Le gateau des rois

         Last night marked my triumphant return to choir. And it was my most successful choir experience ever...we didn't sing. We celebrated the new year and the choir at a local restaurant, where, for a mere 15 euros, we had kir (a delicious, sweet aperitif), couscous and sausages, chicken and mixed vegetables in a spicy tomato sauce, and la galette des rois, and lots of red wine. Apparently, the red wine from the Rhone region can be inferior to that of Bordeaux and Burgundy, but if you know how to find the right vineyards, the quality is the same and the price is lower. That was definitely true last night! We had a lovely Côtes du Rhône AOC, which is the main appellation of the region. 
         In France, Epiphany is readily celebrated with le gateau des rois. Le gateau des rois, in Haute-Savoie, is a brioche filled with a francipane interior (an almond paste). You can try the recipe here. Inside the cake, there are hidden two figurines, or feves, and whoever finds them become the king and queen. Sometimes there are four feves and an evil set of royalty. Feve means "bean" in French and originally, beans were placed in the cake, but they have been replaced with plastic and porcelain figurines. Fun fact according to Wikipedia (I was probably also told this last night, but I haven't yet mastered listening to ten people speaking to me in French at the same time), "the French President is not allowed to “draw the kings” on Epiphany because of the etiquette rules. Therefore, a traditional galette without figurine or crown is served at Elysée Palace in January." Kat was tres chanceuse and found a feve, except that she almost bit into her figurine (la galette des rois is served throughout January, so it must be a busy month for dentists.) Her little figurine read "King of the Pickles." A sour kingdom, but she's now Epiphany royalty!
         The restaurant was charming and quintessentially French. The interior at first seemed ad-hoc, but the result is a functional, familial, and welcoming setting, where the emphasis is on the food, not the furnishings. In the US, I find myself judging new places harshly, wondering how people have critiqued the older wallpaper on Yelp or whether I would recommend the restaurant given the mismatched tableware. In France, such things are often de jure. Certainly the ambiance of a restaurant impacts one's enjoyment of a meal to a certain extent, but really wallpaper and tableware are just things. This same approach, from my albeit limited experience, applies to French homes, too. Furniture, artwork, wall colors, etc. seem to be more carefully selected and maintained. Whether the table's wood matches the chair's wood is irrelevant. Most importantly, ladies, this applies to clothing. We wonder why French women don't get fat. First of all, none of the French women I know snack. They eat balanced meals three times a day, with all food groups making an appearance. (And they drink red wine in moderation!) But most importantly, they expertly tailor their clothes. Clothing is never too tight, it's like the Goldilocks version of fashion - everything fits just so. Shoulders and waists are always defined. French women accent every outfit with scarfs and jewelry. They invest in well made clothes and have them tailored, shunning disposable wardrobes. Disclaimer: I speak from a very subjective, limited perspective but I admire French style beaucoup (right in time for the sales that start tomorrow!).