Tom in Disco Pose
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net
Our intrepid blogger tries out his disco steps on one of the dance floors at the Great Black Music exposition that is taking place through August 24 at the Cité de la Musique.
Disco Is Back!
March 13th, 2014 Darboussier Rum
March 12th, 2014 
DarboussierRhum Vieux
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net
At the recent Salon International de l’Agriculture, I purchased a bottle of Darboussier Rhum Vieux from the spirits stand of the French overseas department of Guadeloupe. The rum was labeled “hors d’ages,” and the vendor told me that it was ten years old.
Darboussier is a blend of old rums that have been aged in oak. The color of amber, it emitted a sugary aroma of caramel, banana, and vanilla when I opened the bottle. Initially harsh on the palette, it softened as we swirled it in its glass.
We hope to gather more information about this rum at the Rhum Fest Paris that will be held at the Parc Floral de Paris on April 6 and 7.
A Visit to the French Overseas Departments at the Paris International Agriculture Show — Part II
March 11th, 2014 The city of Paris hosted its 51st International Agriculture Show this year from February 22 to March 2. I showed up on the mornings of the third and fourth days with camera in hand to see what would be interesting to photograph. And I found a lot!
Aurelia – Paoline – Gwen
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net
Florence and Christ-Laur
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net
I met five lovely ladies at two different stands that represented French Guiana, a French overseas department located on the north Atlantic coast of South America. All five women hail from Guiana and live in Paris.
Marie-Hélène
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net
Marie-Hélène, from New Caledonia, represented that French territory, which is located in the southwest Pacific Ocean east of Australia. She is currently a student in the town of Limoges in central France.
Naoilou Yahaya
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net
Naoilou Yahaya is manager of fruit promotion at the Chamber of Agriculture in Mayotte, a French overseas department located in the Indian Ocean between the African continent and Madagascar.
Thierry Elie and Babette de Rozières
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net
And over at the cooking stand, Thierry Elie, president of Les Toques Blanches de Martinique, and Babette de Rozières, popular television chef and author of several cookbooks, were engaged in animated conversation about the dishes that Chef Elie and his staff were preparing. Chef Elie hails from Martinique and Babette, who moved to Paris at the age of 17, from Guadeloupe.
To be continued…
A Visit to the French Overseas Departments at the Paris International Agriculture Show — Part I
March 6th, 2014 The city of Paris hosted its 51st International Agriculture Show this year from February 22 to March 2. I showed up on the mornings of the third and fourth days with camera in hand to see what would be interesting to photograph. And I found a lot!
I initially thought that I would go from pavilion to pavilion and take pictures of this and that, but when I arrived, I realized from the immensity of the show that it would take days to explore. There were farm animals of all kinds, including cows, horses, pigs, goats, sheep, and chickens, as well as domestic cats and dogs. Then there was also an immense vegetable exhibit. What to do?
I made my way up to the second floor of Pavilion 7, where the agricultural products of France, region by region, were on display. I reckoned that there would be tasty things to try and that people from the regions would be on hand to explain their products to me. Even then, remembering that France has twenty-six regions, I realized that it would be impossible to explore all that was there. I decided to devote my time exploring one of the regions that I had a little familiarity with, the French Overseas Departments.
France has five overseas departments, and I found all of them there: Martinique, Guadeloupe, French Guiana, Reunion Island, and Mayotte. I also found New Caledonia, a French overseas territory.
Janine Salomon of Panier des Iles
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net
Bouquet of Tropical Flowers
Photography by www.DiscoverParis.net
One of the first persons I met was Janine Salomon who had flown in from Martinique to display her beautiful flowers. I purchased a bouquet and took them home to present to my wife, Monique, in advance of her birthday. Madame Salomon has a flower shop in the town of Ducos in Martinique called Panier des Iles.
Daniel Ambroise of Tropicales Fleurs
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net
Nearby was a stand called Tropicales Fleurs, attended by Daniel Ambroise from Guadeloupe. He looked quite dapper the way he was dressed, so I asked if I could take his photo. I later searched through the Web site of the salon to try to find the name of his shop. I wanted to post information about it, but couldn’t find any listing. The big frustration at this agricultural show is the map that is distributed to attendees and posted on the walls of the pavilions—it is practically useless for finding anything. The search function on the agriculture show’s Web site is almost as useless, but with diligence I was able to find information about other exhibitors.
Anne-Sophie and Joan from Guadeloupe
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net
At a stand touting the benefits of bananas from Guadeloupe and Martinique, I met Anne-Sophie and Joan. They are both from Guadeloupe and live in Paris. Note the image of a banana to the right of Joan—it’s sporting a beret! Yes, Guadeloupe and Martinique are part of France, just as Hawaii is part of the U.S.
To be continued…
Vanibel Coffee from Guadeloupe
March 5th, 2014 
Vanibel Coffee from Guadeloupe
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net
At the recent International Agriculture Show in Paris, I had the occasion to purchase a 250g bag of 100% Arabica, whole-bean Vanibel coffee, labeled “Guadeloupe Bonifieur.”
Back at my place, brewed in a French press, it exuded rich, smooth, satisfying flavor. In short, it was an extraordinary cup of coffee!
From what I can determine from browsing the Internet, the word bonifieur is not an official classification, apparently because the quality of production differs from producer to producer. One source that I found declares that the name bonifieur (improver) comes from the name given to the polishing machine that is used to remove the silver skins from the coffee beans and to give them extra polish. In any case, production of this coffee is limited and I was fortunate to come across it at the agriculture salon in Paris. I doubt that I will ever find it for sale in Paris again at the price that I paid, which was only 10€ for a 250g bag.
Vanibel is a small plantation in Guadeloupe located on the southwest coast of the island of Basse-Terre near a small village called Vieux Habitants. As well as growing coffee, the Vanibel estate rents bungalows to travelers seeking respite from the bustle of big tourist areas.
The Eternal Quest for Beautiful Fesses – Our Fesses of the Month
March 4th, 2014 
Tom Shooting Sculpture on Sorbonne
Imagine the joy of walking down a street in Paris, glancing up, and then spotting – high above – a beautiful sculpted fanny protruding over the base of a pediment. This is what the City of Light is all about!
This month’s bountiful booty is part of a group entitled Les Sciences by Antonin Mercié. Sculpted in the late 19th-century, it is displayed on the façade of the Sorbonne University on rue des Ecoles. Science doesn’t get any better than this!
Follow the link below for a close-up view:
http://www.pinterest.com/pin/411586853417605744/
Sunday Morning on Rue Mouffetard
March 2nd, 2014 
Marc with Scones Fresh out of the Oven
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net
I stopped by Les Petits Plats de Marc this morning to take a photograph of Marc just as he was withdrawing a tray of scones from the oven. He will serve them to hungry customers today when they come in for Sunday brunch. (Note the pains aux chocolat in trays on top of the oven, ready for baking.)
Marc’s restaurant is one of the stops that we make during our gourmet walking tour entitled The Street Market on Rue Mouffetard.
Les Petits Plats de Marc
6 Rue de l’Arbalète
75005 Paris
Telephone: 01.43.36.60.79
Chocolat Elot from Martinique
February 26th, 2014 
At the recent Salon International d’Agriculture, I acquired a 100g bar of chocolate, called Chocolat Elot, that is manufactured in Martinique. Containing a minimum of 42% cocoa, the bar is made from cocoa from Martinique and Trinidad, vanilla, and cane sugar.
Dark-brown in color, the bar has a dull-luster finish and a pleasant sweet-chocolate aroma. It does not melt quickly in the mouth, but rather provides firm resistance to the bite. Its texture is grainy, like fine sand. As for its flavor, it is sweet, intense, and earthy. This is an enjoyable chocolate bar to eat, especially if one has a preference for sweet, rather than bitter-sweet, chocolate.
Special thanks to Janick Ancete, chef of La Kaz’ à Crêpes, for providing this chocolate bar.
Tasting Belvedere Wine from the Mercouri Estate
February 19th, 2014 
Belvedere by Mercouri Estate
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net
At the wine tasting of Mercouri Estate wines that we attended at Mavrommatis two weeks ago, we purchased a bottle of Belvedere, a sweet white wine, and took it home to try.
Belvedere is produced from Malvasia Aromatica grapes. After the harvest, the grapes are allowed to dry in the sun for roughly five to eight days. After pressing and fermentation, the wine is aged for twelve months in new French oak casks. The 500cl bottle that we purchased is from the 2010 production, only 700 of which were produced in that year.
We chilled the wine and then tasted it. A clear, golden wine with brilliant reflections, it has a fruity-sweet aroma of ripe pear and butterscotch. On the palate it is quite sweet, yet at the same time slightly tart.
This is a great wine to serve for dessert.
Mavrommatis
49, rue Censier
75005 Paris
Mercouri Estate
Korakochori Ilias
27100 Greece
American History Day Trips near Paris – Part II
By Anna Eklund-Cheong
February 15th, 2014
Escadrille Lafayette Memorial
Photograph Courtesy of Eric Hian-Cheong
In Part I of this blog, we read about the Suresnes American Cemetery and Memorial on Mont Valérien, which lies only a few minutes by train outside of Paris. Today, we explore the Mémorial de L’Escadrille LaFayette that was built to honor the volunteer American pilots who flew and died for France in WWI, before the U.S. officially entered the war in 1917. It is found at the Parc de Villeneuve-L’Etang in the town of Marnes-la-Coquette, a little farther west than the Suresnes Cemetery.
Before leaving Paris to visit the Escadrille memorial, pack a lunch! You may well want to picnic in the Parc de Villeneuve-L’Etang—there are many species of birds and water fowl living around a small lake there. It’s only a 20- to 25-minute trip on the train from Gare Saint Lazare to the Garches-Marnes-la-Coquette station. From there, it’s a 10-minute walk to the park entrance and the memorial.
At the site, you’ll discover a large and richly decorated, white stone triumphal arch with carved, relief likenesses of George Washington and Lafayette. A colorful mosaic of the squadron’s insignia is under the arch. The pilots’ tombs are beneath the monument. On a sunny day, if you go down the stairs and peek through the doors of the crypt, you’ll be able to glimpse the remarkable stained-glass windows that line the crypt walls, illustrating some of the famous air battles.
The exploits of the pilots of the Lafayette Squadron were featured in a 2006 film Flyboys, starring James Franco (rated PG-13). The New England Air Museum has published some of the content of its exhibit on the squadron here.
Read more about the memorial (in French) here.
Anna Eklund-Cheong, a resident of France since 2000, gives tours on Franco-American history in Paris; a pair were offered through WICE last fall; two more will be offered through the American Women’s Group this spring. She’s recently started a Web site/blog that gives voice to her creative heart, as well as a Facebook page.
Photographs by Eric Hian-Cheong can be viewed at Eric Hian-Cheong Photography.
