All of France appears to be on holiday. I knew the boulanger round the corner would be on holiday from the 2nd of August so I thought I'd just get my morning pastry from the boulangerie near work, only to get there and see that they too were on holiday until the 30th!!!!! So Monday was my first day without a croissant/pain au chocolat for breakfast! I thought I'd be able to make it to 12.30 but I couldn't and ended up grabbing a kitkat from the vending machine mid-morning.
Then even on Tuesday I almost missed my train trying to find a boulangerie that was open - I finally found one who WASN'T on holiday and purchased my croissant. It was different - the pastry felt a bit thicker and not as light and airy but still very tasty! However, when I returned on Wednesday to get one, there was a sign saying "closed on Wednesdays" - AARGH! So I had to go EVEN FURTHER to finally find a bakery who proudly displayed a large sign in their window that read "We are open all summer".
Move closer to me.
Oh and then also on Monday I tried to go to social security as the french government will give me help with my rent but I need a social security number in order to do so but having stood there for fifteen minutes with an impatient old lady waiting for someone to show up, we both gave up and I went to work, not wanting to be late!
Monday night I got back and was VERY hungry and Mathilde brought out some leftovers from this chinese place she'd been to and the thought of it was just too wonderful and rendered my plans for spaghetti so undesirable that we went to the restaurant instead! Turns out it was japanese but here is all the food I got!
a mushroom and spring onion soup (REALLY GOOD)
some kind of salad
ribs, mushroom, courgette, lamb(?) meatball and beef and cheese kebabs (with rice)
salmon and shrimp! The whole meal was just delicious and I'd like to point out that I ate the ENTIRE thing (minus the soup) with CHOPSTICKS alone and that I am therefore AMAZING.
And then we had a cheeky ice-cream on the way home . It was from an italian ice-creamerie which was REALLY quite superb and I went for an ecuadorian chocolate and a nutella-like ice cream combo and they don't work by scoops but by SIZES which is a MUCH better way of doing it and so you can combine as many flavour as you like and they slap them in with a palette and I just think this system is the best ever.
Tuesday was my last day at work and so I thought I'd go and get a steak, and that particular day an entrecote cut was on offer. Now ordinarily I ask for it rare and the man does it well done, so after consulting my friends I confirmed that the next step up was blue and so, filled with trepidation, I asked for it blue. I would not fear for this in England but the French do have a bit of a reputation... anyway I asked for blue, the man even double checked my order later but I ended up being presented with the blackest piece of meat EVER. It was barely pink in the middle and was utterly revolting and I was so upset and I'd complain but the man is big, tattooed, scary and able to spit in/drop my food on the floor and I don't want to confront him. It made me feel a little better when ALL the others said he always gives them the wrong thing too. I think he just hates people/his job/meat/life.
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