La Vie Française

Bonjour! 
You have to imagine me saying that in my very best Julia Child. That's where this started, really. With Julia, and the brave way she just jumped in to France.

We're in France. I'm in France. My husband and my kids are in France. We sold our house in Austin, TX, put everything we own in storage and we rented an apartment in France. Sérieusement!
It sounds crazy, right? It is.

But I really wanted to cook in France. I really wanted to eat in France. And I really wanted to see what would happen to my kids' brains and gumption if we just really tried something totally new. In France.
So far these kids are killing it. I mean, seriously. My daughter has become the family expert on the French language, and my son has joined me in my quest to try the pain au chocolate at every patisserie within walking distance. We are ALL IN.

Lettuce even bigger than Jimmy Neutron's Head!

So far, the eating is good.
The wine, the cheese and the pastry are all MUCH cheaper than in the US and much yummier. I knew they would be delicious. I'll admit that I have obsessed on the fact that cheese outside of the US is more authentically made with unpasteurized milk. I've felt robbed for years. I just want that real cheese! I expected it to be good. But I didn't expect it to be so cheap. I bought a sampler of 5 cheeses for 5.5 Euros (about $7)  - any single piece of cheese in the assortment would have cost that much alone at Whole Foods. And the cheese was all fantastique!

A chocolate croissant is less than a buck.
We got the most amazing peaches, cherries and strawberries I've ever tasted and I paid for it with change! (In fairness, there are 1 Euro and 2 Euro coins, but still.)
Just look at this lettuce! It was so much like a huge zinnia - I can't even tell you - just layer on layer of leaves packed tight into a neat little half sphere.
We are going to eat our way through Europe. I'll try and keep you posted. In between bites.