The first omelette that didn't fall to bits when I'm cooking.

When cooking with friends I often just take a step back and observe (generally getting in the way when I lean over the pan because it always smells so good) but doing this and taking hundreds of mental notes means it's just like watching a cooking program (which I'm also addicted to). Yesterday I made an omelette for the first time thanks to Zoe cooking an amazing cheesy omelette a few weeks ago. I know it's crazy that I am a student and have never actually cooked one but I have a love of poached or scrambled eggs which means I always cook them instead. Anyway, this is the result...

I only have half the omelette here because I was eating with a friend (who cooked the courgette, mushroom and onion filling which was what made it so amazing) but I am proud to say I did the flippy egg thing all on my own. The side salad is made up of radish, corn, one small apple, mixed salad leaves and a honey mustard dressing.  

We watched a french film called "Ensemble, C'est Tout" while we ate and I really really recommend this film to everyone. I can't believe I've never seen it before! It's so beautiful and is perfect if you're a romantic and have a thing for Guillaume Canet. I love watching films with friends, someone to hide behind screaming "NOOO HOW CAN SHE DO THAT?!" when the characters do something vaguely unromantic. Watching films cannot be good for me since I get so involved I believe it is actually happening. Great when watching films like "The Princess Bride", not so much with "The Grudge"... 

After planning on going for weeks we made it to see "Silver Linings Playbook" ("Happiness Therapy" if you're in France- still no idea where they get the English titles for these films from). It was AWESOME! I am relieved it had the right ending because I probably have left the cinema a little broken inside if it hadn't. I really don't watch films for them to be realistic. Such a sucker for a romance :) My friends all sighed in disbelief and disgust when I said I wanted to go and see the new G.I Joe, looks like that's one I will have to go and see on my own. I don't expect it to be particularly good, and I'll go and see Terrence Malik's "The Wonder" to restore my faith in film, but I have a long held soft spot for action films so I will forgive anything, even if it isn't any good, as long as it doesn't take itself too seriously. 

The day of carbohydrates and the "Flangers"

Started the last day of the half term with a quick run (which lasted about as long as it took me to realize that running ad -5 degrees is not a good idea) and a workout I pulled off pinterest which had me more sweaty and breathless than my usual runs so I should definitely try that again...except I probably won't because I'm a have a wimpishly low pain threshold and it hurt too much.
I had a fresh baguette in my room crying out "EAT ME. DAMN YOU EAT ME." So I decided to go all out on this baby:

I herbed up one egg and one egg white, half an avocado and my beloved shiracha. It was perfect with peppermint tea and kept me totally full until my lunch a couple of hours later. I forgot my camera so I couldn't photograph it, but I bought a smoked salmon, avocado and tomato sandwich on pain du lait with paprika mayo. *drool*  I could only get through half because of rubbish class times (12-6pm with no breaks) so I kept sneaking a bite when the professor wasn't looking. Dammit. Unfinished food can regularly draw tears so it wasn't a good moment for me.

I heard something quite strange a couple of days ago which came back to me when typing about baguettes. I overheard a girl talking about giving up carbohydrates for lent. In France, saying you want to go on a carb free diet is on a par with saying you want to go on a food-free diet. Sure, the vegetables and fruit here are plentiful and delicious but I still see having the freedom to go into the bakery around the corner and saying "Une baguette s'il vous plait!" as a privilege I will be unlikely to get again in my lifetime. Why would anyone want to give it up? WHY?! *Ahem* Confused rant over.

I went to one of my first gigs yesterday and I am happy to say that I was as uncool in my excitement as to be expected from a girl was once staring so hard at a shop window she smacked her head against the window pane. The bands were brilliant, listening to English being sung by people who have a very loose grasp of the English language and therefore what they are singing certainly makes way for something special. The names of bands included the "Flangles" and "The Paddys". Brilliant.

Food friends are fun :)

After a blog hiatus that has lasted far too long, for reasons beyond my power or control (definition: laziness). I realized that I missed posting the random things that pop into my mind when thinking about food. Is that weird? Anyway, what I'm trying to say very badly is that I'm sorry for not posting more often. Here is a nice photo as an apology.

There, that made me feel better anyway. Um..an extra sorry to any vegetarians. I had an awesome Christmas holiday, being lucky enough to stay with a family of people who share my love of food and who are tolerant of my inability to act appropriately in the presence of food. The perfect end to the holidays meant the return of the giant macaroon when spookily Zoe and I, completely independently of each other, chose the same three flavours from the same bakery on the same day and only realized when we opened the bags at the same time. First time I have experienced food telepathy and I definitely want it to happen more often. Here's a peek at the evidence of just how similar food cravings become between two girls who spend far too much time talking about food:

I went home after my January exams and after showing my parents all my France photos so far (to my own embarrassment when I realized the ratios to self photos:food is approximately 1:10) I started to realize just how much I'm going to miss it in Aix. I don't think I have ever really been happier which is strange because coming to France wasn't my lifelong dream or anything like that. I only wanted to try a baguette. I've been here for a couple of months now and I don't want to leave. Dammit. Erasmus year sucks. 

Zoe and I have reinstated our weekly lunches out and this week, generous and sympathetic as she is, we got to eat JAPANESE FOOD. OSDLKFJSLDKJFLSKJDF. I have no idea how I managed to go this long without sashimi. If it was possible to absorb raw fish through an IV drip I would. I also overcame my fear of burning rice and cooked omurice for my friends which turned out amazing. I was going to do a "Guess which japanese dish I ate in the restaurant and which one I cooked!" game but after looking at the photographs...you will see why I decided not to.