This sea bass and vegetables was in the second take-away carton, and it made a great lunch the day after I got home. Jean-Marc finished Susan's gnocchi for dinner. Don't you love leftovers and "doggy bags"?

FRENCH VOCABULARY

Click to hear the pronunciation for la fringale and all the vocabulary

la fringale = hunger, the munchies
tchatcher = to chat, to gab
Quel soulagement d'être monté dans le train ! = What a relief to have made it onto the train!
le plat principal = main course
le gôuter = snack
tour à tour = by turns
le cran (avoir du cran) = gumption (to have courage)
le périple = trek, journey

REMERCIEMENTS
Thanks in advance to readers sending in a blog donation for the first time, and to my returning patrons listed below. Your support keeps the wheels of this digital journal turning, and I am truly grateful!

Jane M.
Alice F.
Lucie A.
Anne U.
Trish A.
Janine C.

J'éspère te lire longtemps. Bises, Janine

Thanks for many years of entertainment and French vocabulary, Kristi. Bon travail! Alice F.

I have enjoyed your newsletter and books for many years, you are quite an inspiration for life.
We visit La France each year, to see family, enjoy the small villages and of course Paris.
Hope to visit your delightful corner in the near future. Lucie

The busy Gare de Lyon in Paris. Notice the white covering: behind it the historical and iconic restaurant Le Train Bleu is being renovated.

I walked past this war memorial the day I left Paris. It reads "Aux Volontaires Americains Morts Pour La France" To The American Volunteers Who Died For France. A poignant reminder. Saturday is Armistice Day or Veterans Day.

in Food and Drink, Paris, Travel | Permalink | Comments (15)