Please for the love of god, stop making me bag my own groceries. I’m already stressed out by the language barrier, and worried that I forgot to weigh my produce, and feeling sheepish about my conspicuously large, undoubtably American-size haul of goods. Oh, and I’m probably not feeling too good about the toddler screaming in…
Remember when I rocket-launched a six-pack of Orangina all over the grocery store floor? And then just a month or so later, when I accidentally spiked 3 bottles of Coca-cola at the register, sending shards of glass into other people’s shopping bags? Well, as you might guess, all of the cash register ladies at my…
Since I’ve been spending such a good deal of time lately complaining about the grocery stores here, I thought I’d take a minute and share my idea of the perfect food shopping experience, complements of the riverside Sunday market in Bordeaux: 1. Garlic shrimp grilled to oder. To fortify you before shopping. 2. Plenty of…
You would think that shopping for food in Paris would be a dream come true. Visiting the butcher for fresh cuts of meat you can’t identify, stopping by the cheesemonger for a wedge of something smelly, visiting the vegetable stand for only the ripest avocados. Sounds simply idyllic, no? But what if in addition to…
Have you ever dropped an entire 6 pack of glass Orangina bottles in the middle of the grocery store isle? In France? Well just in case your answer is no, let me explain how it goes: You see the woman in front of you taking her time, perusing every possible beverage option while blocking the…
After nearly a year of living here, I have quickly learned that France is a place of many contradictions. It’s a land where stunning beauty nearly knocks your socks off at every corner, but also where dog poo threatens at every turn. Where one can fathomably subsist on cheese, pastries and wine and still not…
Unlikely Diplomat 