Market haul.

Almost two weeks now back in Toulouse. Sleep schedule is back on track, one term paper turned in, and for the second I’ve gotten an extension. Last week Edd was back up in Lyon of all places for work, and I was here bumbling about in the blissful student paced life I’d left behind. Of course, that didn’t mean doing nothing, just falling back into the much less intense rhythm of life here in our little nest.

One thing I was sure not to miss this weekend: the farmer’s market at St. Aubin. My love for this market has only grown as I’ve been away for so long and now can really see how it stands out among the others.

Radicchio.

I pretty much went to town this week, restocking our bare pantry and fridge and picking up a few other things. Just to give you an idea, here’s what a big week looks like, though its just a tiny bit more than normal weeks… Garlic, shallots, onions, leeks, chick peas and potatoes. An adorably small head of cauliflower, two big stalks of broccoli, spaghetti squash, buttery lettuce and a radicchio as beautiful as any flower. A kilo of dark orange manderine oranges from Portugal that are juicy and sweet-tart. Cheese, eggs, homemade fromage blancs with fruit preserves, and a bottle of cold-pressed organic sunflower seed oil. Pork ribs on the bone and boudin noir from a farmer that butchers their own meats.

So far one of the best parts of being back is cooking in my little kitchen once again. Everything I love and need, in it’s place. But last week I slept through the market and was stuck with passable but much less exciting produce from the supermarket. This week is going to be much more fun. Ever since listening to the broccoli episode of Spilled Milk, I’ve been craving it. And oh goodness, promise me all of you that you will try Melissa Clark’s Roasted Broccoli and Shrimp as they recommend! (You could totally try it with tofu too I bet for a vegetarian version.) It’ll knock your socks off and is quite possibly one suitable rival for my other favorite winter roasted vegetable recipe, Roasted Curried Cauliflower. Make those two dishes this week and you won’t even care that it’s cold and wintery out.

Other recipes on my list to try this week: roasted radicchio (now where did I glimpse that recipe amidst all my food blogs this week..?) and boudin noir with chick peas, carmelized onions and lots of cumin. Mmm… happy to be back in the kitchen!

Tea basket.

Upon our return from the US, there were a couple New Year’s projects I was dying to attack, but I had been held back by the strict  deadline for my théâtre dossier. I’m not really big on resolutions, but I like the idea of starting new projects.

Once that silly paper was out of the way, and Edd up in Lyon, I got to it: cleaning and reorganizing the kitchen and bedroom closet. After living in very spartan conditions in Lyon and bringing back a ton of stuff from the US, I felt the urge to clean, sort and purge. Our space is pretty limited here, and I’ve brought a lot of things and gadgets into our household. Thursday I worked on the kitchen, cleaning out the pantries, wiping down all the cabinets and rearranging some of the appliances. All that’s left is to find the right place for my big collection of tea…

New addition.

Perhaps in here? A new addition to the kitchen, a set of hanging baskets. More on my little kitchen soon. Until next time, make those recipes!

My apologies, dear reader, for my absence in the past near two months. It seems like I got lost just after Thanksgiving, time sped up with the Fête des Lumières in Lyon, the intense final moments at the Biennale, a whirl-wind move back to Toulouse and then the unpack-repack for our trip the the States for Christmas. And since then, I’ve been struggling with jetlag and writing term papers for classes I never went to, ouf. Well, enough explaining. Here is a little photo recap of the time we’ve missed.

Lights in Lyon. Ever since my days in Dijon I’ve wanted to go to the Fête des Lumières in Lyon but I have never summoned the courage to face the mobs nor to organize a trip that over 3 million other tourists will be simultaneously oprganizing. My stay in the second city of France for the Biennale ended up providing the perfect opportunity to go out and experience the event that makes the city so famous (or to take shelter and hide in my flat!) A couple of friends from work and I banded together and walked about to see several of the light shows (and the general state of preparedness the city takes on to accomodate the surge of humans that descend upon the city) on Thursday evening. My favorite was Place des Terreaux. Scary and incredible!

Christmas in Ohio. Two short days after we’d crammed all my Lyon accumulations into rucksacks and duffles, we turned arouund and hitched a flight to Cincinnati. Edd can tell you that the morning of said flight I bolted up and proclaimed my excitation like a little girl on Christmas morning. Travels were long but went smoothly, and soon we were cradeled in the epicentre of home for me, my parents’ house. My mom and dad went over the top this year with the decorations (nearly all vintage) and after days and days of being there, Edd and I were still discovering new nooks and cranies filled with Christmas cheer. Our first few days in Ohio were spent surrounded by family and family friends – a restorative time after the chaotic days at the Biennale.

College friend reunion. A day after Christmas we headed north to Columbus, where I went to school. Destination: Meister household for a little reunion of sorts. Here we found Laura and her man Dylan, proud owners of an adorable new home! Not long after our penny-tour and Christmas story swapping were we joined by Hillary. With these two girls I form a trio. College roommates and best buds with whom many a great times were passed. We had two short days together but covered lots of Columbus ground, checked many favorite places off our list, and laughed with other old friends that I hadn’t seen in much too long: Carolyn, Chris and Doug.

Chanukah. Back in Cincinnati, it was time for another round of reuniting. This time with my high school gang. It’s incredible what we’ve all become; travelled all over and walking each different but amazing paths. Annika got us all together once again for an old tradition we had back in the day, a Chanukah dinner at her parents house. The beloved tradition dishes were served: brisket, latkes, and a towering chocolate cake. The Chanukah poppers popped and paper crowns worn by all. Edd’s first Chanukah!

New year’s feast. For new year’s eve, we weren’t quite sure what to do. We we a small group, not too keen on going wild and dancing all night, nor the crowded lonliness of celebrating midnight at a bar. At the very last moment, I had the idea to do an asian hot pot. We sliced up many meats and vegetables, spiked some chicken stock with garlic and ginger, and fired up the pot (in our case, a deep electric skillet). With sauces and salad, this spread was a formidable feast and needless to say, near midnight, with bellies so full, we were not moving very much! We calmly rang in 2012 with Dick Clark on the TV – I have been so disoriented on the 31st here in France without him, Times Square and the big ball crackling in the background of the party!

And sadly our Ohio trip came to an end just three days in to the new year. We headed back to France on a big Delta flight, overnight. Now, a week later, I think I just may be at last getting back into the time-rhythm here. It’s lovely to be back in Toulouse with my sweetie. Life is settling back into place. On to conquer 2012 then!

Berges du Rhône, Lyon, 2007.

I realized the other morning as I was riding the tramway towards Perrache in Lyon, heading to work on Thanksgiving day, that I’ve passed the last five Thanksgiving holidays here, far from home. I arrived in France in the autumn of 2007 and that year, I think I spent Thanksgiving in Lyon actually – visiting Gorky who was in the area on a river cruise traveling the Rhône. The first two Thanksgivings I spent here were rather quiet affairs, a meal on the boat with Gorky in 2007 and a small dinner of the classics with Edd and two other friends, in 2008, the first year we were living together and before I’d really befriended many people here.

It’s one of the moments in the year when I do feel homesick a bit and very nostalgic, remembering my family traditions on this holiday. Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday – the focus just on food, friends and family without as much commercial craze raining down and killing the mood. I think about waking up late with my mom and watching the Macy’s day parade, eating with my cousins at the kids table and that unmistakable scent of turkey and stuffing that wafts through the air long after we’ve all stuffed ourselves.

Digging in and breaking ground for new traditions, 2009.

But since I came to France and started my life here, new traditions have slowly been taking root. In 2009, the year I worked as an English teaching assistant (and the year I met my sidekick, Sarah!) Edd and I hosted a big Thanksgiving dinner that brought homesick Americans and curious Europeans to the table.

The first big crowd, Thanksgiving 2009.

A handful of us assistants cooked up the plan and tracked down a turkey. We delegated dishes for others to bring and hosted a huge pot-luck Thanksgiving dinner.

Buffet line-up, 2009.

And thus started a new tradition. Certainly, not a sophisticated affair with elaborate table settings or fancy new recipes – that first time we didn’t even have enough forks and knives for everyone, despite the fact that Sarah and I had pooled all our cutlery together!

Loaded plate, vegetarian style, Thanksgiving 2009.

But it was a raucous, good-time. Frenchies discovering our tradition dishes and comfort food, and the Americans gabbing about family recipes and Thanksgiving rituals. We’d started the evening by spreading out all the extra Thanksgiving-themed coloring pages we’d used in class that week (we were a band of primary school teachers, after all!) and finished digesting our feast over several rounds of Write/Draw/Write/Draw.

Sarah digging in at Thanksgiving 2010.

Naturally, this version of Thanksgiving was a bit hit and the following year, we were all happy to recreate the event. Some old familiar faces, and plenty of new friends too, reconvened to bouffer altogether.

Murphy introduces the French to candied sweet potatoes.

Through this new tradition, I’ve gotten to know the family classics of my American friends here in France, and our French friends (and friends of many other nationalities) have gotten to experience their first American Thanksgiving – something so exotic to them, the holiday they’ve all seen many times on TV and in movies.

Pass the pie!

This was just the case of my Biennale colleagues in Lyon. This year would be no different; even though I was not in Toulouse, and my beloved Edd and Sarah couldn’t make it to Thanksgiving, I was excited to continue my big tradition with all my new friends. They, in turn, were elated to be invited to Thanksgiving, and the pot luck was organized, a turkey special-ordered and much anticipation ensued.

My first turkey success!

The evening was a smashing success. It was my very first time roasting the turkey myself and it turned out impeccably! (I followed the Judy bird recipe, if you were wondering…) The head count topped off at 20 and we all stuffed into my Lyonnais flat to stuff ourselves with the staples. After everyone had seconds, all the plates and bowls were licked clean! A perfect mélange of French and American, there was plenty of wine flowing all evening, which probably can explain the 30 minute lib-dub practice session during which we were all belting out Queen hits at the top of our lungs.

Though I missed my Toulousains terribly, it was great to bond with my team in Lyon. I’m so lucky to be having this amazing experience there and for that I am thankful!

Hope you all had a wonderful, warm holiday – and here’s to the opening of the Christmas season, right?

Dessert plate, 2011.

The end!

Big fish.

So you may or may not be wondering what I do as a guide working for the Biennale de Lyon or what exactly is this crazy sounding thing la médiation culturelle that I’m studying for my masters degree. Well its high time I tried to explain it all for you.

Médiatrice culturelle is my job title, that is cultural mediator if you translate it directly  - something that sounds a bit odd in English. When I first heard of this term, it struck me as bizarre. Mediators, in my conception of the term, are more related to legal matters than cultural affairs. But as I plunged into my internship as a médiatrice culturelle for the festival le Printemps de Semptembre last fall in Toulouse, I realized that this odd-sounding job title was the closest I could get to the museum education career path I’d been on back when I was working in the States.

My first-year thesis ended up being a tome of research done to answer my questions about the particular terminology in this field and its evolution – a way for me to wrap my head around what these words meant to the people who had come up with them, why certain terms are almost taboo in museums and cultural institutions and finally, how educational programming or médiation culturelle historically evolved in France.

To sum up a big chunk of my thesis, the French prefer this term médiation culturelle to talk about museum education for a couple of reasons. For starters, the term was chosen to evoke the idea of an intermediary person present to facilitate the art-spectator relationship. From my understanding, they’re coming from an over-arching point of view based on Kantian ideas that art and culture will directly communicate with and touch the viewer. But nowadays we see that this direct communication is not always the case with all audiences and sometimes, the viewer needs someone to talk with to help work out their ideas. Enter the mediator!

Another reason you’ll never hear people talk about “museum education” in France is because the usage of words like education and pedagogy in the museum and art space is rather taboo. These words are too closely associated with school – the place we’re all forced to go to and “education” thus implies an element of condescension. The museum and cultural institution must remain a place of leisurely learning and in a way, I definitely understand wanting to distance itself from these terms. Thus, a mediator is just someone invited to spur conversation, spark debate, and provide details of the art present – not a professor or expert brought in to lecture the public.

The first moments, a group taking in the piece by Alexander Schellow.

My job is infinitely changing yet always the same. I give tours to the visitors of the Biennale, mostly school groups, and while each new group brings newness to my job, I’m walking through the same exhibition and the same pieces up to 5 times a day. I’m a guide, a docent in plain English, and at the end of the day, sometimes I feel like robo-guide. Some groups are engaged and chatty, others shy but curious, and others still (mostly middle school kids and executive types waiting for their coupe of champagne) just couldn’t care less.

But I really do love this job. Connecting with the public, arguing things with visitors, discussing contemporary art and where it fits in with everything else in art history and in the world around us. It feels amazing to finally be drawing information up from the archives of my memories of college classes and papers I wrote once upon a time and seeing new directions in which to take my master’s degree.

The bittersweet end of my contract here in Lyon in rapidly approaching. A bit less than one month now is left and there is no sign of the pace letting up. It’s exhausting – I arrive at my flat here with tired feet, hardly any voice left and just feeling like I just want to be alone for a bit! Yet I find it energizing. I’ve finally got the hang of this, I’ve found my zen mantras to get me through less-than-perfect groups of school kids and now I’m starting to think of the leads I’ll be exploring in my thesis this year.

I’ll leave you now with a video. Part of a series on the Biennale filmed by a local television station, in which I’m pretty much doing my job: talking about art!

Le journal de la Biennale #8 (Bernardo Ortiz) from Guillaume GEN on Vimeo.

Also, a big thanks to Sarah for all the photos of my in action!

Serious game lovers.

This weekend, I had the luxury of a non-working weekend. I’d asked for two days off to go up to Lille with Florent and meet Edd and all his friends there to celebrate the house-warming of Lise and François.

We’d gone up to Lille once before to visit, Lise and François are old friends of Edouard’s from engineering school. Last time, I was quite charmed by the city and this time I was not let down either. My only disappointment was how fast the time seemed to fly by.

Tournai, Belgium

Saturday, we made a quick jaunt across the border into Belgium and visited Tournai. I love the stepped roofs of the brick buildings up north, so I shamelessly snapped a bunch of photos as we walked to the restaurant through the main square of town. The mandatory moules-frites were eaten, and even more exciting, we pillaged the vast aisles of cheap, Belgian beer at Carrefour just before heading back to Lille.

My kind of beer!

Florent and I went in on a case together. Luckily we had schemed this plan ahead of time; I had bought my rolling suitcase, ready to load up and roll back to Lyon full of beer 1/3 of the price we pay here and other Belgian treats (already thinking of stuff to bring home for Christmas!)

Buncha tourists, all we got were beers and Speculoos...

After our Belgian excursion, we were back in Lille. Half of our party stayed back at the flat to play a few of the many games our hosts have, while the other half of us went into town to take a stroll and take in the sights. Christmas lights and the marché de Noël in place, things were starting to feel pretty festive!

Pub time.

Eventually, we all met back up at a great pub, the Tír na nÓg, to watch the rugby match (not my idea!) and relax a bit. I was particularly fond of the hearth they had going with a nice fire and quite content with a virgin mary tomato juice after all the beer in Belgium. After we were satisfied to see Toulouse beat the Irish, we went back to warm up Lise and François’s flat with more games and pizza.

Today went too quickly. Waking up late and taking advantage of the snuggle time with my chéri before we both went our separate ways in the early afternoon. Saying goodbye is always a bit sad, but this time I know I’ll be seeing him again very soon. Next weekend I’m taking the train back to Toulouse to spend a few days taking care of business for my masters program.

Until then, I’m getting quite excited for Thanksgiving! I’ve invited a gaggle of co-workers and friends from Lyon to partake in the holiday with me. It will be the first time I have a normal sized oven and thus the possibility to roast my own whole turkey! While I am very sad not to be sharing this meal with my best girl friend, and fellow food-crazy friend, Sarah, and of course to not share a plate of turkey with Edd, I’m pretty sure it will be a good time. Just cross your fingers that the neighbors don’t get mad!

Feuille sur les pavés.

Though my ten days in Toulouse have really flown by, they have been just as I’d hoped: restorative and relaxing.

Halloween enchiladas.

Of course, Sarah and got back in the kitchen to whip up some delicious things and cook up new projects (hint, hint!).

Blank canvas.

I’d also told myself that I really needed to get back into taking some photos and not letting all these lovely fall moments slip through the cracks of time and memory. This week was a mild mix of rain and sun, with a few hearty gusts of wind thrown in for good measure. At the top of my to-do list this week was to get in a few long walks with my chéri.

Sarah's studio space.

We visited Sarah at her studio during their open house.

Festive lights.

We perused the stands at the Fête de la Colombette, the annual street festival in our neighborhood welcoming in the Christmas season with the first holiday lights.

Capitole, autumn light.

We walked around town appreciating the changing seasons, the changing light, and all the little changes that happened here in the two short months that I’ve been away.

Window shopping.

We lingered in front of shop windows and browsed in housewares stores without ever buying a thing.

And got in lots of cuddles now that night falls earlier. Tomorrow morning, I’ve got to stock up on as many of those as I can. Then I’m brunching with my girl Sarah before setting off to Lyon once again.

Motchiya

A peine arriver à Toulouse and I was reunited with my Americano-Toulousaine best friend Sarah! She was kind enough to meet me at the gare and hand off my keys so that I could get into our apartment while Edd is off at work. After a quick change and a bit of freshening up, we headed out for lunch at Motchiya, a tiny Japanese restaurant that opened up this summer in the quartier St. Aubin. When I noticed the change in store front a few months ago, and then what was going in, I was intrigued and excited. Looked like just the kind of place I’d fall in love with…

Girl talk!

Between me being in Lyon for two months now and Sarah’s annual voyage home to Virginia, we had a lot of catching up to do! This little spot was the perfect place for it. Ideally positioned atop the high stools at the window, and politely informed that to accommodate a vegetarian plate, it would be no problem, just a bit more time to wait, we launched into our chatter of updates.

Miso reflections.

The sharing of news and girl talk was accompanied by delicious courses presented in the most perfect ways. First, a light miso soup – with bits of green beans and dozens of delicate floating rings of green onion over talk of my birthday and the best brown-paper wrapped gifts a girl could ask for.

Dig in!

Next we covered much conversational terrain as we savored every morsel of our main course: smoky ginger-miso glazed tofu with sesame green beans and a small spinach salad, semi-whole grain rice. Honestly, with preparations like this, I just do not understand those who don’t care for this food. Smoky, sweet, spicy and the perfect pillowy texture! Mmh!

Dessert spread.

Finally, we lingered on talking about our plans for the week and the month, over dessert and coffee. Fruity, moussey, and matcha-packed goodies finished off with sips of strong espresso. One of the things that first made me swoon about Motchiya was that it bills itself as a “petite cuisine japonaise familiale et pause goûter” – I love the idea of such an afternoon snack bar. The desserts did not disappoint, and of course, neither did the company!

(Not) only Lyon...

Ca y est! I’m back in Toulouse for ten whole days. I’ve been looking forward to this vacation for weeks now. October has proven to be just as busy at the Biennale as the opening month, so excuse me for the lack of posts. Though, I assure you dear reader, life has mostly been full of work and resting.

Actually a few little things worth noting happened since the girls came and left Lyon at the beginning of the month. Edd and I celebrated our October birthdays, ringing in our 27 years over a nice lunch at a fancy Lyonnaise brasserie with his family. I continued the celebration on my special day with my colleagues later in the week too. This past weekend I also spent Saturday with Edd’s parents and their friends, leading a special tour for them as a thank you for setting my up in my flat in Lyon. It was the first time I’ve ever spent time all alone with the in-(PACS-)laws and I had a lovely time discussing art with them and their friends all day.

Now, finally back in the nest in Toulouse after much pining for my chéri and anticipation to be home. Still, I’m growing to love Lyon more and more and feel cozy in my big, empty flat there (the only thing missing is Edd!) – arriving in our place today was a big strange: the difference in the space, all the stuff we have here compared to the nothingness there, and the smells of us that I’d forgotten! And what’s more, Christmas is fast approaching! Plans are already forming for our holiday in Ohio. I can’t help but hear I’ll be home for Christmas playing in my head when I think of all the fun in store for us with friends and family. So many homes to feel at home in!

Annika and Ellie on the Saône.

I’ve been unplugged for a while now, maybe a week and a half or so. Not completely out of the loop – although enough so that I sort of never heard about Steve Jobs passing on… In any case, it was for the best of reasons: visitors!

Two of my oldest besties (I’m determined to reappropriate this word!) came through Lyon last weekend and on top of how wonderful it was to see them, the weather was gorgeous: sunny, warm and I had the weekend off!

The dahlia garden in Parc Tête d'Or.

Ellie, Annika  and I keep in touch quite frequently thanks to gchat and the internet and thus, they’re the kind of old friends that you can immediately get back into your friend-rhythm with: giggling about boys, pyjama partying with episodes of Downton Abbey all snuggled into the same pull-out couch, roaming the streets with delicious snacks in hand, and picnicking in parks all over the city.

Allumette pralinée from la boulangerie du palais - scrumptious!

I tried to be sure to show the girls all the sites of Lyon – but as a newbie myself, I’m sure we missed a lot of good things that were perhaps just under our noses. In any case, I had a great time with the girls. On Monday, Ellie left us to start a very long trek back to Brooklyn (Lyon –> Rome –> Tel Aviv –> Kiev –> New York, anyone? Jeez!) And just as she left, the weather turned. A damp, cold atmosphere replaced our warm sunny indian summer in the drop of a hat.

I had Annika all to myself the rest of the week after work and it was like having the best roommate ever living with me for the week! Thursday night we battled the crowd at the Wallace to eat burgers, fish and chips and play the quiz – it was a blast.

Sunday afternoon picnic atop St. Just - perfect.

Friday night, Edd arrived in Lyon to join the fun and kick off our birthday partying. The next day we met up with his parents and grandpa Guy for a very fancy birthday lunch at Leon de Lyon. Later that night, we had drinks and munchies chez moi with my lovely co-worker Muriel and her boyfriend Thomas. A perfect way to end a cool, rainy day.

Sadly, in the wee hours of the morning today, I had to bid farewell to my beloved Annika, who’s off to start an exciting new job in Manhattan. Edd and I had the rest of the day to ourselves to get in our quota of cuddles and kisses without driving Annika crazy. Today is his birthday. We’d already exchanged gifts and opened the birthday box my parents always send (it was like Christmas morning!) so nothing too special for his day, just quality time together. We went down to the Sucrière where I gave Edd a personal tour of the space for his birthday. Then, headed back to my flat for an afternoon of hot tea, sweet treats, cuddles and reading in bed. All things I’ve been missing big time in the company of that guy.

Having everyone here was so much fun. I’m really loving my time here in Lyon and getting to know my way around, so it was nice to be able to show off my new-found knowledge to the girls and Edd as well as introduce them to my new colleagues/friends whom I really love and will be sad to leave in a few months.

Now, I’m on my own again, having sent Edd off on the TGV back to Toulouse with a big slice of homemade quiche. I’ve folded up the tiny foam sleeper couch that has been out for about 10 days now, and everything is just so quiet now! I’ve got my big fluffy socks out though and a new sock of teas, so I’m armed for the coming cold weather.

This week: lots of tours slated for everyone and hopefully a night out with some new work friends to toast my 27th birthday!

Sarah, just so excited to see me!

My return home to accomplish paperwork matters was so, so wonderful. Of course, the wonderful part was not waiting two hours in the préfecture nor the 45 minute wait for one little piece of paper at the university. No, it was the reunion time with my chéri and a great bowl of tea with friends, one silver and one gold.

In fact, it hadn’t hit much just how much I’d missed Edd until the moment he pulled up at the airport to pick me up. And then, oh my, a ton of bricks! That sheepish smile – brought a tiny tear to my eye! And it just was simple and normal but so nice!

Great color, huh?

Home hadn’t changed one bit – neither had some of the refrigerator contents! – and I relaxed after two intense weeks of orientation and tours. I dynamo’d through my administrative affairs and cooking on Monday, finishing off the day with Sarah and Nora at the Bol Bu.

Banana chip yogurt bread

That night, Edd and I indulged in charcuterie from my favorite Italian grocery in Toulouse and a nice risotto. The day before, I turned sad vegetables that had been abandoned in the fridge since my departure into a soup, and brown bananas and old yogurt into banana chip bread. Though the kitchen here in Lyon is more spacious and has a gas range, I’d take my cozy and well-equipped Toulouse kitchen any day!

The only problem with this visit home was that it was all too short. Heading back to Lyon was tough, and late at night, so I was a bit on edge about missing the last tramway back to my place here. Also, Lyon is cold! And waking up to no cuddles in the morning, well, that’s just no fun!

Alas, today back to the grind. Founding the grind actually, as now I’m entering in the real work schedule of giving tours sporadically throughout the week. Today, three tours in a row and let me tell you, it’s exhausting! Now, beached on my tiny foam couch, cuddling my sweats, thinking about what the heck to eat for dinner…

More to come.