'Moms Gone Wild' or '6 Things I Learned From My Trip To Paris'

Aaaah Paris. {Said with terrible French Accent} Traveling to Paris and/ or France in general has been a life long goal. In my high school, the smart ambitious kids took Latin. The practical kids and the kids looking to get through foreign language without much effort took Spanish. Oh! But the romantics, the theatre kids, they took French. There were only one or two classes of French for every grade level in my school. I took them all. Four years or French, the last of which was AP French, I have always had a love for all things French.

However I was unable to continue my French studies in college because NYU didn't offer classes for 'dabblers' like me. It was immersion or nothing. And like so many other things, my love for all things French got trampled by the commitments of adulthood. In fact, our trip to Morocco in late 2010 was the first time that I had ever traveled to a French speaking nation. And just last week I stepped foot onto the sandy soil of France to finally experience what has been a lifelong dream of travel, food and experience.

My trip to Paris was not intended to be a Valentine's day gift. But in the end it felt like one. My husband dutifully took the reigns of the family so that I could spend our shared money on a flight across the Atlantic with only myself and two girlfriends. And upon arriving home he continued to say that he was glad I went (I even deserved it!) and that managing the family by himself had not been a burden. Keep your heart boxes of chocolates, that is what I want for Valentine's Day!!
Knowing enough French to start a conversation I couldn't possibly keep up with and having studied the basics of French culture, I somewhat knew what to expect. But like any novice international traveler I knew I would encounter unexpected things that surprised and delighted. And I knew that certain things would transcend the descriptions doled out to me in 1994 by a plump Southern public school teacher. So here are a few things I learned on my trip to Paris.

1-Not all Parisians are Rude. Even those friends of mine who traveled to Europe regularly warned me that the Parisians would look down their noses at us Americans. They said 'Be sure not to ask if they spoke English. Try not to be gauche.' However the vast majority of Parisians that we encountered were very nice. Several people stopped and asked if we need help, both in French and in English. Although we rarely, if ever, asked if someone spoke English, many people instantly heard our accent and spoke with us in English. In restaurants many times the wait staff came over and chatted with us or sat at our table to told us some tidbit about themselves or the neighborhood. One lovely place appreciated our vivacity enough to serve us a digestif on the house as a gift. The bottom line lesson? Smiles go a long way in how other folks treat you. Be nice. It is hard to be rude and snobby to someone who is so gracious, thankful and pleasant.

2-French coffee is not the same as Italian coffee. My dear French coworker's eyes rolled into the back of her head when she spoke of the Salon Du Thé. She said 'You must have the café créme and a pain au chocolat.' I was anxious to have French coffee and so, jet lagged and practically bruised from sleeping on the plane I picked up a latte from an Illy stand in the airport. It was amazing!! A dark, rich and perfectly blended cup of bitter espresso and sweet milk. I had high hopes for the trip. But sadly, my travel companions quickly informed me, Illy is Italian coffee. The French coffee I found in most places was not as rich or dark or powerful. Like everything else that I experienced with French food, French coffee is lighter, more subtle and more delicate. The coffee was excellent, it just wasn't what I expected.

3-Just about everything in Paris is slightly smaller, more delicate, more complex and more perfect than anywhere else. From the cobblestone streets, the pain au chocolat, the shoes, the cars, the dresses, the apartments, everything seemed smaller and more perfect. At first I assumed that this perfection was concentrated at the high end shops that were so close to our rented apartment. But as we moved into other neighborhoods the perfection continued to abound. Tiny gelatin aspics. Petite molded chocolates lined up among displays of cocoa nibs. Silk dresses with embroidered edges. Gilded bridges decorated with the locks of lovers. Of course I know, every city has it's industrial parks and squared off affordable apartments. But to me it seemed that Paris offers a culture of perfection. It is beautiful and I am seduced.

4-Gluten Free is tough, but not impossible. I wasn't gluten free in Paris. I had no intention of being GF in the gluten mecca of the world. But I found that while bread was everywhere, many dishes were easily gluten free. There was little pizza and pasta or wheat based dishes. Breakfast was hard, it was virtually all wheat. But I was able to find hard boiled eggs, nuts and fresh fruits. We did see several sandwich shops and I did stay away. Now that being said...I am not so gluten intolerant that I worry about what thickens a sauce, but overall gluten free (and amazingly rich and delicious) options were many.

5-Coffee and Wine masks the effects of gluten for me. It makes so much sense to me now why I never noticed that I have a problem with gluten! It makes so much sense now that when I started to limit coffee and alcohol from my diet I began to notice my problems with gluten! This is a good discovery none the less. When I was caught in an airport with a choice between a sandwich and a croissant, a cafe creme made that choice less painful.

6-We parents have given up so much. I never did any travel with friends pre-marriage. And I haven't taken a vacation without my children since having them. When I have traveled without the kids, they have been work trips or super quick trips for family obligations. Having 5 days to do nothing but eat and sleep and shop...well...I felt like a kid again. I got quiet time. I got to walk down streets just because they looked interesting to me. I didn't have to look for the quickest way out of the restaurant in the case of a tantrum. I did not have to keep my eyes on the road for fear that some short person would launch themselves into oncoming traffic. Truly, I have forgotten what it was to be just an adult in my personal time. Being a parent has become so overwhelming to who I am. It is great, parenting, but I don't want to lose this time in my life. By the time I get the ability to just 'be an adult' again I will be close to 50. Life is fleeting and obligations are many. Enjoy and appreciate every moment that transcends. Take 5 days to live like a kid again. How many Paris's will I get in my thirties? Who knows. But I am thankful that I at least got one.

Chocolate Covered Potato Chips??

A few weeks ago, Thing 1 and I took a special trip just the two of us to visit Mimi and Papa in Memphis. It was wonderful to have so much special time with just one of my boys. I think it was special for him too!

Flying is a big excitement for a four year old. Everything about the experience was titillating. For me not so much. I worried about making connections, getting picked up, letting him walk too far in front of me. You name it I worried about it. That OF COURSE included food. Because we all know how hard it is to eat healthy while traveling.

I found myself in Cibo Express again in LaGuardia Airport. This time I saw this. I knew I had to share it with you.



That's right-a chocolate bar with crushed up potato chips inside. Bust my buttons. The lady at the register said I was not the first person to take a picture of it. I wonder if the other photographers thought the bar was awesome or appalling.

*Sigh*

This post is shared with Traditional Tuesdays

A Few Things I Have Learned From My Vacation This Year

DH and I agree, this is the best trip to Block Island we have ever taken. We have had great weather and I did enough advance planning with the food that every day has been enjoyable.

Here are just a few things I have learned while on this vacation. They are food related or parenting related, or neither.

1-If you have kids, it is worth it to rent a house.

Actually, we learned that three years ago when we first started renting this house. The kids have a tough enough time falling asleep in a different place, throw them into one big hotel room and all of a sudden Mom and Dad have to go to sleep at the same time as the kids. Boo. Renting a small two bedroom house means that we can stay up and enjoy our evening while the kidlets sleep. Plus, the house offers some private down time when the sun is hot. We can go in and play with toys we brought or read books or watch movies.

Now MY favorite thing about renting a house has got to be the yard. Not having a yard of our very own, running in circles in the grass or playing in a baby pool is a great joy for our kids. DH and I can crack a beer while the kids entertain themselves. Nice. But YOUR favorite thing about my renting a house is not getting stuck in a hotel room next to my crazy Things. They go nuts a couple times a day, usually as we are trying to leave the house for an outing. And we are the loudest family you will ever meet. So renting a private house is also a way to sure that others have a great vaca too.

2-Better to plan ahead and bring "approved" junk food rather than wait and get stuck buying whatever you can find.

We have eliminated junk foods, and so last year we didn't pack any treats. In fact I just didn't pack enough food period. So when we were hungry we reached for foods that we weren't buying at home, bagels and fishy crackers and muffins. Our options on the island are limited and there are virtually no organics. I was literally sick from overeating wheat. This year I thought ahead. Instead of buying whatever crossed our path, I packed "better junk food".

I stocked up on organic tater tots and Annie's Cheddar Bunnies and Applegate Farms' Turkey Bologna and Kettle Chips. And even juice boxes!!!! Everyone feels like they are getting super spoiled while I know that there are no bad preservatives, food dyes or excess refined sugar. Plus much of the junk I bought was organic, So I know it is non-GMO. I don't want my kids to be completely devoid of treats. I just wish they would get more excited about kale and kefier smoothies. But until that day comes, it won't hurt to plan ahead and fill up on better treats.

You should have seen how excited the Things were when they saw juice boxes in my shopping cart. They were like Christmas excited. I feel good knowing that we still are having pastured meat and eggs as a focus. DH and I are having lots of fresh veggies (still modeling the behavior, no payoff in sight...). So a little junk might be just what these kiddos need.

3-I am pretty sure that turkey bologna still has triptaphanes in it.

Thing 2 decided that he would eschew all other lunch foods for the turkey bologna. He then proceeded to take a three hour nap. I could get used to this. Perhaps I need to figure out how to MAKE turkey bologna. Maybe...




4-I am pretty sure that these shorts were never intended for me.

Yet somehow they ended up in my bag. I am fairly certain that these shorts were meant for some precocious 12 year-old Lolita and not some 32 year-old mother of 2. The woman behind the counter looked at me like she truly hoped I was buying them as a gift for some neice somewhere. But I made sure I slipped in a 'Can I return these if I need a different size?' I am sure that she was horrified. Though DH was pretty psyched. I might not be wearing these into town, but I think they'll get some use. Haha! Gross.




5-There are many things about our modern lifestyle that are unecessary, but clothes dryers aren't one of them.

I don't remember what fabric softener it was that advertised its product as having the scent of line dried clothes. There are few places on earth where the air smells better than Block Island. The scent here at the end of June is a mix of roses, honeysuckle and sea salt. Yet all the clothes I have line dried here are stiff and wrinkely. I hate line drying clothes. Dryers are awesome.

6-If you rent a house across the street from a cemetary, prepare for questions from your almost four year old.

Our down time in Block Island has been spent having some very frank conversations about growing up, getting sick and dying. Thanks to my exemplary parenting skills, Thing 1 is now totally convinced that a) one goes to a cemetary to be buried when one gets sick and b) one can leave a cemetary once one gets better and c) it is possible for time to move backwards and, my favorite, d) staying a little boy forever is a viable life option. It doesn't matter that I told Thing 1 all about hospitals, where you actually go when you are sick and you can come home when you get better. Or that I also told him about Peter Pan, who lived on Neverland way before Jake and his baby pirates. Thing 1 just doesn't care. He believes what he believes. God bless him.

7-You can't just decide one day to stop using sunblock. You must also, that same day, buy your kids hats and start wearing beach coverups, etc.

DH and I have had some disagreements over the sunblock thing. He thinks I am crazy and any increase in melanoma cancer rates in the last 30 years is completely attributable to better medical care and early detection. I just want to get the kids to not get a sunburn. We settled on using sunblock on their faces, ears and heads. And we bought Thing 2 a hat and DH is resisting the urge to take it off him when he fusses. We have also, without verbally discussing it, kept shirts on the kids most of the time while they are at the beach or in the back yard during hot hot hours. I admit it, it took a few days to get the hang of. We are very toasty from those first couple days. We have always run around half naked relying on sunblock. We have had to really change our behavior to avoid both sunblock and sunburns. I have turned to DH's wonderfully light snap front shirts. They make great beach coverups. DH is just really crispy. But even he has (silently) agreed to not wear sunblock. I think we have the hang of this now. But it has taken a little bit of trial and error. After all, parks and barbeues are one thing, week long vacations are another. We aren't used to the sun out here in the middle of the ocean, so we are working on this one day at a time.

8-Brothers need vacation time.

The same can of course be said of sisters and any sibling gender combo. But for me and my personal experience, my boys have solidifed their best-friendship on this trip. To see Thing 1 coaching Thing 2 on how to perform Slip and Slide tricks while Thing 2 blathers on in his unitelligible baby language has been awesome. I catch them having conversations together where they think no one is listening. I see them holding hands when I haven't asked them to. I see them building their relationship. It is beautiful.




9-There is a kid's channel called Qubo. And on said channel there is a show called The Magic School Bus.

We are Nick Jr parents. I love the shows, the lessons and the no commercials. Here, Qubo is the only kid's channel available. And there are tons of commercials for things like debt reduction and Life Style Lifts. Thing 1 is kind of confused. I am not sure he knows where the show ends and the commercials begin.

Forgive any copyright infringement, but this Magic School Bus show is kinda cute and kinda kooky. I mean look at the lady in the picture!! She is wearing pickle earrings. It stars Lilly Tomlin and it highlights kid science topics. Well last night the Magic School Bus episode was all about microbes. And what was the example? PICKLES!! The class actually shrunk themselves and swam in the pickle jar while long chains of lactobacillius bacteria preserved a cucumber. I was actually kind proud. The show was talking about fermented foods as an example of microbiotic activity, as opposed to just some produce drowned in vinegar. I was thrilled. And Thing 1 watched eagerly. I might not be a huge Qubo fan, but they got
me with a show centered around fermented foods. Ha!

10-I really love beer.

No explanation needed. I just really love good beer. I know all the caveats about beer and health and weight. But....I am on vaca and well....it is just really good.

I hope everyone has a wonderful Fourth of July! May you be blesses with a beautiful vacation (or several) this summer!

Enjoy!

Traveling, Part Two

Leg Three: Houston

I would have to say that today was the best of all the days. I made the smartest choices and ate the least. I think it might be because it was the only day I was traveling alone. The other days I didn’t want to push my weird food views onto others, or embarrass anyone with a really complicated order.

Breakfast was at the hotel: oatmeal with one table spoon of brown sugar, a banana and a cup of coffee with 2% milk. I swear no one but Starbucks as whole milk! I flew to Houston and did my work there and grabbed lunch when I got back to the airport.



The airport was, just as I expected, a mecca of fast food. I walked up and down the terminal trying to find something good. I didn’t want to eat French fries because I knew they would be fried in veg oil, but then I found a place, Papa’s Burgers (apparently the best burger in TEXAS, that is according to their sign) that would substitute a salad for the fries. I said Okay. I didn’t want to eat the white flour bun, so I ordered, one hamburger topped with avocado and tomato, no bun, with a side salad. For my dressing I ordered oil and vinegar. You should always safely assume that all commercial restaurant salad dressing is made with soybean oil or some other polyunsaturated oil. I definitely got the “health nut” look from my waitress and she was very confused by all the requests. And you should have seen the oil and vinegar shakers! Almost nothing came out. Apparently anyone who orders oil and vinegar does not actually want to have any on their salad.


On the plane I chose just water and cashews. I was really thrilled. I did have a little refined sugar with my oatmeal that morning but other than that, no overeating and no white flour. I fortunately returned home in time for dinner. Whew! What a trip!

Conclusions:



· I noticed that food was either super high fat and processed (like sausage, hamburgers or fast food) or low-fat or fat free foods like 0% yogurt. I eat a diet that is filled with healthy fats, but I also don’t go overboard. It was actually hard to find food that I considered to be minimally processed that also had healthy fats in moderate amounts. Does everyone eat this way? Is everyone either sick to their stomach or starving?

· Americans do not drink whole milk. I am convinced of it. What a shame. I literally could not get access to any milk with a fat content greater than 2% milk. I have switched the whole family over to whole milk because I truly believe it is better for me. Whole milk tends to be less processed because the dairy doesn’t have to do anything much to it.


· If you ask for something, like real milk vs non-dairy creamer, people are happy to give it to you as long as they have it. So don’t be afraid to speak up.


· I definitely made choices because I was afraid that my colleagues and friends would judge me or that they would feel judged because I was doing something different than they were. Many of the “off plan” foods I chose on this trip I did so because of who was with me. Jeez. That’s a whole blog post unto itself! We have to get over this, I am just not sure where to start.


· I really overate because I had so many restaurant meals. Most of my meals were 50%larger than I normally would have had. Shucks. I find it hard to say no, I am a plate cleaner. Next time I travel I will try to eat better and cleaner, so that I can clean my plate rather than having to stop or waste food. I think I would be happier that way.


I am soooooooo glad to be home!

Traveling, Part One

Last week I took a three day business trip. I have stated in my piece “I am a Practical Real Food Person” that I would not stress out about processed foods that I come in contact with outside the home. I don’t travel excessively, so uber-processed foods do not make up even a significant minority of the foods I eat. But as I also stated in “The Downside of Eating Clean”, traditional foods in the SAD (Standard American Diet) have been upsetting my stomach recently. So I admit it, I have to give up them up. French fries or other items fried in polyunsaturated oils (vegetable oils) in particular are the worst offenders. So I set up a goal for myself, travel away from home for three days, and eat real food the whole time. Here is how I did.

Leg One: New Orleans

I arrived at La Guardia at 6:30am with nothing but a cup of coffee in my belly. My first challenge, get breakfast at an airport. This was kind of challenging. I went to CIBO Express because they had cold items much like a grocery store. I knew that any “breakfast sandwiches” would have meat of questionable quality and the rolls would all be white flour-heatburn for sure. So at CIBO I found a container of Greek Yogurt and some fresh strawberries. I also got a liter of water and some nuts for the day to snack on. There was a large selection of yogurts including traditional yogurt and several Greek varieties. My biggest issues: all the traditional varieties and all but one of the Greek varieties all had some type of added sugar. And sadly the only plain yogurt was completely fat free. I don’t get that. If you eat a fat free breakfast, how do you expect to make It until lunch? You will be starving in 2 hours because fat keeps you full. I ate the berries and yogurt but was starving when I got off the plane.

One the plane I said no to the peanuts and pretzels (didn’t they stop serving peanuts on planes due to allergy concerns?) but I did ask for a cup of coffee. When she gave me the cream for my coffee, I didn’t read the label before I plunked it in my coffee. *Gasp* It was non-dairy creamer, or as it should be called, milk -flavored-partially-hydrogenated-water. Great, 2 hours in and I have already consumed my first non-food.

Lunch was at a little Mexican place that was similar to Chipotle only locally owned and not part of a big chain. I chose a salad with what was called Chicken “Tinga” which was chicken in an oily red sauce. There was definitely veg oil in there. The salad was all iceberg lettuce, which I rarely ever see in New York anymore. But there were good slow cooked pinto beans, fresh pico de gallo, guacamole and sour cream. There were probably stabilizers in the sour cream. But it was full fat, so likely it was less processed…likely…. My trepidation with this lunch was the fried flour tortilla “bowl”. I knew it would be fried in veg oil. I started out convincing myself that I wouldn’t eat it. But quickly I realized that I was way too hungry. So I ate it.

My colleague and I had a little snack at about 4pm. It would be a cultural crime to say no to this…

But there is a lot of questionable food here. Refined powdered sugar, refined and probably enriched white flour, copious amounts of vegetable oil. Almost nothing about this snack is acceptable in my mind. But, hey, this is New Orleans. And if you can’t enjoy life by experiencing the local culture while you are traveling, then what the heck are you living for? Besides my colleague had never been to New Orleans before and I thought it was important that she go to Café Du Mond.

Dinner was amazing and still very New Orleans. We dined at a place in the French Quarter called Galatoire’s. I am pleased to say that this place was all real food. And it was authentic, and decadent. Everything was amazing. We tried the turtle soup (I have had better), and dinner was Crabmeat Sardou, which was a beautiful pool of freshly creamed spinach topped with a house poached artichoke heart topped with jumbo lump crabmeat and smothered in hollandaise. Don’t you just love the French Paradox? I was completely happy with this meal. And so was my tummy.

Leg Two: Dallas

The following morning my colleague and I were off to Dallas. I was a little smarter this time around. When I ordered coffee at the airport I saw that there were only little creamer cups of half and half. But the H & H also contained 5 different stabilizers and preservatives. I asked the woman behind the counter if she had any milk and she provided me with a bottle of 2% milk. Nice! I also ordered scrambled eggs. I passed on all the breads and baked goods and sugar as well as the highly processed bacon and sausage, which they had tray after tray of. The eggs tasted real (as opposed to powdered) and I swear I saw butter in the bottom of my bowl. That’s a good sign. They definitely aren’t grass fed, but overall it was a decent choice.

We had lunch in a little chain café and I had an amazing salad of romaine lettuce, goat cheese, fresh apples and dried apples, thinly sliced red onion and these candied slivered almonds that were just ridiculous. I know there was sugar on the dried apples, in the dressing and on the candied almonds. The salad had a very sweet taste to it, so there you go, another day eating refined sugar. It wasn’t obvious from reading the menu that there would be so much sugar.

I had an apple for a snack and then went to dinner with a colleague. She took me to a great place called Bolsa, which tends toward organic and market fresh ingredients (they even say so in their menu. After an amazing bruchetta tasting (white flour in the bread) I had a ridiculous dish of scallops and potatoes bathed in a pool of cream and onion and fresh corn. It was ridiculous, and all real food! Dessert however, was another story: Raspberry Croissant Bread pudding with a sour plum sauce. Not overly processed, but it did have sugar and white flour. If you live anywhere near Dallas, please do yourself a favor and go to this restaurant. The night was about 75 degrees with a light breeze, so sitting outside made the food and the company all the better.

Only problem, I really overate. Everything was seriously good!

Tomorrow, I wrap up my trip in Houston and I draw spome conclusions about traveling and eating, which is always hard for me.

How Do You Eat Healthy While Traveling?

Earlier this week I had a grueling day of travel. Flying to Chicago for two meetings and flying back to New York all in the same day. I was lucky enough to see the baby in the morning before I left, though since that was because he woke up at 5am (and I left the house at 5:45) I am not sure DH felt quite as lucky.

I always find traveling difficult. I am usually in my office all day with access to filtered water, a refrigerator and microwave and healthy restaurants not to mention the biggest Farmer’s Market in the Northeast just a few blocks away. When I fly at least there are various food options available and I can usually find a banana. But last month I drove for a few hours in the car and almost starved since the only thing available at the NJ turnpike rest stops were Burger King or Cinnabon. I try to pack snacks, nuts and a bottle of water, a Larabar, or fruit. But sometimes I simply run out of time and have to purchase food. But the options of whole or unprocessed foods are so limited while you are traveling. What are some things you do to eat healthy while traveling? Are there places you look for because you know you can get healthy or unprocessed foods?

By the way-I am trying to get you to leave a comment. So please don’t be shy.