Happy thanksgiving from Villafranche~sur~Mer, France…

I haven’t been posting as much as I would like to lately, because I have been enrolled in an intensive French language program at the Institut de Francais on the Cote~de~azur. 

I must admit, I haven’t been very focused on Thanksgiving this year, granted, I’ve been more than a little overwhelmed with my studies. But also, the weather here has been more balmy than I am used to, instead of crisp. The air just doesn’t feel like Thanksgiving. Also, I haven’t seen a single image of a turkey, nor a pilgrim, and I haven’t noticed any massive displays of cranberries, sweet potatoes or stalks of brussel sprouts, to serve as reminders in my local market.

Still, I did feel a little melancholy this morning, heading to school on this holiday. I couldn’t help but to think about all of the great smells that I usually enjoy in my kitchen, time spent with friends and family; and the interviews with chefs around the country that I always enjoy on NPR {a story on a Tur~duck~in is almost guaranteed!}

So, I was very happy to see that Nathalie, Emilie and the rest of the crew~de~cuisine had prepared a special “Joyeux “Thanksgiving” a nos amis americains” lunch today. 

In addition to the intensive classroom studies, each day we students take breakfast and lunch at the Institut. At Le petit dejeuner {breakfast}, there are generally just students, it’s a chance for us to get our brains and mouths functioning in French.