Tom on Assignment
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net
May 2013 – Fesses of the Month
To photograph this month’s fesses, our intrepid blogger traveled to the far reaches of Paris’ 12th arrondissement. He had to take three trains to get there!
Follow the link to learn the name of this sculpture, the name of its creator, the name of the park near its location, and a close-up shot of her admirable fesses!
pinterest.com/pin/411586853415634333/
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Pastel de Nata
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net
Where do you go in Paris when you find yourself yearning for a pastel de nata, the delicious custard pastry from Portugal? Why, to a butcher shop, of course!
Madame Gosnet of Boucherie Pascal Gosnet sells these pastries at her counter at 119, rue Mouffetard in the 5th arrondissement. We purchased two and took them home to taste.
The pastry has a golden-brown, flaky crust and an unevenly browned egg-yolk-yellow top covering a pale-yellow custard filling. The crust is chewy. (It is difficult to cut with a knife—better to eat it by hand.) The custard is mildly sweet, moderately dense, and slightly grainy. In a word, they taste just like the pastéis de nata that we had in a coffee shop in Lisbon many years ago. Served warm, they are delectable!
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Does your mother yearn for Paris? We have two publications that will stir her passion for the city! The first is our monthly newsletter Paris Insights, written to present an insider’s view of the fascinating history, culture, and contemporary life of the City of Light.
The second is our book Paris Insights – An Anthology, a compilation of a number of our most popular newsletters. Travel writer Jim Calio has called our book “a wonderful valentine to Paris, unlike anything you’re likely to find in a standard guidebook.” Better than a bouquet of roses, it is a gift that offers an insider’s view of the things to love about the city.
Just in time for Mother’s Day, the Kindle edition of Paris Insights – An Anthology can be purchased and downloaded immediately! And remember…she doesn’t need a Kindle device to read the Kindle edition of Paris Insights – An Anthology! Amazon.com provides Kindle reader apps that work on every major tablet, smartphone, and computer so that she can read Kindle books on whatever type of device she owns. These apps are 100% free. If she needs one, click HERE to go to the Web page for the application that she needs.
Click HERE to order Paris Insights – An Anthology now. Click HERE to enter an annual subscription to our newsletter.
Give your mother the beauty and passion of the world’s most romantic city!
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Six Artists
Photographs by www.DiscoverParis.net
Although we have been living in Paris for twenty-one years, this was our first visit to the Grand Marché d’Art Contemporain. It was fascinating to walk from booth to booth to see what people with creative minds were up to.
Christine Marques
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net
Christine Marques uses discarded tea bags to create images on canvas. She graciously spent several minutes discussing her technique and various works with us. In this photograph, she stands next to an image that she created of Michael Jackson as a child. Can you see his face in profile? Her Web site has a gallery of her tea-bag creations including one of Barack Obama: art.the.free.fr
Jean-Marc Boudine
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net
Sculptor Jean-Marc Boudine exhibited a couple of works that looked decidedly bizarre. He has created a series of sculptures for an exhibition in commemoration of the abolition of slavery. The sculptures are on display through May 31 at the MJC-Centre Culturel in the nearby town of Limeil-Brévannes. (The abolition of slavery is commemorated on May 10 in France). His Web site can be found here: www.jean-marcboudine.odexpo.com
Jean-Marc Wettstein
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net
Jean-Marc Wettstein told me that he gets inspiration from photographs that he sees in magazines. Many of his portraits portray brooding or angry subjects, but if you look at his Web site you will see some happy faces there.
Joost Heetman
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net
After Joost Heetman’s partner died, he burned 6,000 votive candles. He shaped the aluminum candle holders to form eyes and then mounted them on canvas as a lasting representation of this emotional period in his life. One of these works is shown in the picture above. Heetman is an industrial designer and his booth contained a number of chairs, benches, and tables displaying fanciful, colorful patterns under smooth, transparent resin. His Web site can be found at the following link: www.joosth.nl.
Mercedes Madriz
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net
Mercedes Madriz exhibited numerous collages at the show. She collects texts from books, magazines, and newspapers that interest her, mounts them on panels, and records her thoughts on the content of these texts on the support medium (often in a language different than that of the original text). Hailing from Caracas, she came to Paris to learn from and contribute to its rich artistic culture. She does not have a Web site, but can be contacted at mercedesmadriz[at]hotmail[dot]com.
Steve Wells
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net
Some people really can re-invent themselves—Steve Wells has done it three times! First, he was an electrical engineer, then a rock star, and now a freelance photographer. His artistic vision is bold and subversive. Visit his Web site to have a look at his photographic series, including one of Paris shot on film: www.stevewells-photo.com.
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Five Artists
Photographs by www.DiscoverParis.net
Last Saturday, Monique and I attended the Grand Marché d’Art Contemporain that was held at Place de la Bastille in Paris.
The event was enormous, with over six hundred artists displaying their creations in tent-sheltered booths that had been set up on the south side of the square. It would have taken days to visit all the booths and speak with each of the artists—we had to be content with talking to only ten of them. Each had a fascinating story to tell!
Sandrine Bourlon
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net
Sandrine Bourlon was there to represent her husband Jean-Charles Decoudon, who paints watercolor scenes of Paris. Many of his clients are tourists who want him to paint a scene to take home as a souvenir. I wrote an article about him in the March edition of our Paris Insights newsletter. Samples of his work can be viewed on his Web site.
Franck Mercky
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net
Sculptor Franck Mercky has created some remarkable mobiles. A video of some of them that he created in collaboration with artist André Lemax can be viewed at the following link: http://vimeo.com/6717671. His Web site can be found here: www.francmercky.net.
Anaïs Verspan
Vivid lines and splotches of color seemed to vibrate on the black backgrounds of the acrylic/mixed media paintings exhibited by Anaïs Verspan. Not content with using just canvas as a support for her work, this artist also marries art and fashion by using shoes to give life to her art. See images of her work here: http://www.anaisverspanart.com/.
Carole Duval
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net
Award-winning artist Carole Duval displayed paper maché “statuettes” and wood carvings representing the theme of “the extraterrestrial.” Her paintings were made from mixed media on wood. View her extensive online portfolio here: http://www.carole-duval.odexpo.com/.
Astrig Alyanakian
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net
Astrig Alyanakian comes from a family of artists. Her work is inspired by images that she collects and transforms via collage, painting, and drawing. “Colorful,” “whimsical,” and “mystical” aptly describe her paintings. See examples of her mixed media works here: www.astrig.fr/.
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Today I was happy to see that our local baker, Le Fournil de Mouffetard, was open on a holiday. (May 8 is Victory in Europe Day, celebrating the end of World War II.)
Box Containing Tarte aux Fraises
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net
I purchased a tarte aux fraises, took it home, and photographed the box.
Tarte aux Fraises in Box
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net
Inside the box, the strawberry tart looked luscious!
Tarte aux Fraises out of Box
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net
It looked even better after I removed it and put it on the table.
Close-up of Tarte aux Fraises
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net
And better still in a close-up photograph!
Cross Section of a Strawberry Tart
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net
I cut it, put it on a plate, and it was ready to eat. Scrumptious!
We participate in Wanderfood Wednesdays. Head over there to explore food from around the world!
Like our blog? Join us on Facebook!
Does your mother yearn for Paris? We have two publications that will stir her passion for the city! The first is our monthly newsletter Paris Insights, written to present an insider’s view of the fascinating history, culture, and contemporary life of the City of Light.
The second is our book Paris Insights – An Anthology, a compilation of a number of our most popular newsletters. Travel writer Jim Calio has called our book “a wonderful valentine to Paris, unlike anything you’re likely to find in a standard guidebook.” Better than a bouquet of roses, it is a gift that offers an insider’s view of the things to love about the city.
Just in time for Mother’s Day, the Kindle edition of Paris Insights – An Anthology can be purchased and downloaded immediately! And remember…she doesn’t need a Kindle device to read the Kindle edition of Paris Insights – An Anthology! Amazon.com provides Kindle reader apps that work on every major tablet, smartphone, and computer so that she can read Kindle books on whatever type of device she owns. These apps are 100% free. If she needs one, click HERE to go to the Web page for the application that she needs.
Click HERE to order Paris Insights – An Anthology now. Click HERE to enter an annual subscription to our newsletter.
Give your mother the beauty and passion of the world’s most romantic city!
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Des Coulam
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net
In this month’s Paris Insights we present Des Coulam. Des first became interested in recording sound and conversation when he was a boy. Now retired from a totally unrelated vocation, he spends much of his time recording the sounds of Paris. Read about his passion for acoustic ecology, the recording of sound emitted by a particular environment.
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Bonne lecture!
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Atika Lazrec, Manager of Les Saveurs d’Atika
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net
In this month’s Le Bon Goût, we present Atika Lazrec, who manages Les Saveurs d’Atika, a Moroccan restaurant near Place de la Bastille. We enjoyed her home-cooked meals when we dined there recently and, in fact, returned to enjoy them again!
Le Bon Goût is a restaurant review that you will find in Paris Insights, a newsletter about the history and culture of Paris, as well as our observations on contemporary life in the city. It is published monthly as a downloadable PDF file and is available only to paid subscribers for an annual subscription fee of $30.
If you are not a paid subscriber and would like to download the newsletter, please click here. Enter promotional code 11473309154 to receive a $5 discount off the price of an annual subscription.
Bonne Lecture…et Bon Appétit!
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Alexandre Billon et Marie-Hélène Gantois
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net
On Thursday, April 18, I attended a chocolate and spirits tasting organized by Marie-Hélène Gantois of Mococha Chocolats on rue Mouffetard. She invited Alexandre Billon of La Fontaine aux Vins (107, rue Mouffetard) to present three spirits in association with three of Marie’s chocolates.
Three Spirits
Photography by www.DiscoverParis.net
LeRoch V.S.O.P. cognac, a blend of three Petite Champagne cognacs, was selected for the first pairing. I learned that Petite Champagne is a geographic zone of the area around the town of Cognac, where wines destined for cognac production are grown. Marie paired this spirit with a praliné au sarrasin grillé by chocolate maker Jacques Bellanger. When I first tasted the praliné, I thought that it was made from roasted peanuts, but it’s not, it’s made from toasted buckwheat. The light flavor of buckwheat went well with the light and delicate flavor of the cognac. A good match!
Alexandre Explains the Fine Points of Rum from Guadeloupe
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net
The second liquor was Karukera rum from Guadeloupe. Alexandre explained that rum from this island does not have an AOC certification (controlled designation of origin) as does rum from nearby Martinique. The principal reason for this is that producers have to adhere to certain standards to receive the AOC certification, and the Guadeloupean producers choose not to. The rum was paired with Furie ganache jus et zeste de citron vert by Fabrice Gillotte. It was a clever idea to pair the rum with a ganache containing zest and juice of lime, because rum is often served with this fruit. Again, a nice pairing!
Marie Serves Delicious Chocolates to Her Guests
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net
The third alcohol was Glenfarclas Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky. This whisky, aged 12 years, had only a hint of peat. Its slightly sweet flavor went well with the Fabrice Gillotte chocolate flavored with fève de tonka, a bean that tastes faintly like clove.
Marie Explains Tasting Procedure
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net
The chocolate and spirits tasting was a great success. A good time was had by all!
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 | Tom Reeves - author of Paris Insights - An Anthology and Dining Out in Paris - What You Need to Know before You Get to the City of Light. |