Bonjour to Breakfast and More in France

Hello Foodies,

If you’ve been to France, you know that in French culture, eating is not just about sustenance, it’s about total pleasure of the palate. That’s part of a joie de vivre and l'art de vivre that we Americans (most of us anyway) envy. You know, too, about Julia Child’s impact in the 60’s and 70’s on the American view of French food and style. And, unless you’ve been hiding in a cave, the re-impact she has on us today, thanks to Julie Powell, Nora Ephron, and Meryl Streep.

Like Julia, I had been singing the praises of “all things French” for years - the language, the culture, the people, and the food. But it wasn’t until a few years ago that I had my French lifestyle epiphany. Unlike Julia Child’s, my awakening didn’t occur in France, it was at home in the U.S.A with my colleague from France, Patricia, who was staying with me for a week. The mornings were rushed and I ate my breakfast (coffee and a granola bar) in the car while we were driving to work.

On the fourth day of her visit she said, “Kathy this is so wrong, what you’re doing each morning. You must take the time to enjoy your breakfast. I don’t understand this American way of eating breakfast in the car. This is not healthy. Each day is a new beginning – don’t you want to begin it with contemplation and enjoyment of your food?”

Her words made me realize all the more what I love about the French. It’s their ability to slow down their pace of life– at least much more than Americans – for the enjoyment and pleasure of food. I felt like I’d discovered the true soul of France through Patricia’s words.

As the success of the book and movie, "Julie and Julia" continues to draw attention to French food and France, we foodies at Tour de Forks are dishing about travel to “fork-friendly” France – Julia’s spiritual homeland. We’ve designed an epicurean tour of her Paris and Provence. From the city life of Paris to the peace and quiet of Provence, you can shift gears and open your senses to life in “la belle France.” In Paris, stay where Julia and her husband stayed, at the luxurious Pont Royal Hotel.

In Provence, visit her farmhouse home of La Pitchoune, now a cooking school run by Kathie Alex, “Cooking in France with Friends.” This kind of séjour inspires the pleasure of the palate, even when you’re back in the U.S. – because no matter where you are in the world, you can enjoy the infinite pleasures of the table. I’m trying to do just that, thanks to Patricia’s words of wisdom.

Merci mille fois to my friend Patricia for sending me the book, Petite philosophie du matin –pensées positives, which I translate as Positive Little Thoughts for Each Morning. Yes, I do read it every morning as I sit with my tasse de café. Still, I need many more trips to France to re-enforce my “positive thoughts.” See you in France and bon appétit!

Enjoy!

Kathy

P.S. Thank you to the Pont Royal and Kathie Alex for the photos.