Spring Dining

I went to Le Voltaire–a fancy-pants french resto on Quai Voltaire right off the Seine–a few nights ago with some friends to sample the oeufs mayonnaise, which according to Le Figaro, are the best in Paris.  Our server walked us through the handwritten menu, helpfully pointing things out to me that were vegetarian-friendly. He mentioned that I should get the asperges blanches (white asparagus), as they were in peak season and it is a traditional spring dish, but I had already been seduced by another entrée option, and thus declined. The table next to ours ordered the asperges blanches, and when they was delivered, I had one of the most serious cases of FOMO in my entire life. They looked amazing, and came with a tasty-looking sauce. The neighboring diners made sounds of contentment as they nommed into the asparagus. I enjoyed the food that I ordered, but I couldn't help but think about those asperges blanches. I don't believe in regrets, but I came pretty close to regretting my decision that night.

The oeufs mayonnaise

Killer dinner, but nary an asperge blanche in sight...

Rather than blow my dining-out budget by going back to Le Voltaire, I decided to make some asperges blanches myself. I went with a recipe I found on marmiton.org, as I had been pleased with the outcome of the ratatouille I'd made from a recipe I'd found on the same site.  I invited a friend over for dinner to keep me motivated. The menu: a vegetarian salade nicoise, asperges blanches, and Ben and Jerry's for dessert!

A little pre-dinner apéro.

First course: salad nicoise à la végétarien

The salad: lettuce, tomato, chickpeas (garbanzo beans) hardboiled egg, artichoke, shallots, sundried tomato, haricots verts. Topped off with homemade dressing. 

My lovely dining companion.

The dishes seemed simple enough, but required a bit of technique to execute. I had to blanche the haricots verts, and the sauce had to be put in a bath of hot water to cook, but not too hot to risk cooking the egg in the sauce. I cooked it a bit too long, but since I was serving it to someone else, I decided a bit of cooked egg was a lesser evil than salmonella poisoning. Kitchen gaffs aside, my guest remarked at the end of the meal that the salad was good, but the asperges blanches was "amazing". I was so proud :)






So there you have it! I don't know about the availability of white asparagus in the U.S. (or elsewhere), but if you can get your hands on it, I highly recommend trying this dish. It's milder and more tender than it's green cousin, and the sauce that goes with it is really good.

Easter Weekend!

In France, the Monday after Easter (or Pâques), is a national holiday. Even though my friends and I are loaded down with schoolwork, we decided to profite and enjoy the weekend.

I had an exam the Friday leading up to Easter, and while I was walking home, I realized it was the first time since November that I could walk without feeling physically uncomfortable by the surrounding air temperature. I grew up in the southern United States, so cold and grey do not agree with my constitution. I found myself walking at a leisurely pace down Boulevard Saint Germain for the first time in months, rather than scurrying for warmth like I usually do.

To celebrate, I had un verre au terrace at a café near my place, and the walked to the Seine b/c I could. Snapped some sunset pics. Just cuz.

That evening, a friend invited me to a day trip she'd planned with a mutual friend to Fontainebleau on Saturday. We took a tour of the château and then rented bikes to bike over to the nearby town of Barbizon. What was supposed to be a 30 minute bike ride on a paved path ended up being a 2 hour mountain biking sesh through the forest of Fontainebleau. Gorgeous scenery. More of a workout than we expected, but we survived haha. Note to others: Barbizon has no buses and the cabs can't fit bikes, so if you bike there, you gonna have to bike your tush back, honey.

Bees have historically been the symbol for power and royalty, so Napoleon was sure to include a LOT of bee motifs. 

Nerdy selfie w/ my audioguide. There was a lot of history, ok?!

Ceiling shot.

Wall panel. 

The chapel. 

Napoleon's bed.

A stool in Marie Antoinette's ante chamber. 

Cute flower shop in Fontainebleau

On Easter Sunday, considerably more sore than usual, I biked over to the right bank to celebrate at a friend's place. I picked up some flowers as a hostess gift on the way. I noticed that peonies, my favorite flower, are finally in season! The weather was nice, so we decided to hang out at Jardin de Tuileries for the rest of the afternoon.

Windy and ominous, yet still sunny!

Peonies :)

Blue ballerinas for Easter!

The weather was gorgeous, even though we were hit by some intermittent showers. I had a great time with some of my closest friends in the Master's program. Spring in Paris is objectively amazing, but I think you really appreciate it when you've been through the winter. You feel like you've earned it. Every flower is blooming just for you :)

I hope everyone enjoyed a great weekend! 

Spring is Coming....

      One of the best things about having this blog is that I can look back to old entries from my first stay in Paris for guidance. Sometimes it's for factual confirmation: about when did the weather get warm here again? Other times, it's for nostalgia: can you believe that less than 5 years ago, I'd just eaten my first macaron? Better still, it's for signs of progress: thank goodness my french is better now, or, wow, there was a time when I really had a thing for french guys. Lol.

      Spring is almost upon us, and it couldn't come a moment sooner for me. This winter has been a grey one, but the lack of external light and warmth was more than compensated for by the warmth and light provided by all of the lovely people I've met in my graduate program here in Paris. Although I try to stay "present", I often use my college semester in Paris as a reference for my experiences here and now. I realized today, for example, that I wont be in Paris for Roland Garros like I was last time, which prompted me to realize that I won't be here as for as far into spring as I was last time, which is a serious dommage b/c I believe that there is no better place on earth to be than Paris in the spring.

      That being said, I came here this time on a mission: to get a master's degree in economic law. Last time, the goal was mostly to improve my french and to experience life abroad. And while this trip has surely been less fun-n-fancy-free than my first séjour here in France, I've been working hard to better myself and to create opportunities for the future. Last time, as the family and friends that suffered through my complaints remember vividly, it took me a long time to overcome my culture shock sufficiently to enjoy Paris. This time, the challenge has been managing my stress levels enough to savor the experience. It can be tempting to look at the past with rose-colored glasses, but sometimes an honest assessment will show you that you're actually making progress.

       Anyway, in the vein of my 2011 spring post, I'm going to post some pretty pretty pics of Paris in the spring. Though this time, I'd say that my photography skills have improved (see...progress!). I'll update this post as I take pics, but for up to the minute pics, follow me on Instagram (@lazeez90), where I will be posting at least a pic a day. Enjoy!

Le Conseil d'État and the ICC

For those curious as to what I'm up to when I'm not sipping on café crèmes au terrasse or visiting yet another museum, I though it would be good to post a lil somthin' somthin' about some of my more academic/professional-minded pursuits here in Paris.

As I've mentioned before, I am completing a dual-degree program offered by my home law school and Sciences Po. It's been a bit of a departure from the free-wheeling days of my undergrad exchange: I have the full course load instead of the minimal credits required of those only doing a semester. The cons are, as you would expect, more time in class and the increased amount of homework that comes with more classes. The pros are a more "engaged" learning experience and better relationships with my comrades in the masters program.

In addition to classes, I have had the good fortune to visit important legal institutions here in France, such as the Conseil d'État and the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) headquarters.


The Conseil meets in the Palais Royal building (I'd always wondered what the "Palais Royal" of the Palais Royal/Musée du Louvre metro stop was...). The Conseil holds weekly seminars in which legal scholars discuss various cutting-edge developments in the law. I went with one of my Sciences Po professors, on an occasion in which two of her former students speaking on the panel (out of 3 panelists, not too shabby!). The topic at hand: extraterritoriality and movement of persons.

Wall mural of agrarian France.

Quite a beautiful building.

Yesterday, I had the great fortune of having a private tour of the ICC headquarters, which are located a stone's throw away from the Eiffel Tower. I am very interested in international arbitration, so it was great to visit the place where the case management happens for ICC arbitration and to meet some of the members of the various regional teams.

Having a bust done by Rodin is pretty baller-status. 

Couldn't agree more. 

The roof had an amaaazing view of the Eiffel Tower, but I didn't bring my camera with me on the visit. This will have to suffice....

Soon, I hope to visit l'Assemblée National (the french national assembly), and I'll be sure to include lots of pics when I do! À bientôt!

Zee Hearts Museums: Part Deux

This is part two of a two-part entry on less touristy Paris museums. Click here to check out Zee Hearts Museums: Part Un !

**Heads Up** : This entry has a few references to sex in an artistic context, so if that's problematic for ya...don't scroll down!

Musée de Luxembourg
    I've been meaning to visit Musée de Luxembourg for the longest, but every time I head to Jardin de Luxemburg, which is right next to the museum, I'm wearing questionable workout gear and typically not carrying my student ID in the waistband of my yoga pants. One day after class, I went with a few fellow Sciences Pistes to the Musée which is located right next to–wait for it–a mini Angelina! Who the heck knew? It's probably a good thing I didn't know until now that the park I use for jogging also has a mini restaurant famous for chocolat chaud with the consistency and flavor of warm brownie batter (in a good way).

    The museum was featuring an exposition on Fragonard, which I associate with the adorable little perfume boutiques that can be found around Paris. Born in Grasse (where they still make a ton of high-end perfumes) and indeed part of the Fragonard dynasty, Jean-Honoré Fragonard was apparently a bit freaky and liked to capture the rampant libertine sentiment favored by wealthy "gentlemen" of the age in etchings and frothy pastel paintings.

    Although very sexually charged and questionable in terms of the treatment of women-as-objects/the male gaze, I really enjoyed many of his paintings. There were strong notes of leisure, fun and fancy-free in the outdoor pastoral scenes, offset nicely by an undercurrent of dramatic irony, as many of the paintings captured the excesses of the french upperclasses in the days leading up to the Revolution.

Le Verrou: one of Fragonard's most famous paintings...but also pretty rape-y.

    I went to an exposition recently at Musée d'Orsay on prostitution in Paris, so I am less sensitive now to the idea of sex as a thematic driver for art. Both exhibitions did a great job of using the works to serve as a snapshot of a moment in time. As a woman, however, I can't help but wonder if much has changed...

One of the more "progressive"/scandalous pieces: A woman surrounded by books and other educational materials without a man in sight (gasp!), engaging in a little "self-pleasure". 

L'Institut du Monde Arabe
    And last but certainly not least, last night I went to an exhibition at L'Institut of artifacts recovered from the ocean floor off the coast of Egypt where the ancient cities of Thonis-Heracleion and Canopus once stood.  I remember hearing about how archaeologists had found the lost city of Alexandria back in the 90s. My mom used to watch a lot of National Geographic-type shows, and I remember  Zahi Hawass or one of those dudes mentioning how the city had been found, but it would take some time to recover everything. Apparently a frenchman found two other cities also submerged off the coast near Alexandria which had been thought to have been "lost".

A god conquering all of the scary things found in Egypt: crocodiles, scorpions, snakes and mini goats  that have long sharp horns for...goring, I guess?

    Considering the fact that a "catastrophic event" sent these cities to the bottom of the Mediterranean hundreds of years ago, the artifacts on display were incredibly beautiful and in amazing condition. Many of the items recovered really showcased the blending of Greek and Egyptian cultures and mythologies.

Egyptian queen with Greek stylistic characteristics

Egyptian statue dedicated to Hathor, the Aphrodite/Venus of Egypt. Many of the gods in this period represented a blend of Greek and Roman traditions. Basically the Egyptian Venus de Milo. 

This tablet was found face down on the ocean floor, which kept it in almost perfect condition

    The narrative of the exhibition focused on Osiris and the birth of mummification. En bref, Osiris was one of the sons of the god of the sky and the god of the earth. Osiris' brother, Seth, killed him in a jealous rage and scattered the parts errwhere. Osiris' wife, Isis, re-assembled the parts and performed the first mummification ritual and partially brought him back to life...or should I say, brought part of him back to life... his, ahem, penis, which she made love to and brought forth their son, Horus, who vanquished the evil Seth and avenged his father. It was a compelling tale of love, death, hope and rebirth, and served as the frame for the exhibition, which featured many pieces from the cult of Osiris. It's always interesting to see how much ancient cultures and religions borrowed from each other (Cain/Abel, rebirth=Jesus) and the humanity in a lot of the old mythologies is something I think we all can relate to.

Isis in the form of a falcon "on top" of Osiris.

Amon=Egyptian Zeus/Jupiter

 
   The L'Institut itself is super cool as well. The walls have these little camera-like apertures that control the amount of light allowed in at any given point during the day. There is also a Moroccan restaurant on the 9th floor with a little deck providing an incredible view of the back of Notre Dame. I wasn't able to go out and take a pic, but I definitely plan on going back soon!

   I found out recently that I can use my student ID to also get into CASTLES for free! So keep a lookout for posts about the Châteaux of Chantilly and Fontainebleau soon! Don't miss a post: sign up for email updates (the tiny box thingy on the right)!