France: What to bring back?

"Ariane Jenkins" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Several years ago when I solicited suggestions for what to bring back from
England, people here had a lot of interesting ideas, so I thought I'd give
it
another go. In about a month and a half, we'll be heading to France for 3
weeks and hitting Paris, Normandy (briefly), the Loire Valley region, the
Dordogne (also very briefly) and Provence.

I already had things in mind like olive oil and some wine, which should be
all
right through Customs. Rules are strict and say no fruits/vegetables and
it
sounds like meat in any form might also be against the rules, according to
U.S. Custom's website. So foie gras is probably out. 🙂 Some cheeses
are
permitted, but chances are we'll try and eat our fill there rather than
toting
any home.

Any other suggestions? I'm up for regional product suggestions or other
travel-related tips, too. We'll be packing light, so I'm afraid I can't
carry very much back.

Tinned meat like pates should be OK. If you consider canned truffles, forget
about it. They lose 95% of their aroma when canned, and it's the aroma that
you want.

--
Peter Aitken

Remove the [censored] from my email address before using.

Ariane Jenkins said:

Several years ago when I solicited suggestions for what to bring back from
England, people here had a lot of interesting ideas, so I thought I'd give it
another go. In about a month and a half, we'll be heading to France for 3
weeks and hitting Paris, Normandy (briefly), the Loire Valley region, the
Dordogne (also very briefly) and Provence.

I already had things in mind like olive oil and some wine, which should be all
right through Customs. Rules are strict and say no fruits/vegetables and it
sounds like meat in any form might also be against the rules, according to
U.S. Custom's website. So foie gras is probably out. 🙂 Some cheeses are
permitted, but chances are we'll try and eat our fill there rather than toting
any home.

Any other suggestions? I'm up for regional product suggestions or other
travel-related tips, too. We'll be packing light, so I'm afraid I can't
carry very much back.

Ariane

P.S. As far as I'm concerned, directing anti-French sentiments and other
puerile nonsense at this thread or me will be like farting in the wind. For
every persnickety lecture I receive about boycotting French products, I will
buy and eat one large chunk of camembert. You have been duly warned. ;P

Herbes de Provence

--
Susan N.

"Moral indignation is in most cases two percent moral, 48 percent indignation, and 50 percent envy."
Vittorio De Sica, Italian movie director (1901-1974)

Fleur de Sel

Nancree

"The Cook" wrote in message

Quoted message said:

Ariane Jenkins said:

Several years ago when I solicited suggestions for what to bring back from
England, people here had a lot of interesting ideas, so I thought I'd give
it
another go. In about a month and a half, we'll be heading to France for 3
weeks and hitting Paris, Normandy (briefly), the Loire Valley region, the
Dordogne (also very briefly) and Provence.

Any other suggestions? I'm up for regional product suggestions or other
travel-related tips, too. We'll be packing light, so I'm afraid I can't
carry very much back.

Ariane

Herbes de Provence

Susan N.

Yes, herbes de Provence - but look for the delightful little Provençal
pottery jars with Herbes de Provence written on them -
makes a great memory later.

You lucky stiff, Ariane! You're going to our favorite haunts. Don't pack
too light - you'll need something warm, plus rain gear of some kind. The
last time we were in Paris it was April, cold and rained all week. The
Côte d'Azur was warmer, but not beach weather. Have a great time!

Ariane,

Know I'm envious, and I like your style in your post scripted warning.
=o) Enjoy the Camembert, and the Brie and the croissants and
the___________ (fill in the blank).
Fleur de sel as Nancree recommended is a very good thought. Herbes de
Provence in the little clay pots are also nice. Maybe you could also
bring home some Lavender from Provence.

Calvados, the apple brandy from Normandy is also very good.

Melissa

Ariane Jenkins said:

Several years ago when I solicited suggestions for what to bring back from
England, people here had a lot of interesting ideas, so I thought I'd give it
another go. In about a month and a half, we'll be heading to France for 3
weeks and hitting Paris, Normandy (briefly), the Loire Valley region, the
Dordogne (also very briefly) and Provence.

I already had things in mind like olive oil and some wine, which should be all
right through Customs. Rules are strict and say no fruits/vegetables and it
sounds like meat in any form might also be against the rules, according to
U.S. Custom's website. So foie gras is probably out. 🙂 Some cheeses are
permitted, but chances are we'll try and eat our fill there rather than toting
any home.

Any other suggestions? I'm up for regional product suggestions or other
travel-related tips, too. We'll be packing light, so I'm afraid I can't
carry very much back.

Ariane

P.S. As far as I'm concerned, directing anti-French sentiments and other
puerile nonsense at this thread or me will be like farting in the wind. For
every persnickety lecture I receive about boycotting French products, I will
buy and eat one large chunk of camembert. You have been duly warned. ;P

LOL! Good for you and I'm seriously envious.

Purple mustard, made with grape must.
Norman cidre or calvados
Olives
Confit de canard or confit d'oie (comes in a tin)
Nougat
Various fruit syrups for making drinks

Look never mind; there's just too much to consider LOL. Just eat some
of anything that takes your fancy!

Ariane Jenkins said:

Several years ago when I solicited suggestions for what to bring back from
England, people here had a lot of interesting ideas, so I thought I'd give
it
another go. In about a month and a half, we'll be heading to France for 3
weeks and hitting Paris, Normandy (briefly), the Loire Valley region, the
Dordogne (also very briefly) and Provence.

Candied lilacs.

---jkb

--
"Grandma taught me never to judge a species by their eating habits."
-- Commander Tucker

Oh! And do bring some lavender honey. As far as I can tell it isn't
available in this country. And, if you can, have it with every
breakfast while you are there, with croissants. (I once tried heating
honey and lavender, and then straining it to get the lavender out.
Didn't work. I guess the bee just has to make it himself.)
Nancree

Peter Aitken said:

Tinned meat like pates should be OK. If you consider canned truffles, forget
about it. They lose 95% of their aroma when canned, and it's the aroma that
you want.

That's a shame re: the truffles, but thanks for the tip... I guess we
won't bother with those, although hopefully we'll have a chance to sample some
when dining out. 🙂

I hear different reports re: canned pate and meat products in cans. The
Customs website said that most meats a no-no, regardless of what form they're
in. But a lot might depend on the agent you get inspecting your luggage.
More on that later...

Ariane

Tamzen Cannoy said:

Quoted message said:

Canned meat products are fine ONLY if they contain NO pork products at
all. Which makes no sense to me but they took the cans with pork listed
on the labels and not the ones with any other meat.

Thanks. As I mentioned in a reply to Peter, I've gotten different reports
on this. Some people have mentioned that they were able to bring back canned
foie gras just fine, others report that theirs were confiscated. It looks
like it might be a bit of a gamble, so we won't attempt to bring back anything
we're not willing to lose.

On the other hand, we have done a bit of international traveling, and
have yet to have our luggage inspected, period. Mostly I suspect it's because
we're carrying very little, perhaps it doesn't seem worth the bother.

Ariane

limey said:

Quoted message said:

Herbes de Provence

Susan N.

Yes, herbes de Provence - but look for the delightful little Provençal
pottery jars with Herbes de Provence written on them -
makes a great memory later.

Thanks Susan and Dora! What do you generally use the herbes de
Provence mixture for?

Quoted message said:

You lucky stiff, Ariane! You're going to our favorite haunts. Don't pack
too light - you'll need something warm, plus rain gear of some kind. The
last time we were in Paris it was April, cold and rained all week. The
Côte d'Azur was warmer, but not beach weather. Have a great time!

We will! 🙂 Even Erik is excited about going, and he's usually so
laid-back about these things.

I figure we'll bring layered clothing and a light jacket, plus an
umbrella. Generally, I don't mind the cold, it's heat that bothers me most.
Got all that insulation, don't you know. ;D

Ariane

Jeff Bienstadt said:

Candied lilacs.

How unusual! I've heard of candied violets, but never lilacs.
Thank you, I'll keep an eye out for these.

Ariane

On 12 Mar 2005 16:34:52 -0800, [email hidden] <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

Ariane,

Know I'm envious, and I like your style in your post scripted warning.
=o)

Hehehe, yeah, I love those posters. And the accompanying pictures are
usually hilariously appropriate, too! ;D

Quoted message said:

Enjoy the Camembert, and the Brie and the croissants and
the___________ (fill in the blank).
Fleur de sel as Nancree recommended is a very good thought. Herbes de
Provence in the little clay pots are also nice. Maybe you could also
bring home some Lavender from Provence.

Calvados, the apple brandy from Normandy is also very good.

Yeah, that might be an interesting one. I don't drink, but DH
does a little. He's never had brandy, but it sounds like it'd be good for
cooking with, too.

Ariane

--
Dysfunction: The only consistent feature of all your dissatisfying
relationships is you.
http://www.despair.com/demotivators/dysfunction.html

Arri London said:

LOL! Good for you and I'm seriously envious.

Purple mustard, made with grape must.
Norman cidre or calvados
Olives
Confit de canard or confit d'oie (comes in a tin)
Nougat
Various fruit syrups for making drinks

That all sounds good to me! We'll be checking in at Jungle Jim's
shortly before we go, just to make sure that we don't buy anything in France
that's readily available here.

Quoted message said:

Look never mind; there's just too much to consider LOL. Just eat some
of anything that takes your fancy!

LOL... That's a given! 😉

Ariane

nancree said:

Oh! And do bring some lavender honey. As far as I can tell it isn't
available in this country. And, if you can, have it with every
breakfast while you are there, with croissants. (I once tried heating
honey and lavender, and then straining it to get the lavender out.
Didn't work. I guess the bee just has to make it himself.)
Nancree

Hmmm, thanks, Nancree. I _think_ I may have seen lavender honey in
some specialty stores here, but I'm not positive. It sounds like it's worth a
try.

Ariane

"Harry Demidavicius" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

As a general observation, there are not many
bargain opportunities in Europe.

While there are fewer "discount" shops in Europe, in general, I think
there are good values to be had. Unfortunately for Americans, the
exchange rate for the dollar sucks a$$ right now.

Quoted message said:

Their 'Foodie' toy shops are behind ours, although
I did spot a nice carving knife/fork set.

?? Do you mean that you don't think they have as many good things?
I'd have to disagree with you there. *Plenty* of good things to be
had, in most every city I've been to (although I'd be loath to
purchase here in Copenhagen or in, say, Oslo, two of the most
expensive cities in the world -- other European cities are much less
expensive).

Their Markets and grocery shops are worth a tour though.

Definitely.

Quoted message said:

If you're going for Aliments and Spirits, I'd go to the
Brandy section for Spirits, and of course there are
some awfully nice Estates in the Loire. I'd do my
shopping in Paris so that as not to have to schlepp
the stuff all over the place.

When you're looking at distilled spirits, don't overlook Armagnac
(similar to Cognac, but from a different region and with different
characteristics) and, as others have mentioned, Calvados.

Quoted message said:

The Louvre has some great quality Posters by
the Renaissance and Impressionist guys, that make
a great addition to most homes after you have then
framed. In any event their Gift Shop is well worth
a visit while you are at the Louvre. The first Sunday
of every month is free admission - don't go unless you
want to queue up for hours.

Tickets for the Louvre can be pre-purchased, thereby avoiding the
hours-long queue.
-j

There's a fantastic and enormous "grocery" - the word doesn't do it justice,
in the place de la madelaine. Can't remember the name but it is quite
famous. They sell it all, from chocolates to canned duck confit, lavender
honey; everything.

...Richard.
"Ariane Jenkins" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Several years ago when I solicited suggestions for what to bring back from
England, people here had a lot of interesting ideas, so I thought I'd give
it
another go. In about a month and a half, we'll be heading to France for 3
weeks and hitting Paris, Normandy (briefly), the Loire Valley region, the
Dordogne (also very briefly) and Provence.

I already had things in mind like olive oil and some wine, which should be
all
right through Customs. Rules are strict and say no fruits/vegetables and
it
sounds like meat in any form might also be against the rules, according to
U.S. Custom's website. So foie gras is probably out. 🙂 Some cheeses
are
permitted, but chances are we'll try and eat our fill there rather than
toting
any home.

Any other suggestions? I'm up for regional product suggestions or other
travel-related tips, too. We'll be packing light, so I'm afraid I can't
carry very much back.

Ariane

P.S. As far as I'm concerned, directing anti-French sentiments and other
puerile nonsense at this thread or me will be like farting in the wind.
For
every persnickety lecture I receive about boycotting French products, I
will
buy and eat one large chunk of camembert. You have been duly warned. ;P

--
Dysfunction: The only consistent feature of all your dissatisfying
relations
is you.
http://www.despair.com/demotivators/dysfunction.html

In article <[email hidden]>, Ariane Jenkins
<[email hidden]> wrote:
<snippage re upcoming trip to France)

Hey, Ariane -- Anne Charlet is in Versailles. She and Bernard met me in
Paris. If you get back to me within the next six hours, I can give you
her (new) email address.
-Barb
--
-Barb, <www.jamlady.eboard.com> Sweet Potato Follies added 2/24/05.
"I read recipes the way I read science fiction: I get to the end and
say,'Well, that's not going to happen.'" - Comedian Rita Rudner,
performance at New York, New York, January 10, 2005.

"Ariane Jenkins" wrote in message

limey said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Herbes de Provence

Susan N.

Yes, herbes de Provence - but look for the delightful little Provençal
pottery jars with Herbes de Provence written on them -
makes a great memory later.

Thanks Susan and Dora! What do you generally use the herbes de
Provence mixture for?

This is from my American version. Provence is absolutely famous for their
blend::

"Add to marinades for chicken, fish, lamb or beef. Use in omelettes. Add
to liquid when cooking rice. Adds delicious flavor to white sauces.
Delicious in cheese dishes and with shellfish. Sprinkle over baked
potatoes, tomatoes and onions for heightened flavor.

"Ingredients: Thyme, marjoram, rosemary, basil, fennel, sage, lavender."

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

You lucky stiff, Ariane! You're going to our favorite haunts. Don't
pack
too light - you'll need something warm, plus rain gear of some kind. The
last time we were in Paris it was April, cold and rained all week. The
Côte d'Azur was warmer, but not beach weather. Have a great time!

We will! 🙂 Even Erik is excited about going, and he's usually so
laid-back about these things.

I figure we'll bring layered clothing and a light jacket, plus an
umbrella. Generally, I don't mind the cold, it's heat that bothers me
most.
Got all that insulation, don't you know. ;D

Ariane

Sounds good to me - you'll have a great time, no matter what. If you've
tackled oysters, then you're ready for snails. ;-D

Dora