Ann Mah's Blog, page 38

French felines

I love cats. I love Paris. I love cats in Paris. But it turns out French felines are a little bit harder to capture on camera than their canine counterparts. Still, with a careful eye, you can find them slinking around the City of Light's quiet corners.

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Adventures in Burgundy

When I traveled down to Burgundy to research my NY Times article on Thomas Jefferson and wine, I had a big hurdle to face: Driving. See, I can't drive a stick shift. And apparently there are only two automatic cars for rent in the town of Dijon. Both of which were reserved.

So, I decided to rent a car in Paris and drive the 300 kilometers myself. Pas de problème!

The day of my trip dawned and I picked up the car. At first, all seemed well. The car was an automatic. It was a normal-sized Dodge S...

Thomas Jefferson, Burgundy and me

Salut, mes amis! I'm so excited to share this article from this Sunday's New York Times travel section, Retracing Jefferson's Steps in Burgundy!

It was so much fun to visit the Côte d'Or in March, to follow in the Founding Father's footsteps. After reading Jefferson's journals, I've developed quite the crush on the self-described "foreign gentlemen" from Virginia.

I'll post trip photos and tales of adventure soon, but in the meantime I hope you'll read the article (and don't miss the...

Dining Out and About (Paris): Afternoon snack

Goûtter is usually for kids, served up after school, the type of snack that legitimizes chocolate bars stuffed into a fresh baguette.But a mid-afternoon snack is also a good idea for grown-ups, especially when you're surrounded by the world's most delicious pâtisserie. So many toothsome delicacies, so little time. Goûtter is just another opportunity to gobble them up.

My friend, Erin, and I sometimes meet for goûtter, indulging in a little tea, a little pastry, a little gossip. A few weeks...

Chez Julia

The other day I walked by Julia Child's apartment at 81 rue de l'Université in the 7ème. She called it "rue de Loo." There's no plaque (though I've heard there's a movement afoot to install one), but if you've read Julia's memoir, My Life in France, it's not hard to picture her living here. She and Paul occupied the second and third floors in a rambling flat that Julia described as "large, centrally located, and a bit weird."

Subcontinental spice spree

I love French food as much as the next person, but a girl can't live on steak frites alone. When a crise de chili strikes, I've been known to hightail it over to the 10th, for a visit to Paris's Indian neighborhood. Here, sari shops line the boulevard, spices scent the air and people scrum to purchase boxes of mangoes. In the Indian grocery store, the aisles are filled with unusual ingredients: chilies and other exotic vegetables, boxes of dosa or idli mix, bags of spices. But, what to buy...

La Belle Bretagne

I'd dreamed of going to Brittany for so long — land of crêpes and oysters, wild coast, striped shirts, wooden shoes, corsairs and fishing boats — that I was afraid it would disappoint me. It didn't. Even though I only touched a tiny part of the jagged coast of France, I was charmed. Alors, what did I do?

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Kitchen Chinese: What's cooking

Apologies for the recent paucity of posts, mes amis. I just got back from a whirlwind trip to the States and I am still struggling to catch up with everything that happened while I was away. It was a lovely trip — well worth the backlog! — capped off by a terrific reading at Borders in Washington, D.C., where I was thrilled to see so many friendly faces. Thanks to all who came for making the event so awesome!

Meanwhile, as my hypothalamus struggles to readjust, here's a round-up of nice news a...

Secrets of a vegan cupcake baker

Paris's current dessert trend goes something like this: The cupcake is the new macaron which is the new black. At least according to the New York Times. In celebration of everyone's favorite mini-gateau, we sat down with Celeste Rhoads of Pop Cupcakes, a Parisian cupcake traiteur (shhh! her sweet treats are vegan!), to discuss French enthusiasm for American desserts, and her favorite animal-friendly baking tips.

Why cupcakes in Paris? Why vegan cupcakes?

There is a real lack...

Dining Out and About (Paris): More Chinese!

After writing a novel about Chinese food, nothing makes me happier than when people tell me: "I read your book and it made me hungry."

And if this conversation takes place in Paris, there's always a follow-up question: "Can you recommend a good Chinese restaurant here?"

As I've lamented before, Chinese food in the City of Light is quite often mediocre. Oh, why split hairs? It's terrible.

Happily, I'd discovered — and blogged about – two reliable restaurants, Likafo and Délices de Shandong, both ...