The Friend Jumps In The Hole.

I tried Roquefort. And now, its my second favorite cheese ever. It's spicy and very, very forte (strong) but I love it.

So Benie left this morning, around seven, so I didnt get to say goodbye, which was sad. But I think Ill see her when I go to the christening of the youngest grandchild in Versailles at the end of this month. I actually woke up quite early for a day off and was able to have some time to myself before I left the house.

Today is La Chandeleur- the day of the crepes in France. It all goes back to medieval Rome or something when the Pope would hand out round cakes to his congregation in Rome. There'd be a processional, millions of candles and it was a beautiful ceremony.
The day can also be traced back to agricultural societies in early France who would celebrate the end of winter with a celebration- L'Espoir du Printemps- the hope of spring. So all around France people make crepes and consume them. There are certain rules to keep in mind as well, for bonheur in your life, and not malheur. You must eat crepes with your family or friends, not alone. You cannot let a crepe touch the ground when making it. Your first crepe of the day must be a chicken crepe. Different regions of France make different types of crepes, too. In the North, its the standard crepe. In the West, they make gauffres- waffles. In the south, it's beignets. In Marseille, its little cakes in the shapes of boats called nevettes. Here in Grenoble, they make beignets but they call them something else, and I wish I had my class notes with me so I could tell you exactly what theyre called. But theyre like beignets, but smaller. Which means you can eat more without thinking twice.

So Im looking forward to our fete this evening. Not much else has been going on. The movie theater I went to was lovely, The Nef, but it couldn't help the movie I saw at all, which I will not even dignify with the title or description. Suffice it to say, a strongly worded letter to Woody Allen is in order.

Class is going fine, and I think Im just going to stay where I am and ask for extra work every now and again. I really enjoy our class- and in Art History yesterday we were listening to the music of Louis XIV's court, and our professor showed us a dance and many students (not me, unfortunately) got up and performed it. She's my favorite professor, and we also talked about Chardin, whom is an artist I am familiar with and enjoy.

I also learned a lesson with the public transit system in this city, but am happy I figured it out and solved it all on my own and in French.
Good times.

Oh, and my host sister made fun of me yesterday at dinner because she said something and it was silent, and she says, in her heavily accented English, "Nnn-eee-wayyzzzz" for "anyways" which apparently, I constantly say. And then she said "Good Timez" and it was even more hilarious.
Whatever. :)

So, toute a l'heure, and everyone eat a crepe today! (Warm some Nutella and bananas for the inside, and you have yourself a little slice of Heaven.)
Chelsea