Les Poissonchats

Le Marché Noel It’s the scent of nutmeg and honey, roasted almond and gingerbread beckoning the casual passersby to step closer. Get a cup of fiery hot spiced wine and enter a world of warmth and comfort. There’s stalls selling delicacies and roasted chestnuts, others handcrafted things, sometimes a little weird and sometimes just perfect:… Read more

Christmas stockings are not meant for hanging by the fireplace Let me get this straight: in France, stockings are not meant for hanging by the fireplace. Also to clear any ambiguity in terminology, in France, stockings are soft airy sheery things meant to embellish legs, normally female. They are, if worn the French way, legendary,… Read more

It’s the traiteur stupid, but don’t tell anyone  We already have learnt that it’s perfectly alright to postpone things (see door number 14) and that we mustn’t fret (see door number 5) when we feel a bit overwhelmed, for example with organising Christmas Dinner. Now if you’re planning on a French Christmas Dinner, you really… Read more

You may as well do it tomorrow The thing is, you may as well do it tomorrow. I mean it’s only Wednesday, and even if it were Thursday there still’d be Friday. But then maybe Friday isn’t ideal, which is why you also could just postpone it until next week.  Unless, of course, the thing… Read more

Or, at least wear some lipstick My grandfather was very much into horses (and also beautiful women, but that’s another story), he was in the Swiss cavalry, and once had a grey who was so beautiful that General Guisan picked him for the defilée. Anyhow, please permit me my ramblings, the point I want to… Read more

Baguette and cheese will do tonight This is Monday 12 December today and I think baguette and cheese will do tonight.  Or in other words, another quintessential ingredient for a French Christmas: Less is more. Always.  Provided the quality of the less is superb which, again, translates as: get a very good baguette from a… Read more