A Few Things Here and There — Quelques choses par ici et par là

February 15, 2007

A few things here and there.

Number 1:

I will most likely be in Paris in next April — yeah — sometime mid-April (never long enough but better than nothing). So, if anyone in the area would love to meet up, say even organize a mini food-blogger meeting, why not, let me know. I do not have precise dates as of yet, but when I do, I will let you know.

Number 2:

I was tagged by the lovely Bee from Rasa Malaysia for a Meme, to answer “Five Things You Do Not Know About Me”. I have not done a Meme for a while, so I could not really miss this one. But to say what? Hard to choose. Don’t you know it all?

In no order, not necessarily food related either, here are my five items.

#1 — My mum and dad were primary school teachers and both my brother B. and I went into their classes. We were 5 and 6 when we studied with my mum, 8 and 9 with my dad. My mum was strict, my dad very relaxed. Same school, same village. In class, we used to call them Monsieur et Madame, talking in class about our parents as they. Quite freaky when I think about it now, and fascinating all the same.

#2 — I received a downhill ski instructor diploma when I was 18. When I was growing up, all I talked about during the winter season, after the first snowflake came, was skiing. I was literally obsessed with it. I learned to ski under the most challenging conditions in Les Vosges, the small mountains that can be found in my region, Lorraine. Think ice but also beautiful forests. Some of my friends must have been so bored with me at that time with this obsession! No, no, I am not the obsessive type! One day though, after many hours spent on the ski lifts, I realized that teaching skiing and skiing pour moi were simply two different things, and naturally I abandoned the idea to do this as a job, in the same way I abandoned the idea to become an air hostess — when I realized that to travel, you did not need to be an air hostess. Aren’t we pleased to grow up?

#3 — I was once a waitress in a French restaurant in Aberdeen, Scotland, and I was horrible at it. I could not understand the chef when he announced the dishes in the kitchen — hear here that he was saying the French words with a Scottish accent. For my defense though, Aberdeen is pretty rough for the learner of English as a second language!

#4 — I can speak Dutch. I know, you must be wondering why? Well, let’s say that my Dutch is currently quite rusty but there was once a day when I was quite fluent in Dutch. And I have a funny story. When I was studying Dutch, I spent a summer course at the university of Nijenrode in Breukelen, in order to perfect the language. We were over 200 people, from 50 nationalities, and only Dutch was allowed. I still remember how I arrived there. I was back from Wales where I had spent three weeks working. My brother picked me up in Paris and drove me to the place. We arrived at what looked like an enormous castle by 4 am under pouring rain. We did not really know whether it was the place and my brother had to leave. Hard to believe but true. So he left me under a porch, with my luggage. No one was around. I stayed there and fell asleep. By 6 am, I got woken up by a tall person on a bike, cycling and carrying a large umbrella at the same time. Half asleep, with my head still full of English after three weeks in Porthcawl, I mumbled some English. The person responded in Dutch — on purpose I am sure! The bike, the rain, Dutch, tall people. I really knew then that I was in the Netherlands.

#5 — My ultimate dream? Too many! But, I have one. Continue to travel and combine my travels with food. So one day, I would love to be working in the Food and Travel business, the two together, writing, photographing, testing food and meeting locals. Are you surprised?

Thanks Bee!

And to pass this Meme, I would love to hear the 5 Things About Me from the fellow food bloggers:

Gattina from Kitchen Unplugged
Veron from Veronica’s Test Kitchen
Christine from My Plate or Yours
Gracianne from Un dimanche à la campagne
Ximena from Lobstersquad

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43 Comments »

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  1. so many adventures, bea! i cannot believe you fell asleep under a castle porch in the rain, haha!
    and what a lovely photograph of you – so pretty.
    i hope your ultimate dream comes true; i think we would all benefit. :)

    Comment by iamchanelle — On February, 15th, 2007 at 11:33 pm

  2. You have such cool stories!

    Comment by Kat — On February, 15th, 2007 at 11:36 pm

  3. Dear Bea,

    Thanks so much for doing this meme, now I know more about you. The portrait of yours is beautiful with a very sweet smile. :)

    Wow, you are truly talented…multi-lingual, a great cook, an articulated writer, an aspiring photographer, and a skiier! I salute you.

    I am sure one day all your dreams will come true, that is, to work in the Food & Travel industry. Seriously, much like Matt Bites, I wanted to see you publish a cookbook one day!!

    Thanks again.

    Sincerely yours,
    Bee@Rasa Malaysia

    Comment by Rasa Malaysia — On February, 16th, 2007 at 12:06 am

  4. Très interessant de te découvrir un peu plus !!

    Comment by mercotte — On February, 16th, 2007 at 1:11 am

  5. Goodness, you are full of surprises. I don’t speak Dutch or ski or…., well, I will see what I can do. I am traveling today, but I’ll get on this when I get home. Merci beaucoup for the tag!

    Comment by christine (myplateoryours) — On February, 16th, 2007 at 1:44 am

  6. Enjoyable read;) I don’t speak Dutch, but I used to be fluent in Danish, which is pretty close, I’d say:) And as for downhill skiing – I’m off to my first ever attempt in Italian Alps tomorrow. I’ve only done cross-country skiing until now, so I’m pretty terrified..

    Comment by Pille — On February, 16th, 2007 at 1:48 am

  7. What lovely stories Bea! I loved the one of your waking up by a castle by a tall Dutchman on a bike! I have been to the Netherlands and have a lot of great memories of the place…

    I wish you success for your dream of working in the food and travel industry. With your talent I have no doubt that you will achieve this!

    Comment by joey — On February, 16th, 2007 at 2:00 am

  8. Ah, la fille de l’instituteur et de l’institutrice, ca ne doit pas etre facile comme place dans la societe d’un village.
    C’est sympa de m’inviter a repondre, je te remercie, mais c’est deja fait, en beaucoup plus court que toi: http://undimanche.blogspot.com/2007/01/cinq-choses.html

    Et bienvenue a Paris en avril, je serai evidemment ravie de te revoir. Donne nous tes dates, on trouvera surement un endroit sympa pour te rencontrer.

    Comment by Gracianne — On February, 16th, 2007 at 3:49 am

  9. Je serais ravie de te rencontrer en avril ! Tiens-moi au courant quand tu auras des dates plus précises.

    Comment by Marie-Laure — On February, 16th, 2007 at 4:03 am

  10. Un cuisinier écossais qui parle français…ben ca doit etre quelque chose ca ;-)

    Bonne journée
    Claude

    Comment by Claude-Olivier — On February, 16th, 2007 at 4:31 am

  11. You command the ability to hold my attention with food and word. From where I sit you are in the food and travel world, I wish you success in having it support you. Great photo of you!
    Wish I were in Paris then or any time! Enjoy!

    Comment by Tanna — On February, 16th, 2007 at 5:02 am

  12. have a ncie trip to Paris… If you have time, just take a 1 jour train and come buying some chocolate in brussel. I’m sure belgian food bloggers will welcome you ;-)

    Comment by Laurent — On February, 16th, 2007 at 5:36 am

  13. Wow~ so interesting stories they r~ i hope all of your dreams can be come true!

    Comment by YOYO — On February, 16th, 2007 at 7:02 am

  14. j’aimerais aussi beaucoup te rencontrer.. ou même te recevoir!! J’espère que tes dates correspondront avec mon “planning” de femme au foyer surbookée lol

    Comment by avital — On February, 16th, 2007 at 7:14 am

  15. Hey Bea, thanks for tagging me :D I’ve done the same meme but still love to bring it up to you again, here is the link for you
    I wanted to be an air hostess when I was 17, but my eyes started getting worse (short-sighted); couldn’t pass any eye test. You’re right, love traveling doesn’t need us taking a job as air hostess. So here I’m, living in a foreign country, one after another :D
    Bea, hope your dream comes true!!! *kiss*

    Comment by gattina — On February, 16th, 2007 at 7:23 am

  16. Je découvre ton blog et aucun mot ne me vient à la bouche tellement je suis estomaquée!!! Je suis sous le charme de tout ce qu’on y trouve!!! C’est magnifique…. non, même les mots ne décrivent pas assez ce que je pense de ton blog. Que dire alors? Félicitations!!!
    Bizzzzz,
    Alexandra

    Comment by Miss Tiny — On February, 16th, 2007 at 8:48 am

  17. thank you Bea! that was fascinating, and now I can lose a few hours sleep thinking of what five things to choose. I love a meme!

    Comment by lobstersquad — On February, 16th, 2007 at 11:07 am

  18. Mes deux parents sont aussi instituteurs mais je n’ai jamais été dans leur classe – et je n’aurais pas aimé, même si ce sont de très bons instits. Je compatis donc…
    Dans quel lycée peut-on apprendre le néerlandais ???
    Les anecdotes sont très sympas. Que votre rêve se réalise, vous seriez parfaite pour ce job !

    Comment by adeline — On February, 16th, 2007 at 11:16 am

  19. So funny about the experience you had in Aberdeen! But rest assured – that accent can be pretty tough even for other native speakers of English!! ;)

    Comment by Melissa — On February, 16th, 2007 at 12:05 pm

  20. it must be a blast being the student of your own parents! wow!
    and that’s a lovely photo bea!

    Comment by ces — On February, 16th, 2007 at 12:59 pm

  21. B – Such a lovely post, so nice to get to know you a bit more :-) .. Will you be coming out with us other food bloggers to the International Boston Seafood Show (March 11-13)? Stephen of StephenCooks said he dropped you a note. I will too by email. Hope you can make it! (Remember, you need to apply for a press pass here – http://www.bostonseafood.com/07/public/cust_PressReg.aspx?ID=6098&sortMenu=111001 )

    Comment by nika — On February, 16th, 2007 at 1:08 pm

  22. what interesting experiences you’ve had! thanks for sharing. (btw, lovely portrait!)

    i think organzing a food blogger get-together in paris is a great idea. count me in!

    Comment by adelyn — On February, 16th, 2007 at 3:56 pm

  23. Fascinating, Bea… so many adventures already!

    Comment by gilly — On February, 16th, 2007 at 4:42 pm

  24. I second everything Tanna said so eloquently! ;-)
    May you continue to live your dream with added rewards and pay cheques!
    P.S my parents were teachers too!

    Comment by Bron — On February, 16th, 2007 at 5:03 pm

  25. L’idée d’une rencontre me plaît bien.
    Dès que tu auras la date, je te dirai si je serai disponible.

    Comment by Samania — On February, 16th, 2007 at 9:21 pm

  26. Thank you very much for your notes and encouragements. Yes the stories in the Netherlands and in Scotland were quite something, I have to say! Aberdeen, as Melissa says, hard hard! I remember being only able to say good morning to my neighbors for the first week I was there, while they were having real conversations with me. I nodded politely ;-)

    Nika, I would have loved to, but I will not be here at that time (in New Zealand instead, not bad either!)

    Merci à tous. Je vous tiens au courant de mes dates parisiennes, dès que j’en sais un peu plus! Laurent, Bruxelles en effet, c’est bien tentant, ça dépend du temps que j’aurai. Merci en tous cas !

    Comment by Béa — On February, 16th, 2007 at 11:39 pm

  27. You are most welcome de Perros Guirec, if you have any occation to hop in Cotes d’Armor, Bea.

    Comment by relly — On February, 17th, 2007 at 3:07 am

  28. Count me in too !

    Comment by A Foodie Froggy in Paris — On February, 17th, 2007 at 5:38 am

  29. I love this meme! It’s a wonderful post and a lovely classy photo!

    Comment by Veron — On February, 17th, 2007 at 2:02 pm

  30. oh Bea, what a beautiful picture, it is so nice to put a face to your writing! It’s no wonder your writing takes on the feel that it does – you have had such interesting experiences!! and wow, dutch?! i used to be fluent in french, haha! i had it every year in school from the 3rd grade through my last year in college…but, if you don’t use it, you lose it i suppose. i do enjoy reading your little french tidbits though, explanations of words and past memories, it helps me “brush up
    a little. i hope to travel to france someday soon (with iamchanelle, no less!), so we’ll be practicing our french-speaking in preparation!

    Comment by krysten — On February, 17th, 2007 at 10:01 pm

  31. Bea – ooh jealous! One day I will get out to NZ. Have an excellent time. Will raise a shrimp in your name *winks* We will have to organize another food photography meetup time for when you get back

    Comment by nika — On February, 18th, 2007 at 8:50 am

  32. I really loved reading this. You live such an interesting life! We share the same dream about food and travel, but you are wayyyyyy ahead of me in that department. You are already actually living that dream. :)

    Comment by Christine — On February, 18th, 2007 at 10:26 pm

  33. I’d SO love to go skiing with you! Well…I do snowboard ;)

    Comment by Jeff — On February, 19th, 2007 at 8:44 pm

  34. What a lovely blog…I came across your blog while wandering on interent..would definitely love to visit more often…
    Sushma

    Comment by Sushma — On February, 20th, 2007 at 1:14 am

  35. Strangely, I may be in Paris next April too! If so, I would love to meet you…your blog is one of my favorites!

    Comment by rebekka — On February, 20th, 2007 at 9:13 am

  36. I’m new to your blog too…but just last night made your madeleines..yummy. And I recognize the Nijenrode Dutch program! I did the same Nederlandse Taalunie program (but in the town of Zeist instead). I think my Dutch is now as rusty as yours…

    Comment by Molly — On February, 20th, 2007 at 9:15 am

  37. On apprend de nombreuses choses en te lisant! Vivement Paris, ça serait un réel plaisir de faire ta connaissance… alors peut-etre, en avril…

    Comment by Adèle — On February, 20th, 2007 at 12:10 pm

  38. Lovely!
    Oh heck..I will be in Paris in early April :(
    Next time I hope..

    Comment by ParisBreakfasts — On February, 20th, 2007 at 8:18 pm

  39. Super, tiens moi au courant pour le mois d’avril. Bisous.

    Comment by pascale — On February, 21st, 2007 at 3:25 pm

  40. Here’s something to brush up your Dutch:

    Wat een enig verhaal over NIJENRODE. Toen ik jong was, heeeel lang geleden…lolol..heb ik er met vrienden veel feestjes gehad. Zij studeerden economie daar en de opleiding duurde 4 jaar.

    Ik volg je blog al een tijdje en geniet van je mooie foto’s en heerlijke recepten. Ik heb ook een kookboek online (zie mijn website) met een paar vriendinnen, een uit Canada een uit Nieuw Mexico, een uit Californie en ik ben uit Amsterdam Holland. (Vlinder)

    Wij hebben elkaar leren kennen op een International Quit Smoking Forum en ofschoon wij al lang geleden zijn gestopt, zijn wij er nog steeds. Kijk maar eens rond in ons kookboek, het is natuurlijk heel anders dan dat van jou. Wij willen gezond koken propageren in Amerika, Canada, Australië enz…..dat valt niet mee, zoals je zelf zal weten.

    Ik zou graag eens iets van jou in ons kookboek willen zetten onder vermelding van jouw eigen naam natuurlijk. Ik kom er nog op terug.
    À bientôt!
    Elenor

    Comment by Elenor van den Bergh — On February, 24th, 2007 at 10:48 am

  41. hallo béa! ik heb in de Nederland (Nijmegen) gestudeerd aussi, maar ik spreek niet goet Dutch! superbe post en tout cas. C’est toujours un réel plaisir de te lire et de te découvrir! Une venue à Paris? se sera avec joie d’organiser une petite rencontre si je peux me libérer de mes études à Caen et descendre un week-end. J’attend tes dates!

    Comment by noémie — On February, 25th, 2007 at 11:03 am

  42. Relly, I would really love to, if only I had more time! Thank you!

    A Foodie Froggy, great!

    Veron, thank you.

    Krysten, thank you. Ahah you have to practice more of your French ;-) Hope you have nice travels to France!

    Nika, yes I am lucky, I know! Definitely another meeting, should be fun! JUne for sure, yes?

    Christine, thank you!

    Jeff, ah yes, would be fun, eh?

    Sushma, yes that sounds a great idea.

    Molly, oh nice, I am very pleased. Funny that you did a similar program. Did you also get pocket money like I did???

    Adele, oui, avec plaisir!

    Carol, too bad! A few weeks apart!

    Pascale, oui, oui, je te tiens au courant!

    Ahahh Elenor! dank u wel! Ik moet studeren!

    Noemie, oui, avec grand plaisir!

    Comment by Béa — On February, 25th, 2007 at 11:08 am

  43. you are absolutely fabulous person. :] tons of great pictures and great dishes! wish you luck with everything that you do. have your blog and flickr on bookmark ^^

    Comment by Bianda — On April, 21st, 2007 at 9:54 am

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