I've recently started hanging out with Rachel, a new girl at work. She has been living in Paris for 7-8 months working on her Master's Degree and just began an internship at IEA. Do you remember how I said it's difficult to break the window into the French ''society''? Well, Rachel has shattered the glass and jumped through that window...
She lives in a fabulous apartment in the St. Germain area, and frequents her local bar, La Palette. During her time here, she has become friends with the La Palette staff and regulars, including a group of handsome and rich French men. Last Thursday, Rachel invited me to La Palette to indulge in some wine with her friends Stefan and Patrick. Although La Palette looks like most other artsy Parisien cafes, according to Rachel, it's the hot spot for the ''young professionals'' crowd - the lawyers, young businessmen, etc. We settled in and went through a couple bottles of wine, a little jambon and fromage (all paid for by Patrick), and talked through the night. En français bien sûr!
Sitting at the cafe, drinking wine, surrounded by the young chic Parisiens, I felt like I was really getting to the heart of the city. Everyone's sitting at these tiny tables, squished together, and you cannot help but befriend your neighbors. As long as they have some good wine and good conversation, that's all that really matters. Work the next day - no problem, the French will go in late. They are able to separate themselves from the daily stresses and really enjoy the good things in life.
Unfortunately, I work for an American, and though my hours are relatively flexible, I knew it wouldn't look good if I strolled into the office at 11 a.m., so my joie de vivre could only last until about 2 a.m. I was in bed by 3 a.m. and managed to get into work by 10 a.m. I was hoping I could pass the day quietly at my desk; however, the wine never stops flowing in France. We had a birthday lunch for a coworker, complete with about 5 bottles of wine for 10 people. Let's just say, it was a tough afternoon...
About Me
- Michelle Hershman
- Washington, D.C., United States
- Michelle Hershman has always been enthusiastic about eating, but it took her a little longer to become passionate about cooking because she wasn’t allowed to use the oven unsupervised as a child. Her first cooking experience involved baking a cake in the microwave. But, Michelle persevered. She attended Virginia Tech, where she received a Communications degree and mastered the quesadilla. Then, she headed to University of Richmond Law School, and when she wasn’t hitting the law books, she devoured cookbooks and food magazines. In 2007, she began a job as a Presidential Management Fellow with the Federal government. Her love of food reached an all-time high when she was sent to Paris for work. She spent four months eating creamy cheeses and crusty baguettes and frequenting farmer’s markets for fresh produce. She ate pasta in Italy, Hagis in Scotland and street food in Istanbul. She vowed never to eat a frozen dinner again. Now, she works as an attorney during the day and experiments with recipes for her food blog, Healthy Recipe Ecstasy, at night. In her spare time, she’s planning a wedding with her wonderful patient fiancé, Alasdair Cain.
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