"Attendez, j'ai une SUPER idee"

The title of this blog post is a quotation from a little boy who we overheard while he was running around with his brothers at the "Foire Internationale et Gastronomique de Dijon." He couldn't have been more than five years old and his excruciatingly articulated French accent was absolutely endearing. A translation: "Wait guys, I have an awesome idea!" The adjective "super" is much more popular here than you would think. At first I resisted using it because it seemed like such an Anglicism. But I have heard so many Dijonnais use it, I've started to pick it up too. For example: "Il est super comme chien" which means "What a good dog!" I used it today when I was walking with Noelle, Joseph, their friend Helena, and Hendrix. We got sort of a late start this afternoon - I ended up having lunch with them unexpectedly and we didn't finish until nearly 3pm. We walked along the canal of the River Ouche, which runs through Dijon. We actually walked on the same path which I took to get to Lac Kir, just further down. Apparently that path, sort of similar to the Loveland Bike Trail, except very fine pebbles instead of paved, meets up with the road to Paris and goes for quite a way. Maybe if it's nice sometime later this week I'll try to ride my bike out that far. Anyway, we walked along the Ouche and threw sticks for Hendrix, who eagerly plunged into the canal to retrieve them. His energy really is boundless. It has been sort of rainy and foggy this weekend, but the sun peaked out for a little while and it wasn't too cold. The trees are truly in their full glory now - they seem to take on an even more ethereal quality in the mist.

So this weekend started on Thursday after class, with Les Discjonctes practice outside from 7-9pm. This time 10 people showed up, so we got to play 5 v. 5, much more agreeable than 3 v. 3. We also used forced a side again - which was much appreciated on my part (sorry for you blog readers who are non-Frisbee players, forcing a side means designating a side and trying to force the offensive player with the disc to only throw it to one side of the field. This makes it a lot easier for the defense to stay in front of their player). I really can't say how happy I am to have the chance to play Ultimate here in France. Not only is it wonderful to play again, but I really get a chance to practice my French in action. The guys give me a hard time about my pronunciation sometimes, like when I tried to shout "Prends ton temps!" quickly and it came out as a garble of syllables. But really, it's all in good fun. I also found out this weekend that we're going to have a Discjonctes soirée on Tuesday night - we're going out to dinner at a restaurant on Place de la Liberation. I'm very excited.

Thursday night the whole Wake gang went out to a club called Le Chat Noir. This club has been talked up by the other international students, our professors at CIEF, etc., so we figured we should check it out. We had a good time and Kara, Carolyn, and I ended up going back last night. Thursday night there was a 4 euro cover (plus 1 euro for the coat check) and Saturday night it was 6 euro to get in. Now that I type it out, it doesn't really seem like that much, but I had made it all semester without paying a cover, so it seemed sort of exorbitant at the time.

Friday morning I woke up reasonably early so I could make it to the market. Inspired by my humble success at cooking earlier in the week (I made penne with an eggplant/parmesean sauce and added sundried tomatoes), I wanted to get some fresh veggies. I had a very interesting experience at the market. In our CIEF classes all of our lessons revolve around current events: so in my Comprehension Ecrite class (basically reading comprehension) our homework each week is to read an article which Stephane gives us and then answer questions about it. The article for this week is about the la peine de mort (the death penalty), which is currently outlawed in France. We talked a little bit about the history of the death penalty in France in class on Thursday to get some background before reading the article. It was outlawed in 1981 in France, which at the time was the last country in Western Europe to do so. Lately there has been a resurgence of French citizens who want to reinstate the death penalty, particularly in relation to instances of child abduction/sexual assault against children. So, the reason I am bringing this up is that it came up in conversation at the market! I was chatting with one of the produce vendors - about nothing of real note (a lot French people recognize after the first exchanges and then proceed to guess where I am from, this guy went through Denmark, Norway, and Germany before I told him I was from the US). So, at the end of the conversation when I've gathered up my purchases and am preparing to walk away, the guy pauses and then adds "You know, you've got it right in the US" (in French, of course). Curious, I ask him what he means. He says "well, you have the death penalty there, don't you? Here [and he indicates a little kid walking by, holding his mother's hand], little kids get abducted and bad things happen and the government doesn't really punish the people who do it." I am paraphrasing, of course, but I was a little offput. I've never had anyone bring up the subject of the death penalty, and certainly not someone I just met. It's interesting to see which issues are really charged here, and to experience that in real life and not just in a textbook. Obviously this is just one guy's opinion, but I thought I'd share, because it made an impression with me.

So anyway, I bought brussel sprouts, mushrooms, 4 carrots, 2 peppers, 1 head of garlic, 2 onions, 3 oranges, and 3 apples: all for less than 10 euro. That is why I love France: the cheapest food you can buy is freshly-baked bread and fresh produce. Last night I cooked up the brussel sprouts and mushrooms and added them to quinoa and then tonight I made penne with the eggplant/parmesean sauce, but I added sauteed garlic, mushrooms, onions, and sundried tomatoes to the mix. YUM. It's funny, you would think for someone who spends so much time sampling and describing food, I would have more experience cooking my own. But it comes down to this: neccessity. When I am home, I have my mom and her cooking is so delicious I never need to cook (I have plenty of experiencing baking breakfast things and treats). And then at school I have the Pit, which is not always super healthy or super tasty, but always super convenient. So, now that I am sans Lisa Dayton and the Fresh Food Company (aka the Pit), I have taken the plunge into cooking my own meals. So far, it has been great success.

Friday afternoon Carleigh and I went to see a film called Le Ruban Blanc ("The White Ribbon"). I saw a preview for it when I went with Carolyn to see Le Petit Nicolas and I noted that it won the top prize at the Cannes Film Festival this year. After seeing it, I understand why. Carleigh and I saw the original version (German) with French subtitles. The viewing itself was an interesting experience. My overall impression of the German language is that it is very harsh and gutteral. But in this film is was much lighter and more musical as a language and I recognized many of the English cognates. So it was a weird feeling to hear something vaguely similar while reading the translation in a language which is becoming more and more familiar. Between the two mediums, I think I understood all of it. The film itself is a piece of art. I don't want to go too far into the plot, because I sincerely hope all of you see it. It was a little dark and I certainly wouldn't recommend it for the pre-PG-13 crowd, but as an intellectual and sensory experience it was captivating.

Here's a Wikipedia summary (which I altered a bit):

"The White Ribbon is the story of a village in Protestant northern Germany in 1914, just before the First World War, as children and adolescents in a choir directed by the village schoolmaster, and their families: the Baron, the superintendent, pastor, doctor, midwife, peasants. The plot revolves around their lives and the strange accidents which occur."

I think it's important to note that I did not know that the story was taking place right before WWI when I went to see the film, and that is an essential element of the story (but one that I recognized on my own). You may or may not remember that earlier in the semester I made a pledge to see one film in French per week. Well, this is the conclusion of my 10th week here in France and I have seen 6. And 2 of those were this week-end. Oops. Well, hopefully I can make those up, although I'm not sure I'll have the time between Dublin next weekend and Prague the following week. Here's the list of the films I have seen so far:

1. Harry Potter et le Prince de Sang-Melee
2. Les Regrets
3. Le Petit Nicolas
4. Le Pensionnat (a Thai film dubbed in French, which I saw with my host family)
5. Le Ruban Blanc
6. Mademoiselle Chambon

The best one so far has most definitely been Le Ruban Blanc. I saw Mademoiselle Chambon this evening and thought it was alright, but nothing earth-shattering. In theme it was somewhat similar to Les Regrets.

So Friday evening Kara, Carolyn, Jenn, and I went to the "Foire Internationale et Gastronomique de Dijon." There have been posters for it all over Dijon: bright blue posters featuring a gorgeous Greek girl and reading "Bienvenue a la Grece" (Welcome to Greece). This fair is an annual event in Dijon and each year a different country is invited to share their native food/dances/products/etc. Our CIEF professor Stephane has been talking about taking a group with CIEF to the fair next Friday (when we're in Dublin), so we thought we'd go this weekend. Friday night was the opening night and the fair lasts two weeks I believe.

Overall, I was pretty disappointed. I was under the impression it was going to be like the Taste of Cincinnati, with lots of different vendors selling small plates for a euro or two. I was expecting to have the opportunity to try all different regional products from around France. The actual event was held inside what in the US would be called a convention center and was more of a convention than a fair. There were lots of restaurants inside, each selling different regional French cuisines, but all involving a full three-course dinner. There were also lots of vendors selling jewelry, clothes, gadgets, and pretty much anything you can think of. The Greek room was fairly small. There was a restaurant, where we ended up eating and a few stalls with sugared nuts, Greek pastries, olive oil, and a few souvenir-type products. I'm sort of sorry we ended up eating there. My moussaka (which tasted a lot like lasagna) was good, but certainly not worth what I paid for it. Next time I would skip it, but we had no way of knowing that in advance.

Saturday was dedicated to homework. I got practically all of my assignments for the coming week out of the way, because I need to work ahead for Dublin and Prague. Carolyn, Kara, and I went for a run, but besides that I didn't really leave my room all day. The three of us went out to Le Chat Noir and had a good time (after hanging out with Carleigh a little). I have lots of cute pictures, but I left my camera at Carolyn's house, so I'll have to add them later. It was certainly strange not to participate in any Halloween celebrations, but I noticed that my host family's neighbors had a very small Jack-o-lantern on their steps, and it made me smile. Last night was also super foggy, which gave the evening a truly Halloween aspect.

So overall, a good weekend. Not the most exciting, but certainly well spent. I promise to add more pictures later, plus a detailed update on our wine course with M. Lafond, which has its fourth meeting tomorrow evening. Happy November to you all!