The Story of the Broken Baking Stone

So there are a few pieces in my kitchen that just make my life a lot easier. First of all, my 10 inch chef's knife, without which my dices would not be exact and prepping would be infinitely more tedious. Then comes my Cuisinart, doing jobs that can take the place of countless other kitchen tools including the blender, cheese grater, and a knife. My Kitchen-aid stand mixer waits patiently to lend a helping whip or mix, speeding every process and leaving my arm less strained. However, perhaps the most beloved of all of my kitchen gizmos and gadgets is the most simple of them: my deep dish baking stone. There isn't any complicated engineering that goes into it, for ages people have used similar things. Baking stones don't like soap; they tend to soak up every volatile of flavor that goes into them and therefore require only the most delicious of contents. Because of this layering of flavor, they stick with you; they can tell the story of your cooking life by kissing the next dish with their historic priming.

When I was little I remember asking my mom if we could make bread. Usually she kind of pushed away the idea, saying that it might take too long or that she wasn't really up to it. I never held out hope for trying to gain some insight into such a mysterious process. Finally one day she came to me with a Martha Stewart recipe for Rosemary Focaccia that she had found in her latest magazine. I was excited, but also a little nervous as I read through the seemingly endless steps towards that holy grail of nourishment. My mom helped me through the steps: heating the water to just the perfect temperature, sprinkling in the yeast and letting it ferment, incorporating the oil, salt, and flour....and kneading. This is when I really fell in love with the bread making process. At first I started by rolling the dough around and not doing a whole lot of pushing. My mom kept telling me that I needed to be a bit stronger with the dough. I slowly got the hang of it and learned that it was a good way to take out any anger, to really feel the process, and to push in as much love as I could. This is where the intimacy of the bread making process comes in...the blood, sweat, and tears; love and good tidings; memory that you are taking part in such an old process with so much history of nourishing and making people happy.

We continued on with the rising and creation of that sweet ethanol that makes dough smell so great, punching down the dough (yes, I already said it is a good way to get your anger out), the final rise on a cookie sheet, making little dimples in the dough, drizzling on olive oil, and sprinkling on the salt and rosemary. Into the oven went my creation, filled with my heart and soul, I chucked in a cup of ice in order to create steam, thereby creating that thick crust that makes focaccia so well known. Then came the anxious anticipation as more and more volatile compounds creeped towards my nose. Finally the climax of the whole experience came as the bread came out. It was absolutely gorgeous, a nice goldeny-brown color, studded with little brownish green specks of rosemary. And the smell...ohhh the smell! It was overwhelming.

As soon as the bread cooled off a bit I cut it open and tasted. It was absolutely perfect. A crusty exterior encased a dense, soft interior. You could taste the yeast, the fermentation, the woodsy sweetness of the rosemary, and the perfectly balanced salt in every bite. This is when my love affair with making bread began, at the ripe old age of 11 or so. I think we made some BLT sandwiches with the bread, always a good lunch, but to me the bread was the star.

Since that day I have made countless other breads. I have learned about the chemistry and the reactions that develop the texture and the flavor. I have learned practically how to apply these things and have been able to branch out into different types of bread using a huge variety of ingredients, even creating some recipes of my own. I have learned that making bread is a stress reliever for me and a good way to share a little bit of myself with the people I love. I have learned to get in touch with the history of breadmaking and to feel the thousands of years behind me that have shaped each loaf. I have learned to keep trying, knowing that I have by no means mastered the art. Most of all, I have learned to respect that baking stone.

Starting with my second attempt at foccacia, my deep dish baking stone has become my sidekick in the quest for perfect bread. It lends a crustiness and flavor that remains unmatched by any other method I have tried. Through the years, my stone has aided about 90% of the pizzas, biscuits, breads, and rolls that I have created, with an unyielding strength and determination. With all of that being said, they are nearly the most picky of of all the kitchen residents; mostly they just break easily...

I have broken 3 in my life. The first wasn't even mine, it was my friend Laura Beth's and was being called on to make a chocolate chip biscuit dessert with sweetened condensed milk. What happened was kind of a blur, I took it out of the oven and it was just cracked in two, with no clues as to why. She didn't scream...I would have.

The second was my most favorite. It was the first stone I ever used for bread- its first use was a foccacia topped with 'parma del sol' spices. It did everything for me and I was very protective of it. After all, it knew my history, my food, and it always served well. It died in the midst of a move from Knoxville to Raleigh. I discovered the pieces as I was repacking boxes in Cincinnati and my heart just sunk, a moment of silence for its service.

Never fear, my mom was at the ready, giving me her deep dish baking stone with a pink glaze on the outside. It definitely lessened the blow of my last loss. Today I took it out to make my coconut milk bread and I set it on the stove. I went to work mixing up coconut milk, yeast and sugar in order to start fermenting. Then I was hungry...it was lunch time. Never to fear, I was going to boil some water for spaghetti in order to satiate my hunger. I turned on the burner and got to mixing up my dough. After a couple of minutes I heard a loud *CRACK*. I looked over to the stove only to find that my new stone was cracked into 3 pieces, I had turned on the wrong burner.

I guess this bread won't be made using the flavor of a stone, unfortunately, but I'm sure it will turn out anyways. A new deep dish baking stone will come into my life soon enough and we will continue to try to conquer the bread world. However, now I can't help but be a little sad for the stone and the breads that it will never take part in making. Rest in peace.

The absence of sound, an ode to the HPLC

So I know that it is kind of confusing what I have been doing here, especially if the subject matter is foreign to you. In short, this machine above, the HPLC, and I have had to become best friends for the past few weeks. Chemists know the HPLC (High Pressure Liquid Chromatography) very well for its purpose of fingerprinting chemical compounds in liquid samples. It is also famous for being touchy and a pain in the derriére, but all the while useful. So, what does this have to do with me?

In many food products there are non-enzymatic browning reactions, called Maillard reactions, that take place between amino acids and sugars. This is the reason that milk turns brown when you heat it and also the reason why bread turns brown and has that nice ethanol-y flavor and aroma after baking. So what? Why do we care? Amino acids make up protein compositions and we need the whole gamet of amino acids in order to have a strong protein health profile. By eating just beans or just meat, you don't get some of these amino acids, no matter how much you eat. Why do beans usually come with rice? Because together they form a synergy of complete protein. Haven't they been telling us that a balanced diet is the way to go?

There is one amino acid that is not found in great abundance, it is the limiting amino acid in bread and other cereal products, lysine. Well you say that we should try to conserve lysine so that we can consume complete proteins and be healthy, right? Well that is where the Maillard Reaction comes into play. Upon addition of heat (eg. baking), lysine reacts with the sugars naturally present to result in browning, and those characteristic bread-like aromas and flavors. One of the compounds that furosine can turn into for this is furosine. Furosine is used by companies to monitor levels of Maillard reactions in their food products. Furosine...the holy grail of my summer.

So, at my job here I started off by making the classic French bread in the beginning; I learned the process and the reasons why everything is done the way it is done. Then I spent an inordinate amount of time researching every little tidbit of information I could find about furosine. I learned that this reaction occurs in a wide range of food products, especially dairy. I learned how and why the lysine turns into furosine. The particular interest of the team here is the effects of addition of inulin for fiber supplementation. And then, I learned how to test. Enter the HPLC. The extraction of this chemical was definitely difficult; morcels of the bread becoming very friendly with the most concentrated hydrochloric acid I have ever seen at very high temperatures for 24 hours! Then there were ore chemicals added, more dehydration and more filtering.

By the end of each extraction, we ended up with tiny vials of golden liquid (reminding me each time off the poison that Leonardo DiCaprio takes in Romeo and Juliet) that would soon meet their fate with the HPLC. I was very surprised how easy all of the testing went. We didn't really have any problems with the machine or any of the processes. The only problem was that by the time I could start testing, there wasn't enough time to run a full gamet of samples to entirely exhaust the subject. Soon the Frenchies depart for their much relished summer vacation, only to return in September. The lab closes a week from Monday and next week is only a 3 day work week because there is a holiday, 14 juillet (their Independance Day).

As such, all the machines had to be closed down today. The lab is preparing for its hibernation and next week (my last 3 days of work here) there will only be reports written and presentations given. I share my office with the HPLC and it is a bit bizarre to not hear its gentle purring. The absence of sound is always a reminder of what could have been. I am a bit sad that after getting so interested in the subject for the past couple of months, I won't be able to do more experiments on it.

Ahh well there are new adventures to be had and new subjects in which to become interested.

C'est la vie.

Dear HPLC,

Thank you for not ruining my morale.

Love,

Amanda

Questing for soy sauce

Although my skin and my heritage wouldn't suggest it, most people that know me know that I am secretly Asian. I have had 'Weird food-offs' with actual Asians and held my own, my favorite color is red, my favorite utensils are chopsticks, and I have terrible pronunciation of English words. Even though it might be sacrilegious while living in a foodie's paradise, I have been craving some Asian food. I didn't really care what type: some Thai noodles, Japanese sushi, Chinese stir fry...it didn't really matter as long as it didn't contain cream or butter. So, I thought to myself, fried rice is pretty easy and has pretty universal ingredients that I can get anywhere...I will make that.

The next day after work I set off for the grocery store, sporting my H-Mart (Asian market paradise in Atlanta) reusable grocery bag. This was a new grocery store that was larger than any I had yet seen here. Amazed, I walked around, admiring the array of juices and yogurts and cheeses. I picked up some rice, some vegetables, some shallots, some yogurt, and then started to head towards the checkout. Oh wait! I forgot the soy sauce! Ok, no problem, it's probably near the vinegar. No. Ok, maybe near the spices. No. Near the soups? No. (Slight panic setting in) At that point I went on a full out hunt for that luscious, fermented, salty, goodness. This was the biggest grocery store I had seen here! I seriously was verging on hyperventilation, clutching my H Mart bag, all the while remembering how many times it has contained soy sauce before. The only thing that calmed me down was that I was getting a huge back of shallots for 1.30 euros....no luck.

The whole walk home I contemplated how this could happen and how I could get my hands on some, my craving growing ever stronger. I sent an email to my Asian food guru, asking her how she could abandon me anywhere without soy sauce! HELP HELP HELP HELP HELP! If I couldn't find even thats basic of an ingredient, there was little hope for Asian style noodles or tofu! The day had taken a very dim turn indeed. The next day I asked everyone I could about where to find 'sauce soja', no one gave me a concrete answer, but one girl said that I should be able to find it in an International aisle of a grocery store. A faint glimpse of hope! I searched everywhere I could think to for a Chinese girl I had met, hoping she could give me an answer. I knew there had to be a 'Lucky Palace' or 'Sunshine Market' somewhere!

Growing ever stubborn, I decided to make fried rice with the ingredients that I could get my hands on: very starchy rice, 2 eggs, a shallot, bacon, and a beefy/oniony/mushroom sauce that I found at the grocery. It was surprisingly not TOO far off from what I had been hoping for, enough to satisfy my craving. However, the question still remained. Where in Nantes can I find soy sauce?

Yesterday I finally went downtown to shop around, determined to get my hands on a bottle or that lifeline to Asian cooking. I found a Monoprix, a massive department store/grocery store. I walked in passed the check out lines, the clouds parting and a beam of sun shining towards a shelf along the wall. First I saw tortillas and salsa, the first time I had seen anything of the sort here. Then I saw VERMICELLI NOODLES, I was getting closer. Then sesame oil! And then...there it was...3 different options depending on size of bottle and store vs national brand. My pot of gold at the end of a rainbow: soy sauce. I had an instant humongous smile, the largest I have had in awhile, and I just started jumping up and down. I'm sure that everyone around thought I was crazy, but I didn't care.

I browsed the rest of the grocery store with a renewed vigor and got some nice ingredients. The sun was shining and the birds were singing, my quest finally complete. I got home and was excited to start cooking. So I made: lamb loin slathered on both sides with pesto, sauteed and topped with melty emmenthaler cheese (I can't believe I can get a huge bag of Emmenthaler here for the equivalent of $1.50) and brussel sprouts sauteed with some bacon and shallots. It was quite possibly the best plate of food I have ever made, didn't contain any soy sauce. What can I say, I'm a complicated lady.

Don't worry, that night I made up a pot of rice, ready to wait for today to make fried rice. I just made up that fried rice, the right way. It was heaven.

Ps. the pic is of me eating dog in China

Where the lavender grows

Last weekend I had a 3 day weekend because Monday was a holiday here. At the last minute I decided to go to Avignon for the weekend. Avignon is in the south in Provence, where the lavender grows. I had a couple of hours to wait to leave Nantes between picking up my ticket and leaving, so I decided to walk around a bit. I found my new favorite place in Nantes. It is a nice gated park that features gardens and birds from different areas of the world. There are some nice ponds and flowers and benches...very nice! I decided to read a bit in there until it was time for me to leave. When I thought that it was about time I got up to leave...the gates were all locked! I looked at the time and the park had closed half an hour earlier! As I was contemplating how to jump the really tall gate, a golf cart came up and asked "Are you lost?". The guy led me out and I was laughing at myself a lot.

The train took off and it took the whole night to get to Lyon. Most of the time a baby war crying...:-/ Then I took a second train to Avignon. The countryside was gorgeous, with fields filled with red flowers and lavender. I got to the train station and just walked around to explore the city a bit. The whole city is surrounded by a stone wall in order to keep out flood waters because it sits on the Rhone River. This is the city where the popes went when there was a schism in the Catholic church.

I walked around the city as it was waking up. It was about 10 am and the city was still very sleepy. Little by little there started to be more people as I walked toward the city center that held a row of restaurants. Then I came to the square next to the Palace of the Popes. There were beautiful gardens that sat on a hill next to the Palace. I walked around those for awhile and just appreciated the sublime view of the Rhone River. For lunch I went back to the city center and sat at a cafe for some moules frites (mussels and fries) So delicious! The mussels were cooked in a white wine, buttery, herby sauce that was perfect for soaking up with fries and bread!

In the afternoon I toured the inside of the Palace of the Popes. It was really neat to see the history of the building. I took a walking tour and learned a lot about the time of the schism. For dinner I got a croque monsieur and sat in a beautiful garden next to a church to eat. I then took a gander at their grocery store- it was huuuge for French standards so I spent a lot of time looking through it! In Avignon one of the big things is street performers. I spent awhile watching this event called 'Street Sport Championship' or something like that. These boys that were all maybe 17ish would do some crazy tricks with soccer balls and basketballs. It was juggling like I have never seen before! That night I got to actually watch tv for the first time since I left home so I had great fun comparing the BBC to French news.

The next day I woke up to a rainy sky.. very sad for me because my plan was to walk around next to the river. I sat at a cafe for about 2 hours and wrote a lot and then decided that the rain was slow enough that I could brave it. I walked in and out of some shops and then got a veggie filled panini. I went to the Pont d'Avignon and learned a little bit of its history. There is a famous childrens song about dancing on it (although I learned that the people actually danced beside it and not actially on it). This bridge in the medieval times was the only connection from France to the Roman Empire. Pretty mindblowing!

Then the sun came out so I decided that I could walk around more next to the river. I eventually walked so far that I was walking in between French farms of lavender and vegetables. Chouette! It turned out to be a beautiful day from then on and I had some nice conversation with an elderly couple as there were lots of people taking their Sunday walk. For dinner I went to a stand and got a tomato and goat cheese panini. Delicious! I sat in the square next to the Palace of the Popes to eat and met some nice people that lived there and they gave me some tips about the area. I also got some violette flavored ice cream! Very interesting!

The next day I went to a boulangerie for breakfast and got some bread with rosemary and bacon mixed in. Delicious! I looked around some of the local markets and took in the culture, walking around a lot. It seems that Sundays are the days in Avignon to open your windows, blare music and clean. It was nice when I passed one house in particular and heard David Bowie's 'The Man Who Sold the World'. The area is very interesting because it is just a maze of streets with houses that look like they they were made of brick, covered with concrete, and then reexposed and covered in graffiti.

For lunch I got a 'kebab salade' from a stand. I've seen these all over France and wanted to figure out what they were. It turns out it was a pita with tomato, lettuce, a white sauce, and some really salt gristley chicken that was shaved off of a spit. Very delicious and salty and filling! I was supposed to leave from another train station than the one I had arrived at and so I took a bus to get there because everyone said it was far. It turns out I had walked to about 2 blocks away from it the day before! The train rides home were fairly eneventful, I got back late and was ready for a 4 day work week!

A weekend in Alsace

This past weekend was a 4 day weekend in France (when I asked my boss why she said "because this is France" haha) After much deliberation and frustration I decided on going to Alsace, the part of France that is closest to Germany.

On Thursday morning I had a bit of time to hang out around town so I went around to some of the sights in Nantes, to a large cathedrale and to a chateau. They were both very pretty and stricking. There is also this place called Ile de Versaille that is just a little island in the middle of the river t you can take a bridge to and there are pretty gardens, etc. Very nice indeed.

Then it was off to Strasbourg. The train that I took went straight there, so it was fairly simple and took about 5-6 hours, not awful. I left the train station (which looks like a giant bubble that smeone sat on) in search of my hostel. I found it fairly easily, it was pretty close to downtown, left my things in the room and set off to explore. I was happy because I was in a dorm room, but no one else was in it that night.

The streets of Strasbourg center around one main canal, a very picturesque view. (My contact for coming here, Dominique, told me it is the plus belle ville de France) All of the buildings there have so much character, painted with a myriad of colors. I thought that I could live there. I just started walking in he direction of crowds then, deviating from the group whenever I thought appropriate. There were lots of stores to wander in and out of as well as lots of good people watching. I had a nice tartine with vegetables that was pretty delicious, having a puff pastry crust and filled with a quiche-like eggy filling along with mushrooms, spinach, onions, tomatoes, eggplants, and thyme. Very delicious.

I went to the Alsatian Museum when I found it next. It was a good place to learn about the history of Alsace through their art and cultural relics. They had old stoves, pottery, clothing, beds, etc. that were all very intricately decorated in floral-like spidery patterns. So many bright and beautiful colors! I also saw the part of town called 'Little France'. It was adorable! Just a bunch of homes and stores and restaurants on a part of the canal with a lock. When I was walking through there was a guy who was kayaking on the wake of the lock!

I also went to the Cathedral in Strasbourg. It was a massive place with delicate and beautiful stained glass lining the walls and candles everywhere, as in most European cathedrals. The thing that was special about this one was that there was this enormous clock in the front. On the half hour it chimes and the apostles do a dance..very cool. I couldn't help but wonder...why the half hour and not the hour? Unsolved mystery... I went outside the, a bit on the warm side and hungry. So I got sorbet from the nearest stand. It was called Soleil Levant (rising sun) and was a rhubarb and lavendar flavor. Very possible the best sorbet I have ever had!

In Alsace one of the big foods is called tarte flambee. It is basically a really really really thin crust, white cheese, onions, and bacon. There are variations where you can add mushrooms or gruyere cheese, etc. Just about every restaurant had this. I sat down after a long day of walking and got the tarte flambee gratinee (the one with gruyere). Mmmmm!

I also got to go to Colmar in Alsace. It is a fair amount smaller than Strasbourg with the same sort of charm to the nth degree. I felt like I was in a fairytale medieval village waiting to find a dragon in a cave. Instead I found a collection of some of the coolest stores I have ever seen. I walkd into one of them and the owner immediately asked me if I wanted to taste before I had even figured out what kind of store I was in. I immediately said yes and then luckily figured out I was in a specialty oil and vinegar store. Fabulous! One by one she gave me tastes of various oils and vinegars: French pressed olive oil, Italian, basil infused olive oil (my favorite of the oils), tomato olive oil, truffle oils, balsamic vinegar (aged 16 years-mmm), cherry balsamic vinegar, fig balsamic vinegar, etc. So delightful and delicious!

I had a lot of fun mostly with just walking around Colmar- I figured out that you could buy a decent place for about 150,000 euros- not too bad! I also went to the Unterlinden Museum. It was another museum that focused mostly on Alsatian history. It had a huge variety in its collection though! I saw everything from silverware to suits of armor. (ps. I have decided that suits of armor are probably the creepiest things on earth!) For lunch I sat down at a cafe and had lamb kebabs with roasted potatoes and a salad. Mmm!

I also went to "Little Venice". It was an adorable little area of town where the streets were lined with flowers, cobblestone streets and the restaurants backed up to a canal. An enchanting sort of place. There were men playing the classic instruments of Venice and many a German tourist taking pictures. I had lunch at this place on the canal and had a tarte a l'oignon, another Alsatian specialty. Invision French Onion Soup meets the best quiche you have ever had! I was very much impressed!

It was then time to return home, an easy trip on the train and I was back in Nantes. I was very happy when I got back because a French lady actually asked ME for directions! :-) Maybe I'm becoming slightly acclimated. Pictures are to come soon when my camera cord gets here. (Thanks Mom!)

things i have learned during my first week in france

I have complied a list of things that I have learned in the past week:

~wear shoes without traction...when you step in dog poo (because you will), they are easier to wipe clean in the grass
~watch out at all times for moving vehicles
~german tourists are annoying...possibly more annoying than japanese tourists
~where a scarf and you will blend in
~walk A LOT - it's the only way to prepare yourself for the onslaught of glorious lipids that will be heading your way at the next meal
~if you speak in french first and smile, people will love the fact that you are american (c'est loin!)
~EVERYONE loves obama everywhere
~wine is more important than water. it says so in the bible
~materials handed out by the proselytizing johovahs witnesses can serve as good 'let's learn a new language' material- you can probably figure out what most of it says without knowing the language
~don't use your index finger to say '1', you will get 2 of things
~there is always time for a cup of coffee
~just because a guy is wearing tight jeans, nice jeans, and gelled hair does not mean he is gay (or a guido)
~you may think you can identify a fellow american by his NFL paraphernalia- look closely first at the team (49ers haven't been good for a looong time), then his pants (man capris), then his socks (dark, tall)- then listen to his speech
~carry band aids always
~if you sit alone, this serves as and open invitation for someone to sit with you, run after you when you leave a place, or perhaps even propose to you
~ the best sentence you can say in french " j'essaye de parler en français" (i try to speak in french)
~get your TGV tickets validated by punching them in a little yellow box in the station BEFORE getting on the train
~if while talking to a stranger and you tell them you are from a different nationality than your own, make sure you are up to date on that country's politics
~there are actually people who say 'zut alors!'
~signs outside of parks, etc saying 'no dogs' are really just suggestions
~repeat everything someone says- it helps with clarification as well as pronunciation
~people watching is even more fantastic than i thought (who knew people ate there pizza so many different ways!

quand je travaille en France...

I started work on Monday here... just about all in French! E.N.I.T.I.A.A. is a school that has all departments related to food science in a small area with a fair amount of buildings. I think there are about 200 students, so it's not very big, but the facilities are amazing! Their pilot plant has just about every kind of machinery that I can think of and the labs are huuuge! Each domain (chemistry, microbiology, processing, etc) has its own building.

So my contact for coming here, Dominique, picked me up at my apartment at 9 am on Monday and took me to the school. I was overwhelmed and doing my best to keep up with the conversation en francais. I got a bit of a tour and then went to meet my boss, Joelle. She is really nice and smiley and was very welcoming. She showed me the area where they all sit and drink coffee in the mornings and then explained a bit more to me about what I would be doing this summer.

My main job will be to analyze volatile compounds (aka the ones you smell and taste) in french bread via the High Pressure Liquid Chromatography machine (aka HPLC). Apparently there is an amino acid, lysine, that is limited in cereal grains and decreases as a result of browning reactions. This makes the bread have a worse nutritional content in short. Also from time to time I will make bread so that I can sample it. They focus on how to make better breads that will end up in grocery stores. Most of the day Monday I read about bread and about these reactions in order to create a good backround. For lunch I ate in one of their 2 cafeterias, fish with rice and broccoli. It was cafeteria food.

Dominique took me back home at about 6 and showed me how to work my oven. It is gas and you actually have to get a match to light it- I would have never figured it out! I then went to the supermarche to get some food. It was getting to be their closing time, so I didn't spend much time, but I loved it of course! Their pprepared foods were things like hollandaise sauce and sandwiches made with baguettes, lots of smoked fish. I got some vegetables, sausage, etc. Then I encountered their wall of smelly cheese! Amazing! Just and entire wall of cheese where we would have our processed cheeses, but theirs were all artisan made and had quote a stench. Mmm! I just chose 2 at random and then grabbed some wine. My 21st birthday meal: a baguette with brie, sausage, tomatoes, lettuce, and hollandaise sauce and then some red wine. C'etait parfait! It's amazing how 2 euro French wine is so much better than $20 American wine.

The next day at work I got to learn how to make bread! I felt like a spy coming in to steal the precious secrets of the French bread. I recognized most of the equipment in the bakery lab from the time I spent in the bakery lab at Danisco last summer. It was the oven...that was the difference. There were three levels and you could control the temperature at the top and bottom of each level. The oven also had a steaming option that you turn on to create a good crust. The smells were intoxicating! That afternoon there was a group from Pennsylvania that came for a tour and so I tagged along. The students, for an oral exam in their English classes were supposed to give all of us tutorials for how to work the machines in their pilot plant. It was very interesting!

I also got to meet some people. One guy asked if I wanted to go get a coffee in their student lounge and I said I had to get back to work. Dominique overheard and said "You always have time for coffee!" I love working in France.

Yesterday was the first day that I went to work by my self via the tramway and then on foot. The tramway went perfectly, but on foot I got a bit lost. Oops! I don't think I paid enough attention when I went on the route via a car. I eventually found my way after stopping to ask people and then had a day of reading about bread en francais. I was so tired after that!.

Today is a holiday in France and so I have a 4 day weekend. This morning I went to downtown and walked around a lot. I got to see a chateau and a cathedral that they are famous for and then I just walked along the canal and watched all the people on their boats. Tres jolie!

Now I am going to go and spend my weekend in Alsace, bordering Germany!

Bon weekend!

Bonjour Nantes

I sat for awhile in the station, having my first real glimpse again of the French language. I was starting to get a bit nervous, wondering if my abilities would be good enough. It was time to board with my cumbersome bags. I finally found my traincar, the last in the row and boarded. The luggage storage areas were full and mine was the biggest bag of them all. I started to panic a bit, seeing that the car was pretty packed with little room for extra storage. I sat by my seat for a bit, wondering what I was going to do because the only space I thought it might fit was far overhead, virtually impossible for me to lift my bag to. People around started yelling in French and then in English because they couldn't get passed me in the aisle, but I couldn't figure out what to do. I was definitely THAT girl (my worst fear realized)! Finally a nice man stood up and helped me and I sat down, deciding that French men were nicer than French women. I slept most of that train ride, getting more nervous than ever.
I arrived in the Paris Nord train station and had to somehow figure out how to get to the Montparnasse train station, all I knew was that the guy in England had told me I was looking for line 4, I had no idea what that meant. I probably looked very lost for awhile as people kept coming up to me, asking for money. I finally decided to ask a store worker where to go and she pointed me towards the Metro, the line 4 making much more sense now. Men helped me with my bags up and down sairs, I got a ticket, and soon I was on the subway heading for Montparnasse. I was feeling pretty good about my French after that. Paris rejuvinated me! I got to the train station with about an hour to spare and got a multi grain baguette filled with chicken, tomatoes, mayo, and lettuce and I ate it along with as much water as I could get my hands on.
It was time to board the train, but it was a bit more confusing this time because the cars weren't marked. I just kept asking people who looked like they knew what they were doing and I kept getting closer to my location. I finally boarded the train that had plenty of room for my luggage and me, much to my relief! I sat, slept and listened to music the whole way. When I got there, I was to be greeted by Ingrid and Sophie, two girls who are going to be in Knoxville later this summer. It took awhile to find them because there were two exits, them being at the opposite one that I chose, but I found them. We chatted on the way to my new apartment and I was happy that I was keeping up fairly well with the language. My French of course wasn't perfect and I think from time to time I answered questions that were different from what they asked, but it was all okay.
I got to my apartment on the 3rd floor of a cute little street and was very happy to be greeted by a friendly woman who gave me the tour and keys to my place. It is fully stocked with bed linens, silverware, bowls, towels, etc.- everything that I could possibly need including maps of Nantes! My kitchen has a fridge/freezer, stove/oven, sink, washing mashine, couch, and some dressers. There is a closet to put all of my things in the hall, along with a bathroom, and then on the opposite side of the hall, a shower room. In my room there is a futon on the floor made up for sleeping, a bed with a really cool tapestry for sitting, a shelving unit, a table and chair, and a coffee table. It is really cute! I even have a phone and wi-fi already working. Ingrid and Sophie invited me to go eat with their friends, but I was tired so I opted out, having made plans the next day with them to get food. They called about an hour later saying that they needed to go to Paris to get their visas for the US and so they came with a bag of food for me. (Most stores are closed on Sundays)
I then slept until about 2 pm the next day, probably not good for getting my body on schedule. I woke up and decided to go on my computer, opnly to find that my battery was about dead and my convertor could only handle 2 pronged appliances (my computer battery being 3). I gorgot that I needed to bring that other attachment and got very worried because I don't have much hope that they would have that here. I then looked in my bag of food and had a banana and a crepe. I took a long, much needed shower, unpacked and felt refreshed. I then studied French for a bit an dwas hungry again. They had brought me what looked like sausage and onion frozen pizza. One problem: I can't figure out how to turn on the oven! I ended up putting a pan on the stove along with a top and cooked it that way, probably not ideal, but it worked. Confused at a fishy smell eminating from my pizza, I discovered that it was in fact a tuna and onion pizza. Todo, we're not in Kansas anymore!
I then decided to take a walk around and discovered that there is a river very near to my apartment that is lined with beautiful parks. I walked through it with probably most of the people in Nantes, it must be the Sunday afternoon activity! There was a beautiful walking bridge that went across the water, houses, benches, and grassy areas filled with wildflowers. I definitely felt like I was in a dream! It is absolutely gorgeous and I spent the rest of my day there. I walked back and finished the rest of my pizza.
Then I got a bit desperate for some outside world! I fashioned a convertor with some bobby pins that I cut the ends off of. It probably isn't the safest option, but it works! At least for now... Tomorrow my original contact is coming to get me and then we are off to the lab! I hope everything goes well! I have almost forgotten completely that it is my 21st birthday tomorrow! I am a strange bird indeed.
It looks as though for now that I will still be able to skype, my ID is 'amibear1'

I hope everything is well back in the States!

Getting to London

After having spent all day in the Detroit airport, it was finally time to get on my plane that would end up at Heathrow Airport in London. I meant to sleep the entire way so as to adjust to the time in Europe more easily, but the people sitting next to me were interesting...so it didn't happen. There was a lady from Minnesota who when she asked what I was going to be doing got really excited because her favorite new hobby is to make bread. She asked what my favorite flour was. She was going to London to visit a friend and had so many stories to tell. A guy sat down in the middle of our conversation and said that his parents own a wheat farm and he is currently trying to convince them to mill their own flour. He was on his way to Liberia to set up some kind of legal aid. He was a law student at Michigan. (sorry Ashley) We all spent most of the time chatting instead of sleeping.
I arrived in London to friendly customs officers and easy bag pickups and then had to decide which ticket would best get me to the London St. Pancras/ King's Cross area where my train would be leaving the next day. I finally chose the Heathrow Express (the more expensive option I quickly found out) to get me to Paddington Station and then to London St. Pancras from there. I easily found the luggage storage area after packing an overnight bag in the bathroom and stashed my luggage for a total of 12 pounds. Then I was off to be a tourist in London!
I started off by taking the tube to Westminster Station, somewhat unaware that I would be coming out at the Thames and right under Big Ben, quite a shock! There were tons of tourists being offered paper flowers and then quickly asked for money 'for the children' while they were taking their pictures. I got my own touristy type pictures of the Thames, the London Eye, and Big Ben. Then I set off in a direction that I was hoping was correct, about 10:15 am by now. I soon realized I was in the right direction (sneaking glances at my map and guide book from time to time) as I saw a group of protesters in the square across from Westminster Abbey. People were walking and taking pictures, so it was a slightly dangerous group to walk alongside! Really beautiful though of course, it was very cool to recognize all of these things of which I have long seen pictures.
I loved seeing the cabs in their characteristic shapes and the policemen with thier characteristic hats. Upon passing the Ministry of Defense I saw a police officer with a machine gun- quite surprising to me! I then found a small park next door that overlooked the Thames where I could sit and get my bearings. It was a slightly overcast day, but wasn't raining so I was very happy! I then realized that I had about 1/2 and hour to make it to Buckingham Palace for the changing of the guard so I set of in a direction that didn't seem to see many tourists. I got to see a cool little neighborhood with lots of shops holding hundreds of baguettes filled with a huge variety of sandwich ingredients. I also passed by a small street market with Indian food and books. MMm! I finally made it to Buckingham Palace at just the right moment along with the masses of tourists. I was beginning to forget that I was in an English speaking country! The ritual was neat to see in real like, but a bit anticlacmatic....the Royal Army Band played a medley of Ricky Martin songs!
I then walked along the Mall and in the park leading to Buckingham Palace. It was a beautiful place with a pond, rugby, and lawnchairs for rent. I kept walking through and found myself in the Embassy District, the first I saw being Uganda's. I think this place was the National Museum with huge statues of lions flanking the square, but I didn't go in. Instread I got a 'Salt Beef Deli', a tortilla filled with salt beef, mustard mayo, sauerkraut, and gherkins. It was much needed along wih some water and picked up my energy level a bit. I then set off for the Tate Modern Museum. It was a cool place on the opposite side of the Thames. While crossing I got a nice view of London Bridge, and the Globe Theatre- more recognizable to me than I would have thought. The museum was really cool and I got to see works from such artists as Picasso, Monet, and Matisse. It still blows my mind every time I see a work of art from one of those really famous artists, let alone so many.
I later went to meet my friend Joel, who I met in China, at a red phone booth at Oxford Circus. We had nice lagers and then went to a delicious Thai restaurant. WE had a fantastic meal of fish cakes, pad see-ew (both of which my homestay family taught me how to make while in Thailand), Massaman curry, and Singha. The best Thai I have had in a long time! He then took me on a laid back London night tour amongst some decently heavy rain, fun times indeed.!
The next day we went to the most amazing outdoor food market I have ever seen near London Bridge! We walked up and there were the largest wheels of the freshest (well maybe not- they were aged forever, but that's how it should be) cheeses I have ever seen in one place. Most offered sample, so I just went down the row trying them all. There were also people selling huge amounts of fresh artisan bread, gorgeous sea food (the tuna looked amazing), pastries, and produce (I had no idea pirple asparagus existed!). We made it to one of Joel's favorite vendors for a sandwich with chorizo, pickled bell pepper, and spring mix greens. It was delicious and I actually liked this more tame version of the bell peppers that I am used to! We sat on the Thames and ate our goods- mm! WE then headed back to find a raw oyster vendor so that I could have my first taste of the delicacy. I out some kind of red wine vinegar with onions on one and then tobasco and lemon juice on the other. I was shocked with how clean and fresh the flavor was and how much I liked them. Onward to some delicious cappucinos with the creamiest froth I have ever had!
We then went to a Thai style street market with the kinds of booths that you could get lost in! Brought back so many memories! Throughout my time in London I had noticed that everyone wheres grey or black, or black or grey. Here I think was all of the color in London- great for people watching! It was time then to head back to the train station to catch my train. A fun time indeed in London!