Paris, je t'aime!

Franny turned me on to this here bloggie that details some of the culinary treasures one can find in Gay Paree. Reading through his suggestions, I begin to wax nostalgic at the four months I spent in Paris, as a young panda, honing my français while exploring this marvelous city with a gaggle of friends.

I remember playing "I never" with the girl who didn't quite get it and used every turn to tell a hilarious and bizarre story about her youth.

I remember desperately wanting to open a bottle of wine, but being unable to do it, so we jammed the cork down the middle of the bottle's neck, where it got stuck. We punctured a hole through the cork and slurped it up while sitting on a sidewalk at 4 in the morning.

I remember dining with my veuve, Mme. Grolleron, who would excitedly cut a chunk of her baguette with such force that she would nearly develop whiplash every time.

I remember sitting in class at La Sorbonne and thinking that French classrooms were so old, stately and ornate.

I remember walking to a friend's apartment, dressed to explore the ravey underbelly of the city and being mistaken for a prostitute.

I remember the weird co-ed showers with men in thongs when I tried one afternoon to practice with a French swim team.

I remember the American girls in my program who fell in love with French boys and gave it up in the name of true romance.

I remember going out with my friend and her best friend's hot boyfriend with the tribal tattoo on his scalp, who decided that he wanted to try kissing a boy for the first time and declared that we needed to make out all night.

I remember cooking French dinners with Flabs, using unrefrigerated milk in tetrapacks, while listening to "Comme J'ai Mal" by Mylène Farmer and "Personne" by Pascal Obispo.

I remember all the macarons, the fallafel, the baguettes, the crêpes, the paninis, the fromage, the fondue, the ... omigod the food was so delish!

Ahem, anyway, it was a lovely time in a young panda's life and I'll list the blog up in the "cubiclentertainment" section for y'all to read along if you wish!