No matter
how many wonderful the foods, and other things, are in France, when I go
back to the States, there are some things that I bring back to
France with me. When I go to the other way, to the U.S., I pack
things that I have a hard time living without or to give as gifts.
Friends or hosts might get a loaf of Poilâne bread, a French cheese
that’s elusive outside of France, a packet of salted butter, fleur de
sel (French sea salt), Parisian chocolates, and for
extra-special friends, a baked-the-same-day croissant. (Depending on my
flight plans. And how much I like the person.)
When I go
the other direction, America to France, I pack certain things
that I either can’t live without, because I haven’t found an
equivalent, or I need (or like) to have them in my kitchen. For other
room in the house, I stock up on unscented items. I, and my sensitive
skin, and nose, aren’t fans of scented or over-scented items. (I
once even saw vanilla-scented
papier toilette.
I like vanilla and all, but…) And yes, that’s me opening laundry
detergents and smelling them in the supermarché
aisles. I’m waiting for the day I get busted (or however you say that in
French) for doing that.
While I was
packing my suitcase after a recent trip, I thought I’d share some of the
things that were going back with me. I had a few books,
snack-sized zip-top bags (which I once bought by mistake, but are great
for small bits of things), and Tom’s toothpaste (I once ran out and used
Romain’s toothpaste, which I found out was fennel – yuck…). I had the
usual tangle of electronic cords and adaptors, which I finally organized
by buying a cable
organizer. I know, I know – Marie Kondo
says not to buy organizers, but until they come up with a single cord and
plug that works for everything (…please! And now there’s a movement to replace all
our USB cords…oof…), I needed a better way to make sure I
didn’t leave a cord behind, going in either direction.
 Spring-Loaded
Ice Cream Scoop: The French love ice
cream – what’s not to like? So why couldn’t I find spring-loaded ice
cream scoops in various sizes for cookies? I didn’t get it until one of
the clerks at MORA
told me, “Because the French don’t make cookies like you do in
the U.S.” Oops. Got it. He was right. While the French make cookies, they
don’t really do cookies where the dough is dropped; they’re usually
rolled and cut out. The size that’s available in France is used for
scooping ice cream, like those restrained scoops at Berthillion, that
make you want to order a triple, even though that’s très
Américain.
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