give paris one more chance: week two

welcome to give paris one more chance, a diary about my experiences in paris, mostly concerning cheese, wine, and other comestibles, and the places where i eat. before i begin, a word on why its starting two weeks into my stay. my bags arrived a week after i did, and arrived slightly pilfered, so its taken some time to put myself together. my friends here mentioned that i was, in a sense, arriving in an ideal state for a stay here - namely, a state of annoyance. there are better things that have happened since i arrived, but i can say with confidence that my apartment is not one of them - not bad in and of itself, in a lovely location in the 13th, but when i arrived it turned out the keys had been hidden in a former latrine in the hallway outside. after digging in a defunct toilet bowl, amid soaked rags, i was able to get into the apartment. the title of this diary is taken from a song by my favorite singer-songwriter, jonathan richman, and i had no idea how fitting it would be when i chose it.

but, in the spirit of going out into the world and finding something to cheer onself up, two little cheeses, bought at the farmer's market delightfully near my apartment;

St-Marcellin -a small (they're supposed to be 80g;mine was 100), strong cow's milk cheese, orange on the outside and creamy yellow on the inside. Made in Dauphine - I usually find it to be too strong on its own, but good with a few grapes and some bread. A good choice for a cheese plate where other things can balance it out.

Crottin de Chavignol - almost too famous to mention. This is a Loire valley raw goat's milk cheese, with a gorgeous nutty flavour. Apparently it hardens and takes on a different taste with age - this one would have been very young, about two weeks old or so. A very safe bet for a chevre, and about the size of a really big button.

and a recommendation: my friends John and Emily steered me towards the hot chocolate at Angelina, on Rue de Rivoli. It's a gorgeous if stuffily fancy room, and the hot chocolate comes close to a coherent argument against atheism. its worth the trip across town, and almost across the pond.

until next time -

ben