My Life in France: Ketchup, Creme Fraiche, and Lardons

I just finished reading Julia Child’s happy biography of her time in France, appropriately titled, “My Life in France.” I’d been inspired by the so-so movie, Julia & Julia (loved Meryl Streep, could do without the blogger from Queens; but then Laura says it’s just because I’m jealous; not so, say I, she’s just much less interesting than the gifted Meryl Streep playing as tremendous a character as Julia Child). I finished the book from the deck of our rented houseboat in the Marina, bittersweet to turn the last page. Needless to say, the book was an absolute gem and it reminded me of all the ways in which France opened me up to the world.

I wish I could say I had had the opportunity to explore the richness of French cuisine in the way Julia Child describes, but alas, I was a poor student; splurging was limited to a weekend trip to the colorful marche and a visit to the cheese counter. Still, my French roomate Daphne (who defies adjectives in her carefree, chaotic, anti-establishmentarian ways; Daphne, are you out there?) taught me how French students live on their limited budgets: pasta, lardons (kind of like bacon, chopped into half inch pieces, but much better), creme fraiche, and ketchup. We lived on the stuff and I never got tired of it.