The Hot Plate

Since eating out in Paris is ridiculously expensive, I am for the most part confined to the means provided for me in my room to eat: a mini fridge and a hot plate. The fridge is even more mini than the one I keep back at school, but I’ve managed to keep it appropriately stocked. The hot plate has given me some grief though.

To start with, it didn’t even work. Actually that’s an understatement. It didn’t work so much that it blew a fuse in my room. The first time I turned it on that first week here, all the lights instantly went out. With the help of a neighbor, we called the guy we talk to concerning rent and the like, and had him come over to check out the problem. I do have a fuse box in my room, I just wasn’t flicking the switch hard enough >.<

After a few tries, my first hot plate was deemed defective and the guy brought over a new one to replace it. I haven’t had technical problems with the new one thus far (except the light doesn’t work so I have to be mindful about whether it’s on or off without a visual queue).

Still. It’s just one hot plate. For someone who likes to cook, this feels pretty limiting. I wish I had an oven, or a microwave even. I’d take just one more hot plate so I could cook multiple parts of my meals at once. Just another three months of this and I’ll be back to living large – microwave style.

I have managed to learn to make rice without a rice cooker on my own, a huge achievement. I’ve made mashed potatoes a few times too. I’m not doing too badly.

Also, since I started eating gyros (not too often, they’re 4,50€ each, and that is a picture I took this time) and pre-made sub sandwiches from the supermarket, I have discovered (da da da DAA) I like tomatoes in my sandwiches. I NEVER used to eat uncooked tomatoes. Ever. I used to even say to myself the last time I was here, four years ago,

“They can make me eat anything here in France, but they can’t make me eat a tomato.”

Evidently they can.

Also, I used to dislike mayonnaise. Mayo in the U.S. doesn’t taste bad to me; I just don’t want it much.

French mayo is delicious – there’s Dijon mustard in it. I loved the sandwiches with mayo so much; I even went out and bought some.

That’s right. IT CAN COME IN A TUBE.

So now I’m making my own tomato, lettuce, and whatever sandwiches. (Chicken for now.) Nom nom nom.

It’s raining today, and according to the internet it will be for the next week, and it’s cold again. Joy. It’s times like these when I wish I had brought at least one hoodie just for when I’m in my room. Also, they DO wear jeans here. I miss those too. (Granted most of the girls seem to wear only skinny jeans). It would have been a good idea to bring my old, beat up sneakers as well. Though yes, my family was right, they don’t wear them around in general, but if you are playing a sport like I do, or if you jog, you do wear very American looking running sneakers. My converses don’t really cut it for running around a track every Monday night.

Enough griping from me. I can live with it. Paris on the whole is really cool and if sightseeing, gorgeous. A country mouse adjusting to a city would be difficult anywhere I imagine.

On a plus note, my French is getting better! At least, I have noticed that I have a better reaction time. It took me a couple of weeks to get used to hearing French everywhere in public, and though my oral comprehension is improving slowly, I do respond faster. I was barely stringing my words together when I got here, mostly due to lack of practice and nerves. Speaking French around the house to my Anglophone family is miles away from speaking to a native Francophone. At least now I have gained a bit of confidence.

Only one week left until Spring Break – I’m going skiing in the Alps with a group of students, and I am very excited.

À Bientôt!