Feel good, French style

Lunchtime in Paris means all the bistros and self-service places (“un self,” for short in French) buzz with activity. Contrary to American eateries, most self-service restaurants feature ample sitting or standing room. Spilling crumbs and salad dressing all over one’s keyboard doesn’t seem too civilized.

A recent trip to Paris unearthed a new crop of inspired eateries featuring fresh, natural food and the comforts of home. Check out my irresistible finds below, or as we say in French, my coups de cœur.

If you’re not headed to Paris anytime soon, use your lunch break for a mini-breather. Sit-up tall, close your e-mail, take a few deep breaths. Let yourself be soothed by your chewing rhythm and pay attention to your food’s flavors and textures. Conjure up the feeling you get snuggling in your bed, laying in the sand or walking along the banks of the Seine. Enjoy a moment of respite, without leaving your chair.

• La Ferme

55, rue St. Roch

75001 Paris

Tel. +33 1 40 20 12 12

new locations opening in Paris (8ème arr., La Défense)

La Ferme (the farm) brings a little bit of chic countryside to Paris’s busiest neighborhoods. You can grab and go or luxuriate in the light-filled seating area, complete with interior garden.

La Ferme offers creative fare such as soba duck salad, vanilla chicken with olive salsa tabouleh and veggie crumbles.

Kitchen Galerie Bis, Paris

Lest you forget you’re in France, the drinks section features glasses of organic and bio-dynamic wines, along with an exhaustive selection of temptations like raspberry verbena splash.

• Le Salon

13, rue Victor Cousin

75005 Paris

Tel. + 33 1 56 24 88 80 (reserve ahead)

www.cinemadupantheon.fr

Le Salon sits atop an art house movie theater, a stone’s throw away from the historic Panthéon, where French “national heroes” like Voltaire and Marie Curie are buried. This is not only a place to go for the food, but also for the people. The crowd captures that uniquely Paris-blend of intellect meets chic meets nonchalance.

As my friend and I sank back into a comfy couch to enjoy lunch, I felt like we were hanging out in my fantasy home. The loft-like space, complete with garden balcony, is artfully decorated by French screen legend Catherine Deneuve.

Le Salon offers a simple selection of fresh foods – plats du jour, soups, Spanish-style tortillas or charcuterie, and combo plates of daily salads to mix and match (quinoa tabouleh, bibb lettuce with marinated peppers and sardines, coriander carrots, eggplant confit…). End your meal with a fresh ginger and lemon infusion.

• Kitchen Galerie Bis (KGB)

25, rue des Grands Augustins

75006 Paris

Tel. + 33 1 46 33 00 85 (reserve ahead)

zekitchen-galerie.fr

KGB is the budget-friendlier, little sister version of Ze Kitchen Galerie, a French fusion restaurant which has been a Parisian favorite for years.

We wanted to take a British guest for something beyond traditional French cuisine. KGB mixes fresh market finds with the mouth-watering flavors of the Far East (Asian-style bouillon with foie gras, duck confit with house-made pasta and Asian herbs, a delicate, addictive mango-passion fruit cappuccino.) The colorful, modern space hung with contemporary art puts you in a sunny mood, even if it’s a typically gray Parisian day.

What are your favorite lunch places in Paris?

Live épanoui*!

Elisa

* in full bloom

Sunday morning blueberry pancakes, a picnic of baguettes and brie at the Philharmonic in the Park, family reunions over bagels and lox…What would life be without our daily bread and its rituals? Alas, in the era of “no white foods,” bun-less burgers and low-carb muffins, bread and its cohorts have become the objects of guilty frustration. To indulge or not to indulge?

My days in France taught me the principle of indulging in good measure. A week-end croissant, a hot crèpe after a long winter’s walk, a few bites of bread but lots of veggies and protein. Good measure makes sense and works a lot of the time, but it leaves us in a perpetual state of policing. Whether they live in Paris or New York, my friends still struggle over their baguettes.

Luckily, a third way has emerged. Here’s how you can have your cake, and eat it too!

• Go back to basics with true whole grains.

We’re right to shy away from the refined, industrialized carbs which abound these days the world over. They bring our bodies little nutritional or energetic value, encourage weight gain, and cause cravings for more of the same.
Instead, turn the clocks back a couple generations, before Wonder Bread and Special K.
Incorporate real whole grains into your daily routine. These include steel-cut or old-fashioned rolled oats, no-sugar added mueslis, sprouted grain dry cereals (Food for Life’s Ezekiel 4:9, for example) and grains like brown rice, kasha, millet and quinoa.
These provide long-lasting energy, satiate our natural need for carbs and keep us happy and skinny.
Grains may seem a bit esoteric at first, but are increasingly easy to find, and great for kids. If you can boil pasta, you can make whole grains.
While these aren’t traditional components of French diets, even classic French chefs like Alain Ducasse are rediscovering the flavor and ease of céréales complètes.

• Bank on high-quality breads.

There is quite a difference in how your body reacts to whole grains versus bread. Since breads are made from flour, there is naturally some processing involved. Hence, our blood-sugar balance is disrupted, with a more likely impact on our waistlines.
Enter a modern-day miracle (actually based on centuries-old savoir faire) flourless, sprouted grain bread (Food for Life, Manna Organics). This has become a staple for sandwiches and morning toast, not only because it keeps me fuller longer than regular bread, but also because it tastes heartier (and goes so well with melting butter!)
If there’s no sprouted grain around, I look for interesting breads made by people who are passionate about quality (spelt is a favorite, with no added sugars or oils).

• Relax.

When whole grains are your staple, you gain a new appreciation for natural, whole foods. They feel different, and they taste good. Your palate begins to change too, trending towards a reduced sweet-tooth. When you eat the real thing, the refined stuff doesn’t hold as much appeal.
Incorporating lots of whole grains into my diet has made carbs a non-issue. Instead of counting calories, I’m diving right in – to my kasha, quinoa and organic bakery’s lovingly-crafted croissants!

Live épanoui*!

Elisa

* in full bloom

Last week, I turned to the Parisienne for inspiration on juggling the demands of modern life. While the French woman enjoys a certain cachet the worldover, l’Américaine wins the admiration of many of my French friends too.

What seems to draw my French friends in is a certain way of being. L’Américaine sees life as her playground, where anything is possible. In their eyes, she’s enthusiastic, optimistic, and open, less constrained by pre-conceived ideas or social norms, less apt to judge by the cover. It’s no wonder my French friends love brands like American Apparel, Theory and Abercrombie, use English words like “day off” and “healthy” and find cupcakes charmingly delicious. These typify a simple, relaxed, and bubbly culture.

At the same time, Parisiennes are wowed by their fellow New-Yorkaises’ meticulous approach to style. “Everything is perfect from head to toe,” relates one friend, “and she even gets up at 6 to go to the gym!” Gossip Girl-style perfection captivates the imagination and places the bar high.

With a can-do spirit and disciplined approach, the American woman accomplishes a lot. In this, she’s an inspiration to many. But how do we keep accomplishing in ways which energize us, instead of burning us out?

In this season of New Year’s resolutions, here are my tips for meeting your goals in the year ahead.

1. Start with your day-to-day.

Defining future-oriented objectives and visions for ourselves gives us direction. Yet, there is so much to be gleaned about what we want and how we want to live by shifting our perspective not to the future, but to our day-to-day life. How can my daily life feel better? What works; what doesn’t? From how you work, to how you share responsibilities with your husband to where your time is spent, the day-to-day approach offers rich insights.

When your daily life works for you, you feel energized, strong and connected. It’s the ultimate spring board from which to move forward.

2. Focus on the means, not the end.

It’s tempting to focus on the end result with laser-like precision. But, when we hold on to specific outcomes too tightly, I’ve noticed that life loves to trip us up.

Instead, connect your plane to the right fuel tank. Focus on putting into place the means and processes around your goal. Fire up with the juice that works for you; create the environment and support system which spur you on; build on small action steps.

Being in the process feels just as good as meeting the goal. If we further work up the courage to let go and remain open to the results, life has a way of providing fabulous surprises.

3. Practice, practice, practice.

Like many of us with a high-success drive, I’ve often given myself meaty challenges and to-do lists, striving to hit them all, while placing a lot of exhausting pressure on myself.

Something different happens when we approach resolutions as something to practice. We acknowledge that it’s a work-in-progress, a re-iterative process whose feed-back helps in moving forward. Striving to practice resolutions, instead of accomplishing them, allows for missteps, dissolves the pressure, and puts the fun back in your goals.

The past couple of years, I have been practicing a resolution to use less of the Earth’s resources. Going “green” can’t happen overnight, but it does happen every time I whip out my own bag at the register or recycle a bag of textiles at the Green Market. I have a feeling that like most important things, it will be a life-long practice.

What New Year resolutions have got you energized?

Live épanoui*!

Elisa

* in full bloom

Freshly back from Paris, my spirit is full with the images and impressions of the City of Light. Winter casts a soft glow on the banks of the Seine, the sunlight bringing a luminescent hue to palaces and buildings. Steam fogs café windows as urbanites and tourists cozy up to hot chocolate and chestnut cream pastries. Parisiennes hustle and bustle in the cold, darting into new “fast-food” eateries for a soupe bio (organic soup) or into their favorite boutique to take advantage of the early January soldes (the bi-annual time of year when stores go on sale).

I have always been fascinated by the richness of my two cultures, French and American, comparing the lives and philosophies of my French and American friends. Each culture remains distinct; but increasingly, modern life and technologies mean a certain homogenization.

My French girlfriends share many of the same stresses as their American counterparts: juggling between roles as professionals, mothers, wives, friends and caretakers to aging parents; getting to the market and yoga class despite a looming work deadline; creating the life that truly suits them, in harmony with one’s constraints and responsibilities.

What are some of the ways the Parisienne solves these pressures? Here are the tips inspired by my observations:

1. Alternate pockets of work with pockets of rest.

My French friends work hard, putting in days as similarly intense as my American friends. Yet, they seem less harried and more focused. I attribute this state to regularly scheduled breaks. Be it the morning coffee, lunch in the cafeteria, Sunday family lunches or a ski trip each February, the French way of life values rest and relaxation as the natural counterpoint to work and productivity.

Americans may not get 5 weeks of vacation, but we can schedule a break or two into our day or our month, leaving Blackberries and guilt behind. Worktime will be more efficient as you create the balance you crave, moment by moment.

2. Cultivate daily interaction.

There are dozens of opportunities a day to interact with those around us. A natural tendency when we get stressed is to ignore everyone. We go about our business plugged into our ipod or barely mumble a word to the barista each morning. This creates a strange feeling of disconnect, no matter how many e-mails we’ve sent that day.

The French, on the other hand, congregate at cafés or the office coffee machine, exchanging and sharing de vive voix (in person), and less by instant messenger or e-mail.

Back in Manhattan, I try to create these moments of connection by consciously greeting and engaging those I interact with, from cashiers to security guards to colleagues. This anchors me in the moment and grounds me in my daily life, instead of being lost in my thoughts and to-do lists.

3. If you don’t feel gorgeous, fake it.

La Parisienne is known around the world for her seemingly effortless sense of style. Yet my French girlfriends also have days where their pants feel tight and their hair won’t stay in place. I admire them for fighting back.

Instead of reaching for stretchy pants and sneakers, la Parisienne ups the ante, reaching for the special dress, killer pair of heels or of-the-moment jeweled headband which will make her feel pretty and confident even if all she wants is to crawl back into bed.

The next time you’re feeling lackluster, grab your favorite heels or new red lipstick. Igniting your inner sense of gorgeous helps you fake it until you’re back in the saddle.

Stay tuned next week to discover why French women are wowed by their American counterparts.

Live épanoui*!

Elisa

* in full bloom