And I'm in Paris for it which means it's the most wonderful time of any of the past 20 years I've been alive.
On Saturday, a few of us got together chez Meg, who lives about 45 minutes north of Paris and had an American Thanksgiving. It was complete with mashed potatoes, homemade gravy, green bean casserole, stuffing, baguettes, wine, apple and pumpkin pies, and chicken! Apparently, you have to order turkey ahead of time from the butcher but chicken was readily available and ended up being delicious. After the Thanksgiving festivities, the Christmas season could officially begin.
Christmas markets have been going up all over the city and will continue to be set up throughout the first week of December. They are like magical Christmas lands full of waffles, cheese, mulled wine, and things you might buy from infomercials. So far, I've been to the Christmas market by my school in La Defense and the one on the Champs- Elysees (which was MADNESS). Let me explain these markets to you:
They are made up of little wooden chalets which serve as booths for food, beverage or other gifts. They are always crowded and always smell delicious.
Things to get:
Mulled wine- served in styrofoam cups, this delicious beverage is made up of wine, sugar, sometimes juice and other spices. It's hot and much sweeter than regular wine because it has been diluted with lots of other stuff. It's the perfect hand/body warmer on a cold Paris day.
Raclette- holy mother of cheese. The best way I can describe this is think of taking a wheel of cheese and melting it from the inside out and then using what I can only guess is a putty knife to scrape this melted cheese into a baguette. You can go get a paper towel to clean the drool off your computer now. With raclette at the markets, your choices are jambon or nature (meat or plain) and you can't go wrong with either. Just be prepared to be stuffed for the rest of the day. But trust me, SO WORTH IT. You can also get raclette at a lot of restaurants where it is served in a fondue-like fashion but there is something so delicious and much less civilized about eating it out of a baguette while walking.
Gaufres- otherwise known as waffles, are everywhere in the markets. You can either get a traditional gaufre Belge, which is your traditional Belgium waffle with your choice of nutella or powdered sugar...OR you can get a gaufre liegeois which is even more delicious and much richer and sweeter. That was a terrible description of the differences between them but you really just have to try both and see for yourself. In addition to my general food obsession, I am especially fond of waffles. They easily make my list of my top 10 favorite foods (not an easy thing to do).
Bottom line: if it's at the Christmas market and it looks tasty, it probably is. Try it.
In addition to going to the markets, Lottie, Lizzy and I cooked chez moi last night. It was so wonderful having them over to my side of the city...it's a very residential area that people generally don't have reason to come visit so I'm so glad they made the trip. We had delicious eggplant and of course bread and cheese and I think I almost died of laughter the entire evening. It's so strange that Lizzy leaves in a week and Lottie leaves in January...it's really making me realize just how long I will be here for.
But after 90 days here, I haven't even seen half of the things I want to. I'm still just as in love with Paris as I was on day 1 and I don't think that will ever change. But there are some things that have changed...
I am now one of those annoying people who will push you on the metro if you're in my way and I'm trying to speed through the transfer I have to make. I can bag groceries like a pro. If you gave me a blank map of the arrondisements I could number them all. I've started relying less and less on my metro Paris app and more on my knowledge of the metro lines to get to where I'm going. I've learned to buy groceries by Saturday at the latest because civilization ceases to exist on Sundays and part of Mondays (don't worry, the bakery by my house is still open Sunday).
I've also learned that my definition of home is much different than it was 90 days ago. I used to think it was about the familiar people you were surrounded by, but I've come to realize that a city and its people can also become a home. I am constantly surrounded by people I've known for less than 100 days, yet I've never felt more at home. Finding a home is about love. Whether it's people you love, animals you love, a house you love, or a city you love, that's all you need. And while I absolutely do consider other people and places my home, Paris has been added to the list. I feel like I know this city and these people and despite all of the quirks and weird things I've encountered, this is, and always will be, a home for me.
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