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Showing posts from June, 2014

REVIEW – NEW YORK INTERNATIONAL SHIPPING

For those of you who haven't been following, a brief recap is in order. Cathey and I are moving...have moved...from the Lehigh Valley in eastern Pennsylvania to Quarante in the Languedoc region of southern France. Several months before our planned move, I began researching international shipping companies online. I checked out their websites, read customer reviews, and eventually contacted several to seek quotes. In the end, I chose NewYork International Shipping for several reasons. Their reviews were no better or worse than any of the others with the exception that their agent in France was mentioned favorably in reviews a couple of times. (People either loved or hated their shippers. No middle ground.) Their quote was in line with the others that I solicited but their quote included packing our stuff for us while each of the others required us to do the packing ourselves. And NYINTSHIP (their own shorthand) answered my email and phone questions promptly and reasonably.

SOCCER EXPLAINED FOR AMERICANS

The World Cup has started and my European friends will be paying careful attention. Since I plan to integrate as best I can, I decided that it was time that I learned something about the sport. So I found a site that streams all of the matches for free and I am trying to pay attention.  Here's what I have learned so far. My American friends should be aware that the World Cup is not a large drinking vessel. It's a sporting event. It's an international football tournament. And football is what the rest of the world calls soccer. The purpose of the event appears to be to provide a financial boost for ethnic restaurants around the world with large television screens. And the World Cup only takes place once every four years. For the intervening years, the team that wins the World Cup is the World Champion even though the team no longer exists. ( The teams, by the way, are called sides because they are not really teams. The players get together just for the World Cup, then go b

THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN REPUBLICANS AND DEMOCRATS EXPLAINED

Now that I live in France, I'm often asked about American politics. HERE  is a quick primer on American political parties that appears on the Political Page. It's basic but it's a start.

FRENCH CHEESE - AN ENJOYABLE, DIVERSE HUNK OF OUR DIET

Unless we're dining out or have particularly tasty leftovers from the previous night's dinner, our mid day meal consists of chunks of fresh bread purchased from the bakery a block away, a plate of charcuterie  (meat products, primarily pork but including anything and everything, like sausages and salamis, pates, bacon and the like), fresh tomato and/or cucumber and/or artichoke, olives, fruit, and a cheese plate. Our typical cheese plate will have a variety that includes soft cheese (brie, Camembert, reblochon), firm cheese (cantal, emmental), Roquefort or other blue cheese, and a goat or a sheep cheese. You can buy cheese where ever food is sold. Our favorite super markets have long cheese counters with varieties running the gamut. Smaller groceries' assortment reflects either the owners' taste, the local product, or both. And every market day usually includes a cheese vendor. The offering of the vendor in the Wednesday market in Quarante is pictured just