Giving Thanks

A certain snarky friend of mine once called Thanksgiving a "bullshit holiday" because it glorifies that time in American history when, according to her, "The colonists were all like - 'Hey Native Americans, why don't you just bend over and take it while we overrun your territory!'" I'm no historian, but I'd say this is a pretty fair assessment of what happened, oh, everywhere that European colonists landed? But I digress.

This is the first Thanksgiving that I've spent away from home, and while I may question the validity of the origins of the holiday, I do appreciate the other values that it stands for - namely family, traditions and food. I miss my family, but they're coming to visit me in a month so instead I'd like to take a moment and reflect on things that I am thankful for.

The first is that, by happy coincidence, I did not go to Israel last weekend as originally planned, and that the friend who I was supposed to visit was safely in the US. As I understand it he has since returned now that the cease-fire is in effect and is staying with family in another part of the country. My thoughts go out to all those whose lives have been affected by the violence. 

I'm thankful for having a family that supports me doing that which makes me happy and who has never pressured me to figure my life out when I wasn't sure what I wanted to do. You are rare amongst parents, much less Asian ones, and I love you for it.

And, of course, my friends. From the new ones here who organized one of the best Thanksgiving dinners ever (that's what you get when everyone you know is a culinary school student) to the ones at home who promptly respond to emails regarding everything from new music to boy problems. I promise I will try harder to stay in touch.

In Search of the Perfect Apple Pie

Pie is hands-down one of my favorite foods - both to make and to eat. And as delicious as French baked goods are, there really is no substitute here for it. Tarts probably come the closest, but their crusts are more shortbread than flaky, and the fillings creamy rather than fruity. I tried to explain to a friend here what makes American pie crusts so great, and ended up describing it as a cross between pâte sucrée and feuilletage. 

Come holiday season I've always been the designated pie-maker in the family, but I have to give it up to the experts at Serious Eats for breaking down some of the best baking tips for ensuring that your pie is far superior to any store-bought crap brought to the holiday party by a lazy guest.

And so, this link here is my gift to you: The Food Lab's Top Nine Tips for Perfect Apple Pie.

Mistakes Taste Better With Maple Syrup

When I got home from Italy, one of the first things I did was go food shopping. I guess I was just tired from the airport shuttle having dropped me off past 1am, because when I went to Monoprix (basically the French Target) later that morning, I grabbed buttermilk instead of regular. How did I realize that something was amiss? With my first bite of cereal. I used to like drinking buttermilk as a kid, but now...not so much. So what to do with an entire liter?

Having found maple syrup at Monoprix, I decided pancakes were my best bet for using up the buttermilk. But following recipes here is much easier said than done. There are no measuring accoutrements in my apartment (but besides, the French don't use cups and tablespoons anyways), and I left my scale in my locker at school. So it was time for some freestyle cooking.

​Les ingrédients

​I had some apples in the fridge. Why not use them too?

​Caramelizing in butter and sugar just like we learned in class.

​Voilá!

In the end it turned out pretty well, despite my guesstimations, but I barely made a dent in the buttermilk. Either I'll be eating pancakes for days, or it's time to find some other buttermilk recipes. Biscuits, anyone?

Burgers in Paris, Part Deux

Les nomz

Just when I was starting to get used to living in a French atmosphere I went away to Scandinavia, where everyone speaks nearly flawless English. In some ways it was almost like being at home, except that they use strange currencies and everyone is very blonde and blue-eyed...

Okay, so I guess it was more like being in an alternate universe, but the point is that I could communicate with people without wildly gesticulating and looking like an idiot. And then I returned to Paris, where my brain now struggles to form simple sentences in French. 

If you asked me during my first week here whether I would ever want go to back home, the answer would probably be no. But now that the blinders have come off a bit I'll definitely be ready to leave by next summer. There's no denying that Paris is a beautiful city, but one tends to spend most of the time looking down at the ground avoiding piles of dog poop - seriously, it's worse than Manhattan.

Le camion. Probably easier to spot by the long line that forms at lunch time.

For these reasons and more I've been feeling a little homesick, which is why I decided it was time to seek out Le camion qui fume - one of only two burger-grilling mobile food joints in Paris. Whereas Cantine California focuses more on...California/Mexican-influenced street food, Le camion qui fume is all about straight up burgers. Oh, and their fries are better than In-n-Out's.

Yes, I went there. Come to Paris and prove me wrong.

For more objective assessment on the cultural significance of food trucks in Paris, I suggest you read this NYT article.

Comfort Food From Cantine California

At the recommendation of a fellow classmate, my friend and I tracked down the California Canteen food truck at Marché Raspail near the Jardin du Luxembourg. The owner grew up in San Francisco (hence burgers named Half Moon Bay and California), but decided to start this business in order to fuse American cuisine with high quality French ingredients. We shared the carnitas tacos and Half Moon Bay burger. Both were delicious. Easily the best meal I’ve had in Paris so far.