Daily Bread

My beautiful loaf of French bread went bad Friday morning. I gave the moldy loaf a despondent toss into the garbage, sad to have to let it go to waste. I guess that I can't manage to polish off a whole baguette before it goes bad. I'll just have to explore the range of demi-baguettes and smaller loaves (not that I'm complaining). 

While I've seen a moldy loaf of bread before, my reaction was somehow different this time. People here literally buy their daily bread or pain quotidien, and I realized that I'm not quite used to doing the same...yet.  

When talking with a fellow American friend here about differences between the French and American cultures, she mentioned that to her the French seem to take each day as it comes - not in the negative sense of 'live for today for tomorrow we die' - but rather enjoying whatever is in the present and not constantly worrying about the future, whether through enjoying the freshest produce of the season, sharing an impromptu meal with friends, or making new friends on a sunny bench in the park.  I've seen it all these last few weeks. 

And as I now buy my bread more regularly, I've been challenged to take each day as it comes here. With moving and all the recent changes in my life, I have no way of knowing what each day will bring.  I also have an open enough schedule to prevent me from slipping into the comfort of routine. Each day has held surprises, but for one who likes to be in control, I've been challenged to let go, trusting that God will indeed provide my 'daily bread'. It's been a challenge to learn, and while there have definitely been lonely moments, there have been countless treasured moments too.

For instance, I was planning on meeting a friend to hit the Saturday markets to grab some fresh produce, and lo and behold her French friend who is a cook and teaches cooking classes decided to come along and give us a tour of the market! She showed us where she bought her ham, salad greens, spices, and different stalls for different cheeses. My friend Kim and I were 

avidly taking mental notes. You pay attention when a French cook is telling you where the best food is!! Then, we toted our goods back to her home where we ate tapas on her patio followed by a degustation de macarons (macaroon tasting). We had bought a selection of these jewels of cookies (see picture) and literally lined them up in a row from fruity to chocolate and tried tiny bits of each of them! The lemon meringue and salted caramel were the best. Take note, this is not a good idea on a daily basis, but it was definitely a once in a lifetime experience. Ah contentment.  I can't wait to go back to the market equipped with insider tips and my lovely new market back (picture above).

Market spices