Are French Parents Superior?

In 2012, Pamela Druckerman raised this question in her new book, Bringing Up Bébé: One American Mother Discovers the Wisdom of French Parenting. Druckerman noticed, while in France, that she and her husband were the only parents in a constant state of anxiety because of the erratic and juvenile behavior of their kids. Temper tantrums were simply a constant background of life.

In contrast, it seemed like French parents have never known this stress. Their children were well-behaved: no shrieking, no yelling, no refusal of food, no messes--Druckerman was left questioning what the French were doing right and what Americans were doing wrong.

After observing Parisian middle-class life and comparing that with her experience with American middle-class life, she came to some conclusions about French parenting and American parenting in general. 

First, French parents aren't obsessive. They let their children idle along sometimes and take time for themselves. In contrast, most American families want their children to constantly be engaged in something--piano lessons, tennis class, after-school activities--and most american families want to be engaged in those activities with their children.

Second, French parents don't discipline their children; they educate them. One example of this verb-stressed sentence is how French parents don't immediately pick up a child when s/he is crying. Instead, caretakers let their young ones wait, and thus teach them patience. Some families also use daily chores to instill patience in their children; some adhere by strict meal times for similar results.

The French also make their children play by themselves, so the children learn how to enjoy their own company instead of constantly crying for mom. In France, this concept is much more emphasized than it is in America. Another big concept in French parenting is the cadre, or frame. Parents set down very strict boundaries, but within those boundaries children are granted autonomy.

There is still no consensus on which country produces the best children, and there probably never will be. But, learning about different methods of raising your child and incorporating a different perceptive can be helpful. Who knows, maybe if you try the French method, you'll end up with perfect French children, too.

A Guide to Wine and Food Pairings

Drinking and eating--we all love both. Let's look at why certain foods pair well with certain wines.

There are six elements you should consider when pairing wine and food. These elements are fat, acid, salt, sweetness, bitterness, and texture. 

You want to balance the fat of some foods with the acidity of wines. Or you can also try to cut the fat with the tannins of the wine, or match the rich taste with alcohol content. 

As for acidity as an element and a main component of a dish, you want to balance the acidity of the wine with the acidity of whatever you're eating, or else the wine will taste bland. 

For salt, sparkling and acidic wines balance salty foods well. 

For sweetness, foods with only hints of sweetness go well with rich white wines. When the foods are sweeter, however, you want to make sure the wine is sweeter than the food. Otherwise, the wine will taste bitter. Keep in mind that higher alcohol contents tend to give you a stronger impression of sweetness. 

For bitterness, that of the wine and the food combine, unlike for sweetness--so be careful of overloading your palette! 

As for texture, generally you want to pair light foods with light wines, and heavy foods with heavy wines, but if you're feeling adventurous, feel free to experiment light with heavy and vice versa.

If you don't feel confident enough to try to find pairing of your own, here's a list of food/wine pairings, extracted from winemag.com.

Red wines:

Pork Chops with Pinot Noir Demi-Glace with Oregon Pinot Noir
Wild Rice Salad with Mushrooms with Cabernet Franc
Duck Breast with Caramelized Apples and Red Burgundy
Lamb Shanks with Olives and Beaujolais
Portobello and Red Pepper Burgers and Carneros Pinot Noir
Grilled Salmon with Olive Butter and Orzo and Russian River Valley Pinot Noir
Lamb with Apricots and St-Joseph
Spicy Grilled Shrimp Stew and Mencia
Moussaka and Agiorgitiko
Roasted Asparagus with Aceto Balsamico and Chianti Classico
Steak Frites and Sonoma Zinfandel
Penne with Bacon, Swiss Chard, Jack Cheese and Pecans and Washington Syrah
Roast Duckling with Merlot-Chocolate Sauce and Roasted Beets and Long Island Merlot
Baked Rigatoni with Eggplant and Sausage and Primitivo
Slow-Cooked Rack of Lamb and Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

White wines:

Avocado, Tomato and Spinach Crepes with New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc
Mussels Provencal and Chilean Sauvignon Blanc
Chicken Sate Burgers and Australian Chardonnay
Spaghetti with Cockles and Greco di Tufo
Wild Mushroom Soup and California Sauvignon Blanc
Cucumber Soup and New York Riesling
Vietnamese Steak Salad and Gewurztraminer
Chicken Tostadas and Vouvray
Chicken and Mushroom Paellas and Albarino
Linguine with Shrimp, Scallops and Clams and Tocai Friulano
Pork Loin with Cider-Madeira Sauce and Pinot Blanc
Crispy Artichokes and Soave
Pesto Pasta and Vermentino
Chilled Corn Soup with Crab and Australian Chardonnay
Tomato Gazpacho with Avocado and Lobster and White Bordeaux
Squash Soup with Basil and White Burgundy
Grilled Whole Red Snapper and Ratatouille with a White Rhone Blend

Bon appétit and safe drinking!

Did You Celebrate "Fat Tuesday"?

A night of eating rich, fatty foods--this is what Mardi Gras, or "Fat Tuesday" in English, is all about. Or, at least, indulgence before Lent is why Mardi Gras came to be. Nowadays, we think of parades, flamboyant colors, necklaces made out of beads, and people just generally having a good time.

On a typical day of celebration, people wear masks and costumes, overturn social conventions, dance, hold sports competitions, throw parades, and engage in good old debauchery.

You don't see celebrations for the holiday all throughout the United States, but we probably know Mardi Gras best in New Orleans, Louisiana, where the holiday is legally recognized by the state. 

Mardi Gras isn't just a day in Louisiana--it's two whole weeks. Usually, you can see at least one major parade in the streets of New Orleans every day of those two weeks, weather permitting. In the final week, there are a ton of fun events, large and small. The biggest and baddest demonstrations, however, take place on the last five days of the season.

You might think that Bourbon Street and the French Quarter are the major places to visit when celebrating Mardi Gras in New Orleans. If you do, you think wrong. None of the major parades have entered the French Quarter since 1972 because of the narrow streets and overhead obstructions. Instead, check out the Uptown and Mid-City districts and follow a route along St. Charles Avenue and Canal Street, on the upriver side of the French Quarter.

On the other hand, if you're only really interested in exposing your body parts, i.e. flashing, you'd probably want to check out Bourbon Street anyways. The Uptown and Mid-City parade routes are typically family-friendly gatherings and have policemen frowning upon those who want to get a little more wild than others.

In France, Mardi Gras is very different from the United States. The celebrations are child-focused. Young kids prepare masks and costumes in school to parade with their teachers and friends the Saturday following, for which schools open up especially. They go around the block, throwing confetti and just having a good time. It's a very cute, family-friendly celebration. 

Some call Mardi Gras the single person's counter to Valentine's Day, so if you didn't have the best time on the so-called "day of love," hopefully you treated yourself this past fat Tuesday. Bon Mardi Gras!

What Do You Know About Red Wine?

Wine has a long history of as a safe alternative to drinking water, an antiseptic for treating wounds, a digestive aid, and a cure for a wide range of ailments including lethargy, diarrhea, and pain from child birth. I probably don't need to convince you to drink more, so let's go ahead and continue our education to learn more about red wine.

Two well-known French red wines are Cabernet Sauvignon and Pinot noir.

Cabernet Sauvignons are typically full-bodied, high-tannin (tannins are the cause of the dry feeling in your mouth after you drink some wines), acidic wines. Cabernet Sauvignon wines have flavor combinations like blackcurrant and green bell pepper, blackcurrant and black cherry, blackcurrant and black olives, mint and ceda, eucalyptus, and menthol. Some Cabernet Sauvignons can taste very sweet, almost jam-like. 

I wouldn't recommend drinking Cabernet Sauvignons with high alcohol levels with spicy foods like chili peppers because the heat would accentuate the bitterness of the tannins. Milder spices, such as black pepper, pair better: they can minimize the tannins. That's why you see such classic pairings of Cabernet Sauvignon with steak au poivre (pepper steak) and pepper-crusted ahi tuna. Cabernet Sauvignon also complements dishes with a heavy butter cream sauce well.

Pinot noir is widely considered as one of the finest wines in the world. Joel Fleischman of Vanity Fair describes it as "the most romantic of wines, with so voluptuous a perfume, so sweet an edge, and so powerful a punch that, like falling in love, they make the blood run hot and the soul wax embarrassingly poetic."

Pinot noir comes in a broad range of bouquets, flavors, textures and impressions. Generally speaking, it has a light to medium body. You will find it can have an aroma reminiscent of black cherry, red cherry, raspberry, currant, and other small red and black berry fruits. Pinots also come with favors of tomato leaf, beet root, pale cherry, blackberry, cola, and plum.

You should drink fruity Pinot noirs with fatty fish like salmon, roasted chicken, and pasta dishes. Pinots with higher tannins go well with game birds like duck, casseroles, and stews like beef bourguignon (beef Burgundy, a stew prepared with beef braised in red wine and beef broth, generally with garlic, onions and a bundle of herbs, with pearl onions and mushrooms).

Stay tuned for a list of wine and food pairings!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Valentine's Day is tomorrow! Go celebrate with your chéri(e), doudou, petit coeur, petit chou or anything and everything of the like. Even if you don't have anything of the like, you can still go celebrate. Maybe go ice skating, bake a cake, or, I don't know, take a French class at the Alliance Française? Or you could do nothing, that's fine too. You don't have to be very into Valentine's Day.

For those of you who want to get in the Valentine's Day mood, however, this a blog post for you.

France is a traditionally Catholic country, so the country celebrates the holiday like any other western country. However, in France, Valentine's Day is known simply as "Saint Valentin," and to wish someone a happy Valentine's Day, you say joyeuse Saint-Valentin!

For those who weren't aware, the holiday was named for Saint Valentine. Not much is known about this Roman saint, but there are a ton of romanticized accounts about his life. One popular story is that Saint Valentine was imprisoned for performing weddings for soldiers who were forbidden to marry. During his imprisonment, he healed the daughter of his jailer and before his execution, he wrote her a letter signed "Your Valentine" as a farewell.

Regardless, of what Saint Valentine did with his life, we still love to celebrate love in his name. So, to commemorate the holiday, here's a list of fun Valentine's Day superstitions for your pleasure.

Some believe that the kind of bird a girl watches on Valentine's Day predicts her future husband. A sparrow means she will marry a poor man; an owl means she'll stay single; a bluebird means a happy man; a blackbird, a priest or clergyman; a goldfinch, a millionaire; a robin, a crime fighter; and a crossbill, an argumentative man.

If an apple is cut in half, the number of seeds found inside the fruit will indicate the number of children that individual will have.

To be awoken by a kiss on Valentine's Day is considered lucky.

The first guy's name you read in the paper or hear on the TV or radio will be the name of the man you will marry.

If you see a squirrel on Valentine's Day, you will marry a cheapskate who will hoard all your money.

If you see a flock of doves on Valentine's Day, you will have a happy, peaceful marriage.

If you find a glove on the road on Valentine's Day, your future beloved will have the other missing glove.


Whether or not these things happen to you, I hope you enjoy your day nevertheless. Joyeuse Saint-Valentin!

What Do You Know About White Wine?

Choosing, tasting, smelling--people have made consuming wine an art form. Unfortunately, most of us are far from artists. So, let's look at the basics of white wine.

White wine is often more refreshing and lighter than red wine. Many restaurants and people use white wine as an Apéritif--a drink, usually alcoholic, before a meal. However, they're also served during meals, with dessert, or as a refreshing drink between meals. Because of its light taste, white wine is perfect for summer and spring occasions.

Chardonnay and Sauvignon blanc are two particularly well-known French-originated white wines.

Chardonnay is probably the most versatile and well-known of the white wines. You can find Chardonnay with flavors of green apple, plum, citrus, pineapple, peach, melon and papaya flavors. Some Chardonnays are also smokey.

Because Chardonnay can be so diverse, you can pair it with a variety of foods. However, many drink it with white meats: turkey, roast chicken, etc. I would recommend pairing heavily oak influenced Chardonnays with smoked fish, spicy southeast Asian cuisine, garlic and guacamole dips. More acidic Chardonnays go well with tomato-based dishes and dishes with sweet onions. Older, more mellow Chardonnays taste great with more earthy dishes like mushroom soup and aged cheese.

Wine experts have used the phrase "crisp, elegant, and fresh" to describe Sauvignon blanc. Unlike Chardonnay, Sauvignon blanc has distinct and precise aromas and flavors--you can identify this wine much more easily.

The wine's flavor ranges from aggressively grassy to sweetly tropical. If you get a chance to smell this wine, you might get hints of grapefruit, lemon, melon, grass, herbs, vanilla, spices, or smoke, depending on the wine. Sauvignon pairs well with fish, cheese, and, surprisingly, sushi.

Stay tuned for a post about red wine!

Put Some Sweetness in Your Life; Have a Madeleine!

"No sooner had the warm liquid mixed with the crumbs touched my palate than a shudder ran through me and I stopped, intent upon the extraordinary thing that was happening to me. An exquisite pleasure had invaded my senses, something isolated, detached, with no suggestion of its origin."

It is with these words that Marcel Proust's sensory-filled, body-enveloping account, describes the taste of madeleine in his work, À la recherche du temps perdu (In Search of Lost Time) . 

Madeleines are delicious, spongy cakes with a distinctive seashell look. Most think the namesake of these treats is Madeleine Paulmier, but some disagree on who she was. Some say that she was a pastry chef in the 19th century; some say she was a cook for Stanislaw Leszczyński in the 18th century and that Leszczyński's son-in-law, Louis XV of France, named madeleines for Madeleine.

In any case, madeleines are classic representatives of French cuisine. Traditional recipes typically include finely ground nuts, usually almonds. Some recipes add in a little bit of lemon zest to add another dimension of taste to the cookies.

Nowadays, madeleines are not only found in France. The English are known for coating the cookies in jam and coconut, topped with a glacé cherry. Americans are known for mass-producing everything, including madeleines, and distributing them in plastic containers at your local Costco or Safeway.

Given their widespread presence, you've probably had the chance to taste these delectable cookies. If not, here is a recipe (found at thekitchn.com) to enjoy them at home. Perhaps the crumbs of the cookie will make a shudder run through you, too.

How to Make Classic French Madeleines 

Makes 24 madeleines (extracted from www.thekitchn.com)

What You Need

Ingredients

4 oz (1 stick), plus 3 tablespoons unsalted butter 

2/3 cup white sugar

1 cup all-purpose flour, plus 1 tablespoon, divided

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

Pinch of salt

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 tablespoon lemon zest

Powdered sugar (optional)

Equipment

Small sauce pan

Small bowl

2 medium-sized mixing bowls

Measuring cups and spoons

Whisk

Spatula

2 madeleine pans

Pastry brush

Small sieve for dusting with powdered sugar, optional

Instructions

1. Melt the butter. Melt the butter in a small sauce pan. If you feel you can get it slightly toasty brown, go right ahead and do so by leaving it to bubble in the pan until it smells toasty and starts to color. Just remember that the butter will turn very quickly from toasty to burnt and that it will continue to color after it is off the heat unless you pour it into a new container. Spoon 3 tablespoons of butter into a small bowl or cup and set aside. Let the rest of the butter cool slightly.
2. Prepare the dry ingredients and the wet ingredients in separate bowls. In a medium bowl, whisk together one cup of the flour and the sugar, and set aside. In another medium bowl, whisk the two eggs with the vanilla, salt, lemon juice, and lemon zest until the eggs are frothy.
3. Combine the dry and wet ingredients. Add the eggs to the flour. Using a spatula, stir until just combined. Add the 4 ounces of melted butter and continue to stir. It may take a minute for the butter to blend into the mixture but do not over mix.
4. Rest the batter. Cover the bowl with a plate (or plastic wrap) and place in the refrigerator to rest at least one hour and up to overnight.
5. Prepare the pans. Add the remaining one tablespoon of flour to the 3 tablespoons reserved butter and stir to combine. Using a pastry brush, brush the interiors of the shells with the butter-flour mixture so that they are well coated. Place the pans in the freezer for at least an hour.
6. Preheat the oven and fill pans. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Remove the batter from the refrigerator and one pan from the freezer. Fill each well in the madeleine pan with 1 tablespoon of the batter. Remove the other pan and fill in the same way.
7. Bake the madeleines. Place both pans on a baking sheet for easy handling and place in the oven. Check after 8 minutes and rotate plans. Check again 5 minutes later. The madeleines should be browning around the edges and puffed up a little in the middle. Using your forefinger, press lightly on the center hump -- when the madeleines are finished baking, it should spring back at your touch.
8. Cool and dust with sugar. Remove the madeleines from the oven and let cool for 2 minutes. Using a fork, gently loosen the madeleines from their molds and then tip the whole pan out onto a cooling wrack or tea towel. Once cool, dust lightly with powdered sugar and serve. If you are freezing or storing the madeleines, do not dust with the sugar until you are about to serve.
9. To store. Store cooled madeleines in an airtight container for a few days or freeze them in a double wrapping of plastic wrap for several months. Let the cakes defrost before dusting with sugar.